“No. I like our working relationship just as it is, don’t you agree?”
“You don’t have a problem hanging with Kaden or Ax. Why not me? Could it be I’m just the low man on the totem pole?”
Shrugging the strap of his duffel bag onto his shoulder, Reaper didn’t interfere, curious to know if he was the only man she had no problem holding her own with. If D-Mon tried to get out of hand, though, he was close enough to bash the guitarist’s face inside out if she got in trouble. Hell, he might do it, anyway. It would be the perfect way to get sent home by defending Ginny’s honor. Viper wouldn’t be able to blame him when Cross sent him back.
“I don’t hang out with Kaden or Ax. What we do is work. Which is more than I can say for you. If you worked as hard as you played, we wouldn’t have such long rehearsals. I’m sure your bandmates, as well as the crew and I, would appreciate that.
“You’re a big boy. You should be able to hear the word no without turning nasty. If not, you can be the one to explain to Kaden why I won’t be practicing with the band anymore.” Straightening, she took a step forward, forcing D-Mon to remove his hand from the bin.
He put both hands in air, backtracking at the frostbitten look Ginny was giving him. “I was just playing around.”
“I was never good at playing those types of games, and I don’t plan to start now, especially not with you.”
Reaper had to give her credit; even though he was standing just a few inches away and the other band members never once looked at them or told D-Mon to back off, she handled the amorous guitarist herself. He had lost count of the number of times Taylor had turned to him or one of The Last Riders when she hadn’t wanted to be bothered.
“Message received. Can’t blame a guy for trying.” Moving aside, he went down the aisle and toward the front of the plane where the others were getting off.
“Ready?” Spotting him, Ginny’s annoyance with D-Mon melted into the same unreserved friendliness she continued to treat him with, as if they were best fucking friends. The only time she hadn’t acted like that was when he tried to lay down the law. Even then, she managed to turn the tables on him.
“Yes.” Reaper went down the aisle, leaving Ginny to follow.
Outside, he scanned the area, taking mental notes of everyone nearby. This airport was much larger, and there were three carts waiting to drive them to the entrance.
As Ginny came to his side, he didn’t notice anyone else, paying attention only to her. Yet, he felt something eerie, as though someone was watching closely. Nickel’s rigid stance with his booted feet planted apart and his hand at his back under his leather jacket showed he felt the same. The overcast sky limited his ability to scan the shadows where someone could hide. The bank of windows of the terminal allowed hundreds of eyes to follow their progress as they both climbed into one of the awaiting carts.
Nickel took the forward-facing seat, while Reaper took the one that would give him a view of the rear beside Ginny. Reaper tried not to think of the closeness of her body next to his as the cart lurched forward. It was a short ride to the private entrance.
“Gavin and I are going to Dirty Dan’s for lunch; you want to come?” Ginny asked Nickel brightly.
Nickel shook his head. “I’ll pass. I’ll grab our luggage and an Uber to the apartment. You good with that, Reaper?”
“Yes.” Reaper pretended to agree to Nickel’s intentional deception. They had met in his room this morning before heading to the airport to discuss how they would handle Ginny’s security. When they were going back and forth between destinations, it had been decided that Reaper would ride in the car with Ginny, while Nickel followed discreetly behind, watching for other tails. Reaper had already called ahead and had a rental car waiting for Nickel.
In little time they were walking out of the airport, with Nickel going in the direction of baggage and Ginny, the band members, and him walking outside of the terminal.
“What about their luggage?” Reaper asked when they started walking behind the others as they made their way to long-term parking.
“One of Kaden’s staff members collects it from the plane and will deliver it to their homes. Kaden doesn’t like to make his traveling habits public.”
“I wasn’t judging,” Reaper said, eyeing each person coming and going past them.
“Oh … Usually, people do when they find out Kaden has his own airplane.”
“He’s protecting his wife and those he cares about. You travel with them frequently?”
“Every now and then.”