Authors: Kris Norris
“Brooklyn?”
“Don’t.”
“How bad did he hurt you?”
She paused as another sob caught in her chest.
“Bad enough.”
Gage cursed and slammed his fists against the side. Brooklyn jumped at the force of his blow. He wanted to pound them through the wall, but the soft sound of her crying snapped him back. He moved closer, cradling her trembling body against his.
“Tell me what to do. Tell me how to help you.”
“Just hold me. Hold me and make it all go away.”
“Anything, darling,” he said.
“Anything.”
* * * *
March 18
th
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” said Gage, pulling up the driveway to their home. “You should’ve stayed in the hospital for at least two more days.”
“You know how much I hate hospitals,” said Brooklyn. “Besides, I didn’t feel safe there.”
“And this is better?”
“If the creep knows where I live, then why did he wait to attack me at the bookstore?” she protested, opening the door as Gage slowed the car to a stop. “Besides, it’s not like I’ll be alone.” She motioned to the two officers waiting at the front door. “You and Sam have seen to that.”
“Sam and I didn’t arrange for your new fan club. That was Trevor’s doing.”
“And Trevor is one of Sam’s oldest friends,” she countered.
“Trevor is doing Sam a favour by being part of the unit assigned to your case,” replied Gage, stepping out of the car and over to Brooklyn’s door. “The bodyguards would’ve been recruited even if Trevor wasn’t fielding the investigation.” He grabbed her arm, helping her out. “Now quit being so damn difficult and let’s get you inside.”
Brooklyn
huffed at his forced smile as she followed him up the path and into the house. Some of her strength had returned, but even the short burst of exertion drained her, and she gladly accepted the chair Gage offered as they stepped through the door. “So when are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“When you don’t pale from the least bit of effort,” he teased.
“Very funny.
Where’s Sam? I doubt you’re the only mastermind behind this operation.”
“He’s waiting in the study. I’ll help you there as soon as some colour returns to your face.”
Brooklyn
shook her head and stood up, ignoring his huff of protest as she swayed on her feet. She headed down the hall, bracing some weight against the wall. She turned right through the doorway, walked past Sam, and headed for the small sofa by the window, sinking into the leather cushions.
“Stubborn as usual,” said Sam. He smiled at her bemused snort. “Trevor’s just checking out the security system we installed. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“What security system?” asked
Brook.
“We’re not about to take any chances on your safety,” said Sam. “So we called one of our tech guys and had him install a high-end security system in the house. Trust me. If someone so much as breathes around this place once it’s armed, we’ll know about it.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary? You know how much I hate all that stuff.”
“Just humour us until we catch this guy,” said Sam. “Then you can leave it disarmed if you want.”
Brooklyn
sighed, relaxing back in the cushions just as three people walked into the room. She recognised one of the men from Gage’s party, but had no idea who the other two were.
“That’s one slick system,” said one of the men. “How did you manage to get the Bureau to spring for it?”
Sam smiled. “Once you get to know Brooklyn, you’ll discover most people are willing to help out when it involves her.” Sam motioned to her.
“Brooklyn.
This is Trevor Watts. He heads the homicide unit in the Southwest precinct.”
“I remember you from Gage’s party,” said Trevor, shaking Brooklyn’s hand. “I didn’t realise you were Gage’s wife.” He shot Gage a quick smile.
“Didn’t think a brute like him could land such a beautiful lady.”
“Believe me, that fact has astounded most people,” teased Sam. “Why don’t you introduce the rest of the team, Trevor?”
“Sure.” He stepped over to a large man with black hair and blunt features.
“Brooklyn.
This is Troy Jones. He’s part of the domestic violence unit at the station and the lovely lady to his left is his partner, Rebecca Brown. They’ve both dealt with hundreds of assault cases and have had some exposure to serial pursuits.”
Brooklyn
nodded at the two people. Neither smiled nor moved forward to shake her hand, but merely stood with their arms crossed. “Do you have experience with stalkers?” she asked.
“It’s not a crime that occurs that frequently in this city,” said Troy.
“So that’s a no,” replied Brooklyn.
Troy
glanced at his partner then at Trevor. “No,” he confirmed.
“They may not have direct experience in a case exactly like yours. But they’re the best in their field, and I’m certain they’ll be able to catch this guy,” said Trevor.
“So what do you know so far?” asked Brooklyn, shifting over so Sam could join her on the couch. She glanced over at Gage, but he appeared rooted to his spot by the window.
“Unfortunately, not much.
We ran the partial prints we found on the wheelchair and the DNA sample from your fingernails through the computer, but haven’t been able to find a match yet. That suggests our mystery man hasn’t been arrested before. We’re expanding our search parameters, but there’s a distinct chance he’s a ghost in the system.”
“That’s crap and you know it,” hissed Gage. “This guy’s far too organised to be a rookie. He’s done this before.”
“Perhaps,” said Troy. “But if he’s never been caught, knowing that doesn’t help us much.”
“Easy, gentlemen,” said Trevor. “We all want to find this guy. That’s why Troy and Rebecca have come up with a plan to draw him out.” He waved his hand at Troy.
“If you’d be so kind as to tell everyone your idea.”
“Of course.”
Troy stepped forward, drawing himself up straight. “Both Rebecca and I feel the best way to catch this guy is to trap him. He seems motivated to get you, so it stands to reason he’ll come after you again. Only this time, we’ll be waiting.” He removed a file from his jacket and placed it on the desk behind him. “Based on his attack at the bookstore and his attempt at the hospital, it’s obvious he won’t try to abduct you unless he can get you alone, or in a position which shifts the power in his favour. But, in order to do that, he’ll have to expose himself to a public forum first. What we want to do is choose the time and place you’ll be vulnerable, and then trap the bastard when he tries to take you.”
