by Cameron Dane
Garrick took his shorts, and Devlin held him steady with a hand around his upper arm while Garrick struggled into them. Garrick didn’t have to look up at his mate to know that Devlin understood every bit of fear coursing through Garrick right now. Garrick could hear the knowledge in the gentle nature of Devlin’s tone.
He forced himself to look up at those pale, knowing eyes anyway. “It wasn’t a hired killer here for me this time,” Garrick said. “But it could have been. Jesus, Devlin,” Garrick spat the horrid taste out of his mouth, “they all could have been butchered before I even had a chance to step one foot in that house.”
Devlin’s features turned ruddy and hard. “So you’re going to pack up and run.” He snapped his fingers, the sound cracking in the night. “Just like Grace is frantically doing inside right this second.”
Garrick narrowed his gaze on Devlin first and then to the home behind him. “What?”
Devlin nodded, and Garrick ran for the house, taking the steps two at a time and bounding across the porch. He pushed open the half-closed door and found Grace rushing her kids into their bedrooms, telling them to pack a bag and their most special toys.
Grace moved toward her bedroom. Garrick grabbed her arm and drew her into the living room before she got half a dozen feet away. “Where are you going?” he asked, as she tugged against his hold.
“Don’t know yet.” Her dilated pupils nearly drowned out the rim of brown, and through Garrick’s hold on her, he could feel that her jitters matched his own. “Anywhere far away from here.”
Garrick replayed not only the professional moves of the assailant, but also Grace’s battle technique, which had gone toe-to-toe with a bigger foe. “What the hell went down here tonight?”
Grace’s delicate hand shook as she covered her mouth. “That was my ex-husband. He’s obviously out of prison, and now that he knows where I am, I have to leave.”
Running from an abusive ex. Of course. I should have known. She immediately took my fears about someone watching the house seriously; any other time in my life that would have set off my radar in a shot.
Grace stopped pulling against him. She looked up at him and frown lines marred her forehead. “Your eyes are green.”
“Shit.” Garrick turned away and cursed under his breath again. Not that it mattered. She’d already seen the color. Stupid mistake. It was exactly the kind of rookie move he couldn’t afford to make.
“I don’t care why.” The lulling softness in Grace’s voice drew Garrick’s attention back to her. “You’ve been good to me.” She squeezed his hand. “Even if I could stay in Redemption, I wouldn’t make trouble for you.”
“Thank you.”
“I still have to get the kids and go.” The shakes took Grace over once again. “My ex doesn’t make empty threats. He will come back.”
Garrick snatched Grace’s hand before she took one step toward her children. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Suddenly, a manacle-tight hold circled Garrick’s wrist. “And neither are you,” Devlin said, his hand bruisingly strong on Garrick’s arm.
Garrick whipped around to his mate. “Devlin--”
Resolute determination filled Devlin’s eyes and tone. “Neither one of you is leaving this town. Not tonight.” He dragged Garrick, who by virtue of the fact that he still had a hold on Grace, pulled her too. Devlin shoved them both onto the couch and transferred his grip to their shoulders, keeping them seated.
“And you,” Devlin turned a hard gaze on Garrick, “not ever without me. Not anymore.”
Grace struggled against Devlin. “But--”
“Dev.” Garrick bit down a curse. “This is serious. Stop it.”
Devlin didn’t loosen his hold on either one of them in the slightest. “I know it’s serious. So here’s what’s going to happen,” he said, his tone reminiscent of some of the sharpest, hardened, lifer law enforcement officers Garrick had ever known. “You’re both going to sit tight. I’m going to make a call,” Devlin eyed the phone on the end table, but didn’t yet move, “and for once, you’re both going to have to trust that someone else loves you enough to make things safe for you.”
He eyed Grace first, then switched to Garrick. Devlin’s mouth lost some of its hard lines, his grip switched to a soothing caress, and he offered a small smile that tugged right at Garrick’s soul as he said, “Got it?”
Chapter Thirteen
Trust me.
Devlin held his breath and waited for someone to speak.
Grace snatched the phone off the receiver and hugged it to her breast.
