Yes, Emily admitted, she did love Noah and Gabriel. Without question and without hesitation. And that love she felt for them, and for Tara, ran deep, strong and true enough, that she’d do whatever it took to keep them safe. Do anything and go anywhere. Even if it was far, far away from where they were.
“Okay…” she drawled out. Now that the truth was there, that she loved them and she had to get away, she resolved herself to what had to be done. “So, get yourself into gear and get going, girl,” Emily whispered to herself.
She stepped towards the closet again… and this time, she did not hesitate.
CHAPTER 2
Home. They were finally home after weeks of hunting down yet another twisted soul. Noah Johnston and Gabriel McPherson were exhausted beyond their normal capacity to go without sleep for endless stretches of time, while they ran down those who targeted the youngest and most innocent. It was heartbreaking work, but the satisfaction of knowing another predator was off the streets and firmly behind bars, kept them in the hunt.
Noah kicked their back door closed after Gabriel strode through it, his arms overloaded with luggage and bags. Noah couldn’t help but chuckle at the soft curses that were slipping from his best friend’s lips as he lugged the bulk of their cases inside. But Noah knew he had the more precious cargo, so he continued to smirk as he headed for the fridge. There, he deposited the beer they had stopped to pick up before coming home to crash.
“I’m headed for the shower. Be out in ten,” Gabriel called as he headed towards his room on the first floor.
Noah sighed as he popped the top on his bottle and headed for his own hot shower upstairs. Some creature comforts just couldn’t be topped. And a hot shower was one of them, he thought, as he stripped off his jeans and t-shirt. He set his beer on the counter and then turned the water on full blast, ready to let the heat seep into his tired and strained shoulders.
As he stepped under the stream, Noah corrected himself. What he really needed was one of Emily’s never-ending massages. It had become standard their first night back together, after he and Gabriel returned home from a case, for them to gather with Emily. They would always order pizza, meat lovers every time, and sit in the guys’ living room, eating, drinking beer and catching up. And somehow, they always took turns sitting on the floor in front of the sofa so she could work her magic on their shoulders and necks.
Noah smiled as he thought of how her hands would creep delicately up into his hair without fail and massage his scalp. It was a feeling like no other, and he found that he longed for that simple and sweet caress from her fingers. Fingers that he also caught himself daydreaming about more and more as time went on. Fingers that he wanted to roam all over his body and touch more than just his shoulders and hair.
And the hell of it was, he knew Gabriel was feeling the exact same way he was about the little burst of sunshine who had been a permanent fixture in their lives for the past fifteen years. They’d both come to think of her as theirs. Not just Noah’s or just Gabriel’s – but theirs – collectively.
They’d finally broached the subject, long held at bay between the two of them, weeks ago when they’d called her to say hello. Just hearing her calming and loving voice that night, after witnessing so much evil earlier in the day, had been the catalyst for Noah to finally bring up the elephant in the room. And it was exactly as he suspected. Neither wanted to step back and let the other march off into the sunset with the one woman who had come to mean everything to them over the years.
They had talked into the wee hours of the morning, working it all out, until they had a solid plan of how to keep the three of them together, with Emily at the center. It was time to take a risk and declare themselves, to stake a claim on her heart. Time to risk it all, in the hope that their love was accepted and returned.
Knowing Emily as they did, neither Gabriel nor Noah had any real worry that she did not reciprocate what was now firmly entrenched within their hearts and souls. For that was how deeply ingrained she was – for both men. She was it, and they weren’t looking for anyone else, anymore. Not that they really ever had. No, Emily had always held that one special place that no other woman had even come close to filling.
But something else about coming home this time felt different. Noah couldn’t articulate the almost imperceptible hum that seemed to vibrate throughout this body. It was more than just his anticipation about the looming conversation with Emily. It was as if a chord of disharmony was also heralding unease and urging caution. A gut feeling that Noah had when something wasn’t right, and a feeling he had long ago learned to heed.
He shook his blonde head under the spray to clear his thoughts, knowing the faster he was out of the shower and dressed, the faster they could call Emily over. Less than ten minutes later he was clean and headed back to the kitchen. He found Gabriel already there, drinking a beer and going through the stockpile of mail their elderly neighbor down the road, Mrs. Paulson, always collected for them while they were away.
“You ready for me to call her?” Gabriel asked, arching an eyebrow at Noah.
“More than ready,” he said with a grin.
Gabriel chuckled and shook his head, his midnight hair slightly sweeping across his forehead as he did so. “Let me,” he smirked. “She’ll hear the difference in your tone immediately and know something’s up. Just be quiet for a minute.”
“Watch it,” Noah warned playfully, and stepped over to snag a bag of chips from the pantry. Now that he was home, he had a raging desire to snack. It was always a joke amongst the three. Emily and Gabriel firmly believed Noah had not one, but two hollow legs.
Gabriel watched Noah amble across the kitchen, feeling sure of himself, at ease and at peace with their decision. The night Noah had pointedly asked him if he was ever going to tell Emily he loved her, had been both surreal and humbling for Gabriel. He had always been more tight-lipped about his feelings than Noah, never liking to voice his desires aloud. And Noah had always understood that and respected his need to keep such things private.
