Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1)

by McKinley, Diana

  “Eric was also there the night Jonathan got too aggressive,” she remembered to tell them.

  “He’s not listed on the report, is he?” Noah asked.

  “No, I didn’t see his name,” Gabriel said with a shake of his head. “Tell us, Emily.”

  “Andrew had barely been on the job for a month, and he was riding with Jasper that night. I told you they were the ones who found me. But when they called for a second car to go down Wrightsville Road and look for Jonathan’s car, it was Eric and another deputy named Lance who responded. They were closest and they looked for him. But he was long gone, and so they met us at the station. Eric brought me a cup of coffee that night while we waited for my grandparents to arrive.”

  “What did the other deputies do?” Gabe pressed on, needing to see clearly into that night and gauge everyone’s mood and intentions where she was concerned.

  “Well… Jasper put his jacket on me when they pulled over after first spotting me running down the road. I told you that. I kept it on throughout the night, and only when I left with my grandparents did I give it back. I also told you Jasper went to campus with me for the next week, just to make sure Jonathan didn’t show up and try to start something. The sheriff didn’t tell him to do that, Jasper just took it upon himself to make sure I felt safe. Granddad thanked him each day he came by the house to follow me to school.”

  “Andrew is close to my age, and he looked visibly upset to see me so disheveled that night. But he held it together pretty well and stood right behind me while I gave my statement. I remember that he patted my shoulder often. It was kind of an awkward pat, but I could tell he was attempting to comfort me in the only way he knew how.”

  “And then Eric just seemed really angry. After he brought the coffee to me, he sat beside me and started talking about sports. I knew he was trying to distract me, and himself, and I let him because I couldn’t stop shaking. Eric finally reached over and held my hand until my shaking subsided. The whole night seemed too surreal, and I wanted nothing more than to go home and take a long, hot shower.”

  “That’s understandable.” Gabriel stared at the laptop’s screen, but didn’t really focus on it while his mind sorted through it all.

  “So two of the three Williams were there the night someone else showed an interest in Emily, even if it was a twisted version of interest,” Ethan said.

  It sounded to Emily like he was mentally piecing things together as Gabriel was, letting his comments flow freely among the team so they could hear his mental ramblings. Maybe pick up on a clue Ethan was missing.

  “Yes, Ryan started with the department when Andrew did, I think,” Emily said and chewed her bottom lip as she tried to figure out a timeline that might help them in some way. “He was always a year behind me in school, but I believe he and I are the same age. He might actually be a year older than me, now that I think about it.”

  “One thing I did confirm, was that the original report was tampered with.” The sound of Braden’s fingers tapping on his keyboard could be heard as he delivered that bit of news. “The first submission names Jasper and Andrew, not William and Andrew. Someone went back and changed the name; and the date on the newly uploaded file is fourteen weeks ago. Right before all of this photo business began.”

  “So we have a problem within the sheriff’s department. Lovely,” Noah sighed. He raked a hand through his hair and then let it fall on Emily’s legs. He slowly stroked her as he considered how much harder their task was if they had local corruption working against them too.

  Emily took his hand and laced their fingers together. She gave Noah a gentle squeeze and smiled a little when he turned his eyes towards her. Her smile made his appear, and she was glad to see its return. Everyone seemed on edge, the tension so thick she could cut it with the proverbial knife.

  “What if we were to go back home?” Emily softly asked.

  Gabriel drew her away from his chest and gave her a hard glare. “There is no way in hell I am taking you back home, not knowing who is waiting to harm you. No way, Em.”

  She cut her eyes over to Noah and saw the same fierce denial in his gaze. Behind her, several of the men voiced their objections over the phone. None of them liked the idea, and they weren’t shy about letting Emily know. But something made her push, even when they were clearly warning her not to test them.

  “Hear me out, and then you can tell me what you think.” Emily looked from Noah to Gabriel as she began, trying to ignore the tightening around the corners of their eyes. “This person left my bedroom intact with a gown lying out. They turned back the covers. Obviously, they’re just waiting for me to return for a rendezvous they’ve got planned out in their head.”

