Page 16 of When He Hunts

“It would be easier to keep her close,” Ronan’s growling voice returned, “if she wasn’t absolutely terrified of me.”

Sorry. That happens when I wake up handcuffed to a strange bed.

“How about you reassure her, Gray? People are always reassured by you and that big, bad Federal Agent BS you love to spout. So spout some now. Tell her to stop running. Tell her that she can trust me to make sure she’s safe.”

She was still looking at Ronan. She should probably look at Agent Stone. So she hauled her eyes down to the phone.

Grayson stared back at her. “Don’t run from Ronan. That will just piss him off.”

“It did,” she mumbled.

“And he’ll still catch you. He’s good at catching his prey.”

Yes, he’d already caught her. Twice.

But he says he saved my life twice so…

“He’ll keep you safe. If you trust nothing else, believe that. His job isn’t to kill you. It’s to?—”

“Kill anyone who comes for you,” Ronan cut in roughly.

Grayson winced. “No, dammit! The FBI is not ordering any killing! That is not what is happening here. Ms. Black—Luna—Ronan will protect you. I’m working to get a safe location and cover identities ready to go for you two. You’ll blend, you’ll hide, and before you know it, we’ll be putting a seriously dangerous individual away for life. We’ll be putting away all the criminals linked to him. Then you’ll be safe—for good—and all this will be but a distant memory for you.” He flashed a killer smile.

“Memory, nightmare. Whatever.” Ronan’s clarification.

Her fingers were still on top of his. Had she just been caressing him? Oh, please, say she had not been doing that. Luna whipped her hand back.

“Is there a problem?” Grayson inquired politely.

There were lots of problems. “Why didn’t you tell me this was going to happen? You could have given me a head’s up that I was going to be—” She broke off. “You could have warned me that Ronan was coming tokill me.”

“Fake kill you,” Grayson corrected her. “And there was no time. Also, I didn’t exactly have a phone number for you. Our communications have been rather sketchy, yes?”

Yes, fine, they had been.

“But I believed you when you reached out to me. I verified the info you gave me. I know how valuable you are. So when I received word that you were in imminent danger, I took steps to protect you.”

“I’m steps. When Gray says steps, he means me.” Ronan kept the phone steady in front of her. He held it with his left hand.

She slowly swept her gaze from the phone to his strong wrist. A wrist covered by a big, oddly intimidating looking watch. But, beneath that watch, she could just see… “A snake?”

Ronan grunted.

“I got the feeling you hated snakes. Why do you have a tattoo of something you hate?”

“Ahem.”From Grayson. “Focus, people. Wait, just let me sum up, okay? I get that you’re running on adrenaline and fear, Luna, but Ronan is the answer to your prayers.”

Was that what he was?

“A man who will kill to keep you safe,” Ronan murmured. “If that doesn’t make you feel warm and tingly, what does?”

Her mouth opened.

“Jeez. Ronan. Be tactful.Stop terrorizing her. Put yourself in her shoes. Wouldn’t you be scared and distrustful? It’s a normal reaction. One hundred percent normal.”

Grayson was reasonable. A point she’d always noticed about him. But… “You’re asking me to trust a hitman.”

“I’m asking you to trust a man who has proven to me, time and again, that he will be there when the world explodes and you need a hero.”

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