Safe from Harm (7 page)

Jeb narrowed his eyes at his daughter. “I will thank you to adjust your tone, girl. You don't speak to me that way. I'd hate to smack the smart mouth off you today of all days, but I will.”

She shrank into herself a little, dropping her gaze. “I'm sorry, sir. I just…I just don't want anything to happen to you or the boys. What if you die, too?”

“Then I will die a martyr for freedom,” Jeb told her, having made peace with that fact long ago. “I will not be subjugated by the laws of tyrants, handing over my hard-earned money to them just so they can give it away to everyone else who sticks their hands out, begging for what they didn't earn. And I will not allow my family to be ruled by the police who enforce an illegal government's tyrannical laws.”

“Yes, sir,” Sandra mumbled.

“What's that?” he snapped. “Didn't hear you, girl.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, louder this time, visibly trembling in fear. “I was wrong to question you.”

He turned his attention back to his knife and rubbed his thumb across the edge of the blade, testing the sharpness. It was perfect for tearing the heart out of a deer. Or a pig. And he'd take a great deal of pleasure when he ripped out Mac Dawson's heart the same way his own heart had been torn from his chest when he'd seen his boy lying on that gurney with a sheet over his face.

“‘Vengeance is mine,'” Jeb quoted, “‘and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand…'” He raised his eyes to his daughter, giving her an expectant look, waiting for her to finish the verse from the only authority he recognized.

She swallowed hard, her face pale as she added, “‘And their doom comes swiftly.'”

“What the hell is
she
doing here?”

“Well, hello to you, too,” Elle snapped, her eyes flashing in indignation. “Glad to see you're feeling well enough to be back to your usual asshole self.”

As much as he enjoyed seeing those emerald eyes spark, he wasn't particularly happy to be on the receiving end this time. In fact, he felt like a total ass for clearly offending her, when in actuality, seeing her had made his heart leap up into his throat and choke off his breath. He'd been thinking about her nonstop since her visit earlier in the day, wishing like hell that she hadn't witnessed the delivery of all the shit from his various lady friends.

In fact, he'd had Wanda give all the stuffed animals to the kids in the children's ward and the flowers to some of the patients who didn't have anyone to send them anything at all. The only thing he'd kept was Elle's bouquet, which was in a vase on the little table across from his bed where he could see them easily.

“Sorry,” Tom said, interrupting his thoughts. “She insisted on coming.”

Elle crossed her arms over what Gabe liked to imagine were perfect breasts and gave him a defiant look, daring him to kick her out. He couldn't help the amused grin that tugged on his mouth. “Well, I learned a long time ago I'm no match for Elle's stubbornness.”

And then he winked at her.

Her arms dropped just a little and her expression did an interesting little dance, going from defiant to surprised to confused. If he wasn't mistaken, that was a little flush of color rising to her cheeks.

Well, isn't that interesting?

Unfortunately, he didn't have a chance to offer another flirtatious comment about her reaction before the door opened and his younger brothers entered, jerking their chins in greeting.

“What's up?” Kyle asked, shoving his hands into his pants pockets and waiting for Gabe to fill them in. “You getting out of here soon or what?”

It still threw Gabe to see his FBI agent baby brother looking all grown-up and businesslike in his standard dark suit and tie. But he was damned proud of Kyle, and for all their differences over the years, he was glad to have him home again.

“Couple of days,” Gabe told him, “but that's not what I wanted to talk to you guys about.” He sent a glance Elle's way. “I got a visit from Jeb Monroe last night.”

“That son of a bitch has a hell of a lot of nerve,” Joe spat.

“What did he want?” Tom demanded, talking at the same time.

“He wanted to deliver a message,” Gabe informed them. “To let me know this isn't over. From what I gathered, we'd better watch our backs.”

Kyle cursed under his breath. “Did he make any specific threats? Anything we can bring him in on?”

Gabe shook his head. “Of course not. He's a slippery son of a bitch. He's not going to put himself at risk.”

“He wants us to live in fear,” Elle chimed in. “It's the same crap I've been dealing with since we arrested Derrick after Chris's death.”

Gabe's attention snapped to her. “What are you talking about? Were you receiving threats before yesterday?”

She suddenly looked a little less defiant, almost contrite as she cast her gaze around the room at the four brothers. “I couldn't prove who the threats were coming from,” she said, her tone apologetic. “Local PD checked into it for me, but there was nothing really to go on. You can't charge someone if you don't know who to charge. You know that, Tom.”

