by Marie Harte
“Your mom sounds like a wise woman.”
She smiled. “She would have liked you. Strong, handsome, kind. Yes, you are,” she said when he shook his head. “You’re not nice, but you have a good heart. You care. You love Maggie and even Mac. Mimi and Ron too, I’ll bet.”
“They’re good to Maggie.”
“And you’re loyal. You still feel for Dana because you loved her, and you’d never deliberately hurt someone you love.”
The look he gave her before he turned his attention back to the road shook her. To the core.
“No. I’d never hurt someone I loved.” He gripped her hand tight. “I’m worried for you, kitten. You’ve never seen me get violent. It’s ugly, and it’s in me, waiting to get out. I wanted to rip John’s head off. When I find Scott and Garrett, I’m going to hurt them.”
Nervous and excited and scared, she kissed his hand again. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
“Always.”
“But don’t do anything that will take you away from me. You can’t kill them,” she tried teasing.
“The instinct is there.”
Oh God. He meant it. That part about him killing people was true, not a fuzzy backstory to make her bad boy lover more thrilling. She had to accept that part of him, to know why and deal with it.
“You said you killed people. Did you like it?”
He flashed a surprised glance at her. “Like it? Not at all. It needed to be done. The hunt, tracking down the bad guys? That I loved. But dealing with them at the end, when there was no other choice but to take them out? I never liked that part.” He paused. “Dana did. She loved the idea of meting out justice.”
“But not you.”
“I guess I’m a nice guy after all.” His lips twisted. “But it left a sour taste in my mouth. I’m much happier cuffing them and dumping them in the police’s lap. But overseas in other countries, among the corrupt and the questionable, sometimes there is no other good guy. No other way to handle it.”
“I understand.” She did. “Trevor, I feel something for you. Something that scares the heck out of me.”
He pulled in front of her house and turned off the car. Then he turned to her, his eyes shuttered. “Yeah?”
“You mean a lot to me.” She swallowed. So hard to talk about feelings with a man. “I’m just not very good at relationships, and I’m worried I’ll mess us up. Maybe I’m pushing too fast, but I can’t help the way I feel.”
“Oh kitten. You don’t have to worry about screwing us up.” He leaned close and kissed her, so tenderly it made her want to cry. He caressed her cheek. “If anyone’s the problem child, that’d be me. I’m still shaky being a civilian. Not sure I like what I’m doing. I can be volatile and around you half the time I don’t say what I want to say, because all I can think about is doing you.”
Her face heated. “Trevor.”
He grinned and kissed her. “Let’s finish dealing with this nutjob. Then you and I need to go away for the weekend. Just you and me and no more clothes.”
She stared into his eyes and felt her whole future taking shape. “It’s a deal.”
Smiling, she got out of the car and headed inside only after Trevor had given her the go-ahead.
Once inside, they settled down, and Trevor had called it a night when the doorbell rang. He tensed. “Stay here.”
“As opposed to going to Disney World?”
He chuckled. “Just stay here, smartass. Let me be the big manly protector, okay?”
“Be careful.” She knew he didn’t have a gun, but Trevor didn’t seem bothered by the fact, and she wondered just what he could do with his hands. He’d said he could be volatile, even violent.
Yet she also knew he’d never use that violence to hurt an innocent. It just wasn’t in his character to do so.
The door opened and then closed. Trevor returned with a funny look on his face. He moved slowly, walking until he turned and planted himself in front of Emma.
Behind him, Ruth stood, holding a gun.
Chapter Ten
“Ruth?” Emma sounded as shocked as he felt.
Trevor had let her in because the woman had sobbed and made up some story about Scott being after her. Then she’d whipped out a gun. Dumb ass. He was going soft.
But how could he justify taking out Emma’s sister when Emma still cared about the girl?
Ruth’s tears returned. Not fake, then. “You did this. You made him go away.”
“Ruth?”
Emma tried to step around him but he wouldn’t let her. If Ruth moved closer, he could take the gun away from her. But he didn’t want any crazy shots being fired before he made his move, so he remained still, guarding Emma with his body.
