After the Storm (KGI #8)(25)

Donovan nudged Eve’s elbow, guiding her away from the couch and back to the tiny kitchenette. He took over as if this were indeed his own kitchen. She stood stiffly, watching as he expertly put together the meal, even including a cupcake on a separate paper plate for Cammie’s dessert.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked in a low voice. “You don’t know me—us. Why would you go to this much trouble for complete strangers?”

His head whipped up and for the first time she caught a glint of anger in his green eyes.

“What would you have me do, Eve? Turn a blind eye to people who desperately need help? Or ignore the fact that you’re scared to death and are running from something or someone? Don’t look so stunned. It’s not hard to figure out. And if I can see it, don’t you think everyone else can? Only those others won’t be of no danger to you like I am. I get that you don’t trust anyone. Believe me, I get that. But I’m going to do everything in my power to change that. There are good people in the world. I’m trying to convince you that I’m one of them.”

“It could be dangerous for you,” she blurted.

It was as close to an acknowledgment of what he already knew as she was going to get.

Some of the anger dimmed from his eyes, and once again she saw that glimmer that told her she wasn’t just someone in need he was helping. And it befuddled her.

“How about you let me decide what I consider dangerous? You say I know nothing about you, but, Eve, you know nothing about me. Yet. And believe me when I say I am not going to let anything happen to you or Cammie and Travis.”

The hell of it was, in that moment, he spoke with so much conviction that she found herself believing him when she should be believing or trusting no one.

“Now here’s what I want you to do,” Donovan said as he pushed one of the two plates he’d prepared across the counter to her. “I want you to go sit with Cammie and eat. You’re as badly in need of a meal as she is.”

“And what are you going to do?” she asked quietly.

“I’m going to finish putting away the things I brought and make sure your refrigerator is stocked. And then I’m going to make a list of anything else you need so that when I come with Maren tomorrow, I’ll bring whatever then.”

CHAPTER 9

IT took everything Donovan had to walk out of Eve’s trailer and stroll to his truck like he’d just been on some neighborly errand for his mother. He was seething on the inside, and he couldn’t even pinpoint the exact target of his rage.

Seeing Eve—and Cammie—look at him like he was some monster and they were expecting the worst turned his stomach. And Cammie. God. He couldn’t picture her without seeing Charlotte and couldn’t imagine his niece in the same situation.

He—all of KGI—took a hell of a lot for granted. They shouldn’t. Enough had happened over the years for them to know all too well not to take a single moment with their families for granted. And yet it was all too easy to forget the circumstances that others lived in. Despite the fact that they saw the worst in the world on a daily basis.

As he drove away, he picked up his cell to call Sam to see if he’d contacted Maren—and Steele—but mainly Maren. Because Steele could put up a fight all he wanted, but if Maren wanted to do something, Steele didn’t have a chance. Steele would just make damn sure she wasn’t walking into a dangerous situation, and after what Donovan had witnessed, he knew that there was nothing to fear over Maren going to check on Cammie. Whatever the danger was, it wasn’t from Eve. No, whatever the hell it was that had struck terror into Eve and her tiny family’s hearts was out there lurking and waiting for an opportunity to strike. An opportunity that, if Donovan had any control over it, would never present itself.

After Sam confirmed that Maren was in and that Steele had been assured all the bases were covered as far as Maren’s safety, Donovan rang off and drove toward the compound, Eve squarely on his mind.

He activated the key code to open the gate and waited as it swung open, allowing him entrance. The tight security net around the compound reminded him of the reality of his life. His family’s lives. It was a necessary evil, one they were all well aware of. But it brought to the forefront that they would never lead normal lives. That theirs came with an awareness that at any time, enemies could strike at them, at their most vulnerable weakness. Their wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.

Donovan had wondered in the past, as he was sure all his brothers had, particularly when their family had been in jeopardy, if it was all worth it. If what they did was worth the risk to their loved ones. But at the end of the day, the answer was always the same. Yes. They might not be able to solve all the ills of the world, but they could damn well make it a better place, one mission at a time. For every criminal they took down, for every child they rescued, for every hostage they freed, they made a difference.

Maybe that answer would change if they ever lost any part of their family to the enemies they’d accumulated over the years since KGI’s inception. But for now, they were still absolutely devoted to righting wrongs and taking down the evil in the world.

As he pulled up to his house, he was surprised to see Steele’s SUV parked out front. Not that it should have come as a shock. Steele would want a firsthand accounting of the situation his wife was walking into.