Trigger (Circle of Justice #1)

by L. P. Dover

  Emma

  The sun felt good on my skin. However, no amount of listening to the ocean waves could ease my tension. I didn’t want Preston to know how nervous I was going on the date with Nathan. If he knew, he’d never let me go through with it. Hell, even I had second thoughts. But my worries were assuaged, knowing that Preston would be close by. Even if Nathan was a killer, he had nothing on Preston. Plus, I was strong. If it came down to it, I could fight.

  Preston laid beside me on the beach, but I could tell his mind was in a gazillion places. “What are you thinking about?” I asked, propping myself up on my elbow.

  He turned to face me, his body mirroring mine. “You don’t want to know.”

  I was pretty sure it involved the myriad of ways he’d like to kill Nathan. But so far, Nathan hadn’t exhibited serial killer tendencies. Then again, I didn’t know him all that well. I placed my hand on top of Preston’s. “Have you thought about where you’re going to live when you come to Charlotte?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Not sure.”

  I bit my lip and smiled. “You could always stay with me for a while, until you get acclimated. Then, if you want, you can get your own place.”

  “What if you get tired of me?” Grinning mischievously, he grabbed my arm and pulled me on top of him. Luckily, there was no one on the beach.

  Giggling, I leaned down and kissed him. “That’s not going to happen. I just want you to know you always have a place at my house. I know you don’t stay in one place for a long time.”

  His gaze turned serious. “You’re right. Hopefully, we can work around that.”

  I had to believe we could. He fisted his hands in my hair and bit my lip, before sucking it between his. If we weren’t in plain sight, I’d have let him take me right there on the beach. Unfortunately, my phone rang, ruining the mood. I slid off Preston and over to my towel so I could answer my phone.

  “Is it him?” Preston asked.

  I looked down at my phone, dread settling into the pit of my stomach. “I think so.” I didn’t have his phone number, but it was a little after three o’clock. School would be out. Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slowly. “Hello,” I answered.

  “Emma?”

  I recognized his voice, all smooth and gentleman-like. “Hi, Nathan. How are you?”

  Preston sat up, jaw clenching as he stared at me.

  “Good. Glad to be done with school. Are you still free to go out tonight?”

  “Of course. I was just laying out on the beach, hoping to get a head start on my tan before I go home. All I have to do is take a quick shower and throw on some clothes.”

  “Great, I’m in the same boat. If you give me your address, I’ll stop by my house and then head your way.”

  Preston could hear everything Nathan said. Reluctantly, he nodded. I didn’t know if it was a good idea to let Nathan know where I was, but Preston could protect me a lot better there. Besides, it was less than a quarter mile down the road from where Cameron lived.

  I gave Nathan the address and the line went quiet. “You still there?” I asked.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m here. I know exactly where you’re at. Should be easy to find.”

  “All right, I’ll hurry and get dressed. Do you know what we’ll be doing?”

  He cleared his throat. “I know of a great place to eat not too far from you. So I thought maybe we could grab a bite and walk across the bridge?”

  “Awesome. I’ll dress comfortably then.” We said our goodbyes and hung up. Preston stood and helped me to my feet. “Hopefully, he doesn’t plan on tossing me over the bridge. Other than that, the date seems pretty harmless.”

  He scoffed. “It better stay that way too. Don’t worry though, I’ll be close by. And when he drops you off and he’s out of the area for good, I’ll come to the house. I want to see what he does afterward.”

  “You don’t think he’ll make a visit to your house again, do you? He’ll obviously see someone’s been there.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. But if he is the one who broke in, then we have our answer. I’ll fuck him up right then and there.”

  We started toward the house and my steps grew heavy. It was hard to believe it could all come to an end in just a few short hours.

  Preston had already left and I was by myself, waiting for the unknown. My phone beeped and my pulse spiked. I was on edge.

  Preston: I love you. I’ll be close.

  Me: I love you too.

  Trying to find a murderer wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to start off our relationship. Unfortunately, it was the only way I knew he’d be able to move on. I would never completely have him until his family’s murderer was brought to justice.

  Peeking out the window, a black truck appeared down the street, then turned into the driveway. Nathan hopped out in a pair of khaki shorts and a snug, gray T-shirt that hugged his perfectly sculpted, tan arms. He had an athletic build, like all the other football players I went to high school with.

  I didn’t want him coming into the house, so I grabbed my purse and ushered myself outside. “Hey,” I called out, waving down to him.

  He looked up at me and smiled. “Hey, yourself. You ready?”

  “More than ready.” I locked the door and joined him by his truck. He opened the passenger side door and I hopped inside. “Are we eating first, or walking?”

  “Eating,” he said with a wink. “That way, if it gets too late, we can walk half the bridge and head back.” Once he slid behind the wheel, we were on our way.

  “What restaurant are we going to?” I inquired curiously.

  A mischievous smile spread across his face. “It’s a secret. And when we get there, don’t be deceived by the looks of it. It’s seriously the best place for seafood.”

  “Where is it?”

  He nodded at the road. “On the other end of the island.”

