Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1)

by McKinley, Diana

“No,” Gabe bit out, “but I can at least talk without yelling.”

  “Well, that’s something at least,” Kaden sighed. He sounded just as out of sorts, but like Noah, he was better at keeping his terse comments under control.

  “Do we know what kind of evidence he thinks he has against Andrew?” Gabriel asked. He settled his hands on his hips and stared into Noah’s determined eyes.

  “We honestly don’t know a lot. And to me, it sounds like he’s collected circumstantial evidence, nothing that would hold up in court,” Kaden supplied. “Strauss would only tell Lawton that once the yellow tape went up around Emily’s house, one of her neighbors came to see him in his office and reported that he’d seen the young deputy outside her windows on more than one occasion over the last two months. That, and supposedly Strauss pulled Andrew’s work log and has him on record as signing in to his computer during off duty hours. The same hours during which Emily’s surveillance video was accessed and watched repeatedly.”

  “Is that all he’s got?” Gabriel pressed. He leaned forward and gripped the back of the chair closest to him. “He’s normally more calm and cautious. This isn’t like Strauss.”

  “He supposedly has one last bit of evidence, but he wouldn’t go into it over the phone. Said it was a slam-dunk with that final piece.” Garrett sounded just as bewildered as Gabriel felt.

  Gabe shook his head and stared at Noah. “I knew we should have officially taken over this investigation, and not left it in their hands on paper. Strauss still has rights over the case, and if he nails the wrong person to the wall for this, the true criminal will just go to ground for an indefinite period, making Emily’s life pure hell. She’ll be in hiding for God knows how long! Son of a bitch!” Gabriel bit out, his temper spiking ferociously.

  “Then maybe we should go home and stop him,” Emily said quietly.

  Gabriel and Noah’s heads whipped around, and they saw her standing just inside the room with only one of Gabriel’s t-shirts covering her. Noah strode forward and wrapped his arms around her, as if his body could put a barrier between Emily and everything that was poised to crash in on her. On them.

  “Em,” Gabriel began, shaking his head as he struggled to form his next word without shutting her down again.

  “Gabriel,” she sighed. Emily patted Noah’s back and stepped away from his tight hold. Once she had her fingers laced through his, she moved forward and extended her other towards Gabe. She waited for him to take it.

  Gabriel stared into Emily’s eyes and saw no fear, nor hesitation. There was only calm resolve there. Unwavering. Ready.

  He took the two steps necessary to lace his fingers through hers, and he felt Emily clamp down with a fierce grip. No, she wasn’t letting go and she wasn’t backing down this time.

  “Let’s go home and face this together,” she said evenly. “Last time I was there, I didn’t have the two of you as I do now. I didn’t have your whole team backing me up. I was too tired and too scared, and my spirits were pretty low. But I’m much stronger now, because I’m no longer alone. Not in the way that really matters. We can do this, Gabriel. I have no doubt.”

  “Emily… If we go back and something happens to you…” He stopped. Couldn’t say it. Couldn’t think it.

  “I’m a fast runner,” she grinned. “They’ll have to catch me first.” She chuckled sadly and stretched up on her tiptoes to brush her lips across first Gabriel’s and then Noah’s.

  “You stay right with us, Emily,” Noah said in his own strained voice. “Right between us. You don’t even go into the bathroom without one of us right beside you, understand?”

  “I do,” she nodded and smiled tenderly. “Did you say we have four hours, Garrett?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied with obvious respect. “We have our division’s helicopter still at a local airfield. If we head out in the next ten minutes, I’ll have us there within three.”

  “Well then, let me go gather my things.” She kissed Gabriel and Noah once more and then she turned and left the dining area, headed for the bedroom.

  “Where are Ross and Braden at present? Still in D.C.?” Noah asked.

  “Nope,” Kaden said. “They’re inbound too. Should get there about the same time as us. Hollington is monitoring from the office in their stead.”

  “I was hoping not to pull the boss in on the details of this, if we didn’t have to,” Gabriel said and looked at a nearby window for a moment. It was still covered by a blind. They just hadn’t had enough time away from it all.

