Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Reed followed Siren out to the parking lot behind the Steel Protection building. There was a row of black Chevy Suburbans lined up in the lot, and Siren hit her key fob to unlock one at the far end of the line.
She indicated for Reed to get into the passenger seat, and he climbed inside. The upholstery was black leather, and the heavy door clunked when he pulled it closed.
The cargo area held hard-sided black cases. The only thing in the back seat was a folded blanket and a leather jacket that looked like it belonged to Siren.
She climbed into the driver’s seat and pressed the button to start the engine. He’d given her his home address before they’d left the office, so she already knew where to go. She pulled out of the lot and scanned the mirrors and the street, looking like she was waiting for someone to attack.
The mate bond hummed between them as they drove across town. It filled him with an intense awareness that his bear wouldn’t let go of. This woman in black leather and aviator sunglasses was his mate.
Everything about her was dark, and deadly, and alluring. It didn’t matter how hard her edges were, he and his inner beast were sprung.
She pulled up in front of his cottage at the edge of town and parked around the corner.
“Stay close,” she said. “Let me lead.”
He nodded and didn’t question it.
They climbed out of the Suburban, and she headed down the street and around the corner with him close behind, her hand near the concealed carry under her arm. She watched the windows and doorways of his neighbors and the gaps between houses.
They quickly walked up the walkway to his cottage; past the azaleas Holly had bought for him for his birthday. They stood on the welcome mat Ivy had given him as a housewarming gift.
He pulled out his keys, and she took them to open the door. She entered first, drawing her weapon. He stood on the porch and watched her move through the house with her Glock held at the ready. A moment later she returned and waved him inside.
“It’s all clear.”
Reed let out a breath and walked inside.
“Pack fast. Get the original recording. Wipe any copies. I’ll watch the windows.”
He moved to his bedroom, grabbing his duffel bag. He filled it with clothes from his dresser and then packed up his other essentials. His laptop. His phone charger. His toiletries.
Less than two days ago, he’d been on stage at Fate Mountain Brewery, playing folk songs for a crowd of locals who knew his name and clapped along to his songs.
Now he was packing a bag to disappear because he’d heard something he shouldn’t have. Because people killed to keep secrets. Because a bartender named Carl had said the wrong thing to the wrong person in an alley while Reed’s mic captured every word.
Siren appeared in the doorway. “The original recording. Where is it?”
“The recorder’s on my desk. But there’s a copy on my desktop computer in the studio.”
He finished packing up his things, and they moved into the second bedroom. She crossed the room and disconnected the recorder.
“Is this it?” she asked, holding it up to him.
“That’s it.”
“I don’t want any other copies. I left the one you brought to Steel Protection with Dom. And we’ll take the one on the recorder. You need to wipe the one on your computer right now.”
He hurried to the computer, booted it up, and deleted every trace that he’d downloaded last night. When he was done, he shut it down and then stood up from his office chair, staring around the studio.
“Get the rest of your belongings that you’re going to want to take for a week or so,” she said.
He grabbed his guitar case from where it leaned against the wall. He looked at her, wondering if she’d tell him to leave it.
“Bring it,” she said. “You might as well stay entertained. We might be gone for a while.”
He blinked.
She grabbed the rest of his things from his bedroom and met him by the door. “We need to move.”
They moved outside, and she locked the door behind them. Moving quickly around the corner with all of his belongings in hand, they arrived at the Suburban.
Siren opened the back hatch, and they stowed everything on top of the hard-sided cases. They looked similar to what musicians and sound technicians stored equipment inside. He wondered what was in them.
A moment later, Siren pulled the car out from the parking spot and headed down the street. They passed the familiar neighborhoods and businesses on the way out of town, but now everything looked completely different. The silence was heavy, full of everything they hadn’t said.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
“How long have you been doing this kind of work?” he asked. He knew from her profile that they were both thirty-two. But the way she moved spoke of intense training and even more intense situations.
“Long enough.”
He watched her profile as she drove. The set of her jaw. The way her eyes kept moving to the mirrors. A question had been burning in him since he’d seen her walk out of the back office at Steel Protection.
“Did you get my message on the app?”
The silence hung between them even heavier than before. She stiffened, her hands tightening on the wheel. For a moment she didn’t answer. Reed waited, watching her, trying to read something in the rigid line of her body.
“This isn’t the time,” she said.
Of course he knew she was right. They were running for his life. A man had been murdered. And he was worried about his hurt feelings. She had said it wasn’t the right time.
When he’d fantasized about finding his mate, courting and wooing her, this wasn’t exactly what he’d imagined. But the truth was, fate had brought them together anyway. Just because his life was in danger didn’t mean that his mate wasn’t right beside him.
“You’re right,” he said in a low voice. He looked out the window and let the silence settle back in. His bear ached with wanting to reach for her. But she had an ice wall around her, and even the thought of reaching out made his fingers burn.