“No offense, Devlin,” she said as she shielded the phone from him, “but I don’t know you well enough to trust you. I have to think about my children.” Her focus darted to the hallway, and presumably to her children’s rooms beyond. “You can make whatever call you want, but we’ll be gone by the time you’re done dialing.”
It will kill Garrick to lose another family. Devlin saw the man flinch as Grace delivered her decree. That means it will crush me too.
Devlin put a hand to Grace’s knee. Not a controlling grip this time, just a human connection. He waited for her to settle and make eye contact with him before he spoke. “Do you trust Garrick?”
She studied Garrick’s stiff profile, and a small smile appeared. “With my life. With the lives of my children.”
Devlin turned to Garrick. He ached to pull the bigger man into his arms and hold him all night--as long as it took to take the fear away--but he forced himself to remain seated on the coffee table.
“Do you trust me?” Devlin asked Garrick.
Garrick exhaled, and his pure green eyes deepened with shots of deep-forest. “I love you,” he said, the sound thick in his throat. He curled his hand around Devlin’s neck, drew him close, and pressed a kiss high on Devlin’s cheek. “I couldn’t love you if I didn’t trust you completely.”
Devlin dipped his head and grazed his lips against the inside of Garrick’s forearm, and took a moment to nuzzle into the warmth. “Thank you.”
He brushed another soft kiss, and then shifted back to Grace. “So you trust Garrick, and he trusts me. Ergo, you trust me too.” Devlin nodded and tried to nudge the woman along with his logic. “Grace,” he let go of Garrick, took both of Grace’s hands in his, and dangled them between their legs, “I don’t know your entire situation, but I’m going to say this to both of you because I think it applies: you have got to stop running.” He put one of their linked hands against her mouth before she could open it. “You say your ex is dangerous? Okay, I saw him tonight, and I believe you. But I also believe it would be a wise move to make a stand against him here, in Redemption, where you have neighbors who likely care very much about you and your children.”
“They do,” Garrick said. He put his arm around Grace’s shoulder and hugged her to his side. “I’ve seen it.”
“Okay,” Devlin went on, “so you let your neighbors know about this son of a bitch, and they will be on the watch for any suspicious car or person in this neighborhood until the cops track your ex down and put him behind bars again. I know a cop.” Devlin let go of Grace and put his hand on Garrick’s knee, knowing the man would hit red-alert upon hearing Devlin’s suggestion. “His name is Wyn Ashworth. He’s a good man. With your permission, I’m going to call him here to take a description of your ex, put a warrant out for him, and alert the local force that he is dangerous and that you and your kids need protection from him.
“And you,” Devlin put his attention back on Garrick, and stilled the erratic beat of the man’s leg as he tapped his heel into the floor, “you’re going to trust that I know this cop very well. Then you’re going to keep trusting me and believe that I can talk to Wyn on your behalf without revealing information that I know needs to remain between only us. You’re going to trust that Wyn will take me at my word, and that you will be all right.”
Garrick’s pupils widened like a sun flare, and he frowned at Devlin.
“It’s okay.�
� Grace answered before Devlin could. “I don’t need or want to know what Devlin is talking about. You’re one of the good ones, Garrick. That’s all I need to know.”
Garrick shifted on the couch and fully faced Grace. “What do you think? Do you want Devlin to call his friend? Yesterday you said you don’t much feel like moving anymore. You said you were tired and ready to stay in one place for a while.”
Grace hugged herself, and her gaze strayed to the now closed front door. “But Randy...”
“That’s your ex-husband?” Garrick asked.
“Yes.”
A sigh escaped Garrick. He tunneled his hands through his dark hair and shoved it off his face. “Maybe Devlin is right, Grace. Maybe it’s time to stop running. Maybe it’s okay to ask for help against your ex. You don’t have to fight Randy on your own.”
Grace turned a pointed stare back on Garrick. “Are you going to stay?”