  “Lawton made that call. He wants the rights to shut Strauss down, so he got Hollington rolling on the paperwork. We should be able to go in and assume authority over the case when we touch down. There’s still time to stop this train wreck,” Garrett advised.

  “Good,” Noah nodded. “Tell Lawton I personally said thank you. We’ll pack up and meet you guys out front in ten. We’ll leave our SUV and Emily’s here, and someone can be assigned to drive them back for us later.”

  “See you in ten, then,” Garrett muttered and ended the call.

  Gabriel turned back to face Noah. They just stared at each other, no words coming. What could they say? They knew what was riding on this forced trek. The lady they loved, their entire world, the rest of their lives would hinge on this one despicable case. Simply put, their success meant everything.

  “I can’t pack it all up in ten minutes alone!” Emily called from the back of the cabin, sass dripping from her voice. “Get a move on, guys!”

  Noah was the first to crumble. He wiped his palms over his face and began to chuckle. “Come on, you gotta love her,” he quipped.

  “I’m going to tan her damn hide if she keeps trying to calm me down,” Gabriel grumbled.

  “You and what army?” Noah scoffed. He began to head towards the sound of Emily hurriedly packing, shaking his head and laughing under his breath.

  Oh, Gabriel thought, she had no idea the risk she was running if she thought for one second to put herself in harm’s way. He most certainly would take Emily over his knee and show her how damned good a spanking could feel. For them both.

  Gabriel did one last sweep of the cabin before he closed and locked its door behind him. Emily was already beside Noah in the vehicle’s second row, and he slid in next to her, placing her snuggly between them. As soon as he closed his door, Kaden started rolling along the road leading out of the quaint resort.

  Little was said as they drove to the small, rural airfield the men had touched down in. Emily was amazed at how much clout and power their badges really did carry once they were preparing to take to the skies. Their flight plan had already been filed for them by Ethan, and their helicopter was refueled and ready. All they had to do was sign a form and climb aboard.

  Gabriel retrieved a blanket and pillow while Noah got her settled in a plush chair. Though they both insisted she try to sleep along the journey, Emily knew there was no more rest coming for a while. Her mind was too wired as she tried to make sense of it all. Nothing was adding up, and so she began to furiously search for a clue of some kind that she’d missed before.

  She had never once suspected Jonathan would act as he had the night he forced his lips on hers. Never suspected such a thing possible, given what she knew about his character. If that had been true in the past, however, who else had she misjudged or naïvely placed her trust in?

  When she had walked from the back of the cabin and heard Andrew named as the sheriff’s main suspect, Emily immediately wanted to shout her denial. But the memory of what Jonathan had done that fateful night gave her pause. Made her doubt her own interactions with Andrew, and his intentions towards her. Enough so, that she was sitting there in the helicopter mentally replaying their recent exchanges with each other and looking for a clue.

  But try as she might, Emily couldn’t conjure one single moment during which Andrew made her uneasy. If anything, she had felt safe around him. She always had.

  Just as she had with Jasper, Ryan, and th
e rest of the deputies. None of them had ever held on to her too long when they’d hugged her or touched her hand, or leered at her until the hair rose on her arms. Weren’t those supposed to be the tell-tale signs of a potential threat?

  Nor had the men hung around her house longer than was needed while the investigation crept along. If anything, it was as if they were trying to give her as much space as possible, sensing how much she needed her home to remain a safe haven. Andrew had even made sure she had a new security system, so she could reclaim her sense of safety.

  No, Emily told herself, she hadn’t misjudged her friend. Not this time.

  She sat up a little straighter in her seat and looked out of a nearby window. It was dark outside, the middle of the night still. The sun would most likely not even be up yet when they touched down.

  Emily’s eyes widened and she looked over sharply at the guys. They had their eyes closed, but she didn’t think they were asleep. Like her, they were trying to figure this mess out as the hourglass emptied.

