Page 30 of Reaper & the Lioness
The familiar weight of my weapon did little to quell the unease churning in my gut. Her new association with the club made it possible that she’d become a target.
Eva keyed in the code to her lock, and I ordered her to stay outside. I nudged the door open with my foot. With my weapon trained before me, I searched the room and cataloged every shadow, every potential threat.
Ignoring my command, Eva stepped in behind me. She flicked on a light that illuminated a scarcely furnished living room with a dog crate in the corner. The occupant let out an excited bark.
“Damn it. I told you to stay outside.”
Eva glanced at me, rolling her eyes dramatically as she unlocked the crate.
“Hello, handsome,” she cooed.
Movement in the kitchen caught my eye. Time slowed. A figure materialized from the shadows. A balaclava obscured his face, and I caught the unmistakable flash of a chrome-plated gun.
I reacted on pure instinct. The Glock bucked in my hand as I pulled the trigger. The intruder’s chest exploded in a spray of red, and his gun clattered to the floor as he crumpled.
Eva’s scream pierced the air, but I couldn’t afford to comfort her. Not yet. I kicked the fallen weapon away, my own gun trained on the wheezing man as I yanked off his mask. The unfamiliar face stared up at me in pain and shock.
“Stay there,” I ordered over my shoulder as I cleared the rest of the house before calling Thane. He answered on the first ring.
“I need cleaners to Eva’s house,” I said.
“What the fuck happened?” Thane asked. “What did you do to Eva?”
My tone turned to ice. “I saved her goddamn life. Someone broke into her house.”
“Was it a Ranger?”
I nudged the wheezing man on the floor with my boot. “No, I don’t think so. This is the second time tonight she’s been targeted. It’s not a fucking coincidence. I’m getting her out of here. Send Merrick. Maybe he can get this guy to talk before he bleeds out.”
I needed to know why the fuck someone wanted to hurt this woman. Blood seeped through the man’s shirt, staining the hardwood. I grabbed a white towel from the counter and pressed it against his wound. As much as I wanted him dead, I needed him somewhat alive for questioning.
I glanced at Eva, huddled on the floor with her puppy clutched to her chest. For the first time, genuine fear shone in those stormy eyes. It twisted something in my gut.
I moved to her in four quick strides. We needed to leave her house until I figured out who was targeting her and why.
“Come on,” I urged, helping her up. She leashed the puppy, and we stepped outside.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice steadier than I expected. She rubbed her bare arms and shivered.
I shrugged out of my jacket and helped her slip her arms through each sleeve. “Someone’s gunning for you. We need to move.”
The leather engulfed her small frame. I scooped up the puppy, zipping it inside with her. He snapped at my hands. “Fucker, stop it,” I snarled, recognizing the breed. A goddamn Malinois. Of course she would have a dog as tenacious as her.
A car drove toward her house from the distance, too slow for regular traffic.
“Get on,” I commanded. “Now.”
She swung her leg over and pressed against me with the puppy awkwardly wedged between us. I sped away from her house, taking several turns in case anyone followed. Paranoia wasn’t just a habit—it was survival. I checked my mirrors and watched the shadows. Whoever came after her tonight might not be done, and I wasn’t about to lead trouble to my doorstep.
I never thought I’d have a girl and a dog on the back of my bike. The little bastard kept trying to lick the back of my neck like I was a damn ice cream cone. Eva didn’t say much. She just held on tight as her pup occasionally made little yips as if he were enjoying the ride.
After about thirty minutes, I turned down a dirt road and stopped before a gate. I keyed in the code and drove through, the sound of my bike echoing against the surrounding trees.
“Why would someone be after me?”
I pushed down the kickstand and helped her off the bike. She unzipped my jacket, setting the puppy on the ground with his leash gripped in her palm.
“Pissed off anyone?”
