and led her away. There was no need for her to see any more of this.
“Why did he try to kill us?” she whispered, her voice clogged with emotion.
Grayson didn’t know for sure, but he figured it had something to do with the dead woman in the photos. Maybe this gunman had killed her. “I’ll find out,” he promised Eve.
Since she looked ready to collapse, Grayson pulled her into his arms. She didn’t put up a fight, probably because there was no fight left in her. This had taken, and would continue to take, a lot out of her. Grayson regretted that, but he didn’t regret that this guy was dead.
Or that he was able to give some small comfort to Eve.
She was still trembling, but her breathing started to level. What she didn’t do was move away, and Grayson was thankful for it. He hated to admit it, but the shooting had shaken him, and being this close to Eve was giving him as much comfort as he was hopefully giving her.
Even now, under the worst of circumstances, he couldn’t help but notice how nicely Eve still fit in his arms. Her body practically molded against his.
“We’re not bad people,” she mumbled. “This shouldn’t happen to us.”
Yeah. But Grayson knew that neither good nor bad had anything to do with this. The dead man was likely trying to cover up a murder, and in his experience people would do anything and everything to avoid jail.
She pulled back and stared up at him. Their gazes connected, and that fit, too. He could read her so well and knew the tears were about to spill again. She had a good reason to cry, and later he would lend her his shoulder, but for now, he had things to do.
“This guy might not be the one who killed Nina Manning. He could be just a triggerman,” Grayson explained, trying to keep his voice void of emotion so that she would stay calm.
He failed.
Despite her leveled breathing, Eve still looked anything but calm. So, to soothe himself and her, he brushed a kiss on her temple and then eased back so that she was no longer in his embrace.
“The only way we make this better,” Grayson whispered to her, “is to end it. I have to find out why this man came after us.”
Eve’s bottom lip trembled, and she nodded. Seconds later, she nodded again. “I’m not weak,” she assured him. Something he already knew.
“You just saw me kill a man. There’s nothing weak about your reaction. Truth is, I’m shaking inside.” And that was the truth. Killing didn’t come easy to him, and he hoped like hell that it never did.
Another nod. Eve blinked back tears and reached out to him, but neither of her hands was free. She had her gun in her right hand. The cell phone in the other.
He took the cell from her and motioned for her to move even farther away from the body. “I’ll call Dade,” he let her know. And he tried. But the signal was so low that the call wouldn’t go through. Grayson sent him a text instead and gave Dade their location.
Eve slipped her gun into her pocket and pulled her coat tightly against her. It wasn’t freezing, but it wasn’t warm, either. Besides, she was battling adrenaline and nerves, and that was no doubt contributing to the trembling.
“What now?” she asked.
Grayson took a deep breath before he answered. “We wait.”
She blinked. “For how long?”
He heard the unasked questions, and he knew she wouldn’t like the answers to any of them. “The text will eventually get through to Dade, and he’ll come after us.”
“Good.” Her face relaxed a little. “Then we should walk back to the road to meet him.”
Grayson glanced back at the body. “The coyotes won’t leave a fresh kill alone for long. I need to preserve the crime scene as much as possible because I need an ID on this guy.”
Eve started shaking her head. “But I need to get to Austin.”
He nodded and settled for saying, “I know.”
“No. You don’t know.” She huffed and blinked back more tears.
Hell.
Well, at least she wasn’t shaking so
“Why did he try to kill us?” she whispered, her voice clogged with emotion.
Grayson didn’t know for sure, but he figured it had something to do with the dead woman in the photos. Maybe this gunman had killed her. “I’ll find out,” he promised Eve.
Since she looked ready to collapse, Grayson pulled her into his arms. She didn’t put up a fight, probably because there was no fight left in her. This had taken, and would continue to take, a lot out of her. Grayson regretted that, but he didn’t regret that this guy was dead.
Or that he was able to give some small comfort to Eve.
She was still trembling, but her breathing started to level. What she didn’t do was move away, and Grayson was thankful for it. He hated to admit it, but the shooting had shaken him, and being this close to Eve was giving him as much comfort as he was hopefully giving her.
Even now, under the worst of circumstances, he couldn’t help but notice how nicely Eve still fit in his arms. Her body practically molded against his.
“We’re not bad people,” she mumbled. “This shouldn’t happen to us.”
Yeah. But Grayson knew that neither good nor bad had anything to do with this. The dead man was likely trying to cover up a murder, and in his experience people would do anything and everything to avoid jail.
She pulled back and stared up at him. Their gazes connected, and that fit, too. He could read her so well and knew the tears were about to spill again. She had a good reason to cry, and later he would lend her his shoulder, but for now, he had things to do.
“This guy might not be the one who killed Nina Manning. He could be just a triggerman,” Grayson explained, trying to keep his voice void of emotion so that she would stay calm.
He failed.
Despite her leveled breathing, Eve still looked anything but calm. So, to soothe himself and her, he brushed a kiss on her temple and then eased back so that she was no longer in his embrace.
“The only way we make this better,” Grayson whispered to her, “is to end it. I have to find out why this man came after us.”
Eve’s bottom lip trembled, and she nodded. Seconds later, she nodded again. “I’m not weak,” she assured him. Something he already knew.
“You just saw me kill a man. There’s nothing weak about your reaction. Truth is, I’m shaking inside.” And that was the truth. Killing didn’t come easy to him, and he hoped like hell that it never did.
Another nod. Eve blinked back tears and reached out to him, but neither of her hands was free. She had her gun in her right hand. The cell phone in the other.
He took the cell from her and motioned for her to move even farther away from the body. “I’ll call Dade,” he let her know. And he tried. But the signal was so low that the call wouldn’t go through. Grayson sent him a text instead and gave Dade their location.
Eve slipped her gun into her pocket and pulled her coat tightly against her. It wasn’t freezing, but it wasn’t warm, either. Besides, she was battling adrenaline and nerves, and that was no doubt contributing to the trembling.
“What now?” she asked.
Grayson took a deep breath before he answered. “We wait.”
She blinked. “For how long?”
He heard the unasked questions, and he knew she wouldn’t like the answers to any of them. “The text will eventually get through to Dade, and he’ll come after us.”
“Good.” Her face relaxed a little. “Then we should walk back to the road to meet him.”
Grayson glanced back at the body. “The coyotes won’t leave a fresh kill alone for long. I need to preserve the crime scene as much as possible because I need an ID on this guy.”
Eve started shaking her head. “But I need to get to Austin.”
He nodded and settled for saying, “I know.”
“No. You don’t know.” She huffed and blinked back more tears.
Hell.
Well, at least she wasn’t shaking so
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