Siren closed up the back door of the van and tossed the van keys to Reed. “You drive, hubby. Sarah is a passenger princess.”
Jackie chuckled as Siren climbed into the passenger side of the van. “Thanks for everything,” she said, closing the door.
Reed got behind the wheel and pulled out of the shop. Jackie gave them a salute as he passed, a smirk on her lips.
“Where are we headed, honey?” he asked, enjoying the façade.
“Just make your way back to the highway.”
Reed glanced in the rearview mirror. Jackie’s property receded behind them. When he got to the highway, he turned south. Miles passed. Green hills. Fencing. Cattle grazing in the distance.
“So. How long have we been married? What’s the backstory?”
“College sweethearts. Married six years. No kids.”
“What class did we meet in?” he asked, enjoying building the fantasy.
“Biology 101. You asked me to study for the final.”
“That’s a good move. Michael Phillips has game.”
He glanced at her, his hands steady on the wheel. Her mouth almost curved into a smile.
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
Chapter
Thirteen
Siren satin the passenger seat, watching the Montana landscape slide past. Green hills rolled toward the snow-capped mountains. Clusters of wildflowers grew in patches along the roadside.
The van wasn’t armored like her SUV, and she felt the absence of the reinforced panels like missing teeth. The dress felt thin and vulnerable. She kept reaching for her thigh, checking that her holster was still there under the skirt.
Reed glanced at her. “You okay?” he asked. “You keep touching your leg.”
“Checking my weapon.”
He turned back to the road. “I can’t help but picture you at a PTA meeting, checking your piece under a cardigan.”
“We don’t have kids.”
“Yet. We’re thinking about it.”
She drew back her lip, looking at his profile as he drove. He enjoyed building this cover story. It was like a game for him.He liked pretending they were really a married couple on a road trip, contemplating starting a family.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Reed had made it clear from day one that he was ready for the relationship. That he wanted all the typical things that men like him wanted. A home. A family. A supportive relationship.
She felt herself disappearing into the vortex of his needs and desires, contorting herself to fit into that fantasy. A fantasy that was a million miles away from the woman she really was. She wouldn’t let it happen. No matter how cute he looked driving the dumb van.
“Where do we live?” he asked.
“Henderson. We already went over this.”
“I mean. What kind of place do we have. An apartment? A house? Do we have a yard?”
Siren considered it. There was nothing else to do but play the game. She could only check the mirrors for a tail so many times every minute. “One bedroom apartment. We’re saving for a house.”
“What kind of house does Sarah want?”
