“I love you, too,” Jodie whispered. As she pulled back, she added, “Good luck today.” Then she trudged down the stairs into the basement below. Reyna was proud of her.
…
“Just because it’s called a safe house doesn’t mean it’s actually safe,” Beckham said as he observed her checking a loaded gun.
“We can’t send your band of merry men into safe houses. The people of Elle don’t know them. All it will do is spook them. We have to go ourselves,” Reyna reminded him. “And you already know that.”
Beckham took the gun from her hand and rechecked the magazine. Then he slid it in the holster on her thigh. “Doesn’t mean I like it.”
Reyna held her hand out. “We’re doing this as a team.”
He slowly put his hand in hers and tugged her in close. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
“I know,” she choked out.
Just because she survived didn’t mean that she felt like a survivor.
“You don’t have to put yourself in a dangerous situation.”
“And when you became a lord, when you took over the entire city, you let others lead the charge, right? You sat back and directed. Stayed out of danger.”
Beckham’s eyes smoldered.
“That’s what I thought.”
Reyna pulled back from Beckham to put her jacket on.
“I believe in you,” he said softly. “And I will be at your back through this,” he promised with a kiss.
Her insides fluttered at the words. He looked like he wanted to argue with her again and demand her safety. It was a huge shiftfor him to let her walk into the fire even with backup.
At that moment, Tye and Meghan marched into the garage. Reyna could see that they were excited and nervous. Probably about who they might find and who they wouldn’t.
“We’re ready,” Tye said, jingling the keys to a van.
“You have the radio link?” Beckham asked gruffly.
“All set to go.” Tye patted his inner pocket. “Phone too just in case. I know all the codes and signals. We won’t be out of contact.”
“Good,” Reyna said.
“Wish I was going,” Gabe said. He sulked with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning back against the doorframe.
“Next time,” Reyna said with a smile.
She’d asked Gabe to stay behind and keep an eye on the place. He gave them a two-finger salute as she followed Beckham into an SUV. She settled into the passenger seat, and he revved the engine.
“Wishing it was your motorcycle?”
“Always.”
Reyna’s heart fluttered as she remembered her one glorious ride on the back of his bike. So much had happened since then. She hoped that after all of this she’d get one more ride.
They peeled out of Washington’s place and onto the open road, toward the city. The route was all but deserted, as the promise of icy temperatures kept many inside. Reyna took Beckham’s hand in her gloved one. She was nervous about what they would find, but optimistic. Her stomach was full of butterflies thwacking away at her insides, but she tried to relax the rest of the ride.
Another hour later they reached the city limits. Beckham pulled into a nice neighborhood with car-lined avenues and people all bundled up walking unhurriedly down the sidewalks.
“There’s a safe house here?” Reyna asked in surprise.
