The Deadly Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 7)

by Mallory Crowe

  Gabby’s cheeks turned red. “Let’s get out of here. I have a thousand questions for you.”

  Kate reluctantly let Hunter go. “I am not going to say no to getting out of here. Are you going to take me home?”

  Hunter, who handled the light sexual harassment well, led the way outside. It wasn’t until they were on the street that he answered. “My bosses are renting out all the rooms at a local B&B. If you don’t mind, I think that would be a safer place for you than going home.”

  Kate’s eyes widened. “You think I’m in danger.”

  “Of course we do. You were just arrested for something you totally didn’t do. Someone has it out for me.”

  Kate snorted. “Out for you? I’m the one who’s arrested.”

  “Yeah, but Hunter drove me right out of town after he, um, took care of that guy.”

  Her eyes seemed to widen even more. “You—”

  Hunter took her bicep in his arm and gently led Kate along the road until they got to where Gage must’ve parked. This was a black SUV identical to the one that Scott had driven her in. Well, they weren’t the most diverse bunch when it came to cars, apparently.

  He opened the backseat door for Kate and the front seat for Gabby before shutting the doors and heading to the driver’s side.

  “Holy shit.” Kate leaned in close to Gabby’s seat. “That’s Hunter? The Hunter? If I knew he looked like that, I would’ve filmed a hostage video to send to him!”

  Hunter got back in the car and Kate sat back innocently. He gave them both a look, and Gabby hated to even think about what was going on in his mind.

  “So....” said Kate as they got moving. “What have you two been up to?”

  Gabby rolled her eyes. “Well, we’ve been spending most of our time making sure you were safe and trying to figure out why that guy was trying to kill me.”

  “Most, but not all of your time?” she pointed out.

  “We’re thinking it has something to do with Gabby’s father, but we were about to rule it out because so much of the old operation isn’t around anymore. So what was the catalyst for this?”

  “Obviously you.”

  “No, I’ve been digging into the people who would have reason to come after me, and there are plenty. But so far I can’t find anything useful. And I didn’t plan my trip here. I came as soon as I got Gabby’s email.”

  “Like, you read it and immediately dropped everything to run to Gabby’s rescue?” asked Kate.

  “Not the point,” muttered Gabby.

  “Not not the point,” shot back Kate.

  “Either way,” continued Hunter, “that alone rules out a lot of suspects.”

  “It wasn’t like no one knew you were coming here. I knew.”

  “Thanks for volunteering yourself as a suspect,” said Gabby. “But fortunately we’ve already ruled you out.”

  “Not me. But, you know I told other people too.”

  Gabby turned around to glare at her friend. “You what?”

  “It’s not like I posted it online or anything, but, yeah I told a few people.”

  Hunter didn’t say anything, but Gabby noticed him stiffening. “Why would you think it was okay to tell people?”

  “Sorry. I missed the part where it was top-secret information.”

  “I didn’t think it needed to be said!”

  “It was adorable! Come on! Just think of when you have three little kids and you can tell them that story about how you got together.”

  “All right, I got it. Can you send me a list of everyone you told, please? Assuming it wasn’t so many that you can’t remember.”

  “Yeah, yeah. But I don’t see a bunch of real estate agents getting together to take you down.”

  Gabby was inclined to agree with her, but she was living in a time where nothing really seemed to make sense to her anymore. Ever since she found out how deep the corruption ran in her own family, she had trusted everyone a little less.

  Still, she’d been to Kate’s real estate office. Half of the people there seemed more interested in doughnuts than murderous plots. And then there was the fact that none of them seemed connected to her father. She was still tossing around different possibilities in her head when they arrived at the bed-and-breakfast.

  Kate, who had been so bubbly and excited, let a bit of her shields down once she reached her room. “Hey, Gabby,” she said softly while Hunter was at the other end of the hall. “Thanks so much for everything. You know I—” She broke off and took a deep breath. “I was never worried. Not once, not a bit. But I worked really hard to not be worried. And to see you there when I got out.... It was really nice.”

  “Honey, you know I’ll be there for you.”

  “There’s a difference between knowing something and knowing something. You know?”

  Gabby didn’t answer. Instead, she just pulled Kate in for one more tight hug. “I know.”

  After letting the hug go on for way too long, Kate finally disappeared into the room and shut the door. Gabby just stood there for a moment and stared at the door. It was one thing to know her best friend was in jail, but to actually pick her up and bring her home....

  Hunter touched her shoulder and she jumped at the contact. She turned to face him, and his hand stayed on her shoulder. She started to roll it off, but at the last second stopped. She wanted the contact right now. She wanted the warmth and the touch. She wanted him.

  Raising her shoulder, she touched her cheek to the back of his hand, moving her head ever so slightly so she could feel the strength and texture. But the sound of footsteps approaching ruined the moment and she softly stepped away. Scott appeared at the end of the hallway and motioned his head for them to follow him. He led them both up to the suite he and Toni shared, where she’d relaxed all day.

  Once they stepped into the room, Toni, sitting in the middle of the king-size bed with three laptops sitting around her, looked up at them with tired eyes. “Hello.”

