“They’re going to be glad you’re home.”
Taking her hand, he led her back to the chair, then plugged the dryer in and began blowing her hair out. He had just finished when there was a knock at the door.
“Give me a minute,” Reaper yelled out.
Going to his dresser, he took out a clean T-shirt and a pair of shorts. He gave Ginny the oversized T-shirt as she was about to go hide in the bathroom. “Don’t bother. Just stay where you are.”
Pulling the shorts on, Reaper went to the side of the door first, then opened it.
“Here you go.” Nickel held out a large paper bag and two plastic cups with straws.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime. Later.”
Reaper closed the door with his shoulder.
“Do you want to eat on the bed or the couch?”
Ginny sniffed the air appreciatively. “The couch is fine.”
Setting the food and drinks on the table in front of the couch, he sat down next to Ginny and started unpacking the bag.
“The food smells amazing. How did you know I was craving burgers?”
Unwrapping one of the burgers, he placed it and an order of fries front of her. “Either I’m psychic or it was how you practically climbed over me when we passed the bar,” he teased, setting his own food out. “You see that?” He waved a hand over his food.
Ginny looked up, about to eat a fry. “What?”
“These big boys burgers aren’t the size of a postage stamps, and we have the same amount of fries.”
Ginny rolled her eyes at him. “You’re exaggerating.”
“Maybe about the burgers, but not the fries.” Reaper picked up his monster burger, using two hands, giving a moan of satisfaction before he bit down.
He was almost done before he realized Ginny was silently eating her food without her normal banter. As he took a sip of his soda, he watched her; she seemed to be ruminating as she picked at her food. Now familiar with the way her mind worked, Reaper knew it spelled trouble.
“Something wrong with the food?”
“No. I’m just tired, I guess.” She shrugged.
Reaper started on his second burger, not buying her tired excuse for a second. Something was bothering her, but she wasn’t ready to tell him what it was.
“Then go to sleep,” he encouraged. “I’ll take care of the cleanup when I’m done. I need to do some work on the computer, then I’ll come to bed.”
When she got up off the couch, he grabbed her hand before she could move away. “Are you sure you’re okay? No pain anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine.” Pressing a kiss to his forehead, she slipped her hand from his to climb in bed.
Reaper didn’t want to press her, assuming she needed some time to process what Allerton had done to her. After he finished eating and disposed the trash, he looked at the bed, seeing she was pretending to be asleep.
Turning on the light beside his desk, he flicked off the overhead light. He settled down at the computer and went to work tracking the history of hurricanes near Sherguevil and Clindale area over the past twenty years.
Two hours later, his aching eyes had him calling it quits for the night. Before getting ready for bed, he sent several texts to the brothers, then sent a mass text to everyone in the club.
He put his hands on his thighs, about to rise, when he looked over at Ginny as she lay sleeping. Laying on her side, facing his direction, she had kicked the covers off, and he could see a bruise on her thigh.
This morning, when he told Viper that Ginny was pregnant, his brother had known that, if the heavens had suddenly rained down fireballs, nothing was going to keep him from getting to Ginny first.
Viper had been running alongside of him, ordering the others to find the FBI agents, when they saw a Moke speeding toward them. Every man raised his weapon at the vehicle as it pulled up alongside of them.
“Don’t fire,” Reaper commanded as Agent Clark jumped out of the Moke.
“Allerton’s security just tried to take us out in my bungalow. I have them contained. Agent Collins hasn’t checked in this morning. We’re going to the resort.”
“Allerton has Collins and Ginny.”
Viper and Reaper followed Agent Clark back into the Moke.
“Go!” Reaper yelled loud enough for Cash to take off in the first Moke.
The two vehicles sped away, leaving Stud, Calder, and Knox behind on foot, heading in another direction.
“Where are they going?” Agent Clark shouted.
“To the security building. They’re going to stop Allerton’s additional security at the resort and the air field,” Viper told him.
Reaper saw Cash stop his Moke at the side door of the resort.
“Park next to him,” Reaper told Agent Garcia, who was driving.
Springing out of the vehicle with his gun at the ready, Reaper ran toward the side door where the other brothers were nearly mowing down Hammer when Desmond Beck opened the door.
Reaper pointed his gun at Beck, prepared to take him out.
Viper tilted his gun down. “It’s cool. Desmond helped us get on Clindale.”
“Ginny’s in Gabriel’s office with Agent Collins. I’ve managed to take care of the two guards inside. Gabriel will send more and will want to lock the building down. He does that, we won’t be able to get off the island,” Desmond informed them.
Reaper jumped over the downed guards and ran through the interconnected hallways with Beck, Viper, and the rest of the brothers following. Stabbing the button of the elevator repeatedly, he decided to head for the exit door just a few feet away.
Desmond grabbed his arm. “You open the door, it’ll set off an alarm. The button for the stairwell is in Gabriel’s office. It’s a security feature to keep anyone from getting on or off his floor.”
“Fuck.” Reaper returned to the elevator, eyeing Beck suspiciously. “He doesn’t have the same safeguard for the elevator?”
“Ethan, his assistant, supervises anyone getting access. Gabriel doesn’t want to be bothered by deliveries. Ethan has a master switch behind his desk. Unless he presses it, the doors won’t open.”
Reaper coldly focused on the steel doors, wanting to pry them open. He would allow the extra minute for Ethan to send the elevator down instead of running up the stairwell, and if what Beck said was true, Allerton had opened the elevator door when he and Ginny escaped this morning.
Fuck this ….
The doors sliding open had Reaper rushing inside. Viper and the rest of the men crowded in after him. Shade and Rider remained outside.
“Ethan will send the elevator back,” Desmond promised.
Reaper pushed the button.
“Beck, if this is a setup, you’re going to be the first motherfucker I take out,” Viper warned. “How’d you manage to get Allerton’s assistant to agree to help?”
“Not from the generosity of his heart.” Desmond stared at Viper cuttingly. “King and Shade gave me carte blanche to spend what I needed to spend. What you paid Abbott Varela’s ship captain to let you stow away and get you to Clindale is chump change to what you’re paying Ethan. Without him, we won’t be getting off this island.”
The metal doors opening had Viper and Desmond going out first.
“Clear.” On Viper’s signal they rushed out.