Justify

by Kristin Harte

  I could only think of one thing to say. “You scared me.”

  I expected a smile, something to acknowledge the reminder of the other night when I’d said the same thing to him. I didn’t get it.

  “You’re not supposed to be working.” Even though his words seemed scolding, his voice wrapped around me like a blanket, soothing my frazzled nerves. Calming me quicker than anything else could have.

  “People were hungry.”

  “And you couldn’t help but feed them.”

  My heart pounded heavy in my chest, my attention not on what I’d done at all because he was here. “Where’ve you been?”

  That heavy brow came down a little, changing his expression. “Work.”

  “That’s it? Work?” I didn’t feel right questioning him that way, and I especially didn’t feel right being irritated at such a short answer. I also didn’t know what I was doing. I should have run to him, wrapped my arms around his thick neck and stolen every bit of comfort he had to offer me. Instead, I hid behind my prep counter and tried not to think about how much I needed him. How badly the tremors running through me were rocking my body. How much better I would feel if he would just hug me.

  And so I started babbling, a bitter tone to my words that even I heard. “Work. Okay, yeah. I knew that. I guess I didn’t expect it to take so long, though. I’ve been here with Alder and Shye. And Rex. Your dog hasn’t left my side. He hasn’t been outside in hours, though. Alder wouldn’t let me take him for a walk, and he didn’t feel—”

  I nearly screamed when he grabbed me. Without a word, Gage spun me around and bent me back, his arms supporting my weight as he planted a deep, hard kiss on my lips. And oh, was it good. He stole my breath, licking into my mouth and devouring me in a way no man had ever done. Grabbing me tight and holding me as if I might disappear. Making my legs shake and my knees go weak with his lips and tongue and hands. Fuck me, the man had to be the best kisser on the planet. And he was kissing me.

  A smile danced across his face when he pulled away. “You missed me.”

  Yes. But that one word refused to come. Instead, I said, “Your dog has eaten me out of house and home.”

  His grin only grew, as if he knew what I was thinking. “You didn’t have to feed him.”

  “Yeah, well, you try to disappoint that face.”

  Gage hummed, and he took a step back to lean a hip against the counter. He kept his hands on me, though. Pulled me right between his legs so my body practically rested on his. Thankfully. “Bishop’s back in town, and we had a job to do out of town. There was a problem on the way back, but it all worked out. That’s why it took so long.”

  “Oh.” Rex chose that moment to rub against my legs, giving me the perfect excuse to look away from those dark eyes that saw too much. “I shouldn’t have thought—”

  “Princess.”

  “Yeah?”

  He pulled me in tighter, resting his hands on my ass. Holding me up. “You can ask me where I’ve been. If it’s not with you, though, it doesn’t matter. Because with you is the only place I want to be.”

  Double oh. My heart jumped, practically diving into my stomach and scattering the butterflies until there was nothing left of them. Peace and calm washed over me, and my nerves finally—finally—settled. I sighed at the warmth spreading through me, letting Gage hold me. Letting him wrap me up and keep me in his arms. Melting into his touch the way I’d been wanting to all afternoon.

  Gage rubbed my back, his big body relaxing around mine as he held me. As I acquiesced to the need to surrender to this. To him. Silently. Too silently, apparently.

  “Was that too much?” Gage finally asked, his voice low and deep. Soothing.

  I shook my head, breathing him in. “Not at all. I just…wasn’t ready.”

  For him. For this. To feel so needy. To want so much. But I did—I wanted. So, so much.

  Gage kissed the top of my head and gave my ass a solid smack. “Well, get ready, Katie Baker, because I’m not going anywhere. Now, give me your phone.”

  I jerked back, his words—the order to hand over my phone—surprising. “What?”

  “Your phone. Give it to me.” He smiled all slow and sweet. “Please.”

  I pulled my phone from my pocket, unsure if I wanted to give it to him. It was just so personal. Most of my life was inside that device. “What are you going to do with it?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Are you afraid I’ll see something I won’t like?”

  “No. I just…it’s my phone, and you’re being very demanding.”

  “I said please.” He nodded toward the device still clutched in my hand. “Fine—you drive. Unlock it and click your Find Friends app.”

  Find Friends…the app that let you see where anyone’s phone was if they gave you permission. Where you could track down people when they weren’t with you. I’d never really used it, not having anyone I’d needed to keep track of. Not wanting anyone to be able to know so much about me either. Still, I did as he said, the pieces of what he was giving me slowly falling into place.

  “Pull up my name,” he said in that deep voice that sent shivers up my spine. I looked away from the screen, meeting his gaze. His dark eyes held mine, his smile still in place. Relaxed and calm and completely comfortable with his actions. “Add me.”

  Two words that made my throat dry and my heart race. “But then I’ll know where you are.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Are you sure? What if you don’t want me to know something?”

  But Gage never flinched, never faltered. He simply said, “Add me. I’ll approve it.”

  So much confidence. Maybe some people would have seen this move as unimportant or not a big deal, but I didn’t. I knew exactly how much trust you needed in order to give someone that much access to your life. I didn’t take this lightly.

