The look on his face along with his words and touch centered her and allowed her to shove her nightmares into the dark recesses of her mind where they hovered, waiting to be triggered once more.
But she did need to make something clear. Yes, she had issues. But for this burgeoning relationship to work, he needed to know—"Nothing will get past us."
Price gave her a solemn look, then nodded. "Us."
Her píítaa looked at the sheriff who stared at something on his phone. "What's going on? Is it Miller?"
"No." At Dan's answer, the tension in the room dissipated. Tara swore she could hear it leak out like air from a tire going flat.
Dan continued, "Turns out Horner was a serial rapist and a killer who'd left a string of bodies over three states. The Feds found trophies from his previous victims in his Wyoming home."
Shocked murmurs from Fee and Keely were drowned out by cursing from her brothers and the other men. Tensing, Price placed his arms around her shoulders and pulled her, chair and all, closer to him.
Dan looked at Tara. "There's a reward for his capture."
"I don't want it." She poked at the remnants of her soup with the spoon, her appetite all-but-gone at the thought of all the women the bastard had terrorized and killed. "Price took him down. He should claim it."
"Don't want it." Price gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "Besides you softened him up for me."
"Yeah, but you saved me from being hurt." She left the "or worse" unsaid.
"I wanted to kill him." Price looked at Ren. "But the boss hates the paperwork Dan makes him fill out when we take care of garbage like Horner."
"Hey, don't blame me," Dan said. "I appreciate you all, which is why you're reserve deputies. It's the prosecutor who demands the paperwork."
Ren snorted. "Well, we do give the man a lot of work." He turned to look at Price. "How about you give the reward to families of the women Horner killed?"
"Yes. Do that." Tara looked at Price.
"Then that's what we'll do," Price said. "Make it so, Dan."
"I will," said Dan.
Tara frowned. "How many did he kill before Maisie?"
"Tara, really? Why would you need—" Aidan said, exasperation in his tone and expression. Always the big protective brother, even though he knew how tough she was.
"I survived. I helped take him down. I have a right to know." She shot her oldest brother a narrow-eyed glare. "I fucking shed blood so others won't have to fear the monster. So, Dan? How many—and why me?"
What had she done to draw Horner's attention? That was the splinter burrowing its way under her skin. For Miller, it had been her being Native American and having told him no.
Dan fought a grin at the grumbling of her brothers, then sobered. "Fifteen."
Price's arm tightened around her. His muttered "fuck" seemed to be the general consensus of all at the counter. Though, Tara's lips twisted at Keely's "frick-fracking, jerkwad douchebag." Her new friend had a unique way of swearing, half-Marine, half-girly.
Dan's expression held anger and distaste. "His victims' type was all over the place, which was why the FBI profilers couldn't get a fix on him as easily as other serial rapist/killers who single out a type they target over and over." He shrugged. "Who knows why you? He'll be interrogated by the FBI profilers, but I expect the bastard probably doesn't even know why. In general, you and Maisie fit the age range of his known victims, which ranged from the early-20s to mid-30s."
The Sheriff looked at her, understanding and compassion in his eyes. "Bottom line? You were female and at a bar. He consistently picked up every damn one of his victims in a bar from the evidence the FBI gathered. He also left his DNA all over them and at the dump site. But he'd never been in the system before, so he managed to get away with it until you."
Her stomach churning, Tara took in the grim expressions on her brothers' and the others' faces. "We could've stopped him before—" She glanced at Ren who looked as sick as she felt. "We should've had Nick ask him to leave when we saw him slamming back whiskey with beer chasers and that he was carrying concealed."
Trey snorted. "Every other man in Ma's was probably carrying concealed, Tara. Nick would have no business if he kicked out everyone armed or who was drinking too much. So stop that kind of thinking. It's no one's fault but the fucking monster's. You were there, Maisie was there, and he needed to kill. End of story. There was no way for you to know that."
