But when Luna asked me to trust her, how could I not?
So, I sit here, fingers digging into my knees to keep from texting her back, constantly asking for proof that she’s all right.
She told me not to text.
“Fuck,” I groan, tugging at my shirt collar. The thing is choking me. I can’t breathe.
A knock on the window has me jumping in my seat and letting out a high-pitched yelp.
But then there she is, her beautiful face smiling at me through the window. I scramble out of the car and don’t bother questioning the instinct to gather her into my arms.
“Damn it, Luna,” I mutter, burying my face in her hair to breathe in that tart citrus scent of her shampoo.
“You worried?” There’s a teasing note in her voice, but Luna wraps her arms around my middle, giving me a tight squeeze.
The strength in her arms reassures me she’s okay. Standing here, unhurt.
“You scared the shit out of me.” This is the part where I should let her go. But I can’t. We stand by her car, arms wrapped around each other. “Did you find everything you needed?”
Her shoulders lift and fall. “Those VINs are pretty much it.”
“Can you use them?”
When she tilts her head back, I allow enough space for us to meet eyes.
“I could turn them over to the cops, tell them where I got them. Would it get my uncle out of Leo’s life?” She sighs heavily, her disappointment in the sinking of her body. “Not likely. They’re a decent threat if I’m desperate because the info in the wrong hands would fuck things up for Mike for a while. But then he’d have a vendetta. Like I said, this is just an insurance plan.”
Letting my hands resettle on her shoulders, I give Luna a thorough examination. There’s a tightness to her muscles.
My wife deserves to relax, but I’m not sure yet how to provide her the space to do so.
“But the money should work, right?”
Luna steps out of my hold, heading to the driver’s side of the car. “It worked for Dash. It’s my best bet.”
I slide into the vehicle as she starts the engine. Once we’re far enough from the warehouses that I can’t see them in the side mirror, I give in to my curiosity.
“How’d you learn to break into a building?”
Shit. That sounded judgmental.
“I never worked for my uncle, if that’s what you’re asking.” Her voice cuts the space between us.
So much for giving her space to relax.
“No. No, I swear I’m not judging you. I’m just … impressed, I guess. Even though you scared the hell out of me, I’m still awed. You’re like a badass cat burglar. If I wanted something from inside a building and found out the door was locked, I’d count myself down and out. But that didn’t stop you. I’m curious.”
Luna shifts in her seat, green light tracing over her skin as we pass through an intersection.
“I taught myself how to pick locks when I was younger. I had a few reasons to learn.” From the tic of the muscle in her jaw, my guess is, none of them were pleasant. “One was revenge.”
My heart stutters at that. “Did someone hurt you?”
Luna glances over at me, a hard smile in place that makes the night a few degrees colder. “People have been trying to hurt me my whole life.”
Her words dig into my stomach like a sickness. I want to tell her I would never.
But I get the sense the promise wouldn’t mean much.
