Cheyenne McCray - Point Blank (Lawmen Book 4) (22 page)

“I already told you, I will do whatever you want.” Natasha focused on keeping her words steady as she spoke. “I won’t tell anyone about this, especially law enforcement. I’ll take the merchandise to sell at the tradeshow. Please, don’t send any kind of message again. I believe you will hurt them.”

“Whether or not they are hurt is up to you, Natasha.” The smug-sounding bastard continued. “You had better keep your promise. Every time you disobey me, I’ll kill someone off, one by one, until you are the only one left.”

“I’ve got it, Mark.” Anger powered through her coming out in a heated rush. She’d never been so furious at anyone than she was now. “You’ve made your point loud and clear.”

Mark laughed and disconnected the call.

She nearly slammed the phone on the table. God, she had to get that gun.

Her brow furrowed. Mark had referred to Brooks as a “Good Samaritan” and “some stranger.” Was it possible he didn’t know who Brooks was? Mark knew about Trace, so why not Brooks? Whoever was watching her in Colorado also probably hadn’t known who Brooks was, either. She prayed it was true and that Mark didn’t know anything about Brooks.

Even though it wasn’t even noon, and she’d had a shower that morning, she felt dirty. It was probably Mark’s smarmy voice and personality rubbing off on her. Maybe another shower would make her feel better. Or a long, hot bath.

She walked out of the kitchen and through the living room. She stepped into the spare bedroom—and smacked into a man.

Terror stabbed her like a thousand knives and a scream started to tear from her. She struggled as the man grabbed her and slapped his hand over her mouth.

Adrenaline pumped through her body, fueled by her fear. Her heart thudded as she fought with everything she had, trying to get away from the man holding her tight. She kicked, her heel connecting with booted shins. She heard a muffled grunt of pain when she hit the man’s left leg and she tried to kick it again.

She clawed at the forearms holding her, her fingers digging into flesh. She struggled, but arms clamped around her, so tightly she couldn’t move her torso.

“Natasha.” A familiar male voice penetrated the fear tearing through her.
“Natasha.”

She went still, only her chest rising and falling from effort.

Brooks.

Her knees gave out on her in relief and she sagged in his arms. He caught her to him and held her in a tight hug before he removed his hand from her mouth.

“I’m sorry for scaring you.” He kissed the top of her head as her eyes filled with tears. Every emotion came rushing forward as she let him hold her. He moved his lips to her ear. “I need to make sure your home isn’t bugged. Just stand here and I’ll do a sweep.”

Her eyes widened. Bugged? Her home could be bugged?

Her breathing was still ragged, and she wanted to scream at him to leave. Instead, she watched him as he went through every room in her home. He had taken a long, thin device that she knew was a wand used to detect recording and listening devices.

When he returned to her, he shoved the wand in his back pocket and looked relieved. “I did a thorough search and as far as I can tell, your place is clean.”

She let out a breath of relief. “Why did you sneak in?”

“I needed to get in without your tail seeing me.”

She stilled. “Someone followed me?” She shouldn’t be surprised, but it still hit her hard, like a slap meant to bring her back to attention. She was being watched so closely that everything she did could come back to haunt her.

“Yes, you have someone watching you.” Brooks smoothed loose hair away from her face. “I know something’s wrong, and denying it isn’t going to work. You’re being followed, you’ve pushed me away, Christie was deliberately almost hit by a car, and you’re clearly terrified.”

Natasha swallowed but said nothing.

“When I put the pieces together,” Brooks went on, “it comes down to the fact that it’s clear you’re being threatened. I have a damned good idea that Mark Okle is the bastard who has you so scared. He has you under his thumb. Or thinks he does.”

Anger and fear rose inside her, ready to spew like a geyser. “Then you know you’re putting everyone I love in danger by being here.”

“Like I said, I had to get in without your tail seeing me, and I worked hard to do just that.” He drew back and kissed her forehead. “I’m sure he doesn’t know I’m here.”