  I clicked add and typed in his name until his contact information came up. Until his name on my screen didn’t terrify me. Then I clicked send. “All done.”

  He grunted as his phone pinged, reaching into his pocket to pull out the device. A few taps and he showed me the face of it. “Now, it’s done. You can know exactly where I am at all times.”

  But it didn’t feel done—in fact, it felt one-sided. Something I could fix.

  Not a nerve in sight, I took his phone from his hand, pulling up the same app and searching for my name in his contacts. Clicking buttons until I’d added myself to his list. Until I gave him the same access he gave to me.

  Once done, I handed his phone back to him and went through the steps on my own to approve his request for access to my location. No fear, no anxiety, no butterflies. Just Gage and me and a plethora of satellites keeping us together. “Now, it’s done—and it’s a two-way street. If I can know where you are, you can know where I am.”

  Gage stared down at me, an unreadable expression on his face. “That’s a big step in the trust department.”

  “It is.”

  “You sure you’re ready for that?”

  No fear. “With you, yeah.”

  He yanked me closer, looking positively fierce and feral. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to earn your trust, Katie Baker, but I don’t take it lightly. I won’t break it.”

  I loved the sound of a promise on his lips. “I know.”

  “Good.” He brought my hand to his mouth to kiss the back. “What’s left for you to do here?”

  I ran through the list in my head: a counter to clean, a cutting board to wash, and a knife to put away. “Just a few things to clean, then I can go.”

  “Good. Let’s get those finished so we can get home before dark.”

  “You’ve been working all day—just relax for a few, and I’ll finish up.”

  “Fine, but don’t be afraid to ask for my help. I’m happy to give it.” He headed for his stool in the corner with Rex at his side. I should have been able to focus again, to get to work on the last few tasks I needed to finish now that he was back. Instead, Gage s
tole some of my attention, and when he picked up Rex, he had it all.

  He plopped Rex on his lap, snuggling the dog and scratching behind his ears as if he’d missed the beast as much as he’d missed me. Rex curled into his owner’s chest, tail wagging faster than I’d ever seen it. Both just so happy to see one another. Why was that so damn hot?

  But watching a man love on his dog wouldn’t get the work done, and I really did want to go home. My place, Bishop’s…didn’t matter. So long as I was with Gage, I’d be happy. So I finished wiping down the prep counter and tucking all my tools away, leaving everything perfectly placed for whatever might happen tomorrow. I washed the bread knife and made sure that was back on the magnetic strip where it belonged, too. One last task and we could leave.

  I had just picked up the cutting board I’d been using to slice bread—the thick, heavy one made of slats of maple—when my right hand cramped horribly. I yelped and dropped the board, grabbing my hand and tugging it against my chest. Closing my eyes as pain shot all the way up my arm

  Gage was beside me in a breath, pulling my arm away from me so he could look. His thick beard couldn’t hide his heavy frown. “What happened?”

  “Nothing.” I shrugged when he gave me an irritated glare. “Just tired, I think. It cramped up.”

  “Because you did more than you’re supposed to. How have your hands been all day?”

  I couldn’t help but be honest. “They were fine at first, but after the past few hours, they’re… Not good.”

  “You worked too much.”

  I had…but I didn’t regret it. “People came to the restaurant. I had to feed them.”

  “You served lunch?”

  “Sort of. We did bread and soup, carry-out style. Shye did most of the running and selling.”

  “But you cooked everything.” His frown intensified. “Did you talk to anyone?”

  That question brought back the nerves I’d already squashed. “Of course. Some of the guys I’ve known forever worried because the restaurant was closed. Hunter’s dad even mentioned he hadn’t seen the lights on in my apartment for a few days. Once I told them about the accident and staying with you out at Bishop’s, they were fine.”

  Something close to a worried expression flashed across his face, disappearing before I could pinpoint the exact emotion. “I’m sorry, princess. I should have been here.”

  “You had to work.” I cringed as another cramp stiffened my hand.

  Gage definitely noticed. “Have you taken anything for the pain?”

  “No.”

  “I can fix that.” He leaned down to kiss my bandaged palm before heading into my office. He returned with a packet of pain relievers—one probably from the first aid kit I kept in there.

  “This will help until we get you home, okay?” His face darkened, eyes growing more worried. More intense. “But we’re not staying at Bishop’s tonight.”

  “Where are we going instead?”

  His frown deepened. “Someplace a little farther from town. I need to talk to Alder about it before he leaves, but then we’ll pack you up and get you out of here. Okay?”

  I shrugged. It wasn’t like I was going to tell him no. Wasn’t like I really had a choice either. Not in a bad way, more in a “I refuse to be separated from him again” way.

  Gage seemed to accept that as an answer, turning and heading for the dining room with Rex at his heels. But he wasn’t done with me yet. “Hey, princess?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Before I forget to tell you…” His smile blazed a path from my heart to my pussy and back. “I missed you too.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Gage

  Need. It burned so bright inside of me, blazing a path from my groin to my throat. I needed Katie—her presence, her smile, her eyes locked on mine with that happy expression on her pretty face. Needed it. I’d come back from making Rock’s death look like an accident to thoughts of getting her the hell out of there. Instead, the second I saw her standing in that kitchen looking so fucking sexy and fuckable, I’d become a goddamned beast with one thought on my mind—getting inside that hot, curvy little body. And when she’d admitted to cooking for the town? When she’d admitted that people knew where she was staying? That one thought had turned from one of lust to one of pure need to protect.

