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He looks around and narrows his gaze over my shoulder. I move to block his line of sight. I don’t want him to see Raina unless I know exactly who he is and what he wants.
He grunts a bit. Clearly, having to talk to me is irritating to him. “Is Owen here? Has he stopped by or contacted you this morning?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?” Chuck asks again. His insistence is starting to piss me off.
“Of course, I am. What do you want with him?”
Chuck digs through his pockets and pulls out a badge, showing he’s a federal agent. “Owen walked out of the hospital at some time between last night and this morning.”
I stifle a laugh. “How do you lose track of a man with a broken leg and ribs?”
“That’s not important. We need to get to him before he has a run-in with Lorenzo.”
An exhale of exhaustion pushes out of me. “He’s not here, and I haven’t heard from him. You’re going to have to find him the old-fashioned way—by looking for him. I can’t help you, Chuck. Thanks for stopping by. Please see yourself off my property.”
He hands me a business card and takes a step away from me. “If you hear from him, let him know that the deal offered to him is contingent upon his cooperation.”
“You don’t look like an agent. I don’t want to call you, and you set him up to turn him over to Lorenzo or something.”
“You don’t have to worry about what I look like. Just worry about Owen if he doesn’t find his way back to the hospital. We don’t know how much Lorenzo knows about his cooperation, and we’d rather have him safely tucked away. If you run into him or talk to him, tell him to come back in.”
6
RAINA
The murmurings of Rex speaking to someone on his doorstep have my nerves firing on all cylinders. I can hear bits and pieces of the discussion until the sound of heavy footsteps comes close to the car. My heart races, wondering if the stranger is about to find me.
It’s only after Rex opens the passenger door that I can get out of the car. His hand wraps around mine, easing the anxiety racing through my body. He helps steady me as I stand up with his gaze scouring up and down the street. The stranger standing on his doorstep is nowhere in sight. I stare at Rex, hoping he doesn’t see the fear and worry in my eyes.
“You’re safe with me, Raina,” he says. Apparently, I’m easier to read than I realize. It doesn’t make sense to keep on a brave face as the severity of what Owen’s gotten us into weighs on me. Rex grips me by the chin, forcing me to look into his eyes as he tells me, “What did I say?”
A ripple of lust courses through me as his gaze burrows into the depths of my eyes so I can feel every word he says. I have to answer him. “I’m safe with you.”
“Good,” he says. “Let’s go inside before anyone else shows up looking for Owen.”
I can’t get over how amazing Rex’s house looks with its sleek design. The sun setting behind the house gives it a majestic appeal. It matches his silent ruggedness. The way his clean-cut appearance fades whenever he’s protecting me is like watching a switch flip.
Inside the home is even better than the exterior. There’s dark gray carpeting throughout except for the kitchen, which mirrors the dark gray stones outside with a matte finish. I don’t want to track dirt inside so I take off my shoes.
“I think we should hang out here instead of heading to the cabin,” Rex says.
“Is the cabin a bad idea?” I ask him. “Was it because of that man who was waiting here for you? Was he here for you? Or Owen?”
Rex turns to face me. “He said he was a federal agent, but he could have been anyone. Said his name was Chuck.”
“Chuck doesn’t sound like the name of an agent,” I mumble to myself.
“I agree. If he is or if he’s one of Lorenzo’s patsies, I’d rather be here. I have buddies nearby I can call if things get crazy, and my favorite guns are in the chest by the back door. Chuck said Owen left the hospital last night.”
“They let someone with broken ribs and a broken leg hobble their way out of a hospital?”
Rex shrugs. “Knowing Owen, he probably has some help.”
“You’re right. One of the many things he’s great at is getting some poor woman to feel bad for him. Some nurse is helping him right now and has no idea the mess he’s getting her into.”
“I think we should hang around until he resurfaces. Hang out, look around, make yourself at home, baby girl. I’m going to pull my car into the garage and bring our stuff inside.”
