Chapter Eight

Mila

I'm so tired of this push and pull between us. I wonder if this was how Saylor felt before she and Ciaran got together. Probably not, because the way he tells it, he was crazy about her from the start. Only, she was also his enemy, so I'm unsure how that worked. Regardless, I know what Reed is trying to do, and I won't let it happen. He doesn't know it yet, but he needs me. I can help him and no amount of blood or gore is going to scare me off what I want from him, with him. Reed and I are two pieces of the same puzzle. Both survivors, both loners and both Rogue. He keeps me guessing, and even if he doesn't realize it, he actually cares a whole lot. The pictures in his room prove that.

After his little speech, I ran upstairs to get dressed and grab all my things. I meet Reed outside, on time, and we jump into his Lucky Charm and cruise to Texas. In the past month, I've done more traveling than I've done in years, and I'm enjoying the nomad lifestyle. It's another reason why I can't just go home; I don't want to suffocate there. There isn't one role that I fit into and the job I'm most comfortable with is this. Being here with Reed and handling the seedier part of protecting Rogue. I don't want to push down all the hopes and dreams I have just to make everyone else comfortable. Because they keep me in a plastic bubble of the girl I used to be. I'm not her anymore.

Keeping my GPS monitor up, that I hacked in order to track law enforcement within a twenty-mile radius, I'm able to guide Reed and me past a handful of them, barely catching their eye. I also check out the ranch house that our targets are staying in. I had managed to get Kai's codes before we left Reed's house and override them in order to gain access to the ranch's security camera. Reed was silent and broody again when I told him this. See, he needs me. After we cross the state border, I direct Reed to the best spot to leave his car, while we find another vehicle from a parking lot nearby that we can easily boost and take to our destination. I don't understand how he's always so comfortable leaving his car anywhere, but hopefully, this spot is good enough. I'm almost more nervous about that than anything else.

It's another three hours before the house and sprawling acres of land come into view. I help Reed find the best place to park so we're concealed and I use my little tool to help keep the cameras off of us while we sneak as close to the home as we can get. Reed is huffy with me. I know he isn't used to having someone directing and weighing in on decisions, even though he made the decision to take me with, but he still follows my instructions. Once we're in position, we wait until it's dark. Reed never takes his eyes off the ranch. I watch, in fascination, the way he catalogs everything that happens, from the security patrolling to the number of times there are deliveries. As much as I hate to admit it, I actually get bored and want to sleep. My eyes close involuntarily, and I startle awake when Reed's elbow nudges my side.

"It's time," he barely whispers it, but it's enough to bring me to my senses. I quickly check all my equipment and intel before nodding at him to go.

Our gazes catch, and something silent passes between us. I don't have time to process it though because as soon as I whisper, "go," Reed is taking off through the yard and closing in on the target's home. I don't hear the shots, but I can see bodies dropping in the camera feed. My lips tilt up in a smile. I track Reed's progress while also watching the doors and exterior exits. No one has gone in or out of the house. My foot taps impatiently against the grass, and I wish I was closer; I want to be in the action. I take a step when I hear Reed's voice in my earbud, "Don't even think about it."

I almost drop my phone in surprise, and a red flush breaks out across my chest. Either he has a camera on me or he somehow can read my mind now that we slept together. I'm guessing it's the latter, so I sit back down and wait.

Time drags on as I watch Reed keep making progress as he goes. One after the other, he manages to take out the security guards. He never brings attention to himself either. He moves silent and quick. When he finally reaches the inside area where his target is sleeping, I hold my breath. Reed pops the door open and all I see is commotion.

When the bodies part and the weapons and the pillows quit moving around, it's easier to see what is happening, so I flick the sound on my camera.

"Take him! Not me!" I hear one of the men yell, as he holds his arm around the neck of his twin.

"You lying son of a bitch!" the other twin yells back and tries to fight. "Take him out! It's not me!"

They argue and yell, their constant moving making it harder for Reed to keep his weapon trained on just one. I hear static in my ear. "Doll, which eyebrow is the scar on?"

"The left," I answer right away. "Just shoot the one with the scar."

"The both have one now, but not on the same eyebrow." Reed's voice is clipped. I see him raise his weapon and shoot. The man drops his brother and falls to his knees. It only lasts a few minutes, and I miss the exchange between them, but soon, the other brother is dead as well. I see Reed glance around the room before making his way back out of the ranch.

Feeling content and more than a little curious, I fiddle with my camera and wait in the shadows for Reed. When his tall silhouette cuts through the trees, he motions for me to come with him. We only make it a few yards before I hear the explosion behind us. I don't need to glance back to know the million-dollar ranch is engulfed in flames. Reed never leaves anything to chance.

We get back to the car, then drive for two hours before stopping at a hotel. "What are you doing?"

"You're tired," he answers, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yes, but we can't stop," I argue, wanting him to see why this is a bad idea.

"Clean-up will be explained as a gas leak. If they do happen to complete extensive autopsies then they will see the bullets. My guess is, no one is going to mourn the lives of the two people responsible for the human trafficking ring in this area," Reed explains, and I let his words sink in.

Reed leads me into the hotel and we get a room. We take the elevator to the third floor and let ourselves in. I notice right away that there is only one bed. My gaze shoots to his. "Reed…"

He sighs. "Our original target did have the scar on his left eye. When his brother arrived, he forced him into the same injury. He knew he was being hunted, and if he was going down, so was his brother."

"You killed them both though," I remind him, because I don't fully understand.

"I killed the original target first though." He lifts his eyes to mine. "Because I had your intel, I was able to decipher who was who."

Oh. Ooohhhh, I helped. I made his job easier, which is exactly what I wanted to do. "I'm not sorry."

Reed shrugs. "Neither am I."

"So what does that mean? Can I stay?"

"It means you impressed me, Doll, and if you want to help me for a while, I think we can make something work." Reed swallows, and I watch the way his Adam's apple bobs. There is a heat in his gaze that draws me in.

My fingers touch his shirt before digging into his stomach muscles. Reed grunts from the contact. "But what about my feelings?"

"Mi." Reed shakes his head.

"You don't scare me, Reed. This, today, was like a calling to me. I kept you safe; I helped Rogue, and I felt no guilt when that ranch went up in flames. I know you didn't either. We are the same, Reed," I tell him.

Reed's head is bowed, so I can no longer read his face. "I don't know what I can give you besides whatever this is. I don't want you to leave, but I also don't want to ruin you."

"You haven't," I tell him, my arms winding around his middle. Reed's hands come up to cup my face. "This new me was born in blood just like you. Even though I know my feelings, I am completely oblivious on how to live my life this way. Having you by my side has awakened me and I don't feel so alone anymore. Just try for me, please? Let your obsession become a reality."

Reed grunts. "We can work something out. But, if it's too much, you need to promise me you'll leave and not let yourself get destroyed."

I barely get the chance to nod in agreement before Reed swoops down and owns my mouth and lips. His hands dive into my hair, angling my head back and driving his tongue deeper into my mouth until all I can taste, all I can smell and breathe is him. "A moth to a flame."

I shake my head and give him a little grin. "A ghost and his obsession."