Way of the Warrior (Troubleshooters #17.5)(25)
Gavin hissed in unmistakable rage, his fists white-knuckled with restraint, but he let her talk.
“Like last night, when the cops came and he ran. Since he wore a mask and there were no prints, we couldn’t prove it was him. I was only able to get a restraining order because of his obsessive texts and phone calls.”
“How bad?” he asked between clenched teeth.
“How badly was I cut? I’m still here. No permanent damage. Just some stitches along my side.” She’d been fighting, trying to roll away. If she hadn’t, he would have hit her heart. She would be dead today. “But it was enough to make me realize he’s never going to stop. He will never forgive me for leaving him. Except every time I tried to get away, he always seemed to find me, so I convinced myself at least here I knew the lay of the land.”
“He will never hurt you again.” The vow hung hoarse and heavy between them with unmistakable intensity.
“Thank you.” She wanted to have faith in what he offered, but her ability to trust had eroded over the years. He was here for her. But why hadn’t he let her be there for him? “Why didn’t you tell me right away that you’re blind?”
“Are you insinuating I can’t help because I lost my sight?”
She gasped, appalled that she may have wounded his ego. “No, no, that’s not what I meant at all. I’m trusting you with so much now. I’m wondering why you held back from trusting me.”
His chin tipped, revealing that familiar cleft. “Are you sure you’re not every bit as susceptible to pride as I am?”
“Yeah, obviously. That’s the reason I never contacted you,” she confessed softly. “I couldn’t admit what an awful mistake I’d made in marrying Jared, especially after the way I pushed you away.”
“We both made mistakes in issuing ultimatums. We can’t change the past, only work on the future. I will do my best to keep you safe until they lock your ex up in prison. I wish I could protect you on my own. But I can’t.”
“Gavin, it’s not your fault—”
He held up a hand, and touched her lips to silence her. “I have called in friends who can.”
“Gavin, stop.” The caress of his finger along her mouth tempted her to collapse into the comfort of his arms. But she couldn’t bring her trouble, her danger, to his doorstep, especially not now. “The police can—”
“The police have tried without luck.” He clasped her shoulders in his broad palms, massaging gently, enticingly. “You’re too important to me. This is a small town with an understaffed force. I contacted two of my pararescue buddies, and they’re coming up to help with security while we locate your ex and get a handle on his next move.”
Her lashes fluttered closed as she took in the seductive feel of his hands on her shoulders. He wouldn’t be able to see the betraying way she shut her eyes. “Your friends will take leave, drop everything and come here to help a stranger?”
“If I ask, yes. We’re there for each other.” His voice went lower, raspier with regret. “Even if I can’t be there for them anymore.”
Her body chilled, and she opened her eyes again. “I just want to leave town and start over somewhere I won’t have to bar the windows and look over my shoulder.”
Gavin shook his head. “From what you’ve told me and based on the level of violence last night, he will find you.”
“But to involve your friends?” As much as she ached for help, she wasn’t used to calling on others, trusting others.
“I didn’t have to think about it for long. I’m of”—his throat moved in a hard swallow—“limited help to you because of my blindness. But I can’t just walk away.”
If he was injured further because of her, she couldn’t live with herself. “What if I say I’m not your problem or theirs?”
“That won’t stop me—or them.” His raspy voice was steely with determination. “Call it misplaced machismo or whatever you want, but I feel responsible for leaving you behind. I have to know you’re safe. Let me do this for you. I need to do this, and I will, with or without your consent.”
She sure as hell couldn’t handle this on her own anymore with triple locks and barred windows. For now, she had no choice but to accept help from the only person left on the planet she stood a chance at trusting. “When do your friends arrive?”
“By dinnertime tonight.” He shoved to his feet, his hand falling to his dog’s harness. “So are you ready for us to go to your house and pack a bag?”
? ? ?
He had backup.
Shortly after he and Stacy had returned from picking up a suitcase of clothes at her place, his PJ pals had arrived at his house. His buddies were here for him, just as he would be there for them if he could. He felt like hell for asking his friends to drive up from Florida to Kentucky, but Hugh Franco and Liam McCabe, his former pararescue teammates, hadn’t hesitated when he’d woken them in the middle of the night. They’d assured him they had leave time to burn between assignments. Liam’s wife, Rachel, had accompanied them as well with one of her search and rescue dogs named Disco. Between Radar and Disco, they had the best the canine world could offer for additional alert support.
He was still getting his bearings after kissing Stacy. One kiss, for God’s sake, and he was right back flat on his ass crazy to be with her. She moved him in a way no other woman ever had. He suspected that rattled her as much as it did him. They’d both stayed silent for most of the trip to her place to pack her bag and back to his place. Soon, there would be no avoiding talking.