“But he didn’t?”
“No, he didn’t. He circled back and followed her to a dive motel on the outskirts of town, to make sure no one else bothered her. We’re nothing if not thorough. The motel, by the way, is near an I-70 on-ramp, not more than thirty minutes from Cade’s bar, The Tipsy Wolverine.”
Kennedy blinked at the name. The Tipsy Wolverine? “You’re making that up.”
“Nope.” For only the briefest moment, he hesitated, then seemed to give a mental shrug. “I have a gym, Cade has a bar, we hear shit at both—that’s part of how we operate.”
A nugget of info? Desperately needing a new focus, Kennedy jumped on that. “Operate?”
“Patience, doll. For now, I need to tell you something else, but I need your word you won’t say anything to Jodi.”
If she didn’t trust Reyes so much, his serious tone might really bother her. “All right.”
“Cade tagged Jodi’s car before he came after us. We’ll have GPS on her wherever she goes. Usually that’s something I’d keep to myself, but I’m telling you so you won’t worry too much. She might get spooked and run, but we’ll be able to find her.”
Her heart, her emotions, softened. “To make sure she’s safe?”
“Yeah.”
Could he be more wonderful? “Thank you.”
“You’re not pissed?”
How could he think that? “I’m incredibly grateful that you’re helping her.”
“Whether she wants my help or not?”
Yes, Jodi had given that impression. And on the surface, she might even believe that she’d rather go it alone. But deep down?
Deep down, she desperately needed help. For a multitude of reasons, Kennedy was fairly certain that Reyes would understand. “She’s so wounded,” Kennedy explained. “So suspicious of everyone, I’m not sure she’d ever ask for help no matter how badly she needed it. It’d take a lot to earn her trust.”
“You managed it.”
“Only because we share a similar background.”
He seemed pained by that reminder. “We’re going to rendezvous with Cade and Madison at my dad’s place tomorrow.”
“Your dad?” she choked.
“Don’t let him scare you, okay? No matter how much he scowls.”
“Why would he scowl at me?” Even the possibility made her irate. She’d been through hell lately. She wouldn’t let anyone, not even Reyes’s father, treat her badly.
“Dad’s just gruff, that’s all. But hey, you’ll finally get to see Chimera again, and you’ll get to meet Bernard. I think you’ll like him, mostly because he worships that cat.”
“So I’ll like Bernard but not your father?”
“Bernard, when he’s not stealing cats, is a pretty likable guy.”
Her mouth twitched. “He stole our cat?”
Reyes rolled his eyes. “That was humor. Sort of. None of us knew Bernard liked animals until I brought Chimera home and he went bonkers over her. When you meet him, you’ll know how funny this is, but he was doing the whole baby-talk thing to her. Crazy. And those kittens? It was love at first sight. He did more or less steal the cat, but it made him so happy, I didn’t really mind. I just act like I do to give Bernard a hard time, you know?”
No, she didn’t know. It seemed that irritating people, especially family, was one of Reyes’s favorite pastimes.
The whole idea of meeting his father and Bernard concerned her. It wouldn’t be for the typical reasons a guy brought a woman home to meet the rest of his family. Not in her situation. It was more likely a safety issue, since that was his number one reason for keeping her around.
Alarming for sure. She’d already accepted that her life was on the line, but for them all to be involved... Maybe it was even worse than she’d thought.
To give herself some time, Kennedy turned to stare out the window, barely noticing the passing scenery, until Reyes pulled into the garage. It had been such an eventful day. Her stomach was still uneasy and every nerve seemed to be twitching.
Her world was again a scary place, but she wasn’t facing it alone. And neither was Jodi.
That gave her more comfort than she could explain, and it was all because of Reyes.
Such a remarkable man he was.
Continually glancing at her, he turned off the truck and came around to her side, gently assisting her out of the truck as if he thought she might fall apart at any minute.
She was a little emotional, mostly with gratitude.
Everything he’d done for her made her want to hold him tight—so he’d hold her tight in return. While he and Cade, and even Jodi, had handled the threats fearlessly, she’d been a jittery mess.
They stepped into the house together, and, God, it felt good to be home. Maybe not her home, not long-term, but for now it felt more like home than anything had since her kidnapping.
“Jodi’s right, you know.” Reyes led her to the living room. “You’re stronger than you think.”
She gave a small laugh. “I was so nervous, I nearly crushed her fingers.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” He tipped up her chin. “That shit tonight could have rattled anyone. Another woman might have been hysterical. But you, babe, you followed instructions without arguing, you didn’t cry or fall apart and, not only that, you helped take care of Jodi.” He threaded his fingers into her hair. “She thinks she’s a badass, but that girl is shook. Being on her own would be a terrible thing, and you, with your big heart and logic, reached her when I’m not sure anyone else could have.”
“Reyes.” Giving in to her need, she put her arms tightly around him and borrowed some of his strength. Being this near to him, feeling his heat and breathing his scent, went a long way toward leveling her nerves, yet she continued to tremble.
Reyes didn’t judge her, though. Nope, he saw the best in her. And damn it, she was starting to fall in love with him because of it.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered, and then confessed, “I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”
* * *
REYES HAD NEVER had a woman cling to him like that, not without the addition of sex, but even then, it was different. Hungry or playful.
Not appreciative.
Kennedy’s desperate hold, the tripping of her heartbeat and the feathering of her breath against his neck did something to him. Something unfamiliar. He tucked her closer, reassuring her. “You’re all right.”