  When we arrived, the place looked like a dump, but the cars in the parking lot definitely weren’t. You could tell the ritzy people in the city ate there. We walked inside and were seated on the back deck, overlooking the water. It was beautiful, making me wish I was there with Preston instead.

  “Come here a lot?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “When I move back, I do.”

  “Oh, so you move around a lot?” It was time for some answers. He was about to respond, but then the waitress stopped by to grab our drink orders. I could’ve used some alcohol for my nerves, but refrained and ordered an iced tea.

  “Yeah,” he said with a nod. “I have family in New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia. I flip-flop back and forth. Not only does it give me a change of scenery, but I like to move around. Keeps things interesting.”

  I bet it did. Lots of different high school girls to look at. “Will you be staying in Charleston for a while?” I wondered.

  “Probably not. With the school year over next week, I’ll head back to Virginia. Then I’ll make my rounds again.”

  The waitress brought our drinks and I surveyed the menu quickly, so I could give her my order. She was a young girl with dark brown hair and a freckled face. Nathan paid her no mind as he ordered his food; his eyes solely on me.

  Once I ordered my food, she hurried off to tend to her other tables. It was a packed house. “I’m assuming you don’t have close family in Charleston?”

  Nathan shook his head. “Only an uncle, but I don’t talk to him much. The rest of my family lives in New York, like my mother, father, and so forth. I had a shot at playing pro many years ago, but blew out my knee when I was in college.”

  “Oh no,” I gasped. “That had to be horrible.”

  “It was. That’s why I’m stuck coaching.”

  “You enjoy it though, right? I’m sure the boys look up to you.”

  He chuckled. “I hope so. The majority of the teams I coach end up winning championships. That’s another reason why I go back and forth, to work with different teams. I go where the money is.”

  “I see. So the schools
are constantly upping their money to get you to work for them?”

  Shrugging, his eyes never wavered from mine. “What can I say? I’m that good.”

  I smiled and took a sip of my tea. “Sounds like it.”

  “Okay, so enough about me. Where’s your family located?”

  “In Charlotte,” I answered honestly.

  “Are you close to them?”

  Yes, but I didn’t want to tell him that. I needed to make him think I was a loner. That way, no one would miss me too much if I were to up and disappear . . . “Not really. Like I said before, I work all the time. It’s hard to fit people into my schedule.” Our food came and my shrimp smelled heavenly, all butter and garlic.

  “That’s a shame,” Nathan said. “Do you think maybe you could work on that?”

  I took a bite of my shrimp. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” he said, staring at my mouth while I chewed. “Do you think you could fit me in when you go back home? I’d like to keep in touch with you. It’s been a long time since I’ve met anyone who can keep my interest.”

  “You must not get out very often,” I teased.

  “Oh, I do, but I have particular tastes.”

  I’ll bet he did.

  Nathan paid for dinner and we were on our way to the bridge. The sun was still out and we had about three more hours before it’d be completely dark. I wanted to be done with our walk way before then.

  The bridge had walking paths so people could enjoy the bridge without having to worry about sharing the road with cars. The only thing I didn’t like was feeling it shift under my feet. Bridges made me nervous. Every time I drove over one, I always lowered my windows so that if my car fell into the water, I’d have an escape.

  Nathan walked alongside me, our arms touching periodically. “How long have you been single?” he asked.

  “Too long.” I laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve dated here and there, but nothing serious. You?” I looked over at him and he shrugged.

  “That’s kind of the same thing for me. I got burned once, a long time ago.”

  “Uh-oh, that’s not good. I think everyone’s gotten hurt by someone at some point in their lives. In fact, my ex left me for another woman,” I said, hoping to see a spark of something on his face. But he just shook his head.

  “What a fucking idiot. Any man would be stupid to give you up.” He glanced down at my hand and clasped it in his. It felt weird, walking hand in hand with another man. There was no way I was going to be able to walk the rest of the way like that.

  We stopped halfway across the bridge and I let his hand go so I could place them on the railing. It was for the best. If Preston was close, he’d be fuming by this point. However, the view across the water was incredible. When I turned to face Nathan, he couldn’t take his eyes off me.

  “You are absolutely beautiful,” he murmured, stepping closer. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I haven’t been able to stop looking at you.”

  “Thank you.” I looked down briefly, pretending to be bashful. “You’re not so shabby yourself.”

  He smiled. “Is it bad that I want to see you again?”

  “No,” I laughed. “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

  He reached out his hand and brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear.

  It took all I had not to recoil from his touch. The man could be innocent, but it still didn’t change the fact I was letting another man touch me.

  “You remind me of someone,” he whispered.

  “Who?”

  Then it was as if he snapped back into reality. “Nobody,” he answered with a shake of his head. “Are you about ready to head back to my truck? I don’t think we’ll get the full six miles in tonight.”

  “I’d say not.” I chuckled.

  He gently took my hand and we walked back to his truck. The sun set as we drove home. And the darker it got outside, the more my nerves frazzled. I hoped he didn’t want to prolong the night.

  It didn’t take long to get back to my house, and when we did, he got out of his truck to walk me to my door. Please don’t ask to come in.

  “I had fun tonight, Emma,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets.