But not that night. No, Noah had all but gotten in his face and demanded to know if he was tired of hiding and ready to do the right thing by her. And he had made it clear to Gabriel that he was right there with him, in love with the young woman who had been their best friend and at the center of their individual fantasies for years. Once Noah had made sure the topic of having a joint relationship with her was no longer taboo, Gabriel had been shocked at how easily the words had finally tumbled from his lips.
He wanted her. Hell yes, he wanted Emily. No one else had ever come close to her in all his twenty-nine years, and he wasn’t willing to step aside and let her go. Even if it was with the man who was his best friend, closer even than his two younger brothers.
No, he and Noah had shared too much - first their adolescence, then their college days, a few tours with the Marines overseas, and finally on to specialized case work for the FBI. Tracking down the lowest of the low – those who preyed on the youngest victims. He and Noah had experienced everything together, and during all that time, they’d also fallen in love with the same woman.
And now that they’d returned home, they were ready to tell her that she was it for them. For the first time in his life, Gabriel was ready to speak the words and tell a lady that she was his and he was hers. And God, didn’t it feel so freeing, he marveled. No more running, and he had Noah to thank.
Gabriel grunted when he heard Emily’s answering machine pick up. He listened and heard it click over to her greeting after only two rings, signaling other messages waited before his in the queue. He frowned as he ended the call and then dialed her cell. It rang and rang before rolling over to voicemail. Something that had never happened before. He had always reached her on one of the two lines, because she never was without her cell.
She even carried the thing into the tub with her, placing it on a nearby ledge. Or so she’d told him once when he’d called her and heard the splash of water in the background. He h
adn’t been able to sleep for hours after that, seeing images of her naked body behind his eyelids every time he closed them and attempted to rest that night.
Noah heard Gabriel blow out a frustrated breath and he turned back to see him scrolling through his phone until he landed on a different number. He selected it and stared at Noah as he listened for an answer. This time, he wasn’t kept waiting.
“Tara. Hey, it’s Gabe. Yeah, we’re home. Listen, have you heard from Emily today? Know where she is?” he asked, still staring at Noah. But then a hardened look came into Gabriel’s eyes that made sheer dread skate down Noah’s spine. It was a look that meant his friend was ready to take someone apart.
“And when did this start?” Gabriel asked in a low tone.
Noah braced his hands on the island and swallowed hard. Were they too late? Had Emily started to date someone else while they were away this time? It was the one fear that had truly prompted Noah to finally say something to Gabriel about his feelings for her – that Emily might grow tired of waiting for them and move on to a man who was ready to take and appreciate all that she offered. It was an unacceptable option, and one they meant to prevent.
“I see. And you’ve got no details, no information, whatsoever?” Gabe pressed, and listened for several minutes as Tara’s voice raced along on the other end of the line. “Okay, Noah and I’ll head over to her place now. Yeah, we’ll call you once we get some answers.”
Gabriel ended the call and lightly tossed his phone back on the island.
“What in the hell?” Noah asked quietly.
“That’s what I want to know,” he said, his voice taking on that dangerous edge that Noah knew well. “Tara says something has been very wrong with Emily since we left. Says she won’t go out with the girls, won’t answer her door or the phone half the time. Tara said that Emily’s afraid of her own shadow now and the last time she saw her, which was two weeks ago, it didn’t look like she’d slept in ages. Tara said that Emily had dark circles around her eyes and was pale as a ghost.”
“And Tara doesn’t know what’s going on?” Noah scoffed incredulously. “Since when in the hell has she ever not gotten into someone’s business and ferreted out the answers she was looking for. That’s not like Tara, especially where Emily is concerned. Those two share everything.”
“That’s precisely why Tara said she let it go. She said the more she pushed, the more withdrawn Emily became. So much so, that she was afraid she would break the fragile bond that seemed to be holding them together right now. So, she’s just been taking it a day at a time and hoping Emily would open up to her when she’s ready.”
“Well that’s not what we’re going to do,” Noah stated emphatically.
“Hell, no,” Gabriel ground out. “Let’s go over there and at least get a look at what we’re dealing with. But no, we’re not leaving her to sort out whatever’s gone wrong since we were last home.”
“Damn straight,” Noah muttered.
He swiped his keys off of the island and returned to his bedroom briefly for his holster and gun. When he reentered the kitchen, Noah saw that Gabriel had done the same and was snapping his holster’s closure over his Sig. With one last glance at each other, they walked back out of the door they’d just come through not fifteen minutes before.
CHAPTER 3
Gabriel stretched out his legs as much as he could in the SUV and tried to remain calm as Noah drove towards Emily’s small cottage on the edge of town. Nothing could’ve ever prepared him for Tara’s insistent voice, telling him that Emily looked very much like a victim the last time she had seen her. Her description of the lady he loved, was incongruous with the bright and shining ray of light he knew Emily to be.
She was the one thing that got him through the hell that he and Noah cut their way through, and the breath of fresh air that always greeted him when he returned home. Hell, he admitted to himself, she was home. She was his home and Noah’s, and never before had he felt such a burning desire to take her into his arms and tell her.
