Ginny stared at the unopened present in her hand, knowing precious minutes were ticking too quickly, mirroring the rhythm of her heartbeat. “If I don’t open it, will you please stay here with me?” she whispered.
Gavin took her chin in his hand and lifted her eyes to his. “The most I’ll be gone is a couple of hours. I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have to.” Releasing her chin, he took the box, then he placed a star, a moon, and a pair of diamond angel wings charms into her palm. Closing her fingers around the charms, he lifted her fist to his lips. “The next charm I’m going to buy you is a four-leaf clover, to remind you of our first date.”
None of his gifts gave her a sense of elation, since she’d been on the receiving end of too many presents which represented good-byes. Gifts had never represented a future together, such as the ones that Trudy had given her; they were a more of appeasement to make them feel better about leaving her.
“Our first date?” Ginny stared at him in confusion. They never had a first date. Then it dawned on her. “I refuse to think of Dirty Dan’s as our first date.” She wouldn’t count it as a first date; she’d left him no choice that day but to accompany her into the restaurant.
“You’d rather be reminded of us having to sneak out before morning to bury a mirror?” That had been another situation she dragged him into.
“Yes, I would. I’d prefer to forget about Marty, and you’re going to help me do that by not mentioning he’s moving to Treepoint.”
“But—”
“No buts… unless it’s yours.” The last thing she wanted to talk about was Marty.
Hearing Viper’s car pull up outside, she knew she’d run out of time to tell him her secret.
Gavin tapped the side of her bottom to get her to stand and together they went to the front door. She’d expected Gavin to tell her about Taylor being at the club, but it was clear to her he wasn’t going to. And while he kept that secret, she had to admit she’d kept her own. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and confess who she was and the arrangement she’d made with the FBI to keep everyone she loved, including the Last Riders, safe. Was it too late?
Gavin raised her wrist and stared at her bracelet, looking at the dangling charms. “When did you get this one?” Gavin touched the fragile gold sand dollar Trudy had given her when she returned from her honeymoon.
“T.A. gave it to me.” Ginny didn’t lift her eyes to meet his.
“Why’d T.A. give you a charm? It looks expensive.”
It was the perfect opportunity to confess, yet she held the words back.
Gavin hadn’t told her about Taylor. Was that why he looked so happy? Was she willing to destroy his chance of happiness with the woman he loved? If Ginny told him the deal she’d made, she knew he’d stay to protect her, and he would be dragged into another mess—this one of her own making.
“She gave it to me for singing at her wedding.”
“That was nice of her.”
“She’s a nice person.” Only her iron will kept her voice from cracking.
The loud honk from the yard had them going outside.
Apparently uncaring of Viper watching, he placed a kiss on her lips. “When I come back, I’ll be bringing that door.”
“You going to tell Silas why you’re wantin’ to put that door up?” she teased, despite her heart breaking. He wouldn’t be coming back once Taylor and he made up. If his feelings for Taylor were over, he would have mentioned her being at the club. The internal debate going on in her head had the question sounding uncharacteristically “Kentucky twang” that would come out when her emotions went haywire.
“I’ll leave that up to you,” he said, going down the steps.
Turning at the bottom of the steps, Gavin must have seen her expression, because he walked back up the steps. “I’ll talk to him, okay?” Rubbing a thumb over her trembling bottom lip, he pulled her into his body. “If it’s going to make you uncomfortable, when I come back, we’ll talk it over and find another place for us to stay. Now, will you behave, or am I going to have to shove that horn up Viper’s ass?”
Hearing him talk of their future and finding another place to live, she smiled and yet her heart still broke. “I’ll behave.”
Hugging him closer to her, Ginny memorized every detail from his tattoos to his smoldering eyes and the incredible strength she felt emanating off him. She had known the deal with the FBI was going to be hard, but she hadn’t expected it to feel as if a lung was being ripped out of her. Having Gavin confess he no longer felt like a man the night before had broken the line of what she should or shouldn’t do; however, making love with him was a decision she would never regret. She loved him and wanted to reassure him he was exactly the man she needed. While he promised he would return to her, she knew he loved another woman, but for that moment in time, he had been hers. Ginny had to atone for many mistakes in her life, but making love with Gavin wasn’t one.
Ginny stifled her plea to come back as Gavin waved to Matthew and Isaac before he got inside Viper’s SUV.
It was too late to back out of the deal she made with the FBI; it would endanger the people she loved. Any hurt she felt over Gavin not telling her about Taylor was inconsequential. He deserved to be with the woman he spent years loving—just as she deserved to face the consequences for stealing from Gabriel Allerton.
Hammer, however, didn’t deserve the position she’d put him. By taking the DNA ancestry kit, she wound up using him to help broker the deal with the FBI. Though, she’d been secretly relieved he not only agreed but demanded to accompany her back to Clindale Island.
His steadying presence was the only reason she was able to sit calmly beside him while terror of facing her past twisted her stomach into knots. Every dip and bounce of the plane had her gripping the arms of her seat, expecting it to either explode or plunge toward the ground beneath them.
The FBI had promised to keep her safe, yet Ginny knew Allerton’s tremendous wealth would make it easy for him to accomplish the goal of removing her from existence, regardless of how many lives he would take in the process.
“Are you regretting the deal?”
Ginny looked away from the small window to Hammer. “Are you regretting wanting to come along?”
“Regrets mean I messed up in the first place, so no.”
“I wish I could say the same. I have too many to count.”
“I’m not going to let him hurt you.”
“I’m more worried about you getting hurt.” Ginny stared at Hammer’s rock-hard features. She would never describe Hammer as being a father figure to her, not even a big brother. He had been her protector. Even after she passed the age when he could have washed his hands of her, he hadn’t. She’d always known he was only a phone call away, and he would risk his life to protect her. Hammer was an oddity, a man who no longer existed in this day and time. A knight.
Feeling guilty, she looked away from him. “I shouldn’t have let you come. You have Mika and Jonas.”
“Shut up.”
Ginny turned back to face him. “You know I love you, right?”
Hammer’s face turned harder. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”