Page 36 of Hero Unbound

Somebody in the women’s group said something that made them all laugh. Ella linked arms with Eva, and the four of them walked to the bar.

“Oh jeez,” Bear said when he saw what the bartender was making them. “Those things are worse than Electric Smurfs. One of the first recipes I had to learn.”

“What is it?” Theo asked.

“They’re called Tokyo Tea. Basically, a Long Island Iced Tea but with Midori, a melon liqueur. It’s strong and sweet and obnoxiously green. Those girls are looking to get pretty hammered.”

Tucker smiled and held his beer up in a salute to Theo. “But the drinks are bright, my friend. As bright as they come.”

12

An hour and a half later, Theo was still watching Eva.

Lincoln had stayed with him the whole time—the exact backup he needed. Linc understood the assignment even if he didn’t particularly like it or understand why Theo wanted him there. He didn’t have to understand to be a friend; Theo had known that about Linc since they were kids.

Tucker and Bear had left the booth quite a while ago, making the rounds based on colors of drinks and gauging the ladies’ body language.Each of the two of them would be taking a woman home if they had their way, as they attempted every ladies’ night, but Theo knew their presence here was more than romance-centric.

The guys kept an eye on things. With this many women and this much alcohol, there were predators who would try to take advantage.

Bear and Tucker weren’t going to let that happen. And other locals would back them up if needed.

“Can I ask you something?” Lincoln leaned a little farther back in the booth.

“Sure.”

He pointed toward Eva, who was dancing and laughing with her friends. “What is it about this woman that has you breaking your perfect record of not giving a shit about droll gatherings such as this one?”

Theo studied Eva for a long minute before answering. “Honestly, I don’t know. I just know I can’t get her out of my head.”

Lincoln shrugged. “She’s pretty.”

Eva was a far sight more than pretty. But that wasn’t even the biggest part of her appeal that had Theo so ensnared. “It’s not just physical.” Although he wasn’t going to deny that everything about her looks drew him in. “She’s smart and exceptionally good with animals—she should really be a vet. But she’s also kind and gentle.”

In the week she’d been working on the Linear property, he’d caught her more than once helping a group of kids from the high school. She’d patiently explained different aspects of care for the different animals, answering all their questions.

He’d also seen her assisting the therapists more than once, doing the grunt work so the patients had more time with the animals and the sessions could be most effective.

It wasn’t part of Eva’s job to do any of that, and Becky didn’t know about the extra hours so she wasn’t even getting paid for it. But Eva seemed to enjoy it, nonetheless.

Lincoln grunted in some kind of agreement which meant he was swallowing the dozen questions he had. But hell, the man always had a dozen questions. That was how he’d made two fortunes before turning thirty.

“But she also has secrets.” Theo took the final sip of his second beer. He wouldn’t be having any more to drink. “I’m not sure exactly what she’s hiding, but I know there’s something.”

Now Lincoln sat up straighter. He wasn’t particularly interested in the nuances of interpersonal relationships—since understanding those required actual effort on his part—but the thought of digging into someone’s secrets?

What was that old saying? There was an app for that.An app Lincoln Bollinger had developed, written, and sold for a gahbillion dollars.

“I can run her through my system. You can know damn near everything there is to know about her in under five minutes. Just say the word.”

Theo shook his head. “No. That’s not the way to handle this. I don’t think her secrets are the dangerous or illegal kind. They’re the personal kind.” And if Theo dug behind her back to find them, she wouldn’t forgive him.

“Fine.” Lincoln deflated since he couldn’t use his software to save the day. “So, are you saying that because her secrets are personal you don’t want to know them?”

“I’m saying that, because her secrets are personal, I need to wait and let her share them with me when she’s ready. Going behind her back would be a violation of her trust.”

Lincoln shrugged. “But at least you would know.” For Linc, knowledge was the most important aspect of any situation.

“I’ll know if I’m meant to know.”

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