  “If I did go back, and you guys had me wired or affixed with a camera of some kind, I could pretend that I’m trying to clean up the mess. It would take me hours to undo the damage, and during that time you could be hidden out of sight nearby, just waiting to take the stalker down when he or she showed themselves. I have no doubt that this person will be happy that I’m home. They just might very well be compelled to come by and say hello.”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely not, Emily,” Gabriel growled. “Not gonna happen.”

  She looked to Noah and he shook his head.

  “Don’t look at me to contradict him,” Noah warned. “I am solidly in his court on this. You are not going home.”

  “Well then tell me how you all go about trapping the predators you take down. You spend time building an online relationship, don’t you? You build their trust in you, and then you send in an agent who can pose as a decoy. Well, make me the decoy. You can be close enough to snag whoever this is,” Emily pressed.

  “And I know how to use a gun,” she added. “Granddad and you guys taught me, so I can have a weapon on my person and defend myself if it comes down to it.”

  “What part of no, is not clear to you?” Gabe asked, his voice growing much colder now. Almost frigid. “We will not risk you. Not for any reason!”

  Emily suddenly felt completely and utterly out of her depth. As if she’d just been doused in ice cold water from one of the nearby streams. She’d tried to hold on to what little control she’d had in her life over the last two months, as her trust and faith in her fellow man slowly eroded. Like the tides that wash upon the shore and carry some of the sands away, the insidious assault had taken away the very foundations she relied on to give her a sense of security within her own home. And within her day to day life.

  And even here, where she’d fled, she still had no voice, no chance to make it all stop. She was just as much a prisoner here as she had been in Whitford Falls, Emily admitted to herself. She’d been a fool to leave.

  She felt fresh tears hit her eyes, but she was determined not to let them fall. Emily clenched her teeth and looked away from Gabriel, focusing instead on the screen. But she didn’t want to see the photos anymore either, and the silence all around her was deafening.

  She moved off of Gabriel’s lap before he could stop her and stood at the end of the table.

  “Guys, I thank you all for everything you’re doing to solve this case. Please accept my apology for butting into your plans and trying to tell you how to do your job. I think I need to turn in for the night, so I’ll talk to everyone later. Lawton, give Tara my love.”

  Without another word, Emily left the living area and headed for the bathroom. The taste of sickness lingered in her mouth and she wanted to wash it away. After she brushed her teeth, she considered her options. She could crawl into bed, knowing sleep was not going to come, or she could go out onto the porch. She could sit for a while or just soak in the hot tub.

  But nothing sounded enticing, when her internal walls were crumbling. What had happened, she asked herself? She’d been so happy that evening, even telling Noah not to worry. That they could get through this together. But they weren’t in this together. They couldn’t be, because she was their case. And they would have to keep her at arm’s length to mai
ntain any kind of objectivity. They couldn’t really let her help them. And that placed her on the outside, alone, yet again.

  She looked around and realized her feet had made the choice for her. She was on the back porch, the night air crisp and cool around her. Emily trudged over to a swing that hung there at the end of the porch and dropped down on it. She wrapped her fingers around the chain that held it up on one end and then pushed herself off with her feet. And as she slowly began to rock, she tried to figure out where she could go from there.

  Another state? Another town? Another cabin? Somewhere tucked away from where Gabriel and Noah were.

  CHAPTER 21

  “Well, that went over like a lead balloon,” Ross murmured. His usual chipper demeanor non-evident in his voice.

  “I’ll say,” Kaden sighed. “Gabe, do you and Noah need to go check on her?”

  “No.” Gabriel blew out a heavy sigh of his own and looked over at Noah. Noah looked as though he’d just swallowed razor blades, and was having a hard time breathing. “We’ll let her calm down and then we’ll talk to her. In private.”

