“No, but I brought a nice blouse and dressy boots.”
“I’m glad we don’t have to wear tuxedos. I feel like an overdressed monkey in one.”
Iona smiled at him. “I think you’d look amazing in a tuxedo with tails.”
“Bite your tongue, woman. I’ll stick to jeans or fatigues.”
The rest of the trip to the cabin was uneventful. When they arrived, the men of Echo unloaded the groceries and toted the bags into the kitchen. The women of Artemis put the supplies away.
Seth motioned for Elias to follow him outside. “What happened?”
“Two things. First, we had a couple of Blackthorn Riders follow us all the way to Red Rock.”
“Why?”
“Not sure if it was posturing by Blackthorn or if Dutch intended it as a signal to local law enforcement that we’re under his protection. Either way, that’s not standard MC behavior.”
“That doesn’t explain the bullet holes and messed-up glass.”
“Someone with a rifle fired on us about halfway back to the cabin.”
“Did you get a look at him?”
He shook his head. “I caught a flash of sunlight on his scope. Otherwise, we would have had no warning.”
“You were lucky.”
“I know.” He turned his head to look at Seth. “The shooter was aiming at Iona.” Elias didn’t have to think about his answer. The bullets had been aimed at the passenger side of the truck and focused mainly on the window to the back seat. If Elias had been the target, the shooter would have been better off aiming at him through the back window.
Seth’s expression was grim. “What do you want to do?”
“For now, stay the course. Yeah, this attack targeted Iona, but it was a sloppy attempt to kill her. If the shooter really meant to take her out, he would have concentrated his bullets on the passenger side window. Once that was gone, he would have no barrier between him and his target. One more bullet, and Iona would be dead.”
“Are you sure, Elias? You’re gambling with the life of the woman you love.”
He froze. Love? Yeah, Elias loved Iona Byrne. How could he not? “How did you know?”
Seth chuckled. “As a man madly in love with his wife, I recognized the signs.”
“What signs?”
“Your gaze locks on her the instant she walks into a room. You touch her at every opportunity. I hate to tell you this, Knight, but you don’t have a sunny personality on a normal day. However, ever since Iona walked into your life, that curmudgeon look on your face has morphed into the look of a lovesick sap who smiles more often. And no, buddy, she doesn’t knowhow you feel. From what I’ve seen, though, Iona has plenty of powerful feelings on her side, too.”
Elias turned away, rubbing his face with his hands to give himself time to think and come up with something to say. “Are you sure she feels strongly about me?”
“Oh, yeah. No one can miss it but you.” Seth clapped him on the shoulder. “Face it, Elias. You finally stumbled onto the right woman at the right time and place.”
“The right woman and place are true. The right time is debatable. Being with me puts her in the crosshairs. I don’t want to lose her to a sniper’s bullet.”
“I get it, man. All we can do is protect both of you to the best of our ability. We’ll stay alert.”
But would it be enough? He clenched his jaw. It would have to be. What other choice did they have?
“Do you still want to have dinner with Dutch?”
“No choice, Seth. We have to go. To bail at the last second would be the ultimate insult. We would lose whatever credibility we had, and we could forget working our way into the inner circle and learning their plan.”
“Figured that’s the way it would work.” He glanced at his tactical watch. “We should start getting ready. I assume being late is also a tremendous insult.”