  She whispered their names and, just as she suspected, their eyes immediately opened and met hers. They were just as awake as she.

  “Four hours,” Emily said softly. “Strauss said we had four hours. Why that number? Why not two, or six, or ten? Hmmm? Why just four?”

  Both men smiled slowly at her, their approval clear as day for her to see.

  “You’ve already cued in on this, then? So what do you think? Why did he phrase his timeline in such a way?”

  “I think that had something to do with us, baby,” Noah replied. “When we sent Lawton and Ethan to our home, they checked in with Strauss and only him. He never asked where we found you, only how long it would take us to bring you home if need be. Lawton told him four to five hours, though he didn’t say that it would be by air. The sheriff knows you left by car, so he probably thinks you were a lot closer than you actually were.”

  Emily could only offer him a nod and then she looked down at her hands. She touched the new addition to her left hand, letting the fingertips of her right spin and play with her engagement ring. Okay, so that idea hadn’t led to any great revelation, Emily thought as she sighed. So what else was there? Could all of this madness really be one of the deputies’ doing? Or was it someone else in town who she’d completely overlooked and never suspected of a thing?

  “Emily, come here to me,” Noah called to her, drawing Emily from her thoughts.

  When she looked up at him, he held out his hand to her. She unhooked her safety belt and took a few steps in his direction. Noah clasped her hand and brought her down on his lap. He turned her so she could rest her head against his shoulder and her legs draped over his and to the side. Emily felt Noah kiss her hair and then lay the side of his face against her head.

  Gabriel reached into her seat and snagged her blanket and then he turned and handed it to Noah. Between the two of them, they covered her again. Then Gabe bent and slipped her shoes off.

  “Thank you,” Emily smiled.

  He gave her sock covered toes an affectionate squeeze before he released her.

  “Gabriel, when we left the park after lunch, you never answered me when I asked you which deputy you would place your money on, if you had to bet on one as the suspect. Is there a reason you hesitated?”

  “There is,” he said quietly.

  “Tell me.”

  “I don’t put a name to a suspect, Emily, unless I have enough evidence to solidly convict them. The same is true for every man on our team. If you begin to concentrate all of your focus on one individual, it takes your eyes off the other potential contenders. And if you’re wrong, then the real criminal often gets away with murder.”

  A shudder rolled through her at the mention of his last word. Noah pulled her a little closer to his chest. His arms were wrapped solidly around her and Emily was more than happy to share his warmth and support. Yet, her eyes stayed locked with Gabriel’s.

  “I’m glad, love,” she murmured. “I’m glad you both use such caution and always make sure you have the right person. Just one more reason for me to feel safe at night when you go away on your cases. I’ll know you’re not placing yourselves in unnecessary danger.”

  “Well, that’s another topic we’ll need to deal with down the road,” said Noah. Emily leaned away from his shoulder so she could see him and she watched Noah nod slowly. “We’ll figure out something for the future. But for right now, all I know is I’m not leaving you behind. Don’t know exactly what that’s gonna entail, but that’s what my gut says.”

  “Just your gut?” Emily asked slyly, thinking there were certainly other parts of his anatomy that would miss her. She knew there were parts of his body that she didn’t want to do without in the foreseeable future either.

  Noah’s eyes narrowed playfully and he leaned in closer until his lips hovered just over hers. “Behave, baby,” he whispered, his lips barely brushing against hers as he uttered the warning.

  “Or?” she goaded him.

  “I can’t bend you over and show you. Kaden and Garrett are just too close for that right now.”

  “Rain check, then?” she countered.

  “You’re just asking for it, aren’t you?”

  “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “What it is.” Emily shrugged and gave him a wide, innocent grin.

  A devious smile spread across Noah’s lips as he watched the delight play and dance in her eyes. A low rumble worked its way through his chest just before his lips descended on hers. His hands thrust into her hair and he held Emily to his face, devouring her.

  Emily gave as good as she got, and before Noah realized her intent, her hands had slipped under his shirt and she was stroking his taut abdomen. He sucked in a short gasp and reared back, the green within his eyes almost swallowed up by his dilated pupils. Emily merely licked her lips and moved her seeking fingers to his nipples.

