Reaper lowered his weapon slowly, eyes never leaving Elena.Fear knifed through him at the sight of tears tracking down her face.
“Let her go,” Reaper said.His voice was deceptively calm.“Or this ends badly for you.”
Cruz laughed, wild and brittle.“You always got the better of me, Vega, but you won’t today.”
“You’re already dead,” Reaper replied.“You just don’t know it yet.I heard Morales didn’t authorize this, that you’re acting on your own.”
Cruz narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip.Bingo, Reaper thought, so it was true.Elena then whimpered.Something inside Reaper snapped.
He moved without thinking and a shot rang out.Was he hit?No, Cruz collapsed like a broken doll.A red dot bloomed on the side of his skull.
Elena screamed as Reaper crossed the room in a blur, catching her as her knees buckled.He crushed her to his chest, arms locking around her like a shield.
“You’re safe,” he rasped.“I’ve got you.I’ve got you.”
Elena fisted her hands into his cut, and a sob tore out of her chest.Reaper wrapped himself around her without hesitation, locking his arms around her tight.
He felt her shaking seep into him, each tremor echoing against his ribs.He bowed his head, breathing her in, grounding himself in the fact that she was here.
He closed his eyes and kissed her gently on the mouth.
“No one’s ever going to touch you again,” he told her quietly.
****
The ride back to theMC compound passed in a strange, hushed blur.Elena sat behind him on the bike, arms locked tight around his waist, her cheek pressed between his shoulder blades.
She didn’t let go once.Reaper felt every shallow breath she took, every tiny hitch, and it lit something fierce and protective in his chest.He rode slower than usual.
At the compound, brothers looked up when they rolled in, conversations cutting short at the sight of Elena clinging to him like she might disappear if she loosened her grip.
Reaper didn’t stop to explain.He didn’t owe them explanations.He swung off the bike and helped her down, keeping one arm firm around her waist when her knees wobbled.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured when she swayed.
She nodded, swallowing hard, and let him guide her inside.Upstairs, he took her straight to his room without thinking.It was instinct.The safest place he knew.
“Shower,” he said gently, steering her toward the bathroom.“Warm water.It’ll help.”
She hesitated at the doorway, eyes unfocused, still somewhere else.Reaper turned on the water himself, testing it until steam began to curl into the air.Only then did he look back at her.
“Will you be okay on your own?”he asked.
She shook her head.“Come shower with me.”
Reaper stayed.He helped her undress, then it was his turn.Finally, they stood beneath the spray together, water beating down, washing away blood and fear and the stale scent of that house.
Elena leaned against his chest, her breath evening out slowly as he pulled her into an embrace.He felt the tension drain from her inch by inch, like she was finally letting herself believe it was over.
By the time they dried off and crawled into bed, exhaustion seemed to hit her all at once.She curled into his side without asking, fitting there like she belonged.Reaper pulled the blankets up around them and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, anchoring her close.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
“I knew you’d come,” she said.
The words punched straight through him.
He tightened his hold on her.“I would’ve torn the town apart,” he admitted.“Nothing would’ve stopped me.”