A long pause filled every corner of the room with heavy silence. Garrick stared over Grace’s shoulder in the direction of the hallway, came back and held on Grace for a handful of heartbeats, and then settled on Devlin for what felt like eons. He finally nodded sharply and said in a rough voice, “Yeah, I’ll be here.”
Devlin doubled over, his forehead falling to rest on Garrick’s knee, as relief flooded his system. He’s staying. Devlin covered his mouth, stifling a sob that wanted to break free.
Garrick ran a hand through Devlin’s hair, offering the sweetest simple contact, and Devlin nearly wept all over his lover’s leg.
Grace cleared her throat. “Then call your friend, Devlin. I want Randy captured as soon as possible.”
Devlin jolted right back up straight. Shit. “Right.” This wasn’t over. Convincing them was only half the battle. Devlin scrubbed his face, and his gaze lit on Garrick’s as he pulled his act together. Damn it. “Garrick, you go take care of,” Devlin pointed at Garrick’s eyes, “while I make this call.”
“Oh.” Garrick shot to his feet. “Right.” He glanced down at himself as he walked backward to the door. He then moved his focus up Devlin’s bare stomach to his chest and finally back up to his eyes. “I’ll get us some shirts while I’m at it.”
“Good idea.”
As Devlin watched Garrick open the front door and disappear through it, he couldn’t help his heart lurching and his throat seizing as the man slipped out of grabbing distance.
Trust him. It goes both ways. He will come back.
Grace put the phone in Devlin’s hands, jerking his attention back to her.
“I’m going to talk to my kids,” she shared. “Let them know we’re not going anywhere. At least not tonight.”
The woman’s skin was still pale as a ghost against the navy blue color of her T-shirt and pajama shorts. Her obvious fear and exhaustion tugged at Devlin’s heart. He could understand why Garrick had taken to her so quickly.
“This is a nice place to raise kids,” Devlin said. He squeezed her arm, pleased when she attempted a smile in return. “It’s going to work out. I have a good feeling, and I’ve recently learned I can trust my gut, after all.”
“Thank you again.” She dipped her head, and moved down the hallway, out of sight.
Devlin picked up the phone. Not even a siren in the distance--definitely a fire truck this time--pulled his attention away from dialing Wyn Ashworth’s number.
* * * *
Devlin met Wyn Ashworth at the door. The guy had on sneakers, wrinkled jeans, and a Bruins T-shirt that had a tear in the shoulder. It didn’t look like he’d taken the time to run a comb through his short, dark hair, and Devlin thought he saw little crusts from sleep in the corners of the man’s eyes.
His friend’s intimidating frame dwarfed the doorway. “I got here as fast as I could.” Wyn withdrew a small spiral pad from his back pocket. “Where is Ms. Fine?”
Devlin put a hand on Wyn’s stomach and eased him back over the threshold. “Can I have just a few words with you first?” He closed the door behind him. “In private?”
Wyn crossed his thick arms over his wide chest. “Make it fast. I want to get this asshole’s information into the system as fast as possible.”
“Believe me, I do too.” Devlin took in the solid stance of his friend and looked him in the eyes. “Here’s the deal. I was with Garrick when Grace’s ex-husband broke into her home. Garrick saw the guy run around the side of the house and immediately bolted out of his apartment above the garage to help.” He swallowed past his own discomfort, and matched Wyn’s stalwart chin with one of his own. “What I need you to do is keep that part of it out of your report. I need you to keep Garrick out of the report.”
Wyn’s entire face went stony. Then his mouth twisted as if Devlin had forced shit down his throat. “I’m sorry. You fucking want me to falsify a report for your boyfriend? Why the hell would I do that?” He narrowed his gaze to black slits. “Why the fuck would I need to, Devlin?”
“Not falsify.” Devlin jumped to correct Wyn. “Just don’t poke holes in the statement Grace gives you.”
Wyn ran his hands through his hair and tufted it up in even thicker clumps. “What the hell, Dev?” He clasped his hands behind his neck and tipped his head back. “You have to give me something more to go on here. I don’t understand what kind of shit you’re asking me to do for you.”
