Page 7 of Redeeming Rabbit

“You….” She narrowed her eyes at me and tightened her hold on the Taser. “You didn’t leave your keys behind; you stashed them. Why?”

“For someone as smart as you, it should be obvious. I wanted to see you again.”

Her expression was unreadable as she waggled the Taser at me. “You should leave.”

Yeah, but I rarely did what anyone expected. And I stayed away from smart choices altogether. This was likely the last moment I’d get with Elenore, and I was determined to enjoy it fully. Holding her gaze, I prowled toward her until her weapon pressed against my chest. Determination squared her shoulders as she adjusted the Taser in her grip. She’d already powered it on. All she had to do was press one little button, and I’d get 50,000 volts of electricity directly to the sternum. I wasn’t even sure my heart could survive a blast like that.

I grinned. “Gonna zap me, babe? Normally, I have to pay extra for that.”

Fear skittered across her features.

You’re scaring her, jackass.

I could have softened my tone, apologized, and pretended to be a gentleman, but with the way Elenore was looking at me, I could tell we were well beyond pretenses. “You see the real me now, don’t you?”

She nodded. “You’re no Boy Scout on a bike.” There was a slight tremble in her voice, but determination had replaced her fear.

I didn’t know what the hell to make of that. “I’m leaving. If I come back, don’t open your door.” My gaze drifted back down to that goddamn robe. “Especially not wearing that.”

Another nod. “I won’t.”

“Good.” This was it. Past time to walk out of her life. Determined, I turned and strode toward the door. But as I reached for the handle, she stopped me.

“Wait. What you said about your sister… was that true? Or did you lie about that, too?”

The question caught me off guard and kicked me in the gut. Still facing the door, I asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“Because Tina finally escaped Matt.” She drew in a deep breath. “And then that bastard jumped her outside of her workplace and beat the shit out of her.” Her voice cracked with emotion. Pausing, she swallowed and started again. “On average, three women are killed in the US every day by their intimate partner. I refuse to allow my sister to be one of them. She and Dylan are the only family I have left, and I will do whatever I must to protect them.”

My respect for Elenore ballooned, becoming a pressure in my chest. I’d been where she was now. Afraid for someone I loved, wanting to do something, but so fucking helpless. I should have held my tongue, but I couldn’t.

“Rosediddate a guy who smacked her around. Iwasin Afghanistan and couldn’t do shit about it. But man, did I ever want to. The motherfucker stole that privilege from me by getting himself locked up for armed robbery before I came home.”

“And he’s still in jail?”

I shook my head. “Got out last year on good behavior.”

Her eyes widened at this new information. “Where is he now?”

“Disappeared.” I shrugged, careful not to give anything away. “Nobody’s seen him since.”

I expected fear, but realization and then respect stared back at me from those unique hazel irises. Maybe she didn’t always do what people expected, either. Regardless, her reaction encouraged me to share more… to show her I could be helpful, even as fucked-up as I was.

“The world is a dangerous place, full of unsolved mysteries.” I shrugged again. “Who knows? Maybe Matt will come up missing, too.”

She considered me for a beat. Just as I started to worry she might be an undercover FBI agent or some shit like that, she bobbed her head. “You know, Boy Scouts are great and all, but not every situation calls for a hero. Sometimes, a little vigilante justice is required.”

My mind stuttered over the words as I struggled to unpack their meaning. I got the strangest feeling this woman understood me, but that was impossible. Nobody—not even the brothers trying to save me—truly got me. And they sure as hell didn’t approve of my methods.

You’re so goddamn desperate for acceptance, you’re seeing what you want to see. Fucking loser.

I needed to get out of there and get my head on straight before I said or did something even more asinine than implicating myself in a missing person case. But I was also a masochistic motherfucker, so I tormented myself with one last look at Elenore. Taser in one hand, pebbled nipples straining against her silky robe, she stood directly in front of me but would forever be out of my reach.

Bowing, I tipped my invisible hat to her—because why the fuck not—and said, “Goodbye, Poe. It’s been a fuckin’ pleasure.”

Then, I did the kindest thing I could. I turned and walked out of her life.

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