Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Erin scrambled to a sitting position. “What is it?”
“A note. Handwritten.”
“What’s it say?” Mike asked.
“‘Leave him alone,’” Sam said.
Erin wrinkled her nose. “Him who?”
“That’s the thousand-dollar question.” Sam sounded as frustrated as the rest of them.
“Someone’s telling me to leave him alone. That’s further confirmation we’re dealing with a woman, right?” Erin glanced at Cole, her confusion clear in her tight expression and troubled eyes.
He nodded. “On the roadkill, yes. On the shooting? I’m not so sure.” Something felt so off about this whole thing. It could be because the person was unstable—
“Are you suggesting it’s two people after me?” Erin asked, sounding more panicked by the second.
Cole kept a firm hand on her leg. “It’s possible, that’s all. Mike?” He looked at her brother for confirmation. They’d gone through similar training and they’d both been undercover. Both been given the same behavioral courses.
“Rifle shooting doesn’t sound like a woman,” Mike agreed. “This does. But like I said, could just be an accomplice or someone doing something on their own, not listening to the woman.”
“My head hurts,” Erin muttered.
“Look, let’s get this processed, see if we can pull any prints. You two didn’t touch anything?” Sam asked.
Cole shook his head.
“Are you insane?” Erin asked, obviously doing her best not to gag again. “I want answers,” she said. “I hope the lab can work faster than they’ve been doing on the gun.”
“They will.” Cole agreed and he’d already taken steps to ensure it. “I have a call in to my people along with a promise to get things moving. We should know something soon.” He’d given everyone involved time to work without stepping on toes, but he’d gotten tired of waiting and he was finished tiptoeing around her brothers’ egos. While Mike had contacts high up in Manhattan, Cole had people who owed him more recent favors, both federal and state. Erin was worth pulling them in for.
Mike looked ready to argue but obviously thought better. “Thank you,” he said begrudgingly.
“No problem.”
Mike rose from his seat and walked over to Erin. “You okay, sis?”
She nodded. “I thought morning sickness was over, but that just . . .” She closed her eyes against the memory.
“Yeah. But I didn’t mean just that.”
“He meant with me being here,” Cole clarified for her.
Erin let out a long sigh. “I’m fine. If I wasn’t, Cole wouldn’t be here. End of discussion.” She folded her arms across her chest, a sign she was digging in her heels.
Cole had come to know that about her at least.
“Fine.” Mike raised both hands in a gesture of defeat. “Just know—”
“You’re here for me. I know. And I love you for it.” Her voice softened. “But if you want me calm through this, I suggest you accept that Cole’s part of my life—my baby’s life now. Whatever we work out between us will have to be okay with you too.”
Mike inclined his head, then leaned over and kissed Erin’s cheek. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
She nodded.
“You.” Mike stood and Cole did as well. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“They’ll have to go through me to get to her,” Cole told the other man. They might not agree on everything, but when it came to Erin’s safety, they were one hundred percent in accord.
Mike inclined his head, obviously satisfied.
Once he left, Cole turned to Erin. “Let’s get you reshowered and changed. You’ll feel better, and then maybe you’ll want to eat.”
Erin rose. Her color looked better, a touch of pink in her cheeks. “I can handle myself. I’ll meet you back in the kitchen in a few minutes.”
He backed off, recognizing that despite everything, she was still in withdrawal mode. He’d noticed it this morning but let it go without a fuss. Although he preferred her soft and giving, he understood self-protection only too well.
Besides, he didn’t want Erin getting attached to him, and her accepting how things needed to be was a good thing. He’d laid out the rules—no commitment, just sex—and today she was giving him the space that defined those boundaries. A part of him approved because it was safer that way, for both of them. But damned if her turning away from him hurt more than it should.
And it grated that she’d pulled into herself, since she so obviously needed someone to lean on. Another thing he liked about Erin: She might need him, but she wouldn’t let herself depend on him in that needy way some women did. His thoughts immediately traveled to Victoria Maroni and her begging him not to leave or to take her with him. It’d been a goddamned case, and she had made it sound like he was bailing on an actual relationship. He hadn’t slept with the woman or sent her mixed signals, that he knew for sure.