She hated the rollercoaster she was on. It was going nowhere, just around and around and around to the same places in an endless loop. Yet it moved so quickly it made her head spin. She was so up and down that it was going to drive her out of her mind.

Her emotions had never been so tumultuous as they had since she’d broken that damned resin piece. She would rather have continued living in ignorance than this. Being used without her knowledge was horrible, but being in this situation was worse. At least when she didn’t know what was going on, people she cared about hadn’t been threatened.

Would ignorance truly be better? Or was it better to know?

She pressed her face against Brooks’s chest, breathing in his masculine scent. He felt solid, his presence lending her strength that she so desperately needed right now.

“I want to kill him.” The words came out before she could stop them. “I want to kill the bastard.”

Brooks didn’t stop stroking her hair. “I have that urge, too, and I don’t even know the whole story.”

He leaned back and she held onto him as he cupped her face. “Tell me. I need to know everything.”

Her heart thumped so hard her chest hurt. “I’m afraid.”

“I understand.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek before wrapping his strong arms around her again. “I will help you out of this mess, whatever it is. I promise.”

“I can’t see any way out, unless Mark ends up dead.” She bit her lower lip and it stung with the strength of her bite. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. “He said if I involve law enforcement, he will murder every member of my family, as well as my friends, one by one. If I decide to be ‘noble’ as he called it, and turn myself in to the police, he’ll kill those I care about. If I kill myself—which I would not do—he’ll murder them.”

Brooks gripped her with such strength and power—his arms like steel bands—that she gasped in pain.

“I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He relaxed his grip. “I want to kill the sonofabitch.” His voice had taken on a deep growl.

Words stuck in her throat that she wanted to say, but didn’t.
No.
I
want to kill him… And
I
might just do it.

“Let’s sit down, and tell me everything.” He held her by her upper arms. “Everything. Okay?”

She trusted him and knew he would do everything in his power to help her while keeping every one of them safe. She nodded. “I won’t leave anything out.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her forehead, and she let herself relax. He made her feel secure, in ways she had never felt before.

He took her hand in his and she squeezed his fingers, her fear causing her to hang on tighter than she normally would have. His hand was dry and warm, his palm callused, his grip firm.

At the doorway from the bedroom to the living room, he paused. He scanned the room and she imagined he was checking it out to make sure they couldn’t be seen through the windows. That was true, they couldn’t be seen, because the big picture window faced the hillside. The house was built so that the side facing out was high, like a two-story building. It wasn’t possible for anyone to look in, even if they had binoculars. As far as the other areas of the house where someone
could
see in, the windows were closed off. The curtain on the kitchen door window was drawn, as were the curtains over the sink.

“You have a beautiful view.” He squeezed her hand and looked from the picture window to her. “I think we’re safe in here.”

She nodded, but didn’t release his hand. She drew him with her as she walked to the love seat, in front of the round table. They reached it and she tugged on his hand and brought him down with her.

They settled into the loveseat. He set his hat on the table and then wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close so that her head was on his chest. For a long moment they were quiet and he just held her as she thought about all the horrible things that had been happening. She did need someone to talk with. She had no one to discuss what was happening, and it had been driving her crazy. But a lawman—she hadn’t planned on speaking to anyone in law enforcement.

She had certainly never expected to be telling Brooks everything, much less with her head on his chest and his arm around her. No matter how much she wanted him to make everything right, she knew it wasn’t possible. She only saw one way out. One terrible way out of this entire mess.

I have to stop thinking about that.
She mentally shook herself.
I’m not a killer. That’s just desperation and fear talking. I could never go through with killing Mark.

“Start from the beginning.” Brooks’s voice was gentle but firm.

For a long moment she didn’t speak, then she let out a long sigh. “It started with Mark coming by my store, a couple of days after I opened. The previous owner, Jane Adams, had more of a gift shop than an informal gallery like I have. Mark sold a few things to Jane regularly, but was looking to move more product. He asked me if I’d ever thought of tradeshows.”

Brooks held her even tighter when she faltered. “Go on.” His encouragement gave her strength.

