Safe from Harm (Protect & Serve #2)(28)

“Yes, sir.”

Jeb grinned, pleased by his son’s loyalty. “I want you to stay on Elle McCoy,” he decided. “She already saw you watching her. I want her to feel your presence. I want her looking over her shoulder everywhere she goes. Do this well, boy, and I’ll give her to you.”

“Give her to me?”

“That’s right,” Jeb said. “If she’s going to act like a whore, we’ll treat her like a whore. And when we’re done with her, I’ll let you be the one to put a bullet in her head.”

Jeb hung up on his son, tossed his phone onto the seat beside him, and snatched up the little present he’d prepared to welcome Deputy Dawson home.

*

“Will you be okay here tonight on your own?” Elle asked as she strolled toward his front door, clearly moving slowly so he could keep up with her on his crutches.

He slid a meaningful sidelong glance toward her. “You offering to stay?”

She rolled her eyes, but he could see a hint of pink rising in her cheeks. God, he loved making her blush like that. The fact that he could bring a flush to the cheeks of a woman like Elle made his chest swell with pride. The only thing better would be making her flush with desire as he made love to her.

A sudden, vague image of her arching off his bed in ecstasy made his cock go rock hard, making him seriously fucking glad he was wearing his shirt untucked for once so she couldn’t see the effect she had on him. God, she had to be beautiful in the throes of passion. What he wouldn’t give to watch as rapture played out over her features, to hear her scream his name, to feel her nails digging into his skin…

“Do you ever stop?” she teased, leaning against the doorframe.

He shook his head, and his voice was rough with desire when he answered, “Not where you’re concerned.”

She turned toward him when they reached his front door and regarded him for a long moment. “Why?”

Her question took him off guard. “Huh?”

She tilted her head to one side, far more adorable than she realized. “Why are you so interested in me, Gabe? You can have any woman you want.”

He scoffed. “Not true. My reputation has been greatly exaggerated. Right now, there’s only woman I want.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, for argument’s sake, let’s pretend that’s true.”

Pretend? What the hell?

Did she really buy into all the rumors about him sleeping with anything with a pulse? His false reputation had been haunting him since high school. Okay, his fault for not refuting the rumors, but what teenage guy wouldn’t want everyone to think he was a god in bed? And, now that he knew better, he was too old to give a shit what people thought.

“Why would you want to keep pursuing someone who has pushed you away over and over again?” she continued. “I mean, what’s so special about me?”

He reached up and tugged at a curl that had come loose from her ponytail. “How long do you have?”

She grinned and patted him lightly on his chest, just above the bruises from the shots he’d taken, but he managed to keep from wincing. “Ah, so that must be the famous Dawson charm you keep mentioning…”

He leaned on his crutches, bending forward, close enough to kiss her. “Is it working?”

She shoved away from the doorframe and straightened to her full height, bringing her lips even closer to his. Her mouth curved into a sensual smile as she searched his face. Then she stepped closer, her arm slipping around his waist as she leaned into him, her breasts pressing into his chest as she put her lips close to his ear and whispered, “Not even a little, Romeo.”

With that, she stepped back and winked at him before opening the door and sending a wave at him over her shoulder as she strolled toward her car.

Oh, she was good…

He had seen the mischief in her eyes after she’d whispered in his ear. She knew exactly what she did to him with every word, every touch, and she was enjoying it. And, hell—truth be told, so was he.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he watched her pull away.

He was still grinning when her car turned off his street, but his grin faded when he caught a glimpse of something hanging from the plant hook at the corner of his porch. Frowning, he hobbled toward it, his stomach clenching when he saw what it was.

A noose made of twine hung from the hook. And hanging in the noose was a voodoo-style stick figure that looked like something his brother Kyle had probably encountered when he’d done a stint with the FBI office down in New Orleans. But encountering one in Northern Indiana was somehow even more chilling.

Gabe’s head snapped up, his senses on high alert as he scanned his surroundings. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he snatched the hanging man from the hook and fished his phone out of his pocket, dialing Elle, waiting impatiently for her to answer.

“Hey there,” she finally answered after the eighth ring. “What’s—”

“Are you okay?” he blurted, cutting her off.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she assured him, her tone wary. “I’ve literally gone only two minutes down the street. I don’t think—”

“Check your rearview mirror,” he interrupted again, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the cars and houses around him once more. “Tell me if there’s anyone behind you.”