The Curse of Tenth Grave Page 77


“It was part of the deal,” he said with a shrug. “I wanted extra eyes I could trust on our daughter, and he was extra eyes I could trust.”

I snapped to attention and rose up on my elbows again. “What does Beep have to do with any of this?”

“I hired your boyfriend. Actually, all three of them.” When I gaped in confusion, he added, “Your biker friends, remember? They keep an eye on the Loehrs and, in turn, Elwyn. Only I didn’t want a paper trail. They are, after all, wanted fugitives.”

“Donovan?” I asked, stunned. “Of course. You hired Donovan and the guys to watch over Beep.”

They were perfect. And he was right. They were wanted for a bank robbery thing. It didn’t matter that they were blackmailed into doing it. They were good guys, and when it came to hiring strong arms to protect Beep and the Loehrs, Reyes had brought them in.

“So,” he continued, “part of the deal was that they use only cash and the credit cards I send them and that I make his child support payments so there will be no trace of his whereabouts online.”

I was still gaping at him, but this time in absolute awe, even more in awe of him than when he’d first walked into the Firelight Grill, the diner in New York. “That’s amazing, Reyes. I had no idea you did all that for them. For Beep.”

His full mouth thinned. “Sometimes your lack of faith in me astounds.”

“Not lack of faith.” I shook my head, adamant. “Never lack of faith. I just tend to underestimate that brain of yours.” I tapped his temple and then brushed a lock of hair back and tucked it behind his ear. He totally needed a trim. “I keep forgetting your IQ is higher than my bank balance.”

“That’s not saying much.”

“It’s kind of too bad, though. I was going to rescue Damien, bring him home, and raise him as my own.”

“Like a wolf in the wild?”

I could swear I’d heard that before.

“I doubt his mother would have appreciated that,” he said, being all logical.

“Yeah, Cookie said the same thing.”

“Okay,” he said, “next. Now that we’re getting everything out in the open, what else has been bothering you?”

“Nope, the last one was mine. It’s your turn. What else has been bothering you?” I’d let my fingers linger. Traced his jaw. Delighted in the feel of his stubble. “What other secrets are you hiding behind those sparkling eyes?”

He grinned. “You have my heart. That’s where I hide all my secrets.”

“Then I guess I don’t have the key.”

“Are you kidding? You forged the key.” He kissed the tip of my nose, lay back, and tugged on one of my belt loops until I was tucked safely at his side. Folding one arm behind his head, he stared at the ceiling. I followed his line of sight, wondering about the little boy hanging out up there, then returned to Reyes’s magnificent profile.

“You haven’t really talked about what happened to you in the warehouse in New York.”

“You mean before you got there?” I asked.

He nodded, and I thanked God he could no longer read my emotions. That was where I got the god glass. That was where I found out my husband was a god of Uzan. And that was where I got the means to trap said husband should the need arise.

“There’s not much to tell. Kuur tried to get me to tell him where Beep was. I wouldn’t. He got mad. Chaos ensued.”

“Chaos always ensues when you’re around,” he said, his voice full of humor. “Nothing else happened?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“Then why do I think you’ve been hiding something from me ever since that night?”

“No clue. Why do I think you’ve been hiding something from me ever since that night?”

“No clue.”

I rose onto my elbow and put my chin on his chest. “Let’s make a deal.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s not keep any secrets from each other anymore.”

“That’s kind of radical, don’t you think?” He was teasing. Humor tugged at one corner of his mouth.

“I hear it’s all the rage.”

“No secrets between married couples? You’re going to start a revolution if you keep thinking like that.”

I squinted in thought. “Maybe more like, no secrets unless the other person knows you’re keeping a secret. You know, full disclosure.”

“I’m not sure you’ve grasped the concept of full disclosure. It would imply, you know, full disclosure.”

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