He pulled out of the parking lot in front of the bar and onto the dark street. This wasn’t the best part of the city and he was determined to get to the outskirts before he pulled over.
“But I don’t know where she is. We’re not even that close, I don’t see how I’m at risk because of what she did.”
But he could hear the doubt in her voice.
“Ten minutes, Eden. I want to make certain that we’re not being followed.”
“Followed? Zeke you’re being crazy. If she stole this money then that’s to do with her. There is no reason anyone would try to harm me!”
“How long ago did she take the money?” Zeke snapped at her. She had been sheltered by her brothers, but he still didn’t believe she was quite this naïve. Did she think she was invincible? Because she’d survived a car crash that had killed her parents? Had that led her to think nothing would touch her? Or was it that she just couldn’t see the danger?
“What has that got to do with anything?”
He made a frustrated noise. Did she always have to argue with him?
“Nearly a week ago,” she muttered.
“Right. And since then, Reyes has probably had all his men searching for her and her boyfriend. Have they found them?”
“No.”
“No, and they’re probably fresh out of leads. Except for one. You. What do you do when you can’t find someone who has gone into hiding?”
“I. . .I don’t know.”
“You lure them out with bait.”
He pulled over into a parking area that was surrounded by woods. There was no one else around and he parked, turning off his lights.
“If they wanted to use me as bait then why did they just let me go?” she asked. Her voice was quiet, subdued. He hated that he had to scare her but she needed to realize that this wasn’t a joke.
“Because it’s not Reyes and the Iron Shadows that are the big threat. The main threat comes from whoever they were holding that money for.”
“No one would believe I’m good bait. I don’t think Keira cares about me. I’m just someone to use.”
There was a broken note in her voice that caused him pain. “If these other people find out you came looking for her, they might assume you know where she is. They could come after you, baby.”
She eyed him narrowly. “Don’t call me baby. I’m not yours, Zeke Jonas.”
“Yeah, you are. You just don’t want to admit it. But you’ve been mine for the last six weeks.”
“That night did not make me yours,” she whispered harshly, eyes flashing.
He leaned in again. “Oh baby, it totally did. I know I scared you. I’ve given you time. But then you went and put yourself in danger. Entering a goddamn MC bar on your own. And I don’t give a fuck what Duke says. These guys might have some sort of moral code but it’s not like yours and mine. I wouldn’t ever trust Reyes with him. Not even if he swore on his mother’s grave. Actually, especially not then, since I know what sort of mother he had.”
“How do you know him?”
“We spent some time in the same foster home.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you lived in foster homes.”
He nodded. “Yeah, from the time I was eight until I was old enough to leave.”
He heard her gulp. “They weren’t good.”
He shrugged, looked over at her. “Some were good. Others okay. Many of them were crap.” Some of his foster parents had been downright abusive, but he wasn’t going to get into that with her. She didn’t need to know any of that.
“What happened to your parents?”