Finding Forever (Smoky Mountain Lawmen Book 1) (18 page)

“Gemma,
get in the damned truck.  It’s been a shit day and I just want to go back to
the house and relax.”

She
took a deep breath and arched an eyebrow.  “So go.  I’m not stopping you.”

“Yeah,
you are.  I can’t leave you here alone.  I already sent your guard home because
I was expecting to be leaving
with you
.”

“And
I already told you that I can’t leave those horses here alone.  They’re not
stable enough.”

Ben
growled and turned away.  Gemma was impressed.  He was good at this.  Only the
lack of tension in his shoulders told her that he wasn’t serious.  And that
wouldn’t be easy for anyone else to see who didn’t know him well.

He
turned back to her, murder still in his eyes.  She stared back with a mutinous
expression.  “You will get in the truck if I have to pick you up and put you
there.”

“I
never asked for your protection, Agent Davidson.  I don’t need it.”

Ben
ran his hands through his hair, laying the exasperation on thick.  “You are the
most hard-headed, stubborn—childish woman I’ve ever met.  You are going to get
yourself killed over your ‘independence,’” he said, making air quotes.  “You’ve
been nothing but a headache to me since I arrived and I will be so glad when
this is all over.”

Gemma
glared at him.  Despite the fact that she knew it was fake, it was still hard
to listen to him spew this filth at her.  “Well, how about I make it easy on
you.  You can leave.  I’ll wait for Tristan.”  With that she stepped back and
slammed the door, quickly throwing the lock before he could push his way in.

“Gemma!”
he yelled, pounding on the glass.  “Open the damn door!”

“No!”
she yelled back and took off down the hall.  She ran into her office and closed
the door.  She leaned against the wood and closed her eyes.  From the front of
the building she could hear him still pounding on the door.

“That
was some fight,” one of the officers said, breaking the silence. 

Gemma
opened her eyes to see the two of them watching her.  She managed a small
smile.  “All pretend.”  She drew in a deep breath through her nose and blew it
out.  “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t still tug at the heart though.”

“It’ll
be done soon, ma’am,” the other one said.

Gemma
nodded and pushed away from the door.  “I guess now we just wait, right?”

They
nodded and Gemma sank into her desk chair.

Ben
stormed to his SUV, letting his adrenaline carry his fake anger.  He climbed in
and quickly started the engine, pulling on his seatbelt as he peeled out of the
parking lot.  He drove several blocks and made a few crazy turns to make sure
no one followed him then headed back to where SWAT had set up.  He pulled into
the parking lot of the strip mall and steered his vehicle behind the buildings,
parking behind the SWAT truck.  He pulled out his phone and dialed Gemma.

She
picked up immediately.  “Ben?”

“You
okay, honey?”

She
sighed.  “Yeah.  Let’s not ever do that for real, okay?”

“I
agree,” he said, resting his head against the head rest.  “I’m going to go get
set up with SWAT.  You sit tight, okay?”

“I
will.”

The
words
I love you
stuck in his throat.  He should have told her before
now how he felt.  He didn’t want the first time to be over the phone.  Vowing
to make sure he got the chance to do it in person, Ben steeled himself against
the dread climbing up his throat and said goodbye before climbing from the
truck to go meet up with the SWAT team.

Gemma
paced down the aisle between the rows of stalls, chewing on her thumbnail. 
She’d been here for two hours already and nothing had happened.  Not even a
blip.  It was seriously starting to fray her already frazzled nerves.

The
side door into the arena banged and Gemma jumped a foot.

“Gemma?”

She
sagged in relief at the sound of her brother’s voice.  “In here!” she called,
hurrying toward the arena.

He
met her just outside the stalls and she hugged him tight.  “What are you doing
here?” she asked.

Tristan
sighed.  “We decided to call it a night.  If we waited much longer and the guy was
watching he would know for sure something was up.  He’s not stupid and we’ve
left you ‘alone’ long enough.”