"Yeah, sorry." She shook her head, then turned to look at Price. His expression was darker than she'd ever seen it. He held her gaze and, if it were possible, drew her even closer to his body as if the only way he could protect her was to anchor her to his side.
Her píítaa would smother her with his protection if he could. Just like her father and brothers had tried to do since the day she was born, according to her often amused and sometimes exasperated mother. Growing up on a reservation with three older brothers had led her into some dangerous activities since she was their shadow from the time she could toddle. Eventually, they learned it was better to teach her how to survive instead of trying to keep her safe all the time. From that childhood, she learned to be a protector herself and went into the military to become an even better one.
Tara hoped Price could handle her strength and her nightmares, just as she would handle his strength and his nightmares because SEALs weren't sent out on walk-in-the-park ops. She wanted to begin their future together right fucking now. She wanted to sleep next to him, with his arms around her more than she wanted her next breath. But nothing between them could even begin until they got rid of a houseful of guests which included her three, still-not-totally-with-the-program brothers.
And her family wasn't staying here.
Yeah, Price had the room for three guests, but she was drawing that line. She and Price needed privacy to begin this first stage in their relationship.
Her brothers sleeping upstairs wouldn't do. At all.
Tara poked at the few noodles left in her bowl. Her appetite had disappeared with the announcement of Horner's death toll.
"I'm done." She set the bowl aside and looked over at Keely. "Would you thank Scotty and Nancy for the food, please? And do you think you and Ren could put my brothers up at the Lodge for what's left of the night? If they're hanging around past tomorrow, or I guess it's today, they can stay in my cabin. I can get them settled into it tomorrow when I go to pick up my clothes and personal shit."
Not that she had a lot of either. Most of her furniture and treasures from her mother and grandmothers were in storage in Missoula. If everything between them worked out—and she wouldn't have agreed to move in if she hadn't thought it would—she'd ask Price if he'd go with her to pick through the storage unit and help her choose things to make his beautiful house a home. Their home.
But what if she were wrong? The chilling thought made her shiver. She'd made mistakes in the past—Miller and Horner were two of them; she'd totally misread both of them.
No, you didn't. You couldn't act on what hadn't happened. You are not a god.
Price leaned over and murmured, "You cold, sweetheart? Do you need to lie down?"
Yeah, she'd suspected Miller was rotten to the core, and that something was off with Horner. When she had to act, she did. Listening to her inner voice, not the snarky one in her head, but the one that came from deep inside her, she knew she wasn't misinterpreting Price's feelings. Her píítaa wanted her here with him. From what he'd told her earlier, he'd wanted her for almost a month, but he'd chosen to go slowly with her because he'd listened to his own inner voice.
One thing she was sure of—if he'd asked her out her right after they'd met, their relationship would've been almost three or more weeks old by now, and she might've already been living with him. She'd never fallen for a man so fast in her life.
Price had touched her soul from the day they'd met.
"They're welcome at the Lodge," Keely said. "Scotty has guestrooms ready at all times."
"Thank
you, Keely, but—" Aidan smiled at the little blonde, then turned his narrowed gaze toward Tara. "—sisttsí, you're coming with us, no matter where we stay."
Calum and Flynn nodded.
Tara rolled her eyes. The only time the Nightwalker brothers presented a united front was where she was concerned. Any other time, the three would disagree over whether black was dark and white was light.
Price stiffened against her and a low-throated rumble like that of an angry cat vibrated over her skin.
"No, I told you. I'm staying with Price," she looked at her píítaa, "for as long as he wants me."
"And that's for as long as you want to be here." He totally ignored her brothers' mutterings.
She smiled and slid a finger along the muscle twitching in his jaw. "Then we're in agreement."
"No, you barely—" Calum said.
"Shut it, Cal." She looked at each brother in turn. "You will stay out of this. None of the guys I've dated have ever met with your approval, and they were perfectly nice men. You all liked Miller. Every. Blessed. One of you."