“You should've come to
us
, Elle,” Tom insisted. “We could've at least brought the Monroes in again for questioning.”

“So he could deny everything as usual? I get threats now and then from the families of people I prosecute,” Elle told him. “Hell, sometimes they come from the general public—people who don't even
know
the defendant. It's usually nothing.”

“Well, it wasn't
nothing
this time,” Tom spat. “Gabe could've been killed. What the hell were you thinking?”

“Back off, Tom,” Gabe interjected, sitting up straighter in his hospital bed.

“I screwed up,” Elle said, edging back a little from Tom's anger. “I know that. I should've taken the threats more seriously.”

“Damn right you should've,” Tom fired back.

“I said back off, Tommy!” Gabe shouted, stabbing a finger in Tom's direction. What the hell was Tom's damage anyway? It wasn't like him to lose his cool in
any
situation—he certainly wasn't usually so short with people. If anything, Tom was normally way too forgiving and understanding, in Gabe's opinion.

Tom's jaw tightened, but he just shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair, mumbling something under his breath.

Gabe met Elle's gaze and held it for a moment. “She couldn't have known this would happen. None of us could've known it would happen. What's important right now is taking the threats seriously from here on out. I just want you all to watch your backs.”

Joe rubbed the back of his neck, not bothering to hide his concern. “Damn it.”

Gabe knew exactly where his thoughts were going. He was thinking of his pregnant fiancée and how to keep her safe when he wasn't around. It wasn't that long ago that he'd almost lost Sadie to her psychotic ex-boyfriend who'd held a gun under her chin.

“I'll send out another law enforcement awareness bulletin,” Tom told them, “make sure everyone knows that if they see the Monroes to approach them with caution. And we'll put a deputy on Gabe's door while he's here.”

“This shit is becoming far too common,” Kyle said. “If it's not the Monroes, it's someone else. When the hell did
we
become the enemy?”

“Unfortunately, it's the jerks and assholes abusing power—or
perceived
to be abusing power—who get all the press,” Elle replied. She turned her gaze on Gabe, something in her expression warming the center of him when she added, “And everyone takes it for granted that you're always there, protecting us.”

There was a long pause in the conversation until one of his brothers cleared his throat, causing Elle to glance away guiltily. When Gabe looked toward the sound, he found Kyle trying to smother a smile.

“So…” his baby brother said with a significant glance between Elle and Gabe, “I think I'm going to head out. Joe, you comin'?”

Joe, the shithead, was grinning too. “Yeah, I'm right behind ya. You need anything, Bro, let me know.”

Only Tom was looking sullen, his brows furrowed. “Elle, you want me to give you a lift back to the garage to get your car?”

“Your car?” Gabe repeated. “What's wrong with your car?”

She gave Tom a chastising look. “My tire was slashed when I left the hospital earlier,” she explained, leaving out the rest of the details about the extent of the vandalism and earning a sidelong glance from Tom. “I called Tom to report the incident and asked him to take a look.”

Gabe felt a spike of irrational jealousy at the thought of his elder brother coming to Elle's aid while he was stuck in a hospital bed. “That right?” he drawled, knowing even as he said it that he was being a jackass. But still…

“Thanks, Tom,” Elle said. “Could you give me a few minutes with Gabe and then I'll be ready to go?”

Tom gave her a terse nod and slipped out into the hallway.

“What the hell is going on with him?” Gabe mumbled.

“He's worried about you,” Elle said. “And everyone else. Tom carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

That green-eyed monster reared its head again and he clenched his jaw, suddenly wanting to clock his brother simply because Elle seemed to have a decent read on the guy. “You know Tom pretty well.”

Elle shrugged. “I guess so. We've worked together a long time. He's a good guy.”

Gabe grunted, not able to deny what she was saying. His brother had been his hero since they were kids. He'd worshipped Tom when they were growing up, had always tried to keep up, to measure up. And once again, it seemed like he was playing catch-up with Tom.

“Well, you'd better get going,” he grumbled. “Don't want you to miss your ride.”

She took a few steps forward, coming to the side of his bed. “I'm going. But first, I wanted to make one thing very clear to you, Gabe Dawson.”

“Yeah?” he said. “What's that?”

She narrowed her eyes and leaned over him, caging him with her arms on either side of his head. “Don't you ever again treat me like I'm some delicate flower who can't handle the truth.”

Damn
.

