Someone had been on her day and night since Shade had told them she had been hurt. She tracked anyone who had a bounty on their head, and she was good at it, too. She had no concept of danger, though, and that scared the fuck out of him.
Hammer and Jonas were always by her side, but it didn’t relieve his worry. They had fucked up when she had nearly been strangled and raped by Kane. Train didn’t believe in giving second chances where her safety was concerned.
He tiredly went back to his worktable, filling the numerous orders. He had been spending the evenings and nights with Killyama, and switching between working at the factory and keeping an eye on her during the day.
He owed Crash big time. All the brothers had stepped up to take shifts for him on watching her, but it usually fell on Crash to keep an eye or her because most of the computer work he did could be done at night. If the brother kept volunteering when he had to ask for help, Train was going to start paying him.
He had just settled back down at his worktable when Stori handed him a couple of letters and a small package.
“You coming to the dinner tonight? Willa made you a birthday cake.”
“Yes.” Train reached for the box cutter.
Stori hesitated from delivering the rest of the mail, finally telling him, “I plan on making your favorite casserole, but I wanted to make sure you were going to be there before I do.”
He stopped opening the box to give her a friendly grin. “I wouldn’t miss my own birthday party.”
“So, how are you and Killyama doing?”
Train set the box cutter down to give her his full attention. “I’m planning a future with her, if that’s what you’re asking.”
She placed a caressing hand on his arm. “I was just checking. I miss spending time with you.”
Train pulled his arm away. “You can spend time with me at the party tonight. Killyama will be there, too. I want all the women to become friends with her.”
Stori’s mouth drooped in disappointment. “Sure. Well, I better get busy. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.” Train went back to opening the package.
Looking inside, he pulled out a tool roll. It was made out of a soft, oil-tanned leather that felt like butter in his hands. Unwinding the thin strap from the metal toggle that kept it closed, he unrolled it until it was flat. The pockets had snaps that kept him from seeing inside. He unsnapped each of the pockets, taking out motorcycle tools. Then, carefully placing them back in the pockets and snapping them closed, Train rolled it back up and just stared at the gift.
He had always kept a kit in his saddlebag, but his old one was nowhere near as nice as this one. It would fit perfectly in his saddlebag. He would let Rider or one of the other brothers have the old one if he didn’t need it.
Train looked for where it came from, already knowing he wouldn’t find it. He would get Crash to check out the return address, though he didn’t expect to find anything more this time than he had the last when his wallet had been mailed.
He rubbed the soft leather. It was beautiful and would increase in beauty with age, like Killyama.
Train swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew she had sent them both, but she didn’t want any acknowledgment. If he asked, he knew she would just deny it. Stori wanted credit for everything she did for him, yet Killyama went out her way to keep him in the dark.
With every step he took toward her, he took two steps back. She didn’t even want to admit aloud they were a couple, she avoided any outward signs of affection, and she maintained her space when he was in bed with her at night. The only time he could see what she felt for him was when they had sex, and she always tried to control it for as long as she could. He was never going to understand her until she opened up to him, yet she refused to.
If he asked about her father or her past relationships to try to find out what had made her so closed off emotionally, she would turn her waspish tongue on him. It had become easier to let it ride, hoping she would loosen up when she realized she could trust him.
“Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen,” he muttered to himself as he answered his cell phone.
“Killyama is in a small town in Tennessee. Looks like they are trying to get someone. They’re parked in an alleyway, watching a vacant building across the street.”
Son of a bitch. The woman had promised to tell him when she was going on a hunt. He wouldn’t have let Crash take over for him if he had known she was working.
He was about to disconnect the call when he heard Crash cursing.
“What? What’s going on?”
“It’s cool. They’re taking down an old woman who was going inside the building. They’re taking her to their Escalade now. Looks like she will be making your party tonight, after all,” Crash joked, then started cursing again.
“What?”
“The old bat tried to pull a gun on Killyama when she tried to frisk her. She took it away … Ow, that looks like it hurt—”