“Scott left me. Said you were such a bitch and that you’d ruined things for him.”
“How did she do that?” Trevor asked, his voice quiet, firm.
Ruth wiped a tear and the gun wavered. “Scott didn’t really want Emma. He just liked teasing her. Garrett had a huge crush. He was going to ask her out, but he was just trying to find the right way to do it. He and Scott were business partners.”
“Drug dealers,” Emma said, sounding angrier than he’d ever heard her.
“No. They have an import business. You know, like those stupid little pewter birds in Garrett’s store.”
“Garrett has a store?” Trevor had researched the man and found Garrett worked as a business consultant, telecommuting from his house.
“Well, it’s not his store. It’s his stepbrother’s. But he really runs it.”
Which would explain why the store hadn’t popped up in his name.
“Pewter birds?” Emma asked.
“You know, like Sweets ‘n Tweets. Hell, Garrett only bought them because he likes you so much. They sell them for ten bucks a pop in stupid gift shops.”
“And this has to do with Scott, how?” Emma asked, peeking around him, her hands clutching his waist.
Damn. He wanted her close, but to disarm Ruth, he’d need space. He took a subtle step back and behind him pushed her hand free. She must have gotten the message because she let him go and remained still.
“Scott can’t do business with Garrett anymore because he’s a basket case! Ranting and raving because you’re fucking him.”
Ruth waved the gun at Trevor.
“What I want to know is if you had anything to do with the freaky gifts being sent to Emma.” Trevor glared at the girl.
“What gifts?”
He snorted. “You know, maybe it wasn’t Garrett trying to win over Emma by sending her presents. Maybe it was Scott. You do know he made several moves on your sister? Hell, I watched him do it. Are you so unaware, or just uncaring, that your boyfriend has the hots for your sister? He’s scum. Why the hell would you be with someone like that?”
Ruth seemed to crumple in front of him. “No. He loved me. Not her.”
“Oh Ruth. Scott’s a bad man.” Emma sighed.
“But he told me he loved me. That I was so pretty. Prettier than you,” she sneered and wiped at her eyes.
Trevor didn’t think Ruth would use the gun, but before he could take it away, Scott and Garrett walked into the house like they owned it.
“Ruth?” Scott looked flabbergasted. Garrett, on the other hand, scowled at Trevor. His gaze softened when it landed on Emma.
“Emma, are you okay?”
“So far.” Emma remained behind him. Smart girl.
“Would someone please tell me why the fuck Ruth has a gun, and why she’s threatening to shoot her sister?” Trevor growled.
Scott and Garrett exchanged a glance. “Uh, Ruth?” Scott said.
“I’m not going to shoot her. I just came to scare her.” She turned and smiled at Scott. “I missed you, Scott. I’m so glad you came back to me.”
Except Trevor didn’t think Scott had come back for Ruth. He’d come for Emma. Ruth being here seemed a surprise.
Trevor didn’t wait for anyone else to enter. He dove
and tackled Ruth to the ground. The gun slipped from her fingers across the floor, and Scott moved to get it. He’d put his hands on the butt of the weapon just as Trevor knocked his hand free and struck at the man’s throat.
While Scott choked and Ruth cried, Trevor grabbed the gun and rose to his feet.
Then something cracked against the base of his skull, pain exploded, and he knew nothing more.
Emma watched in frozen horror, wanting to do something but not sure where to intervene. Trevor knocked Ruth down, scrambled for the gun, incapacitated Scott and had finally grabbed the weapon when Garrett struck him in the head with her heavy wooden and lead glass lamp.
Trevor went down, hard.
Scott was coughing and clutching his throat while Ruth sobbed on the floor, a complete mess.
And Garrett…he dropped the lamp, picked up the gun, and faced Emma.
“There you are.” He smiled, seeming like the same pleasant man who visited her bakery almost daily. Bland features, a nice smile, pale blue eyes. Nonthreatening except for the gun. “Finally. It’s been forever since we really talked.”
“Um, Garrett, could you put the gun down?” she asked in a light voice. “It’s making me nervous.”