Having her that close was tempting as hell. For the first time, he noticed she had tiny flecks of gold in her eyes and a few more freckles on the bridge of her nose than he'd realized. God, she was beautiful—stunning, really. He had to muster all his willpower not to drag her into his arms and kiss the full lips that were currently pursed in irritation. But he forced himself to meet her gaze and lifted a single brow.

“Oh, I know you're no delicate flower,” he said, his voice going deeper, betraying the effect of her nearness and giving his words a weight he hadn't intended.

Her cheeks went a little pink, but she didn't back away. “We're in this together, whether we like it or not. And I'm not going to be kept in the dark just because I'm not a cop.”

“Oh, I don't know,” he said, not bothering to suppress the grin tugging at his mouth. “You might like being in the dark with me, Elle.”

She blinked, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something more but was clearly speechless. Then she pressed her lips together and gave him a frustrated look. “You know what I meant, Gabe.”

At this, the little devil on his shoulder got the better of him, and he chuckled, letting his gaze drop down to those gorgeous lips. “Yeah, I know what you meant, Elle. Doesn't change what
I
meant.”

When she didn't immediately pull away at his advance, he took a chance and reached up, gently taking hold of her chin and guiding her lips down to his. But before he could make contact, she suddenly broke away from his tender grasp and straightened, staring down at him with a look of confusion and panic in her eyes.

Okay, well, that wasn't exactly the reaction he'd been hoping for…

“I have to go,” she breathed. But she didn't take a single step. “I really… I should go.”

He met her gaze, waiting, wondering at her next move. “You sure?”

She licked her lips, looking as if she was truly torn between going and staying. But then she lifted her chin, giving him that defiant look he'd grown so used to seeing from her. “Yes, I'm absolutely positive.”

Without another word, she turned on her heel and strode toward the door without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

But the little exchange was enough to offer Gabe the encouragement he needed. Maybe the brilliant, beautiful, iron-willed woman wasn't quite as unaffected by him as she wanted him to believe.

* * *

“You okay?”

Elle waved away Tom's concern as she strode down the hallway toward the exit. “Yep. Fine. Let's go.”

It was all she could do not to demand that Tom get his ass moving. Did he seriously always have to walk so damned slowly? Of course, the rational side of her wondered why in the world she was practically sprinting down the hall. It wasn't like Gabe was going to come running after her, pull her into his arms, and kiss her breathless.

She came to an abrupt halt as the image of such an encounter filled her head, sending a sudden spike of desire through her veins.

Dear God. I nearly kissed him. Again.

Or, more accurately, had almost allowed
him
to kiss
her
. What had she been thinking?

But as soon as the question crossed her mind, she knew the answer. She'd been thinking how much she longed to feel his lips on hers again, how much she longed to feel his strong arms around her, and wondering what the harm really could be in giving in.

The problem was, she knew all too well that one kiss wasn't where it would end with Gabe Dawson. Not that she worried he would seduce her into doing anything she wasn't willing to do. For all his womanizing, Gabe was always described as a gentleman. Heck, if he hadn't been, he certainly wouldn't have had all his ex-whatevers sending him gifts in the hospital. And he'd proven just how much of a gentleman he could be that night a year ago. He'd let her take the lead, only going as far as she was comfortable with. And when things had become truly hot and heavy and they were lying together on his bed, half-naked, he'd slowed it down, backing off.

Oh, no. It wasn't Gabe she didn't trust. Quite the contrary.
She
was the one she worried about. She wasn't a one-night-stand kind of girl. And as nice as it might've been to give in to Gabe's advances, she wasn't going to fall into bed with him just to satisfy her curiosity.

“Hi again!”

Recognizing the chipper voice of the quirky doctor she'd met the day before, Elle spun around, ready to politely explain that as much as she'd like to chat, she really couldn't stay, only to find the doctor offering Tom a friendly grin and enthusiastic wave. Tom looked like a trapped animal who would very happily gnaw off his own foot if it meant he could escape.

“Hi, Isa,” he muttered. Then he sent a pleading look Elle's way. “This is Elle McCoy. She's—”

Isabel flashed Elle her pixie grin. “Hi! How are you? How's the head healing?”

“It's doing okay,” Elle assured her. Then she frowned a little, looking back and forth between Tom and Isabel. “We were just here visiting Tom's brother.”

“I thought that might be the case,” the doctor said, her grin not diminishing. “I was so surprised when I ran into Tom yesterday! I didn't make the connection between him and my patient.”