“Look at me.” Devlin grabbed Wyn’s arms and shook him, forcing the man’s gaze back down to his. “I am your friend. You know I would not steer you toward covering up someone with a record or anything bad or wrong. But I need you to hear me.” His throat tightened and his mouth went dry as the need for speed and success grew within him. “Garrick Langley is a good man. He is on the right side of every single law you believe in and work to uphold. But I need you to not only keep him out of this report, I also need you to promise me you aren’t going to put his name or image into your system and start looking into his life on my behalf. That would be very bad.” Devlin pried his fingers out of Wyn’s biceps, but his voice shook with the emotion he worked like the devil to contain. “I’m trusting you with the life of the man I love. Grace wanted to run. They are both trying to build new lives here in Redemption. Grace is trusting me because Garrick trusts me, and Garrick is trusting you because I told him I trust you. He cannot be put under a microscope.” Devlin looked right into Wyn’s eyes and didn’t shield the secrets he could not speak aloud. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Wyn delivered a hard stare, and Devlin watched his jaw tic a mile a minute. The man threw out a colorful bevy of curse words that would have made any of his fellow cops proud. He finally bit off, “I can only write in my report what I’m told.” He didn’t look one bit happy or pleased. Devlin thought resigned was probably a better word. “What I will tell you is that a story with questions and holes in it that might normally make me want to dig deeper won’t rouse my suspicions in this case. That’s all I can promise you.”
“I would never ask for anything more.” Devlin locked his legs in place to stop himself from leaping into Wyn’s arms and hugging him to the point of embarrassment. “Thank you.”
A dastardly chuckle and dark glint suddenly flashed in Wyn’s eyes and transformed his intimidating frame. “Damn it, Morgan. I fucking knew you had a history with that guy the second he walked into your apartment the other night. Then when I saw you pin him to the wall in the hallway... Shit, you owned him, man. I could feel it.”
Right now, Devlin could feel heat rushing to his face. “He’s someone you will come to admire and respect. I know it.” His heart slipped back inside the house, to the man sitting on that couch trusting in Devlin, and Devlin’s tone went soft. “Thank you, Wyn. You won’t regret this.”
In one blink of his eyes, Wyn slipped fully into cop mode. “I’m not doing anything but taking a statement from a woman whose ex-husband broke into her home. There’s nothing to regret.” He jerked his head toward the front door. “Now, how about you introduce me and let me get to work on putting this a
sswipe back in jail where he belongs.”
Devlin led him inside. “Let’s do it.”
* * * *
With his back to the group of three sitting at the dining room table, Wyn said, “Thanks,” and ended his phone call.
So far, Grace had quickly given Wyn an updated physical description of her ex-husband, including his choice of army garb, and Garrick had shared what he could recall of the car and license plate number. Grace had also told Wyn about the gun, which Wyn had photographed with his cell phone and taken as evidence using a Ziploc bag Grace had provided. While Wyn took care of the gun and photographing the window in the bathroom Randy had broken in order to gain entry into the house, Devlin had watched Garrick speak softly to the kids once again, quietly assuring them that everything was okay.
Now Devlin, Garrick, and Grace were back in the dining room, where they could talk while keeping an eye on Shawn and Chloe in the living room. The kids were sitting so close together they were almost on top of each other, huddled up tightly as they watched a movie.
Wyn moved back to the table and sat down. “All right. That call I just made will get a BOLO created so that we can officially start looking for Randy and his car. We’ll also have the black and whites make a point to check out parking lots of area hotels, as well as motels off the local interstate ramps. That’s just to get us started.” He shifted his attention and put it fully on Grace. “You said Randy was wearing military gear. Is he retired Army or part of the Reserves?”
“No.” She rubbed her bare arms, and Devlin saw her shiver. “He was one of yours, though.” Her voice scratched some as she shared. “A police officer, out of Boise.”
Garrick’s lips twisted in a snarl, and Devlin knew his green eyes sparked fire under the blue of his contacts. “Son of a bitch,” Garrick swore viciously. “That is not what going into law enforcement is about. It’s a fucking abuse of power. That’s how he was able to find Grace so quickly after being released from prison.”