Gemma’s
shoulders drooped.  So much for returning to her normal life tonight.  “This
sucks.”

Tristan
nodded as he guided her back toward her office so she could get her purse. 
“Tell me about it.  We’ve all been sitting out there waiting for something to
give and all we’ve gotten for it is tight muscles and some major tension
headaches.  Ben’s been prowling the tiny aisle in the SWAT van for the last
forty-five minutes waiting for something to happen.”

The
two officers who had been keeping her company met them in the hallway outside
her office.

“Thanks
guys,” Tristan said, shaking each man’s hand.  “We’re calling it for tonight. 
The rest of your team will sneak you out of here soon.”

They
nodded, both settling against the wall. 

Gemma
ducked into her office and grabbed her purse then waved at the officers as
Tristan led her back to the side door.  He’d parked right outside the door and
Gemma wasted no time climbing inside and buckling up.

Tristan
settled beside her and started the truck.  “I’m sorry, Sis.  I know you were
wanting this to end.  We all were.”

She
gave him a tremulous smile, choking back the disappointment.  “Thanks, Tris. 
We’ll get him.  Just not today.”

Gemma
rested her head against the headrest and let her mind drift as Tristan drove
them home.  Today had been the screwiest day.  She wondered how differently it
would have turned out if she hadn’t gone out to that farm.  It was entirely
possible that he’d seen all the activity after she’d shown back up with the
horses that he had decided it wasn’t worth it to try to grab her tonight. 

Or
he’d seen the SWAT van somehow.

Or
he could have a regular job and just had to work.

Gemma
stifled the hysterical laugh that threatened to bubble out of her at that last
thought.  The idea that a serial killer had a steady job was almost too much
for her rattled brain even though she knew it was wholly possible.

God,
she was tired.  All Gemma wanted was to sink into her nice comfy bed with Ben’s
heat surrounding her to keep her warm and safe.

The
drive to their house was short.  Tristan cut the engine as the garage door
descended behind them.  Before she could get her seatbelt completely unbuckled
the door into the house flew open and Ben stepped through.  He pulled her door
open and hauled her out.

She
half stumbled, half jumped into his arms.

“God,
I’m so sorry.  I hated saying all those awful things, but you did great, Gems,”
Ben said, folding her close.

Gemma
buried her face in his neck, breathing in his spicy male scent.  She felt
infinitely better now that she was back with him.  He grounded her in a way
nothing else ever had.  “I’m sorry too.  For what I said and for getting us
involved in the horse rescue this afternoon.”  She pulled back so she could
look up at him.  “We probably scared him off with all the activity,” she said.

He
cradled her head in one big hand.  “Possibly.  More than likely though, he has
his own plan and tonight just didn’t fit into it.  Don’t go blaming yourself
for any of this.  We’ll catch him when we’re meant to and not before.  And
don’t start doubting yourself and everything else.  I think we all just need to
have a little faith.  As hard as that might be,” he added.

Gemma
nodded.  He was right.  She’d lost sight of her faith in all this, in him and
her brother and all his colleagues, but he was right.  She needed to hold that
close and it would see her through—they would see her through.  “You are
absolutely right.  I do have faith in you and everyone else working this
case.”  She kissed him softly.  “Thank you for reminding me.”

“Hey,”
Tristan said, finally making his presence known.  “Don’t I get some kind of
acknowledgment for all of my hard work too?”

She
grinned and stepped away from Ben to give her brother a hug.  “I do appreciate
you and all you do, Tristan.  Never ever doubt that.”

He
hugged her back hard and dropped a kiss on top of her head.  “I know, Gemma.” 
He pulled back.  “Come on.  Let’s go inside and get something to eat before we
all pass out.  I don’t know about you two, but I’m starved.”

