Safe from Harm (Protect & Serve #2)(82)

That prickling sensation beneath Gabe’s skin came rushing back with a vengeance. “Why the hell is Elle wanting to know when Monroe leaves?”

Joe frowned. “Got me. You don’t know anything about it?”

Gabe shook his head. “No.”

He turned back to the door, his pace increasing with each step—as was his concern for Elle and what she might be getting herself into growing. He shoved open the door and dialed Elle’s number as he jogged to his Tahoe, wincing a little from his still-healing leg, grateful he was parked off to the side and didn’t have to deal with all the damned news vultures.

When Elle’s voice mail picked up again, he barked a quick message for her to call him as soon as she could, then tossed the phone into the seat beside him with a curse. He threw the Tahoe into reverse and peeled out, racing in the direction of Elle’s house, his heart hammering.

“Jesus, Elle,” he murmured. “What the hell are you doing, honey?”





Chapter 23


Elle swallowed hard as the cabbie drove up the long drive that led to the Monroe home. The house was the standard two-story farmhouse that had been so common in the area when the Monroe family moved there several generations ago. The paint on the wood siding was peeling and the porch was leaning a little to the left, but the grounds were impeccably tended, the flower beds beautiful. The fields that stretched out for numerous acres around and behind the house were thriving.

In addition to the farmhouse, there were two enormous outbuildings—one looked like some kind of storage facility for farm equipment; the other might’ve been a barn for livestock at some point, but now was little more than a glorified garage. Several cars in various states of disrepair and two ATVs were parked in front of the structure.

Elle had to give Jeb Monroe credit. For all his despicable traits, he took a great deal of pride in his land. She could hardly blame him for being so upset when a large portion of the family farm had been seized by the government. If she’d had to give up her family’s legacy due to circumstances beyond her control, she would’ve been furious and heartbroken as well. But that didn’t excuse Monroe’s efforts to incite his own children to murder or his own brutality against his family.

The cab came to a halt in front of the porch and Elle took a deep breath. “Could you please wait here? I’ll be right back.”

“Sure thing, lady,” the cabbie said with a shrug. “Meter’s running.”

She gave him a grateful smile then got out of the cab, taking a quick look around before starting toward the house. She glanced down at her phone. Dead. Shit. It had taken her a good thirty minutes to get out to the farm. She had time. But not much.

The front steps creaked ominously as she made her way up to the porch, but she suppressed the shiver that snaked up her spine and knocked on the door. Seconds later, the door opened a crack and a woman with graying blond hair peered at her through the opening.

“Mrs. Monroe,” Elle said, offering her a tentative smile. “I have a cab waiting. Do you have your things together?”

Janice Monroe opened the door a little wider. “I can’t leave here without my children.”

Elle fidgeted, ready to be gone. “Mrs. Monroe, Sandra is with your husband. We can’t wait for her to return. But we can take the others. Where are they?”

The woman’s chin trembled. “Gone. Except for my youngest. He took Jeremy as well.”

Elle gave her a wary look. “Mrs. Monroe, Jeb can’t find me here. You know that. If you and your youngest child come with me, I promise, we’ll talk to the police and do what we can to keep the others safe.”

She shook her head slowly, tears spilling onto her cheeks. “He’ll kill them. He told me so. He told me if I betrayed him again, he’d kill my sweet babies. I’ve lost enough. I won’t lose any more.”

Elle sent another anxious glance over her shoulder, toward the road. “Mrs. Monroe, do you still want my help? If not, I’ll leave. But I’d really like you to come with me—for your own safety.”

The woman’s face twisted in anguish. “I’m so sorry. God forgive me.”

The porch steps suddenly creaked behind Elle, bringing goose bumps to her flesh. She spun around on a gasp, her heart leaping into her throat when she saw the barrel of a shotgun leveled at her chest.

“Now, don’t you do anything stupid,” the man holding it drawled. Some flicker of recognition passed through Elle’s mind. She knew him. Had seen him somewhere before. But she couldn’t quite place him. “I’m not supposed to kill you before Jeb gets back.”

“I’m so sorry!” Janice Monroe sobbed behind her. “He made me call you. I’m so sorry!”

A commotion over the man’s shoulder brought Elle’s eyes up in time to see another man dragging the cabbie out of his car and shoving him to the ground. Too late she realized what was happening. Her eyes went wide and a scream tore from her throat just as the man fired a bullet into the cabbie.

“Get rid of the body,” the man with the gun on her called over his shoulder. “And the car. Don’t want anyone finding that here.” He glanced at Mrs. Monroe. “Take her phone, Janice.” He then motioned with the barrel of the gun for Elle to go inside.

Shaking, she sent one last glance toward the car where her purse sat on the floorboards of the backseat. As soon as someone realized she was missing—