He didn’t lower it. “Sorry. I’m just going to hold it here in case Trevor gets up. That’s his name. The man you fuck you where you make those sweet treats just for me. The man who sucked your cunt until you cried out and came all over his face,” he spat, growing louder and angrier as he spoke.
From the floor, Scott gave a choked laugh and got to his feet. “Quite a show, Emma. I knew you were hot. I mean, I’ve seen you in the shower. Yeah, there’s a tiny hole in the ceiling, and John and all those nifty cameras came in handy. You’re stacked, but you go off when a man eats you up, eh?”
Garrett frowned. “What camera?”
“You had John give you a few. I borrowed one.” Scott shrugged. “Just keeping an eye on your girl for you, G. I have Ruth, after all.”
Garrett blinked at him. “But you said you hated her. You called her a trashy little whore who would never come close to her classy sister.”
“Well, that’s true. But she’s my whore.” Scott smiled.
Ruth moved to a sitting position. “Scott? I thought you loved me.”
“What’s love? I like doing you. And when you’re not bitching about Emma all the time, I enjoy your company. Mostly.” He shrugged.
“You and Garrett sell drugs.”
Ruth kept talking, but Garrett’s attention had shifted to Trevor, who lay still as death on the floor.
“So what? We have a good thing going, don’t we G?”
Garrett nodded absently. “I get the birds for Emma. We import them, along with some other things. Then Scott sells those things for me.”
“Things meaning drugs?” Emma asked, shocked that someone as unassuming as Garrett could be behind all this.
“I never said that.” He turned to her and smiled, his eyes no longer soft but mean. His gaze roamed over her from head to foot and back. “I’m glad we’re finally getting this time together. All of us, I mean.” He moved closer to Emma, and she forced herself not to move. Garrett used the gun to poke her belly, then ran it up to caress her breasts, her neck, her hair.
She couldn’t move, terrified he’d shoot her.
“I’ve loved you for a long time, Emma. You’re always so kind to me. And you’re so pretty. You take care of everyone. Even that fuck Trevor.”
She remained quiet.
“But Ruth and Scott were making you sad. I could see it. I heard it, especially the way Ruth treats you. I don’t like it.”
“She’s just a scared kid,” Emma said, trying to protect Ruth from Garrett’s swift change in mood. He had serious crazy eyes, and he kept glancing from Emma’s mouth to Ruth on the floor, his fingers tight on the gun. “You’d have to know her mother, Garrett. It’s not her fault. And our father was no better.”
Garrett sighed and looked at Emma again. He leaned close and kissed her on the mouth, his lips dry, like paper. “See? Such a good heart. So wonderful. You’re so perfect for me. Only for me,” he said suddenly and gripped her by the hair.
She cried out but remained passive, knowing that to fight would be a big mistake. Trevor still hadn’t moved, but Scott seemed to be enjoying the show while Ruth cowered on the floor.
“Did you like when Scott watched you?”
“No. I told him to leave me alone,” she rasped. “I didn’t know about the shower.”
“How does it make you feel?”
She didn’t have to feign tears. “Dirty. I don’t like this. Garrett, please, you’re hurting me.”
He eased up but pulled her in front of him and hugged her, one hand on her belly to hold her to him, the other keeping the gun aimed at the room…then at Scott.
“Garrett?” Scott frowned.
“You always wanted Emma. I knew that, but I thought you’d be a help. Our business deal isn’t what I want. I need a higher cut to be profitable.”
It was surreal, hearing him act and talk like the nice man she knew while extorting more money from a drug pusher.
“Fuck that. We’re fifty-fifty. We’ve always been—”
Garrett shot Scott once in the stomach, and again in the head.
Ruth screamed but Emma couldn’t catch her breath, clutched tightly in Garrett’s hold.
Oh my God. He killed Scott. He killed Scott.
“We’re going to have to go.” He sounded calm as he aimed the gun at Ruth.
“No. Garrett, please. I’ll go with you, do whatever you want. But don’t hurt my sister.”