  “Thanks for coming,” said Scott. “Hunter, we have an assignment for you tomorrow.”

  Gabby didn’t know whether that was good news or bad. She didn’t want Hunter going off to any assignments. But some progress on the case had to be better than none, right?

  “Anything,” he said willingly.

  “I dug through the judge’s computer,” said Toni. “I didn’t find anything worthwhile, but I did trace where the email originated from. It was the courthouse.”

  “As in where the judge worked?” asked Gabby.

  “That one.”

  “So we think the guy behind all this works there?”

  Toni shook her head. “More likely that he created a dummy email address from a server there to send it to himself. I want Hunter to go to his work computer and get me access to his emails.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” said Hunter.

  “No. He won’t take care of it. You want Hunter to break into a courthouse and hack a computer. Aren’t you the hacker?”

  “I’m a hacker. I’m not the type to sneak into offices.”

  “And he is? Have you seen Hunter? He’s a beast. He couldn’t sneak anywhere without every woman in the vicinity knowing.”

  Scott covered his mouth as he laughed, and Toni tilted her head in amusement. “I think you underestimate what he’s capable of,” said Toni with her smile firmly in place. “And as for the hacking, I’ll be taking care of that from here.” She held out a USB drive and Hunter reached out to take it from her. “Put this in the computer and let me know when it’s in place. I’ll get access from the car.”

  “Why can’t you come in and take the risk instead of sending Hunter in alone?”

  Her smile turned a little less genuine. “I appreciate how protective you are of him, but you really need to trust me. As soon as he puts it in the computer, he can get out of there. If I were doing the physical work myself, I’d be at risk a lot longer than him.”

  “Well, Gage can do it, can’t he?”

  “It’s fine,
Gabby,” said Hunter.

  “No, it’s not fine. I didn’t bring you here so you can put yourself in danger. I asked you here because I— Because I wanted to make sure you were okay. This is the exact opposite of what I intended. I appreciate that your friends are trying to help me, but I’m not interested if you’re the one who’s going to be in danger.”

  “Gabby....”

  “No. I’m not kidding. If you do this idiotic thing tomorrow, I’m going to call the cops ahead of time and warn them you’re coming.”

  Toni shook her head. “But—”

  Gabby didn’t wait to hear it and left the room. Of course, when she reached the hall, she realized she didn’t know where she was going. She was just heading to the stairs to take her toward the exit when Hunter took her arm. She tried to rip her arm from his grasp, but he pulled her up the stairs and to a loft bedroom. As soon as she was inside, he turned the lock behind her.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed at him, trying to keep her voice down so no one would hear her.

  “I’m trying to talk some sense into you,” he said in an infuriatingly calm voice.

  “Talk some sense into me? You’re the one with friends who seem obsessed with breaking the law.”

  “They’re obsessed with keeping you safe!” His voice finally rose, and knowing he was getting as heated as her was simultaneously disturbing and comforting.

  “Do you think this is what I want? You to put your life on the line to help me?”

  “I’m not putting my life on the line.”

  “Really? You think that getting arrested and going to jail isn’t going to ruin your life? I’m not going to have you getting arrested for me again.”

  “I’m not going to get arrested.”

  Gabby shook her head in disgust. “Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me. I’m not being paranoid here. You’ve been arrested before while helping me. I have very solid grounds for feeling this way.”

  “That was different.”

  “How? Please tell me how this is different!”

  “Because this is who I am now!”

  Gabby looked at the man of her dreams and tried to make sense of what he was saying. “No you’re not,” she said weakly.

  “No, this is what I do. I put my life in danger and I follow orders and I kill people. Worrying about my safety isn’t part of the job.”

  “Well, shouldn’t it be?” Without thinking, she crossed the room and put her hand over his chest, right next to his heart, where she knew the major scar was. “Shouldn’t this be the sign you needed that you should start worrying? Isn’t this enough reason to take care of yourself?”

  He looked down and met her eyes. “That doesn’t mean anything. My life doesn’t matter in this world.”

  If she weren’t so worried about his safety, she would’ve punched him in the face then and there. She never considered herself a violent person, but this man pushed her to the edge. “Your life matters to me, you idiot.”

  He tilted his head but never broke eye contact. “You’re wrong. I’m going to leave in a few days, once I know you’re safe, and you’re going to move on. Find someone better than me in every way and move on.”

  “No,” she insisted. “You’re wrong.”

  “I wish I wasn’t. I wish you could look at me like the way you looked at me last night for the rest of my life. I wish I was good enough for you. Worthy enough for even a second of your time. But I’m not. Maybe at one time I was your hero, but that man died with the rest of me a long time ago. All that you have left is my shell, which will protect you for as long as you need it to. But if you stay long enough, you’re going to get cut on those hard edges, and God help me, I can’t stand to see you hurt, Gabby.”

  The speech was beautiful and romantic and utter bullshit. “Well, that’s tough for you. Because right now I want to be hurt.” With that, she kissed him. Once more, making the move to kiss him first. She wasn’t tentative like last night or even the first time, for that matter. She was a hundred percent resolved as she pressed her body against his and kissed him for all she was worth.