  “Emily, I swear to God, I’m about to do something we’ll both regret. Stop,” he said in clear warning.

  “You’re right,” she nodded and slid her hands from under his shirt. “I am making it hard to concentrate.”

  Noah groaned and pushed her head back down on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms back around her and trapped Emily’s head with his chin.

  “Be still,” he all but swore as he continued to breathe heavily against her. “I mean it, Em. Don’t move a muscle.”

  “Yes, Noah,” she chuckled. He gave her a quick swat on the ass, but she continued laughing, completely undeterred. “You should be flattered, you know?”

  “Oh? Flattered that you want me enough, that you’d temp me into taking you right in front of our friends?” Noah couldn’t wait to hear whatever outrageous or flirtatious statement Emily was about to make. Anything to keep her mind away from what they were steadily headed towards, though, was fine by him.

  “No,” she said quietly. Emily smiled slightly and nuzzled Noah’s neck as she drug his masculine, clean scent deep into her lungs. “Flattered that I trust you both to play like this, knowing that I can say anything to you, without fear or regret. I’ve always liked the way we tease each other. And I’m liking the unrestricted play now even more. I don’t have to watch my words any longer, worried that I might give too much away.”

  “Oh, baby,” Noah sighed. “What complete dumbasses we’ve been. We should have told you long before now what you meant to us. I do regret not speaking up before now. Maybe we would have known about the shit Jonathan pulled. Or hell, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten the chance to manhandle you, because we would have already been a steady presence in your life. And for that, I’m sorry, Em. Sorry that you had to go so long wishing for what could have been, when it was already there and waiting for you.”

  “I don’t regret waiting for you or Gabriel at all, Noah.” Emily tilted her head back in his arms and lifted her hand to caress his jaw. “I believe our timing was exactly as it was meant to be, because you were both finally ready for there to be an us. I c
ouldn’t have risked losing one of you, to have the other. I would never have destroyed your friendship with one another to have a chance with just one of you. And I would also never have tried to force feelings and emotions on you, which you didn’t reciprocate.”

  “No, we – meaning the three of us – became what we were meant to be in our own time and in our own way. Nothing forced or false about us. And that makes me very, very happy.” Emily nodded slowly and smiled. Her hand left his cheek and trailed up into his thick, blonde hair.

  “I’m so damned glad you want us,” Noah chuckled softly. He looked at her in true wonder and it warmed her all the way to her toes. “I don’t know what we ever did to deserve you, but I’m glad all the same.”

  Emily leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips, and when she drew away she extended a hand towards Gabriel. “Same is true for you too, handsome. I’m happy that we’re as we are now, and all our days henceforth.”

  “So am I, honey,” Gabriel said with a gentle nod. “Lay your head against Noah now and close your eyes for us. Try to rest if you can.”

  She gave his fingers a light squeeze and then she settled back down. Noah snuggled her close and Emily lay in his arms with her eyes closed, not really sleeping, but still going through it all in the hopes of finding some kind of answer. There had to be something – even if it was something small – that she had overlooked. Something they were all missing.

  CHAPTER 28

  Lawton and Ethan were waiting at the airfield located eleven miles outside of Whitford Falls, when the first of their team landed. Ross and Braden placed their luggage in the back of a rented SUV and then leaned against it, talking with the other men until the last of their group touched down. They weren’t kept waiting long, because less than fifteen minutes later, Garrett and Kaden’s helicopter was sitting beside the first and powering down.

  Lawton strode towards them, followed by Ross and Braden, all of them fanning out and surveying the surrounding terrain, and not the machine or its occupants. When the helicopter’s side door swung open, Gabriel was the first off, his sidearm already drawn and his posture tense. Lawton moved to intercept him, hoping to put him at ease. They all knew he nor Noah wanted Emily anywhere near Whitford Falls at the present. Yet here they all stood, as if daring the suspect to take a shot at her.