Her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath then slowly let it out. “I had already researched tradeshows and told him I was, in fact, considering taking my art around the country.” She shrugged. “It’s a good way to build a business beyond your current market and bring in additional income. After we talked it over, Mark said he’d be glad to supply me with high quantities of several quality items for the shows, and he’d take back anything I didn’t sell.”

Brooks waited with barely restrained anger, and it didn’t surprise her. She was just as angry.

She gritted her teeth before relaxing her jaws and continuing. “Turned out everything he provided me with did sell—every single statuette and print. The statuettes aren’t that great of quality and I didn’t think they would go, but they moved so quickly.” Her jaws ached from grinding her teeth before she continued. “Now I know why.”

Brooks rubbed her shoulder hard enough to make her flinch, then seemed to realize how rough he was being and relaxed his touch. “How did you learn the truth?”

She explained to him what happened at WESA and the threats that had followed, and about her hotel room being trashed and the bloody message and dead rat. She couldn’t see Brooks’s face with her head against his chest, but she could feel how rigid his body had gone, and she sensed more fury roiling inside him.

The memory of the letter she received before she’d found out about the drugs came back to her. She told Brooks about the message and retrieved the envelope from her purse. He read the letter, his features hard.

“Do you think someone who works for Mark sent it?” Natasha asked.

Brooks placed the folded piece of paper and the envelope on the table before he met her gaze. “It’s possible, but hard to say. I’ll take it with me and have it analyzed for fingerprints.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “I would never have dreamed anything like this could happen to me in a million years.”

“Whatever it takes, I am going to see you smile in the same beautiful way again.” His voice started out hard but softened as he spoke. “I
will
see the sparkle in your eyes and hear you laugh and hold nothing back. You
will
feel joy again.”

Brooks let silence fall around them before he added, “The sonofabitch isn’t going to get away with what he’s doing.”

Natasha let his words sink in and felt a lightening of fear in her chest. She barely knew Brooks, but she felt as if their hearts and souls were somehow connected.

I could fall for him.
Her throat ached as she swallowed.
Maybe I already have.

“You are a white knight.” She spoke softly. “To Christie, to me.”

“I’m not even close to being one.” Brooks’s voice had an edge to it. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with Christie.”

“What about with me?” Natasha shifted so that she was sitting and looking into Brooks’s warm brown eyes. “You’re intentionally putting yourself in danger to help me.”

He stroked her hair as he met her gaze. “I’m doing my job.”

“It’s more than that.” She searched his face for some kind of indication that what she said was true. “You care. Not only for my safety, but for everyone else. You love my family, and by protecting me, you’re protecting them.”

“That doesn’t make me a white knight.” He ran his knuckles along the side of her face, close to her hairline. “This is my job.”

“Don’t minimize it.” She placed her hand on his chest and felt the beat of his heart beneath her palm. “Okay? You are on the verge of insulting my intelligence.”

He studied her. “You’re right. I care for them. I care for you. And I would do anything to make sure all of you are safe and never have to fear for your lives again.”

“Was that so hard?” She gave him a gentle smile. “Admitting you care is the sign of strong character.”

“If you say so.” His gaze fixed on her mouth, and for a long moment he didn’t seem to be able to look away.

When he finally did, he shifted and slid his hand into his front pocket. She tilted her head to the side as she watched him.

He pulled out a small blue velvet bag and held it in his palm. “It comes in a box, but that wouldn’t fit in my pocket.” He took her hand and turned it palm up before placing the bag on her hand. “This made me think of you.”

She looked at him before looking at the bag. The name “Swarovski” and the company’s swan symbol were on one side of the blue velvet. Tingles ran through her body as she loosened the drawstring, tilted the bag, and let a three-inch wide crystal object slide onto her palm.

Her breath caught. It was an elegant crystal butterfly. She stared at the simple but gorgeous piece of crystal as its cuts and contours caught the light in brilliant glimpses of rainbows. Swarovski used silver instead of lead to make their brilliantly clear, faceted crystal pieces.