Gemma
stared at her computer monitor without really seeing the report she was
typing.  Her mind was on her life—or the lack of it to be precise.  Several
days had come and gone and it was now Monday again.  It was almost like the
killer had vanished.  They hadn’t heard a word from him since the last nasty
letter he’d sent to Tristan.  Gemma was starting to get really nervous. 
Something had to give soon and she didn’t think it was going to be good.

She
jumped and nearly toppled out of her chair when someone rapped on her door.

She
took a deep breath and willed her frayed nerves to calm down.  “Come in,” she
said.

Gemma
frowned when it wasn’t Ben who walked through the door to eat lunch with her as
she had expected.  Instead, it was the very last person she expected to see. 
“Ted?” she said, rising from her seat.  “What are you doing here?”

He
came forward and walked around the desk to envelope her in a warm hug.  “I came
to talk to you.”

Gemma
tried as gently as she could to extricate herself from his arms.  She didn’t
want to hurt his feelings, but she no longer wanted any kind of affection other
than a nice smile and a handshake from Ted Masterson. 

She
pulled away and motioned to the chair in front of her desk.  “Have a seat and
tell me what’s on your mind,” she said, sitting down herself.

Ted
frowned at the polite distance she imposed, but went back around the desk to
sit down. 

“So,
what’s up?” she asked.

Ted
smiled, his perfect white teeth shining.  He was trying to dazzle her, she
realized, now very curious about why he was here.

“I
realized something, Gemma,” he said, leaning forward.  “We made a mistake last
month when we ended things.  I’ve come to ask if you’d like to go to the
governor’s ball with me in a couple weeks.  I’d love it if you were by my side. 
We were good together and I think we can be again.”

Gemma
sat back in her chair, her eyebrows nearly hitting her hairline.  She couldn’t
believe what she was hearing.  A month ago she would have been over the moon
for him to invite her to such a prestigious event.  Now?  Well, it was amazing
how much a month could change a person.

Gemma
sat forward and folded her hands on top of her desk.  She pressed her lips
together as she thought of a tactful way to turn him down.  She hadn’t
forgotten the way he’d done a one-eighty after her brother’s interrogation.

“Ted,
you realize Tristan hasn’t gone anywhere, right?”

He
nodded, his gaze dropping a bit.  “I know and I’m sorry about running out on
you.  But you have to admit that your brother is a little nuts.  I was worried
he was going to start following me around or something.  It might make some of
my clients nervous to see a cop hanging around.”

Gemma
felt her temper rise.  He was blaming his cowardice on her brother?  Now more
than ever, Gemma was glad she had found Ben and mentally slapped herself for
ever dating Ted Masterson in the first place.  And all the guys just like him
before that.  Ben was the real deal and all the others were merely boys.

“Tristan
is not nuts,” Gemma said, a thread of steel in her voice.  She watched in
satisfaction as Ted shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  “And he has more
important things to do than follow around a pampered attorney.”  She rose from
her seat and planted her fists on the desk.  “And you know what?  I’m glad you
freaked out and we broke up.  It opened the door for me when I met someone who
wasn’t afraid of Tristan and understood that he’s just trying to look out for
me and only wants the best for me.  So, in answer to your question, no I will
not go to the governor’s ball with you.”

Ted
frowned at her.  “You’re seeing someone else already?”

Gemma
threw her hands up and looked at the ceiling.  “
That’s
what you took
from that?”  She looked back down at him, struggling not to throw him out. 
“Yes, I’m seeing someone.  No, I’m not going to dump him for you.  Ben is the
best thing to ever happen to me.  I think it would be best if you left now.  I
really don’t have anything left to say to you.”

Ted
rose, but didn’t make a move for the door.  “Gemma, please reconsider.  I miss
you.”

Gemma
shook her head.  “I’m sorry—”  Another knock on the door interrupted her.  It
opened and Gemma was never happier to see anyone than she was to see Ben at
that moment.

“Hi,
Gems.  Am I interrupting?” he asked frowning at the man standing in front of
her desk.