He refocused his attention on Emily’s house as Noah pulled into her drive. The small, three bedroom cottage, which had belonged to her grandparents, sat still and dark in the waning light of the day. He scanned the entire perimeter and then opened his door, just as Noah did. Gabriel didn’t take his gun out, not yet anyway, but he walked to her front door with caution. Something he had never done before.
“Her flowers are wilted,” Noah murmured, eyeing the annuals she had planted around the edge of her flower bed on either side of the front door. Emily loved her flowers and never let them suffer, no matter how hot and dry the Georgia weather became. Yeah, he thought, something was most definitely off.
Gabriel nodded and then knocked. Nothing. There was no sound from within signaling movement or chatter from the television. He cast a quick glance at Noah and then Gabriel took out his key and inserted it in the knob.
Both men had a key to her home, just as Emily had a copy to theirs, and he felt no qualms about using it now. Gabriel slid his Sig from his shoulder holster and then stepped inside. Noah was right behind him, his Glock in hand and already sweeping the living room. Gabriel pointed in the direction of the hallway leading to the bedrooms and, together, the two began a thorough inspection of her home.
Gabriel noticed the changes right away as they canvassed each room. Every window was covered by new drapes or shades, and not one was pulled back to let light in. The house was eerily quiet, but also sterile. It was the only word he could think of to describe what he was seeing. Emily kept her home tidy, but she always had little piles of books, magazines, or files sitting around that helped her research whatever her latest novel was about.
But he saw none of that now. No, now it looked as if the house belonged to a ghost. Someone who might exist there, but not really live within its walls.
When he and Noah entered her bedroom, both men paused and tried to rein in their shock. It was stripped of the things which spoke of who Emily really was. Her photos of her parents, grandparents, and those of her with Noah and him were missing from the furniture’s surfaces. Her favorite stuffed rabbit, which she’d had since she was six, wasn’t sitting lopsided on the comforter as he always was. And her laptop wasn’t perched on the small desk in the corner where she placed it each night to charge it.
Noah strode forward and carefully checked her bathroom and then her closet, while Gabriel stood rooted to the spot. He had to shake himself out of the stupor that had invaded his brain and every limb when Noah spoke to him.
“Say again?” Gabriel asked.
“I said, her clothes are gone. Almost all of them,” Noah sighed in a strangled tone. He sank down to his knees and looked under her bed, swearing as he did so. “Luggage is gone too. What in the hell is going on here?”
“I don’t know,” Gabriel muttered. “Let’s check out the rest of the house for now.”
Noah gave him a curt nod as he rose from the floor and, together, they headed down the hallway. They found the other two bedrooms sitting untouched, as well as the second bathroom and laundry room. When they entered the kitchen, Noah spotted Emily’s phone next to a stack of mail and he immediately moved forward to snag it.
He began to scroll through her recent calls and texts, finding only a few from Tara, when the sound of the hardwood floor creaking behind them had both men turning with their weapons raised.
“Whoa, guys! It’s just me, Andrew. Put the guns down,” he said in a soothing tone. Andrew held his own gun pointed towards the ceiling with the palm of his left hand facing them. He shook his head as he holstered his piece, and then let out a little huff of relief.
“Andrew, what are you and Ryan doing here?” Noah demanded, sounding more perturbed than he had intended.
“Nice to see you, too,” Andrew smirked.
“Seriously, why are you here?” Gabriel rumbled.
“We got an alert from the monitoring system we helped install for Emily,” Ryan supplied. “We were already
headed this way to do our daily check in. Sheriff Strauss has us driving by at random times and canvassing the neighborhood until things are solved.”
Andrew shot him an exasperated look, but Ryan just shrugged in response.
“All right, you two,” Gabriel said and took a step closer. He settled his hands on his hips and angled his head at Andrew. He and Noah towered over the two younger lawmen, and Gabe used that height difference to his full advantage now. “Start speaking and don’t leave out any details. What’s going on with Emily that has you and the sheriff involved?”
Andrew sighed and shook his head. But his expression hardened when his eyes landed on the table.
“Son of a bitch!” Andrew swore and reached for a pair of gloves that he kept stuffed in the back of his belt. “There’s another one. Ryan take a picture of it before I open it.”
“Open what?!” Noah demanded. “Talk to us and tell us what the fuck is going on here!”
“Emily has a stalker,” Ryan said as he took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of the plain, brown envelope lying on the kitchen table. “He or she speaks to Emily through photos that arrive in the mail, in envelopes just like this one. They’re always innocent looking on the outside, but the sicko has increasingly stepped up the game. The photos have gotten very personal and they come with demanding messages now too.”
“Ryan, shut up,” Andrew warned him.
“Excuse me?” Gabriel asked in a low tone.
“Look,” Andrew said as his shoulders lowered slightly in defeat, “I’m not trying to be an ass here. But we’re under strict orders not to let a word of this get out. We’ve done a damn good job, thus far, keeping it all under wraps, and that’s how we have to keep it until we catch this stalker. It’s what the sheriff wants and what Emily wants as well. We can’t talk to you about it while it’s an open case.”
Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) Page 2
