Page 67 of Reaper & the Lioness
I glanced down at her, noting the faint tremble in her hands despite her brave words. My chest tightened at the sight.
“Humor me,” I said, my voice softer this time but firm enough to leave no room for debate.
As we reached the truck, I opened the door for her and helped her climb in. Despite my careful movements, she let out a low moan of pain as she settled.
As I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, my mind churned with thoughts I couldn’t shake. That bastard. I should’ve figured it out sooner. How he’d responded to Eva when we’d walked into the bakery had been more than jealousy and surprise.
The image of her tied to the chair in the warehouse flashed through my mind, and a fresh wave of fury rolled over me. I’d failed to keep her safe and hated myself for it.
Eva shifted beside me, pulling me back to the present. She stared out the window, her ghostly pallor reflecting in the glass.
“How’d you find me so quickly?”
I smirked. “I put an AirTag in your back pocket this morning when you were getting ready.”
Her head snapped toward me, her eyes widening in surprise. “You what?”
I shrugged. “I needed to have every angle covered. I was planning to tell you tonight so you could laugh at how overprotective I am. But, it turns out my paranoia was warranted. Again.”
She let out a dark, low laugh before stopping to hold her side with a grimace. “Can’t argue with that.”
Thane and Rhetta stood waiting by the door when we pulled into the clubhouse parking lot. Rhetta rushed forward when Eva stepped out of the truck, wrapping her in a protective hug. She pulled back as Eva winced in pain.
“She needs to be checked out,” I told Rhetta as I nodded toward Doc waiting inside.
Rhetta didn’t hesitate, guiding Eva with a reassuring arm around her shoulders while I hung back with Thane.
Thane watched me with a grim expression as he lit a smoke. “What happened?”
I recounted everything—from Matt’s betrayal to Eva’s retribution. Thane’s expression darkened with each word, and his jaw clenched so tight I thought he might snap his teeth.
“Damn. Eva took them out herself?”
“She didn’t hesitate.”
Thane let out a low whistle. “That’s one hell of a woman, brother. She’s got more fight in her than half our prospects.”
“Yeah. She’s a renegade. I've never met a woman so fearless. And she has a ruthless sense of justice like I never imagined.”
“You sure she can handle the aftermath? The toll that pulling the trigger can take on a person?”
My jaw tightened. “Based on the look on her face afterward, I think it’ll only bring peace.”
“She’s got more in common with us than I thought,” Thane muttered.
Doc emerged a few minutes later. “She’s okay. Bruised ribs, some swelling, but nothing was broken. The adrenaline’s wearing off, but she’ll be fine with rest. I offered her something stronger for the pain, but she refused.”
Relief flooded through me with a touch of annoyance. Of course she would refuse the pain meds.
Eva stayed lost in thought on the quiet drive back to the cabin. Hawk greeted us with excited yips as we entered, his tail wagging. She winced as she knelt to scratch him behind the ears, and I clenched my jaw so hard it ached.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” I said, guiding her toward the bathroom. Something twisted in me at the sight of blood smeared on her skin.
I eased her out of her clothes, wincing at every bruise revealed beneath them. Deep purple marks mottled her ribs and arms. I wanted to shoot another bullet in Hale just for good measure. I kept my movements calm and slow, despite the boiling rage within me. Each cut, scrape, and bruise was a debt Matt would pay back in his blood.
I stripped down, sensing how drained the day had left her. The shower hissed to life as I led her under the spray. Warm water poured over our bodies, turning the white tile pink as blood and grime washed down the drain. Grabbing a washcloth, I wiped away the blood from her face, careful not to press too hard on her split lip.
The silence filled the small bathroom thicker than the steam curling around us, and I fought the urge to ask if she was okay. I wanted to rinse away every mark and memory of what she’d survived. I pressed a hand to her back and guided her to let the water soak her hair. Her eyes fluttered closed as I worked shampoo into her scalp, my fingers moving in slow, soft circles. She leaned into my touch, and, for a moment, the rage inside me quieted.