  “Shit,” Garrett muttered. “I wish she’d just yelled at us instead of being so polite.”

  “I second that,” Braden said heavily.

  “Listen,” Ethan spoke up, “Lawton and I need to go back over to Emily’s house. We need to dust and catalog that cedar chest. If someone took photos from the albums and scrapbooks stored in that thing, then I’m hoping they did it early on and weren’t careful enough to wear gloves. Once things settle there, ask Emily if she had any parties or get-togethers in the months leading up to the first envelope coming to her doorstep.”

  “We will,” Gabriel said.

  Noah still wasn’t speaking, and Gabe couldn’t blame him. He was having a difficult time forming a complete sentence too. He’d lost his temper and Emily was the last one he had meant to lash out at. She hadn’t needed that heavy-handed approach from him, tearing her down when she was just beginning to build herself back up again after weeks of torment.

  She had been smiling all evening, but she wasn’t when she left them minutes ago. No, Emily had looked crushed. Just as she had when they’d arrived. Beaten down, and he had his own mouth to thank for that. Yeah, he’d fucked up, and now he had to make it right.

  “Guys, let us get off of here and talk with Em. We’ll call you again tomorrow. But Lawton and Ethan, you both be damn careful going back in that house. Call Strauss and let him know you’re going in a second time. I don’t want either of you shot because our problem within the department wants to eliminate Emily’s protectors. For all we know, her stalker is one of those deputies.”

  “Will do, Gabriel,” Lawton said quietly.

  Gabe reached out and settled his hand on Noah’s shoulder when he finished what he had to say. He held on as the others said their good-byes until finally the line went dead. Then he turned his eyes in Noah’s direction and took a deep breath.

  “What in the hell just happened?” Noah asked in a hoarse whisper.

  “We lost our tempers,” Gabriel said heavily. “Me, most especially.”

  “Did you see her face?”

  “I did, Noah. And we need to go and address this now before it festers. Emily doesn’t normally hold a grudge, but she does internalize things and keep them bottled up. So come on, and let’s apologize for snapping at her when we should have talked it through.”

  “I feel sick to my stomach,” Noah admitted.

  “I know. So do I.” Gabriel drew in another deep breath and pushed away from the table. He waited for Noah to rise and then they walked down the short hallway, looking for her.

  They found both bedrooms and the bathroom empty, so they headed for the hot tub. The Jacuzzi and the lights surrounding it were all off. Gabriel hoped to hell Emily hadn’t truly fled. He didn’t think he could take another desperate search for her that went on for days. But he heard a creaking sound to his left and he pushed through the screen door that separated the hot tub from the rest of the back porch.

  And there, in the pale moonlight, sat Emily. Her head was down, her chin almost touching her chest as she rocked slowly back and forth. He glanced at Noah and nodded. Together, they made their way over to her, hoping like hell she’d accept their apology.

  Emily looked up when the slats of the wood floor creaked under the weight of the two men walking towards her. She did not want this confrontation now. In fact, it was the very last thing she wanted while her heart was still in her throat. So she looked away and stared out at the woods that surrounded them.

  “Emily,” Gabriel called her name softly.

  So softly it sounded like a caress. Like a touch between lovers, but she didn’t want that gentleness now. Not after he’d bitten her head off. Emily shook her head and continued to look away from him.

  “Not now, Gabe,” she managed to say. “Please… just not now.”

  “Yes, honey. Now,” he said solemnly.

  Gabriel moved forward until his legs brushed against her knees and she was forced to stop swinging. Emily looked down and stared at the place where their bodies touched. And then she closed her eyes again as pain swamped her heart.

  God, when would this feeling of desolation within her come to an end, she railed?! She was just sick of heart and tired of it all. So bone weary that she didn’t have it in her at the moment to mentally or verbally spar with them. They’d push and she’d cave. And then what would be left?

  “I cannot do this with either of you right now. I’m out of reserves tonight. Please respect that and just go back inside,” Emily pleaded, and then buried her face in her hands. Damn it, she did not want to cry again, but the tears were there anyway. Ruining her attempt to be strong.