Garrett nuzzled her neck, and she felt nauseous. The only thing keeping her from freaking out was that Trevor hadn’t moved, and she didn’t want Garrett to remember him or to deal with Ruth. The sooner they left, the sooner Ruth could get help.
“Such loyalty. Will you be loyal to me, kitten?” He nipped her earlobe, and she trembled. Then he aimed his gun at Trevor’s form on the floor.
“Please, Garrett.” She sobbed. “I swear I’ll go with you. No more killing. For me. Please,” she begged. “I’ll be yours forever. Just you and me.”
“Really?” He tugged her around to face him. “Do you mean that?”
She pulled on the inner strength inside her to play this for all she was worth. With gentle hands, she cupped his face and gave him a kiss. Staring into his eyes, she nodded. “I don’t like killing. I might be weak, but I prefer gentle over rough. I never knew you liked me. If I had, I never would have gone out with anyone else.” Trevor, damn it, wake up! “I never liked Scott. I understand business and why he had to go. But don’t hurt anyone else. Let’s leave before the police get here. You’ll never hurt me. I know that.” You’re crazier than a loon, you creep.
“Oh wow.” He had tears in his eyes. “I guess I should have told you how I felt years ago. We can be together though.” He wavered and looked over her head. “But Ruth will tell…”
“No. I’ll never say anything.” Ruth shook her head. “I’m sorry for being so mean, Emma. I was jealous. It was wrong.”
Finally her sister had said something smart. “It’s okay, Ruth. I forgive you. But you can’t tell anyone about Garrett. They might try to take him away and he’s my boyfriend now. We’re always going to be together.” She slowly turned in Garrett’s arms to see her sister.
Poor Ruth looked terrible. Scared out of her mind and shaking, but she’d smartened up. “I won’t. I promise, Garrett.”
Garrett watched her, and Emma turned and kissed him again before he changed his mind and killed them all.
“Come on, Garrett. That shot was loud. The police will be here soon. We have to go. Let’s go far away.”
He nodded and lowered the gun, but he seemed tense. “I have a place in Canada. They’ll never find us in the wilderness there. Let’s go.” They walked to the front door. “So you liked the presents I gave you?”
She hugged his arm to her. “The wr
en was my favorite. It’s just like my logo.”
He smiled, looking so average, so normal. “I know.” He looked through a window, then seeing it clear, opened the door.
Emma was shoved out of the way and Garrett yanked back. Emma turned to see Trevor disarm Garrett with ease then start beating the crap out of him. Garrett was no match for Trevor in a rage, and even with the pain that must have been in his head, Trevor didn’t slow down.
“Trevor, stop!” Emma hurried to him while Ruth scrambled for a phone. She caught Trevor’s bloodied hand but refused to look down at Garrett. “Don’t kill him. We need him to go to jail. I need you with me.”
Breathing hard, looking like an avenging angel with bloodlust, Trevor stared at her for a moment. Then he yanked her into his arms and hugged the breath out of her. “Jesus, I was so scared. Emma.”
They stayed like that until the police arrived. Emma in the arms of her rescuer. But a small, pleased part of her realized she’d rescued him too.
Days later, Trevor stared at the ceiling in his bedroom while Emma puttered in the kitchen, making him lunch. He’d been just fine recovering, but Evan had insisted he didn’t want to see Trevor in the office until tomorrow—Wednesday—for a briefing on the Lancaster case.
Apparently Ritter and the guys had saved Loretta from two abductions and one of the tech guys had located yet another money trail tying Tony to, of all places, a successful franchise of gay bars in the Northwest.
Talk about weird.
But then, nothing had seemed right since that debacle in Emma’s place.
The only good things to come of it had been a major reconciliation between Emma and her sister, who’d started going to therapy for all of her issues. And Emma had moved in with him. Temporarily, she’d said, but he knew it would be a while, if ever, until she felt okay to return to her home.
Fucking Garrett Stiver. The man had been in love with Emma for years. But it was only when she’d come into her own, owning a house and business and seeming more independent that Garrett had decided she’d be ready for him. The gifts had been bad enough, but the videos would have freaked her out if she’d seen them.