God, where had the anger come from? She blinked. She hadn't even realized she'd suppressed that, not even the therapist had dug that out, and the damn therapist had dug out a lot.
She took a breath and sank into Price's hold. "I distrusted Miller from the first time I met him. I turned him down each and every time he made a move on me. He gave me the creeps. I'd say my instincts are far better than yours."
Her brothers had the grace to look abashed.
"So, you can take this to the bank—Price is not Miller. He definitely does not trip my creepy male meter. Unfortunately for me, he's a lot like you three—an honorable, overprotective, strong alpha male."
Tara turned her face into his shoulder and let his scent soothe her. "So I expect I'll have lots of heated arguments about what I can and can't do in the future. But in the long run, I'll do what I want to do anyway, and like you boys, he'll protect me the best he can. Unlike you, he seems to understand I have good instincts."
"But, Tee—" Flynn started.
"I'm tired, Flynn." Tara smiled at the nickname only her youngest brother used, then she added, "Thank you all for driving here to protect me. I know you're worried and I love you all. But please save your arguments for later today. Price and I need to talk and then get some sleep."
Tara moved out of Price's arms, then stood up and walked to her brothers. After giving each of them a hug, she said, "Go with Ren and Keely. Accept their hospitality. We can talk over breakfast in the morning."
"Breakfast at the Lodge is buffet style," Ren said as he stood then pulled Keely up from her chair. Trey and Fee stood as did Dan. "Scotty sets it up at 7 a.m. and takes it down around 10:30 a.m. Most of the operatives in the Lodge eat early. We should meet in the dining area off the kitchen, let's say by 10 a.m? I'll have some of my people there also. Dan, you're welcome, too. We need to get more intel on this Miller so we can set up a ring of protection around Tara and our people."
"Sounds good." Price came to Tara's side and brushed his lips over her temple. "Sound good to you, firefly?"
Tara turned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes." She yawned. "Now, my brothers, good night. We'll see you all out."
Her brothers weren't happy, but they also didn't continue to argue with her, which was a good sign. They'd already accepted they wouldn't get her away from Price at that moment. And eventually, they'd learn to love Price as much as she did, since her brothers loved and only wanted what was best for her. And that promised to be Price.
She wobbled for a second as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Price steadied her. "Thanks, píítaa. I'm okay. Sleep will help."
But before she closed her eyes for what was left of the night, she and Price had a few things to discuss, such as sleeping arrangements, because she damn well wasn't sleeping alone.
Sex was not in the picture, because she was in pain and tired. Even if she weren't in pain or exhausted, Fee would snarl if Tara pulled her stitches out. Hell, Price would go apeshit if she did. Her lips twisted at a mental image of Price berating her for hurting herself while he petted her and cared for any damage she caused.
Tara figured sex wouldn't be in the picture until Price was certain she was healed enough—and she'd proven to him she could handle his lovemaking without flashbacks to Miller. The latter would be the bigger battle.
Chapter 8
Very early, Tuesday, June 2nd
Tara stood at the front door and hugged her brothers goodbye. You'd think she was sending them off to war, rather to a night's stay at the Lodge less than a half mile away.
"Tara?" Price's concerned voice made her smile. She wasn't quite sure how he knew she was reaching the limit of her strength and energy, but he did.
She looked over her shoulder. He was less than an arm's length away. She gave him a weary smile. Turning to her brother, she patted his back. "Time to shift me over to Price, Flynn."
"Tee?" Flynn looked over her shoulder and grimaced. "Guess so."
Her youngest brother released her, then stepped back alongside Aidan and Calum as Price looped a strong, supporting arm around her waist and settled her against his side. She placed her arm around his lean waist.
"See you at ten." Aidan's confirmation sounded like more of a command.
Tara could almost hear the "or else we'll come and get you" her brother had most likely tacked on in his mind.
"Yes. We'll call the Lodge if we'll be later," Price responded before she could. "Tara's health is the most important issue here."
