“What makes you think you’ll be able to find out who it is after most of the Predators and The Last Riders have tried?”
“Because whoever it is hasn’t dealt with me.”
Chapter Seven
“Gavin, wake up. We’re about to land.”
Jerking awake at the soft voice in his ear, his first reflex at waking up in the unfamiliar place was to bolt to his feet, but a warm hand pressed against his chest prevented the impulse from taking control. Instead, he glanced wildly toward the voice, finding Ginny’s compassionate gaze staring back at him.
“I fell asleep?”
“Yes. You went out like a light. At first, I thought you were ignoring me, but when Kaden came on the intercom to fasten our seatbelts and you didn’t move, I realized you were sleeping.”
He couldn’t believe he fell asleep with so many people around him, especially with Ginny so close. Hell, he couldn’t believe he had fallen asleep so easily anywhere. Usually, it took him hours to doze off, and then only for short bursts of time, which had him feeling as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all.
The last thing he remembered was staring out the window, wishing he had never answered Shade’s text the day of the wedding.
“Can I have my hand back? I need to fasten my seatbelt.”
Dumbly, he glanced down, finding her hand held in place against his chest. “Sorry,” he mumbled, feeling blood rush to his cheeks.
Her lips curled in an impish grin. “Anytime.”
Reacting as if he had been shot, he recoiled from her, moving as far away as he could get in his seat. “No, thanks.”
Hurt filled her eyes at his cutting remark.
Shoving a heavy swath of hair behind his ear, Reaper felt as if he had stepped on a small kitten. “Sorry.”
“The first apology, I’ll accept.” Clicking her seatbelt over her lap, Ginny looked forward as if she had a first-row seat for the landing. “The second, you can make it up to me by paying for dinner.”
He would have been better off not apologizing. The obtuse woman wasn’t getting the message that he wasn’t interested. Clearly, he was going to have to be blunt.
“No, we need to get several things settled up front. I’m here because Viper gave me no choice. I am here to find the person stalking you. What I am not here for is to be your buddy or anything else. The only thing I want from you is to do what I want when it involves your safety. You do that, and we’ll get along just fine. You get me?”
“I think so.” She hesitated then asked, “If you don’t mind, can I ask you a quick question?”
Reaper magnanimously agreed, completely taken in with the deferential way the soft timber of her voice sounded. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Her politeness lured him into thinking she was done speaking. She wasn’t. Reaper was taken aback by the proudful manner now confronting him.
“First off, if you want to lie to yourself about what happened at T.A. and Dalton’s wedding, go ahead. I won’t stop you. We both know the truth.”
Ginny’s self-assured demeanor, with hurt still visible in her eyes, couldn’t have shook him more if the plane had suddenly dropped from the sky. She was openly bringing up the contact they had shared at the pool, which he was still trying to convince himself hadn’t happened.
“Also, if Viper is the reason you’re here and you’re not happy about it, then that’s your problem with him, not with me. You don’t want to be security for me? Then don’t; it’s that simple.” Ginny held up a commanding hand when he would have opened his mouth. “I’m not done. If it involves my safety, all you have to do is ask and I’ll ask how high, so I don’t see any problem with us getting along just ‘fine,’ as long as you remember one thing. While you may only be here because Viper wants you to be, I don’t have to take the protection The Last Riders offered, and that means having to put up with someone who is rude to me. Been there, done that. Now, my question is: Are you going to call Viper or am I? Or, better yet, can you chill out and use a civil tone when you talk to me?”
Ginny was no kitten. She was as fierce lioness who expected to be treated like an equal or his ass could hit the road.
“I’m chill.” He wasn’t, but he could pretend he was … for now. Being sent home because Ginny refused protection from The Last Riders due to his behavior would be even worse.
“Good.” Ginny leaned closer to him, and Reaper stiffened when her hands went to the sides of his hips.
“Don’t touch ….”
Ginny expertly drew the sides of his seatbelt toward his abdomen, clicking it into place. “Safety first.”
Lowering his lashes to glare at her threateningly, he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, the sound making her lift her brows at him.
“I’m still chill,” he said behind clenched teeth.
“You don’t look it.” She raised her brows higher.
His hands grasped the armrests tighter to stop himself from tossing her through the tiny window. “I am. So, where do you want to eat?”
“Dirty Dan’s. I’m dying for a bag of burgers and fries.”
“Dirty Dan’s?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll love it,” she assured him chipperly as the wheels bounced down onto the landing strip.
“I prefer not to eat at a place called Dirty Dan’s.”
“I’ll remind you of that when you want to go back.”
Everyone waited in the seats until Cross came out of the cockpit. As he opened the door, the others on the plane began gathering their things from the overhead compartments.
Ginny unfastened her seatbelt to stand. “I won’t be a minute to grab my purse.”
“Take your time.”
Unfazed by his lack of eagerness, she went back to her original seat.
As he stood to retrieve his duffle bag, he caught the signal that Nickel would be outside.
“Want to catch a bite to eat, Ginny?”
Closing the overhead bin, Reaper turned to see D-Mon come up behind Ginny to take out the leather purse she had stowed.
Turning, Ginny placed a hand on the seat to brace herself to maintain distance from D-Mon. “No, thanks.” Taking the purse from D-Mon, she frowned and indicted she wanted to get past him so she could walk down the narrow aisle.
“I’m only talking about catching a quick bite.” D-Mon placed an arm along the overhead bin, effectively keeping Ginny from leaving.
“No. I like our working relationship just as it is, don’t you agree?”
“You don’t have a problem hanging with Kaden or Ax. Why not me? Could it be I’m just the low man on the totem pole?”
Shrugging the strap of his duffel bag onto his shoulder, Reaper didn’t interfere, curious to know if he was the only man she had no problem holding her own with. If D-Mon tried to get out of hand, though, he was close enough to bash the guitarist’s face inside out if she got in trouble. Hell, he might do it, anyway. It would be the perfect way to get sent home by defending Ginny’s honor. Viper wouldn’t be able to blame him when Cross sent him back.
“I don’t hang out with Kaden or Ax. What we do is work. Which is more than I can say for you. If you worked as hard as you played, we wouldn’t have such long rehearsals. I’m sure your bandmates, as well as the crew and I, would appreciate that.