  There was something about his crystal green eyes that made me tremble. It was like he could see right through me, or maybe that was me being paranoid. At least he wasn’t going to try and touch me. “I did too,” I replied.

  “I know it’s awfully quick, but would you mind if I saw you again tomorrow?”

  “Sure. You could always come over and I’ll cook you dinner? That way I can pay you back for tonight.” I could have Mrs. Walker make it and pretend I did it.

  “You don’t have to do that. But if you want me to come, I will.”

  “It’s a date then,” I said, putting on a smile.

  Closing the distance, he released his hands from his pockets and I froze as he placed them on my hips. His lips came close to mine, but instead, he pressed them to my cheek. “Sweet dreams, Emma.”

  “Goodnight,” I murmured back.

  He walked down to his truck and opened his door. “Will you be at the café in the morning?”

  I nodded. “Of course. You know I can’t live without my hot chocolate.”

  “Good deal. I’ll be there too.”

  I waved and he got in his truck and drove away. It wasn’t long before my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I pulled it out, not surprised to see Preston’s name. “Hey,” I answered.

  “Do you have any idea how hard it was to watch that shit?”

  I blew out a sigh. “Not as hard as it was to endure it. Where are you?”

  “Making sure that fucker heads as far away from the house as possible. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Good. I’ll be waiting.”

  Preston

  Watching that bastard touch Emma was the hardest fucking thing I had to do. I knew he was guilty. You could see it in his soulless eyes. Those hands that held Emma’s were the same ones that took the life from my mother and sister. The thought made me sick to the core. Some days it was hard to contain the rage and today was one of them.

  There was a look every demented person had, and Nathan had it in spades. If only I could get away with killing the fucker before he tried to hurt Emma. Unfortunately, she was too goddamned stubborn to see the monster right in front of her.

  I made sure to put enough distance between my car and Nathan’s as I followed him off the island. I’d hoped he would go by my house so I could end it, but he didn’t. Instead, he drove to his Mt. Pleasant home and parked for the night. With the tracker I had on his vehicle, I’d be able to see where he was at all times, getting alerts when his truck moved.

  It was getting late, so I headed back to Glenn’s house, making sure to park down the road in case fuckhead decided to drive by in the middle of the night like the stalker I knew he was.

  Walking around to the back of the house, I opened the door. The kitchen lights were on, but everywhere else in the house was dark. “Emma?” I called out. No response. I stopped at the staircase and looked up into the darkness, catching the faint flicker of candlelight coming from her bedroom.

  I took the steps two at a time and slowly walked toward her room. When I entered, I found her on the bed, completely naked.

  “It’s about time you got here,” she whispered, biting her lip.

  My dick twitched, as the anger I harbored inside morphed into lust. I knew what she was doing. She knew I’d be livid about tonight. “What are you doing, angel?”

  She slid to the edge of the bed and beckoned me closer. I moved toward her and she unbuttoned my jeans, sliding them down to the floor. I tore off my shirt and groaned as she massaged me like a pro, her tongue sliding across the tip of my cock. Eyes rolling into the back of my head, I moaned. I was close to losing control, when she stopped and trailed her tongue up my stomach.

  “I want you inside of me,” she demanded, biting my chest.

  This was exact
ly what I needed.

  Ten minutes later, I pulled out from her warm center and rested on my elbow so I could look down at her. So many emotions swarmed through my body; I didn’t know what to feel. I sure as hell didn’t want to be angry all the time, and thankfully, she helped with that. Only, it never lasted for long. There was too much bad shit to pull me back under.

  “We need to talk,” I said in all seriousness.

  Her smile faded. “I was hoping to get your mind off everything.”

  I brushed a finger across her lips. “Trust me, angel, making love to you helps, but what we’re doing is serious. You don’t see what I see. I deal with sick bastards on a daily basis. It only takes one thing to make them snap. Cramer might not be there yet, but he’s never very far from that line.”

  “How do you know?”

  I couldn’t help but admire her innocence. I didn’t want it taken away from her. She saw the good in the world, whereas all I saw was the bad. She was the perfect balance to me. “It’s in his eyes, Emma. I don’t know, maybe I’m jaded, but I can see the evil that goes on in this world. We need to push him, to get him to crack.”

  Her brows furrowed. “How are we going to do that?”

  Visions of my sister flashed through my mind. “We need to turn you into Cameron. Make him see her when he looks at you. If there’s going to be a trigger, that’d be it. We have to mentally fuck him up. He’ll eventually reach a breaking point. The sooner, the better.”

  “Then I guess I can start tomorrow. He’s coming over for dinner.”

  “What?” I growled.

  She cringed. “I figured it’d be better than going over to his house. Plus, if he’s going to try and do something, it’d be when we’re alone. Honestly, I don’t know if he’s the guy we’re looking for.”

  That was the innocence that could get her in trouble; and also what scared me. “Oh, he’s the one all right, and we’ll prove it. But being here doesn’t make me feel any better. Being in public protects you. I’m not ready to put you in harm’s way.”

  She kissed me, her lips soft and warm. “There’s no other option. I’ll be fine, I promise. I just need you to coach me on everything Cameron. I know it won’t be easy, but if you have videos of her, that would help more than anything.”