Gemma
came around the desk to pull him into the room.  “No.  Ted was just leaving,”
she said, giving Ted a pointed look.

He
failed to notice though and frowned at Ben.  “Gemma, we’re not done.  Now, I
know you’ve been under some stress lately—I’ve got friends in the department
and they’ve filled me in some on the case.  Terrible about your friend.  But
you can’t let the stress cloud your judgement.  Think of what we could do
together.  With my connections and your brain—you could have an equestrian
therapy franchise within ten years.  I’ve got political aspirations.  With you
by my side with a slew of therapy centers you’d be a great asset to me and as
my wife, you’d have access to—”

“Your
what?!” Ben and Gemma both shouted.

Ben
strode forward until he was practically toe-to-toe with Ted.  Gemma stayed
where she was.  She had tried to tell Ted she wasn’t interested but he wasn’t listening
to her.  She figured Ben would have better luck.  If there was one thing she
had learned over the last few weeks it was that Tristan could take some
intimidation lessons from Ben.  He had it down to an art form.

“Listen
buddy, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but Gemma will never be
your wife.  You had your chance and you blew it.  Now, I suggest you listen to
the lady and leave her alone.”  Ben never raised his voice, but his tone had
Ted straightening his tie and clearing his throat.

“This
was a discussion between Gemma and me.  It has nothing to do with you and you
have no say in her decision.  I don’t even know who you are,” Ted said, puffing
himself up.  Gemma couldn’t help but admire his pluck.  She shuddered to think
how her life might be different if he’d shown this kind of backbone with her
brother.  Although, she liked to think that Ben’s utter masculinity and
character would have prevailed and she’d have seen the light anyway.

Ben
smiled devilishly.  “Special Agent Ben Davidson.  I take it you’re the old
boyfriend who couldn’t stand up to her brother.  I guess I should be thanking
you.  I probably would have resisted her a lot harder had she been attached.”

Ted
paled.  “You’re the Ben she was talking about?”

“She
mentioned me, huh?  Let me guess.  You thought I was some other suit just like
yourself and that you’re the better choice?”  Ben shook his head.  “Let me
spell this out so it’s perfectly clear and you don’t misunderstand: Gemma won’t
be marrying anyone but me.”

Gemma
gasped at the proclamation.  She knew that’s what she wanted and they had
talked long term, but it was still a shock to hear him utter the words.

Ben
stepped back and folded his arms across his chest.  “Is that clear enough for
you?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at Ted.

Ted
cleared his throat and straightened his already straight tie.  “I still think
it’s up to Gemma.”

Ben
rolled his head back and gave her a look that said, “Is this guy for real?” 
Gemma was still too stunned by the idea that Ben wanted to marry her to do more
than stare back at him.

Ben
turned around and sauntered over to her, a predatory gleam in his eyes.  She
felt like prey all of a sudden, but it was strangely appealing.  She liked the
idea of him being possessive of her. 

He
came to a halt in front of her.  He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear with
one finger, tracing the shell.  “What do you say Gemma?  Do you want to marry
Ted over there?”  He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

Gemma
didn’t even spare a glance at Ted.  She only had eyes for the man standing
right in front of her.  “No.  I want to marry you.”  Good lord, he had no idea
how much she wanted that very thing.  Nothing in this world would make her
happier than to be his wife and to make babies with him.

A
happy smile split Ben’s face.  “Yeah?”

She
smiled back, joy lighting her heart and making her smile shine.  “Yeah.”

He
cupped her head and leaned down.  “I love you,” he said softly.

Gemma
felt like she was floating.  The whole conversation was surreal.  She touched
his face almost reverently.  “I love you too.”

The
world around them disappeared as Ben settled his mouth on hers in the sweetest,
most tender kiss Gemma had ever received.  Happiness made her giddy and her
hands shook where they rested on his face.  She was vaguely aware of Ted
brushing past them on his way out the door, but she was too engrossed in Ben to
acknowledge him.