  We definitely would not be going back to Bishop’s place.

  Alder stood in the dining room staring out the front window toward the highway that ran perpendicular to Main Street. You could just make out the intersection, just see any cars that might happen to pass by, though what he was looking for, I didn’t know. Something bad, if the intensity of his stare was any indication. Shye sat behind the bar with a book, looking completely calm and patient. And distracted.

  “You get everything handled?” he asked, not looking at me. Not asking specifics on purpose. The less anyone knew about what Bishop and I had been doing, the better.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good. Finn called.” Alder said, his eyes still watching the street outside. “The sheriff passed the Jury Room about ten minutes ago.”

  Which meant he was heading this way. No wonder Alder couldn’t look away from the view outside. “You think he’s going to stop here?”

  “Don’t know. You sure you handled shit?”

  As in, could the murder be pinned on me. “There’s always the unknown, but if he shows, it’d likely not be for me.”

  “And my brother?”

  “Less likely for him.”

  “Which leaves us with Katie. What’s her relationship with him like these days?”

  Fuck. Nothing to do but be honest. “He’s definitely the one who ordered the kidnapping, but I don’t know her side of things.”

  It wasn’t often that someone caught Alder Kennard off guard, but apparently, I just had. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

  “We haven’t talked about him.”

  “You planning on it?”

  Not yet, but soon. “Of course.”

  “Good, because I don’t like surprises. He’s in bed with the Soul Suckers, and we need to know how close Katie is with him so we can figure out how to handle her.”

  He wouldn’t be handling her at all, but I understood what he meant. Didn’t like it, but understood it. Any relationship between her and her uncle made us all more vulnerable to the Soul Suckers, especially Katie. A fact I wasn’t unaware of. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Alder nodded, still watching the outside world with stiff shoulders and a parade-rest stance. Waiting. Ready to fight if needed. “The Soul Suckers are going to come back for us. For Katie.” He paused, his voice dropping lower as he nearly whispered, “For my Shye.”

  Definitely. A thought that made me want to destroy them before they got close to us. But Alder ran the show in town, so the decision to attack or not rested on his shoulders. “What do you want to do about it?”

  He didn’t speak for a long moment, still staring out the window. Scowling as the sheriff’s cruiser flew by the end of Main Street along the highway at a speed well over the limit. Not stopping, not even looking, but making a point nonetheless. There was nothing we could do to keep him out of Justice. At least, not while he wore that badge on his chest. And breathed.

  Alder relaxed slightly when the cruiser disappeared into the distance. “I’m sick and tired of this cat-and-mouse thing—they come in, they hit us, they run and hide. Meanwhile, we sit here and wait for the next attack and hope it’s not as bad as the night Leah…”

  I didn’t need him to finish that statement. We hoped nothing ended up as bad as the night Leah had died in a fire set by the Soul Suckers. They’d tried—with Shye, with Anabeth, and recently, with Katie. We’d blocked all those attempts, but that didn’t mean shit. Luck ran out, and even the best-trained men and women lost sometimes.

  I wasn’t losing Katie. “Every time they come back, they get a little bolder.”

  “And every time they come back, the damage gets a li
ttle worse. But we haven’t lost another person on our side, so I guess I have to take that as a win.” He shook his head, finally tearing his eyes away from the street outside. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s time to act,” I said, not holding back now that he’d asked. Going all in, SEAL style. “I think the sheriff wants Katie for some reason, and I don’t think he’ll stop just because the crew who tried didn’t succeed. I think he’s also getting and passing on information about us and the people in this town to the Soul Suckers. He’s an asset in their pocket, one that gives them an advantage.” Balls to the wall time. “We need to level the playing field.”

  If my comment surprised him, he didn’t show it. “And how do you think we should do that?”

  My plan, my girl, my problem to face. “I’ll handle it.”

  His gaze pinned me in place, his eyes hard. “That’s a hell of a hornet’s nest to stir up. You got thoughts on how you’re going to do that without blowback?”

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

  “Well, you keep working on it until you’re sure, then you bring that plan to Deacon and me. I’m not watching another of my brothers get locked up.”

  My throat tightened, those words setting me back on my heels as nothing else could have. Bishop had been like a brother to me for years, and I considered the guys in Justice practically family. Alder calling me brother meant there was no practically. “I won’t fuck it up.”

  “I know you won’t.” He turned away from the window, eyes darting to Shye as if checking on her before returning to me. “What’s your immediate plan? I can’t imagine you left Katie in the kitchen just to shoot the shit with me.”

  He was right about that. There was a hazel-eyed beauty in the kitchen who was in danger, and I would do anything to keep her safe. Even if that meant running.

  “I’m getting Katie out of town.”

  “I figured that would be coming.” He nodded, returning his stare to the world outside the restaurant. “I’d get Shye out of here as well, except…”