  She was sure he was going to push her away, but almost immediately he gripped the curve of her waist and tugged her up against him and turned at the same time. A second later, the back of the dresser touched her thighs and he was lifting her up even as he continued to devour her mouth.

  Her lips parted as he lifted her, and a second later, his tongue was invading and exploring even as he pushed himself between her thighs to press against her already soaking wet core.

  She pressed against him wantonly as his hands roamed up and down her back before slipping around to grip her thighs and press himself closer. He broke off the kiss and stared into her eyes as he moved against her, slowly and surely letting the grinding of his hips hit her in exactly the right way.

  Gabby couldn’t take it any longer, and she tugged at the hem of his black T-shirt and pulled until it was over his head and falling on the floor. He did the same to her own V-neck shirt and tugged frantically until she was only wearing a bra on her top half. She leaned in for another kiss, but he turned away and put all his attention toward getting her bra off even as those hips continued rubbing and thrusting, stroking the fire higher and higher.

  Gabby wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him tight against her, kissing him with everything in her. She kissed him with every ounce of her that had missed him over the years. With every ounce of her that had wondered what could have happened if he wasn’t sent away. Every ounce of her that wondered what they would’ve had if she hadn’t ended up with Ryan instead....

  Then everything seemed to explode and they each started tearing at the other’s clothes. Her hands ran along Hunter's well-muscled back while he ripped her pants. The button of her jeans popped off. She had half a second to appreciate that he was strong enough to rip her jeans with his bare hands before he bent down, biting and kissing her neck. She bit her lip to keep from moaning and tilted her head to give him better access.

  Even while he feasted on her sensitive flesh, one of those big hands traveled over her stomach and into the open jeans. Right beneath her panties until he found her wet, vulnerable core. He pushed against her clit just as his teeth bit down especially hard, and Gabby couldn’t hold back the moan this time. She could even feel his smile against her skin as he knew he was gaining ground on her.

  And from then on, he was relentless, pushing two fingers deep inside while his thumb ground against her most sensitive nub. He kissed and licked and nibbled his way down to her breasts. He teased and taunted her nipples, and soon enough she was falling right over the edge, Hunter’s strong presence the only thing keeping her tethered to this world.

  And before she was even finished shaking from the orgasm, he was lifting her up with one arm tight around her waist as his other hand tugged her pants down. This time her bare bottom touched the warm wood, and he pulled her jeans and panties down the rest of the way, making quick work of her shoes.

  And then, without any warning or preamble, Hunter’s hard cock was right at her entrance. She sucked in a breath and looked into those beautiful golden-brown eyes. He was looking at her as if she were the only thing in the world. As if she were the center of his universe and in this moment nothing else in the world existed. As if they were invincible and nothing could pull them apart.

  That was the exact moment she realized she was madly in love with him. But she had no time to dwell on the realization because he was then pushing deeply inside her and she was incapable of anything except holding him closer and meeting each of his thrusts. All she wanted was more, deeper. She craved his heat and his panting breaths against her neck and the feel of him deep inside her.

  She wanted it to last forever, but it was all too soon that they both went up in flames and came together, each seeming to hold each other as tight as possible. She might have bruises on her hips from his grip, but she was just as sure that he was going to have scratches on his
back from her.

  Never once in her life had she felt proud for leaving scratches on someone—hell, she didn’t think she’d ever had sex good enough to push her to violence—but she couldn’t help the wicked joy that filled her at the thought. Hunter was hers and now he had the marks to prove it. She was his and she had the marks to prove it. The way it should be.

  “I still don’t like this,” said Gabby into Hunter’s ear via the earpiece he was obediently wearing this time. It wasn’t as much of a hardship if it meant he could be in constant contact with her, he thought with a little smile.

  “I’ll take good care of him,” promised Melissa, who was walking next to Hunter. Even though she had flown in late the previous night, she didn’t sound tired at all. She wasn’t a trained operative, but considering the police department had already seen so many of their faces, it was nice to have a new person in the mix. And even after today, Melissa shouldn’t be burned. She was purely operating as a lookout. If someone approached Judge Cooke’s quarters, she would warn him and get out of the picture.

  When Melissa Slade had come on the payroll, Hart and Toni had agreed to Slade’s strict requirements that his sister in no way ever place herself in danger. A rule that Toni was intent to push the line on as much as possible, as evidenced by Melissa coming here now.

  “If I’d met you for more than a few minutes, I’d feel so much more comfortable with that,” muttered Gabby.

  “I brought you here to make you feel better, not for you to heckle my people,” said Toni through the earpiece.

  Hunter would rather be here working than sitting in the van between those two women. Hart was out there, but he was remaining smartly silent. Hart was good at organizing things under pressure. He was more quiet and reserved than Toni, but somehow that seemed to work for them. She would help him come out of his shell and guide him further into the criminal underground that she was so comfortable with and he was so new to. At the same time, he kept her grounded, keeping her more impulsive side in check and protecting her from every single threat that would come her way.