Her shoulders relaxed a fraction under his touch.She wasn’t afraid of him like most people were and somehow that relieved him.That reaction lodged somewhere deep and unsettled.
Inside, the clubhouse smelled like oil, smoke, and old wood.Music thumped faintly from the bar, but it softened as they moved deeper into the building.Reaper took the stairs two at a time, Elena following close behind, trusting him with a faith that sat heavy on his shoulders.
He led her to an empty room near his own.The room was sparse but clean and it held a bed, dresser, and a lamp.
“This’ll do for now,” he said, setting her bag on the bed.
Elena looked around, then back at him.
“Thank you,” she told him in a quiet voice.
“You’ve been through a lot,” he said gruffly.Reaper did his best not to show how her vulnerable voice affected him.“Try to get some rest.”
She nodded, then seemed to hesitate.
“I don’t...I don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to work tomorrow like nothing happened,” she admitted with a laugh.
The fact she could still make jokes after everything made him want to smile, but Reaper focused on her words instead.Reaper’s gut clenched.
“You shouldn’t.Not yet,” he told her.Elena wasn’t serious, was she?
She shook her head immediately, stubborn fire flashing through the fear.For some reason, that made her more alluring in his eyes.
“The ER’s already short-staffed.People don’t stop getting hurt just because I’m scared,” she pointed out.
There it was again, that reckless, and infuriating, compassion.The same thing that had put a target on her back.
“You staying visible makes you vulnerable,” he said, keeping his tone controlled.“The cartel won’t stop looking for you.They’ll consider you unfinished business.”
Reaper didn’t tell her it was probably because of his interference.She was probably just a simple target for them, but he stepped in and now they were probably thinking she was important to someone.
“And hiding here makes me a prisoner,” she shot back softly, but firmly.
The tension between them snapped tight.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Reaper said at last.
He didn’t trust himself to push harder without crossing a line he wasn’t ready to examine.He stepped back.
“Good night, Elena,” he told her.
She watched him for a long moment, something unreadable in her eyes, then nodded.
“Good night, Reaper,” she said.
He closed the door gently.The click echoed louder than it should have.A brother was waiting at the end of the hall.
“King wants to see you,” he said.
Reaper sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
“Yeah.Figured,” he muttered.
While Reaper just wanted to take a hot shower and lay in bed, thinking about Elena and how she was able to get under his skin, he had to handle this matter first.He went to see King.King’s office smelled like coffee and leather.The president sat behind his desk, arms crossed, expression dark.
“Who’s the girl?”King asked without preamble.
Reaper took a breath and laid it out.He told him about what happened in the ER, the snitch and the cartel scouts waiting outside her place and, finally, the decision he’d made.
