Page 16 of Reaper & the Lioness (Lone Star Mavericks MC #1)

Chapter Twelve

A cold sense of dread washed over me as Eva’s words registered.

Though drunk, I trusted she remembered leaving a few lights on.

Every instinct in me—honed from years of danger as a Marine and a Maverick—screamed something seemed off.

I didn’t know Eva well, yet my blood boiled at the thought of her in danger.

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?”

“I mean, probably. It came with the territory of my old job, but there’s no reason for it here.”

My phone buzzed. I ushered Eva to my front door, punching in the lock code and pushing her in before stepping away to take the call.

“Linc? What do you have for me?” My brother had access to the cameras on my property and had likely been watching to see when I could answer.

“Dude, someone put a hit out on that PR chick.”

“Who?” I glanced at Eva through the window, ensuring she couldn’t listen to the conversation.

“My best guess is the Abell family. I need to do some more digging. Maybe since she wouldn’t take the settlement, they want to find another way to keep her quiet.”

“How’s the rest of her background check coming along?”

“Still working on it. I found some juvenile records, but I need to call in a favor to get a hold of them.”

“Interesting. So she has a record?” This confirmed my suspicions that there was more to Eva than she let on.

“She must. It’s sealed, but I should have it by tomorrow or the next day.”

“Okay, Linc. Call me if you find anything else.” I slipped the phone into my pocket as I turned to my cabin.

Eva stumbled back onto the porch, her puppy zigzagging between her unsteady legs. She’d kicked her high heels off, appearing even smaller before me.

“What did you find out?” she asked, her eyes still wide and glassy. She’d sobered up a bit, but the mixture of adrenaline and alcohol would cause her to crash soon.

I settled onto the split-log porch swing I’d built a few weeks ago, the wood creaking under my weight. I patted the spot beside me. She hesitated for a moment before accepting.

“There’s a bounty on your head because you’ve apparently pissed off some very rich, influential people. Care to explain?”

She leaned her head back. Her eyes fluttered to a close as she drew in a long breath. “That means we’re getting close to the truth.”

I flexed my jaw at her vague response. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Her eyes snapped open, and she pulled my jacket tighter around herself like armor.

“I’ve been working with a friend. He’s an investigative journalist. We’ve been trying to find women who have worked with someone I used to know.

We’re trying to get them to speak out so he can be held accountable for what he’s done. ”

“You mean Hale Abell? The asshole who attacked you?”

Her jaw dropped. “How do you know about that?”

I smirked. “Like I said, Lioness, I know everything about you.”

She had the audacity to roll her eyes, a spark of her usual fire returning. “Well, it came as a surprise that someone wanted to kill me, so I’d say you still have a few things to learn.”

Beneath her snark, I sensed the uncertainty roiling within her. For a split second, she dropped her mask. She appeared panicked. Scared. Confused.

I stood, guiding her into the house. “You’ll be safe here. Only Rhetta, Thane, Linc, and my mom know where this cabin is.”

“Wait? I’m staying here? Why can’t I just stay at my house?”

I pressed my fingers across my forehead. “Because, in case you’ve already forgotten, someone has offered $1 million for you to be killed, and three men have already tried to earn that payout tonight. Give me your phone.”

She handed it over without argument, watching as I powered it off. “We can’t risk you being tracked. I have enough cameras that we’ll know if someone shows up, but I’d prefer not to have to bury any bodies out here yet.”

Eva’s impassive expression suggested she understood I wasn’t joking.

I handed her my phone. “Send Rhetta a text with whatever you need from your house. You can stay here until we eliminate the threat.”

She took the phone and then paused to process what I’d said. “Eliminate?”

I smirked as I strode toward my bedroom. “If you’re not ready for the answer to that, I suggest you not ask the question.”

Within thirty minutes, I’d showered, changed the sheets on my bed, brought a stack of blankets and sheets to my pull-out couch, and served Eva and me each a heavy pour of Jack Daniel’s. Hawk gnawed on my fingers as I watched Eva stare at the wall, lost in thought.

The rumble of Thane’s truck broke the silence. Rhetta burst through the door, enveloping Eva in a hug.

“Sugar, I don’t know whose cheerios you pissed in, but I’m glad Reaper was there. He’ll keep you safe.”

I stepped outside beside Thane, who pulled a dog crate filled with bowls, food, and toys from the bed of his truck.

“Well, this escalated quickly,” he joked with a Marlboro hanging from his mouth. “Are you ready to play house?”

I glared at him as I took the duffle bag Rhetta had packed for Eva. “Glad you find this amusing.”

Thane chuckled. “Rhetta thinks you’d make a good couple. Some mean-ass babies, too. Eva’s one of her oldest friends, so keep her alive for me. Otherwise, Rhetta will cut my balls off—and yours.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know who really runs the Mavericks. Rhetta can keep her steak knife away. She’ll be safe here.”

Thane crushed out his cigarette. “I know she will. I wouldn’t trust anyone else. By the way, I asked Linc to add me to your security system for now. If there’s any activity, I’ll lead the entire cavalry to your door.”

I shook my head as he shoved the crate across the front porch. “No one knows about my cabin, and no one needs to know.”

As they left, the silence settled around us.

I turned to find Eva watching me. A complex mix of emotions I couldn’t quite decipher flashed through her expression.

Exhaustion was winning, though. She started to head to the couch, her movements slow and uncertain.

After a moment, it dawned on me she thought I wanted her to sleep there.

The idea of her within reach of anyone who could walk through the front door sent an unexpected surge of protectiveness through my chest.

“You can take the bedroom,” I said, my voice rougher than intended. I cleared my throat. “I changed the sheets. There are towels in the closet beside the shower.”

She started to protest, her stubbornness pushing through her fatigue. “I can’t?—”

I leveled a stern look at her as I picked up her duffle bag and tossed it on the bed with a soft thump. “Get some sleep.”

Eva rubbed her bleary eyes and sighed as she disappeared into my bedroom, closing the door behind her with a soft click.