Page 14 of Reaper & the Lioness
“Love you too, Kenna.”
I hung up. The pressure in my chest eased, replaced by the familiar warmth of my best friend’s teasing echoing in my mind. Ever since college, we’d dreamed about starting a consultancy together during late-night study sessions fueled by cheap wine, cold pizza, and wild ambition.
Kenna had considered moving to Texas to start this consultancy with me. I understood why she’d stayed behind, though. She was still piecing herself together. She tried to hide it, but I noticed the weight in her eyes. Kenna needed space to breathe, to figure out who she was when grief wasn’t the loudest part of her story.
I missed her. Not just her wit and friendship, but the way she always saw straight through me. She was the one person who would call me on my bullshit—my doubts, my fears, and my stupid crush on a biker.
It had always been the two of us against the world. But lately, we’d been living parallel lives—close enough to see each other’s struggles, but too far apart to help in the ways that mattered.
Still, every time we spoke, the spark in her eyes flared brighter. Like the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken cracksare filled with gold to create something stronger and more beautiful, maybe moving to Texas and building a business together could be the gold she needed to fill the cracks in her heart.
Hawk tugged at the leash, pulling me back to the present. I glanced down at him, his tail wagging as he sniffed a fire hydrant. I smiled, a little wistful. Selfishly, I hoped she’d consider moving so we could finally make our dream a reality—together.
Chapter Six
Each interaction with Eva left me with a gnawing sense of irritation.
My patch prompted either fear or fawning from most women—she gave me neither. She acted unafraid of who I was or what I could do, and she hadn’t attempted to flirt her way onto my bike or into my bed. It unsettled me.
“Flip to twenty-six,” I barked across the room to Leah, our bartender. She changed the TV channel just in time for us to watch Jack’s smiling face and the story that painted him as your friendly neighborhood mechanic and high school mentor.
Linc sidled up beside me and pressed a cold beer into my hand. “So, what’s your read on Eva?”
I shot him a sidelong glance. The story on screen drew my attention back as I watched the clips of Jack pretending to work on the truck wearing his cut, proudly showing his membership to the club. I had to admit it was brilliant of Eva to ask him to wear it.
“I’m still figuring her out. How deep was her background check?”
“Standard-level shit.”
“Go deeper.”
Linc raised his eyebrows at my request. “Why?”
I took a long pull from my beer. “Something she said in passing. My gut is telling me there’s more. Go back further. Check into her family. Her friends. Her fuck buddies. Hell, look into where she went to high school. We’re missing something.”
Linc looked skeptical, trying to work out what exactly I sought and why I cared.
“Good fucking story, right?” Thane’s meaty hand landed on my shoulder, gripping tight before releasing. He nodded to the TV. “I want you to be there for the next one.”
I bristled. “What do you mean, the next one?”
Thane pulled a pack of smokes from the front pocket of his flannel, taking a Marlboro between his lips and lighting up. “Maisie is delivering muffins and coffee to the women’s shelter Thursday morning. Reading to the kids, too. You’re going.”
My stomach dropped and I groaned. “Fuck me. Why?”
“First, I want one of us there to make sure the publicity doesn’t stir up any unwanted attention—from the Rangers in particular, but also if Danielle shows up spouting about the boycott. Second, I’m not entirely sure we can trust Eva yet. She’s good at what she does, but she’s an outsider. I need you to make sure she’s not digging too deep or asking the wrong questions.”
“Don’t you have someone else you can send?”
Thane shook his head. “Nope. I need Linc to put together plans for our next run, and Merrick is heading to Illinois for Merci’s graduation. It was cancelled in December because of that ice storm and they rescheduled it for this weekend.”
“No shit. The kid is graduating from med school already?”
Thane nodded. “Top of her class at Northwestern.”
“Yeah, Merrick can’t miss that. He’s worked too hard to get his baby sister to the finish line.”
Thane continued his line of thought. “I know you have your reasons for not wanting to, but I need you there. You’re the VP. I trust you to know when to step in.”
