Page 8 of Ranger's Honor
“I sleep when the house and you are safe.”
She watches me a beat. “That sounds exhausting.”
“Safer than dealing with Gideon if something happens to you.”
“Charming,” she mutters. “You always this romantic with your dates?”
“I don’t date.”
“Oh? And here I thought you were just waiting for me to mature.”
I glance at her. “You think this is a joke, but it’s not. The Reaper plays for keeps.”
Her expression changes—sharpens. “I know that.”
“I don’t think you do. Not the way I do.”
“Then teach me.”
The words land between us like a lit match. Not flirty. Not sarcastic. Just… real. A dare and a plea at the same time. My jaw tightens.
“I’m not your trainer, Kari. I’m your shield.”
“Fine. Then shield me smarter.”
She’s infuriating. But she’s not wrong.
“I’ll start with the network,” I say, dragging out my portable tech kit and unzipping it on the counter. “Reset the router, trace for anomalies. You got a landline?”
She blinks. “What am I, ninety?”
“Could’ve fooled me. This place has the insulation of a bomb shelter.”
“I prefer the term ‘charmingly weatherproof.’ After all, we do live in Galveston. In case you missed it, we see our share of bad weather.”
I crouch by the router, plugging in a diagnostic tool. “Any chance you used the same password for multiple accounts?”
“Dalton, please. I’m not an amateur.”
“That’s not a no.”
She huffs. “I used different passwords. Mostly.”
I glance up at her. “Mostly?”
She offers a sheepish smile. “There’s a system. You wouldn’t get it. It’s a writer thing.”
I shake my head and refocus on the diagnostics.
“You always this bossy when you’re off-duty?”
“Only when my favorite pain in the ass is involved.”
She snorts. “So I bring out the best in you.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m always this charming… and I’m never off-duty.”
She leans against the wall, arms crossed. “That sounds lonely.”