“You want Brooklyn to be bait?” asked Gage.
“Protected in every way,” assured Troy. “We’ve arranged for another book signing, only this time we’ll have undercover police at every exit and in the crowd. When our guy shows up hoping to set his snare, we’ll trap him instead.”
Brooklyn didn’t even have a chance to respond before Gage stormed across the room, stepping in front of Troy.
“Over my dead body,” he hissed.
“Gage…” she began.
“Forget it, Brook. There’s no way in hell you’re exposing yourself to this guy. He’s too unpredictable. There’s no way they can assure me of your safety.”
Troy
glanced at Rebecca. The woman stepped forward. “I can understand your concern, Agent Matthews. But it’s completely unnecessary. We’ve executed similar scenarios several times, and never experienced any problems.” She feigned a smile. “Your wife will be completely safe.”
“You’re damn right she will, because she won’t be anywhere near that bookstore!”
“Easy, buddy.” Sam stood up beside him, gently taking his arm. “Let’s just look through their security measures, first, before we shoot down any ideas. After all, we both know this guy’s a threat until he’s caught.”
Gage huffed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I realise that, but this isn’t the way to catch him. He’s too sophisticated. His attempt at the hospital wasn’t just a spur of the moment decision. He took that nurse’s identity two weeks before he attacked Brook, anticipating she’d live through their first encounter. And when he made the attempt, he was prepared to deal with anyone in the room.” He levelled a heated look at Rebecca and Troy. “This guy’s dangerous.”
“All the more reason to catch him,” said Rebecca. She waved her hand at Gage’s growl. “I’d like the opportunity to go over the details with Brooklyn, first, before
she
makes her decision.”
“I already told you.
Over my dead body.”
“Gage.”
He turned to her. She was still sitting on the couch.
“Brooklyn.”
She stood up and made her way over to the desk. “We need to talk.” She glanced around at the small gathering of people. “I’d appreciate it if you’d all kindly wait in the hall. Maybe you could get them some coffee, Sam?”
Sam nodded, extending his hand towards the door. “Sure.” He followed the group out, stopping in the doorway. “Give a shout when you’re done…talking.” He smiled as he closed the door, leading the way to the kitchen.
Chapter Nine
“You’re not putting your life on the line so two hotshot detectives can add another notch to their belts.” Gage was angry and Brooklyn knew there wasn’t anything she’d be able to say to change his mind.
“I don’t intend on doing anything of the sort. But I don’t see the harm in listening to what they have to say. They’re the experts here.”
“Experts?”
He moved over to the desk she was leaning against, bracketing his body in front of hers. “Let me assure you neither one of them is prepared for what this guy’s capable of. There’s something wrong with this guy, and I don’t mean just the usual insanity. The way he’s personified you into your character, calling you Sarah.” Gage shook his head. “It’s just too dangerous.”
“So what would you have me do? Stay locked up in the house until the creep gets tired of trying to find me?”
“No.” His voice was strong, but she could see the reservations in his eyes. Staying locked up in the house was exactly what he’d hoped she’d do. “But taunting him with your body isn’t exactly what I had in mind either! You said it yourself. The bastard wants you, and not just to have you sign his copy of your book.”
“I’m more than aware of what the guy wants,” she replied. “But I can’t spend the rest of my life hiding from him. Eventually the bodyguards will leave, and then what? Living here alone isn’t that much safer.”
Gage clenched his jaw, and she knew she’d struck a nerve. “I won’t let that bastard hurt you.” He leant forward, his lips only a breath away. “I promise.”
Brooklyn
tried to breathe, but he was just too close. She touched her fingers to his face, feeling him tense at her gentle caress. “You can’t stay perched by my side twenty-four hours a day. You haven’t done that since our honeymoon.”
He took a laboured breath as he placed his hands on her waist. His eyes had darkened and he looked ready to kill. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
He inched closer, straddling her legs around his hips. She stole a quick glance at his crotch, smiling at the bulge in his jeans. He stopped before he touched her, his chest hovering beside hers.
“Gage.”
She tilted her head towards him, slanting her lips over his. Maybe if she made the first move…
“Bloody hell.”
He took her in his arms, wrapping his hands around her shoulders, as he sealed his mouth to hers. She opened her lips as he thrust his tongue inside, stroking hers with a fiery need. She moaned into the kiss, slipping her fingers beneath his shirt, palming his chest with her hands. Warm skin greeted her and she could feel his muscles bunching and twitching beneath her touch. She squeezed, quickly skirting across to his nipples, teasing them with slow, strong tweaks.
“Good God,” he moaned, pulling her body against him, pressing his cock into the
vee
of her thighs. She could feel the head pulsing through the fabric, desperate to be released.
She obeyed.
Without losing contact, she moved her hands down his chest, releasing the first button on his pants. He groaned. She smiled against his chest, kissing him through his shirt as she moved lower and slowly released the next button. He growled this time, moving his lips to her neck. She stilled for just a moment as he ran his tongue down her throat, nipping at the hollow of her shoulder. Brooklyn tilted her head back, increasing the pressure as she popped the last two buttons free. His cock thickened against the tip of her fingers as she pulled his underwear down to release the long shaft from its prison.
“Brooklyn.”
His voice was a husky plea, so deep and raw the sound of it pooled the moisture growing between her legs.
“Gage,” she whispered, taking his lips with hers again.
He pulled at her shirt as she trailed her fingers down the length of his cock, teasing the skin of his scrotum. His hands tore at her clothing, flinging some of the buttons across the room in his haste to free her from it. He cupped her right breast, massaging the hard nipple between his fingers. She hadn’t been able to wear a bra, and Gage was taking full advantage of that fact.