Tara rubbed his back. "I'm fine, Price." She eyed her brothers. "See you later this morning." Her brothers focused on her. "Don't wait on us. Go ahead and eat."
Aidan looked from her to Price. He grunted, then turned and left. Calum frowned and muttered something that Tara was sure was a curse, but he followed Aidan out the door. Flynn hesitated, opened his mouth, shut it, then gave Price a fierce look before following his brothers outside. The three joined a visibly amused Ren and Keely who'd waited for them by their Hummer.
"Price, do you want me and Trey to stay, just in case Tara needs me?" Fee asked.
"I'll be fine, Fee," Tara answered before Price could. "You're close if I do need anything. Thanks for taking care of me." She hugged Fee.
After waving everyone off, Price shut the door and locked it. His hefty sigh made her smile. The look in his eyes as he turned and pulled her carefully against his body made her insides melt.
"Alone at last," he teased, a smile on his lips and in his eyes.
"Cliched, but appropriate," she returned. "So, we're a couple and cohabiting."
"Yes…" he hesitated, "if that's what you want."
"That's what I want." She patted his chest with one hand. A wave of fatigue swept over her and she leaned into him, allowing him to brace her. "Sorry, just a little dizzy."
"Fuck, sweetheart." Price scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom. After he'd placed her gently on the bed and pulled the covers over her, he stood there, looking at her. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Should've sent them all away after you finished eating. All that discussion about the Saturday sniper, Horner, and Miller could've waited until later today. After you got a good night's rest."
"Hmm. Guess so." Tara teethed her lower lip and asked the one question uppermost in her mind. "Are you sleeping with me?"
Just blurt it out, Tara.
"Yeah. If you want me to."
"I do."
Price sat on the edge of the bed and took one of her hands in his big warm, calloused one and cradled it so gently. "We'll just be sleeping. You're in pain. I want to be here if you need me. I need to hold you. You okay with that?"
"Yes." She pulled her hand from his and smoothed her fingers over his beard scruff. It tickled. She liked it so she did it again. "More than okay."
The gleam in his eyes told her he liked her petting.
"I'm going to secure the house." He stroked his fingers through her
unbound hair spread across the pillow. "You want anything else to eat or drink?"
"My beer? I didn't finish it." She scrunched her nose. "I'm not taking any more pain meds. They make me dizzy. I don't like feeling out of it."
Tara knew Price would keep her safe, that his house was as secure as every building on the Sanctuary property was, but mostly she didn't want to be hazy when she spent her first night sleeping next to Price. She wanted to be alert to every sensation, every memory—even without sex, it was a special night, their first together.
"Well, just in case you change your mind, I'll also bring the packet of pills Fee left and some water and leave them on the bedside." He walked to the door.
Damn, he had a nice ass and wasn't it nice that she now had ass-patting rights? The thought sent a warm glow throughout her body.
Price paused in the doorway and looked back. "I'm happy you're here, Tara."
"I'm happy to be here."
He smiled, his eyes filled with the same emotion she saw in her father's eyes when looking at her mother—it was love.
Price had said the words earlier. Now she saw the words.
As he left the room, tears of joy streamed down her face and her heart felt full.
* * * *
After taking Tara her beer and putting her meds with a glass of water on the bedside table closest to her, he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Shucking off his clothes, he stepped into the steamy water and washed off, then took care of his hard-on. He wanted to hold Tara, not poke her with a constant reminder of the arousal that always simmered just below the surface whenever she was near. Only Trey had been ballsy enough to mention Price's inconvenient woodies during one of the firefighting training sessions. Later that same day, Price had been happy to beat the shit out of his brother-in-law during martial arts training in the SSI gym.
As Price imagined Tara touching his cock, his orgasm swept over him like a firestorm. He clenched his teeth against the shout of painful pleasure, then leaned his forehead on the tiles as he worked to stay upright. Fuck, if just thinking about her touching him had him exploding that hard, coming inside her might just kill him.
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