The sinister glint in his eye said everything he hadn’t. They would torture him until he revealed it. Reyna hated Everett. She despised his part in all of this. But that didn’t mean that she agreed with torture. She didn’t want Elle to become the bad guys. She wanted them to be better than that. She wanted Beckham to be better than that.
“I’ll do it.”
“Reyna…”
“Find me a secure location that you’re comfortable with. I can get the information from him. I know that I can.”
His entire body tensed. He’d been anticipating that she would want to do it. She was consistently reckless. He knew she liked to take chances. He liked that about her, even if it made his job to keep her safe more difficult.
“He’s going to manipulate you.”
“I won’t forget what he did, Becks. Plus, you’ll be there, right?”
He froze, assessing her. That was the biggest trip up. He couldn’t be there. She could see that now. Everett wanted to talk to her, and Beckham couldn’t be there to protect her.
“You won’t be there.”
“I will be there, but I can’t risk him knowing that I’m Elle. As far as we know, he recognized you and Gabe. Gabe is a big enough loss.”
“But you’d be worse.”
“Undeniably.”
Laura and Olivia broke our staring contest before I could respond. Olivia was carrying an enormous, white hanging bag. Laura took it from her and thanked her profusely.
“The first dress?” Reyna asked.
Laura nodded emphatically. “It’s perfect.”
“Let’s go,” Beckham said, nodding toward the back door.
They exited into the alley, where a nondescript black Town Car idled.
Beckham turned to Laura. “My driver, Gerard, can be trusted. I’ve known him longer than you’ve been alive. He’s going to take you back and will inform me if anything goes awry.”
“Okay,” Laura said uncertainly. She turned to Reyna. “Please be safe.”
“I will,” Reyna said, and hoped it was true.
Beckham popped the back door open and helped Laura stuff the wedding dress into the backseat. She crawled in after it.
Reyna put her hand on the door and then sighed. “I think it’s important for me to do this. I’d rather at least try the humane way.”
Beckham kissed her roughly on the mouth. “You make trying to protect you difficult.”
“Guilty as charged.”
Beckham knocked on the passenger window. It rolled down. “Gerard, please drive Laura back. Reyna and I will take my ride.”
Gerard put down the historical romance novel he had been reading and nodded at Beckham. “Yes, sir.”
Reyna watched the car speed off. Beckham tugged her close, directing her farther down the street. She shivered in the chilly temperatures and wished that she’d thought to bring the hat and gloves that Beckham had given her for the rooftop. Especially once she saw what Beckham’s ride was.
“Is that yours?” she gasped.
He quirked an eyebrow as they approached the sleek black motorcycle. He responded by tossing her a helmet.
“It’s December,” she reminded him. “I’m going to freeze.”
Next, he handed her fur-lined black leather gloves, a black beanie, and a black mask that covered most of the rest of her face.
“You knew that I would come with you.”
“Do I ever expect you to willingly sit on the sidelines?”
She grinned fiercely as she pulled on everything he’d brought her. Beckham easily secured the clasp under her chin. He kicked one leg over the beast and waited patiently for her to work up the nerve to do the same. She’d never been on a motorcycle.
“I will not let you come to harm, Little One,” he assured her.
She swallowed and then swung her leg over. She wrapped her arms around Beckham’s middle, plastering her chest against his back and her thighs against his. She was surprised to find him warmer than she would have expected. She knew she was about to freeze, but this was going to be worth it.
Beckham revved the engine and then the bike jumped forward. Reyna squeezed tightly as they zipped out of the alley and onto the city streets. The wind whipped in her face. Buildings rushed past her in a blur. Everything happened in a rush.
Her heart leapt in her throat, but her fear quickly melted away. This was real freedom. No boundaries and endless possibilities. They could go anywhere. Do anything. Be anyone they wanted. She wanted to open her arms wide and let the bike carry her away.
When all of this was over and the weather became warm again, she was going to insist on him taking her out on this every day. Every single day. It was a travesty that he hadn’t told her about it before.
Reyna felt like pouting when Beckham pulled off of the road about fifteen minutes later. She could have done that so much longer. Instead they were in a sketchy part of town that made her nervous. Beckham parked the bike in a garage and then helped her off the back. Her legs were stiff and now that they had stopped moving she realized how cold she was. But her smile was huge and she was bouncing with energy.