  Gabe lifted her gently off of the swing and then sat with Emily held against his heart. Noah sat beside them and let her feet drape over his lap. The swing groaned and protested under their combined weight, but it held steady, so Gabriel put it from his mind.

  Noah slid a little closer, until his leg touched Gabriel’s, and then he reached out and pried Emily’s hands from her face. He pursed his lips when he beheld her grief-stricken face, trying not to let himself break down with her. He’d never meant to cause this, but he had, and now he felt as if his future depended on what they said to one another in the next few minutes.

  “Emily, we need to talk,” Noah tried to say. He coughed and cleared the lump that had firmly settled in his throat. “It’s important. So important, baby, and we can’t let it lie. Not when you’re hurting like this and not when everything’s on the line.”

  She looked away and shook her head. Noah and Gabe watched her bottom lip quiver and then her teeth pull it in to stop its telling motion. Gabriel lifted his hand and gently cupped Emily’s chin. He turned her towards them and waited patiently until she looked up into his eyes.

  “Noah’s right. There’s a lot we need to say, so let me begin.”

  Emily held her breath. They were about to launch into a lecture that listed all the reasons why her idea had been moronic, and she steeled herself for the blast.

  “I am sorry, Emily, for being a complete and utter ass in there,” Gabriel said and watched her eyes widen in surprise. He nodded sadly in answer. “I was, and we all know it. I bit at you, when I should have talked it all out. You didn’t need that from me, and you should have felt as if you could say anything to me or in front of me without my temper flaring at you.”

  “And all I can say in my defense is the thought of someone hurting you tears me to shreds inside. Makes me want to hunt them down and rip them limb from limb. I overreacted, and for that I’m sorry. Please, accept my apology and forgive a stubborn, bull-headed man.”

  “And forgive me too, Em,” Noah said as he took her hands in his. “I was just as short and curt with you, and that was wrong of me. I handled it all wrong. You were actually right on the mark when you detailed how we often go about catching a predator. And we should have discussed your idea, not shut
you down so quickly.”

  “By that, I mean there might be another agent in the bureau we could call on who matches your physical description, and she could be our decoy. Gabe and I don’t want to see you come to harm, in any way. Our first instinct will always be to protect and shelter you. It’s what you do for the one you love, and we do love you, Emily. Above all others. So please, know that we love you and we’re sorry we hurt you in there.”

  “And let me add this before you say anything,” Gabriel said, as he caressed her chin with his fingers and thumb. “You told me and Noah how things had changed for you when we were all lying in bed together. How you’ve changed from all the stress this nightmare has brought on. And if I’d really taken that to heart, then I would have been able to stand back in awe of you in there, instead of putting my own need to shelter you ahead of your logic.”

  “You were still fighting when you began to detail that idea. You want your life back, and you were telling us that you were ready to fight like hell to have it. And I didn’t see that in the moment, Em,” Gabriel sighed. “All I could see was you in danger.”

  “Had we listened and thought it through, we might have looked for a decoy, as Noah said. But instead, we shut down the very thing we’ve been telling you to do since we got here. We stopped you from fighting back. So, don’t take our outburst to heart. You keep fighting, and keep clawing your way out of this pit. Keep being brave, Emily, because I swear you take my breath away, honey.”

  Emily’s shoulders began to shake again and she closed her eyes as Gabriel drew her head down against his shoulder. Noah caressed her hands still held in his, and they waited for whatever she could or would say to them. Though it felt like hell to wait, they knew they couldn’t push her any further than they already had. She was at her limit. Now, it was all up to Emily and they’d let her decide if she could accept their words or not.

  Emily felt Gabriel’s large palm gently stroking her head and hair, while Noah held onto her hands for dear life. How could she tell them everything that was swirling in her heart and mind? There was just so much she needed to say, and her emotions had her so befuddled that she didn’t know where to begin.