Ben
pushed the door closed behind Ted and leaned her against it.  Gemma savored the
feel of him trapping her between it and his hard body. 
And he’s all mine
,
she thought, prompting her to run her hands over his cloth-covered chest. 
Ben’s hands drifted down to wrap her waist.  One hand slid down to hold her
hips to his while the other spanned her back.  The kiss morphed into something
more urgent before Ben eventually broke the kiss with a soft peck and pulled
back enough that she was no longer pressed into the door.

“Did
you just agree to marry me?” he asked.

Gemma
smiled crookedly.  “That depends.  Were you really asking?”

Ben
stared down at her silently for a moment.  Gemma watched the emotions cross his
face as he thought about it—not once did she see any fear or dread though.  “I
think I was, but how about we wait to make it official until I can get you a
ring?  You deserve that.”

Gemma
couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face.  “I think I can deal with
that.  It’s enough for now to know that you’ll still be in my life after this
case is over.”

“Oh,
you can count on that, honey.  We’ll have to work out the details since I’m
still based in Richmond, but as soon as I get back I’m going to put in for a
transfer to Charlotte.”

“Really?”

He
nodded, sending Gemma’s heart soaring again.  “Yeah.  Really,” he said, just
before he covered her lips with his again.

Ben
walked back into the station house later feeling lighter than he had in a long
time, maybe ever.  Turned out it was incredibly freeing to love someone so
completely and to have that love returned.

“Mail,
Agent Davidson.”  Ben turned to the deputy on his right holding out a large
manila envelope.  Ben felt the lightness seeping away.  He looked at the
postmark on the envelope and the heaviness crashed back down around him.  It
was postmarked Asheville again, just like all the other letters.

“Get
Detective Mabley and send him to my desk,” Ben told the deputy.

The
deputy scurried away as Ben made his way to his desk, holding the envelope by
the corner.  He donned gloves and slit the top of the envelope.  

“Please
tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Tristan said, stopping several steps
from the desk. 

Ben
reached inside and carefully pulled out the contents.  This time it was
pictures.  Of him and Gemma last week at the horse rescue.  Of Gemma calming
the riled horse.  Of her facing off with the madman.  Of him holding the owner
at gunpoint, Gemma looking on.  Of them kissing.  Each one had an “X” drawn
over Gemma’s face.  A lone sheet of paper on the bottom of the stack of papers
contained a simple typed note:
It would have been so easy
.

The
rage coursing through his body at the images quickly gave way to shock. 
“Tristan.”  Ben flipped through the photographs again, stopping on the first
image of Gemma calming the horse.  “Tristan, look at this.”  He showed the
picture to Tristan. 

Tristan
frowned.  “What about it?”

“We
had been there maybe two minutes at that point.  I didn’t notice anyone
following us on the way there, so that means that whoever took this picture—“

“Was
already there!” Tristan finished for him. 

Ben
stabbed the photo with his finger.  “Exactly!  Our perp messed up.  We’re
looking for someone affiliated with Gemma’s equine rescue league.”

Tristan
whipped out his phone.  “I’ll call Sally Coleman and get a list of all the
people she called in and the helpers she had with her.  You get a hold of the
Transylvania county sheriff’s department and find out what deputies were
dispatched to the scene.”

For
the first time since they had discovered Diana Lowell’s body, Ben felt hope
that they could finally catch this killer.

Ben
and Tristan spent the evening pouring over the lists that flooded into the
office from the various organizations and individuals who had been involved in
the horse seizure.  The number of people involved was staggering.  Sally had
called in seven different teams to rehome the horses and each team had arrived
with at least two people.  The two larger teams had four people and Sally had
brought a handful of her own helpers with her to the seizure.  With the local
law enforcement there, Ben and Tristan were looking at nearly thirty
individuals.  They had quickly crossed off the women, but were still left with
seventeen men whose alibis they needed to check.