Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) (39 page)

Garrett put a foot on Eric’s arm and wrenched the gun from his grasp. Then he shifted his foot to Eric’s chest, daring him to rise. “Just try it, asshole,” Garrett said with a grim smile.

“Gabe, let me see her!” Noah said frantically. He was right next to them and he framed Emily’s face in his shaking hands.

“I’m so sorry,” Emily rasped and grimaced from the raging fire that had ignited in her shoulder from her final tumble with Eric.

“Don’t say that again, Em,” Gabriel barked hoarsely, as he lifted her higher in his arms and settled his lips gently on hers.

The moment he raised his head, Noah pressed in and sealed his mouth over Emily’s. His lips quivered just as his hands did when they framed her face once more. She gasped in pain, unable to hold the sound in another second, and Noah stopped kissing Emily to look her over for injury.

“Where do you hurt, Em?” Noah asked. He heard Lawton behind him calling for the helicopter to land, and he knew they would be able to transport her quickly out of there.

“My shoulder,” she hissed when Gabriel moved her slightly in his arms. “Something popped when Eric landed on me. My side and arms are cut, but those scratches have gone numb. That’s all I think.”

Noah and Gabriel took stock of the blood coating her temple, shirt, and jeans, and knew she had more substantial injuries than she realized. Her sock covered feet were a bloodied mess too, but it was Emily’s arm that worried them most at present.

It was hanging at an odd angle and they knew without a doctor’s diagnosis that her shoulder was dislocated. And the pain she’d felt when it popped out of place, was going to be nothing compared to the pain she’d endure when it was reset. At least her surging adrenaline and shock had saved Emily from being conscious of the initial hurt.

“Chopper’s down, guys!” Lawton called out. “Come on and let’s get her to the hospital.”

Gabriel turned and took measured steps with Emily cradled against his heart, trying not to jostle her too much. Noah was right beside them, with one hand on her head as they approached the aircraft’s forceful downdraft. They sheltered Emily as best they could with their bodies, and Lawton helped them place her inside on a back bench.

The Atlanta team had all vacated the helicopter, save the two pilots, ready to help take over the work still to be done on the ground while Gabriel and Noah’s team took Emily away. Lawton motioned Ross aboard just as he reached for the door. Ross hopped on and Lawton slammed the side door shut, calling for the pilots to get them to the nearest trauma center.

“Garrett, Kaden, and Ethan are staying to keep Eric in their sights,” Ross said, as he pulled his phone out and set about texting Braden with an update. “They’ll catch up to us later.”

“Okay,” Lawton nodded, then moved to the seat closest to where Gabriel and Noah had stretched Emily out. “Want me to take a look guys?” Having served years before as his elite Ranger team’s medic, Lawton’s training often came in handy when they were in the field. Now, it was a Godsend.

“Please,” Noah sighed and motioned him forward. He was on his knees, holding Emily’s hands while Gabriel sat on the bench with her head in his lap.

Lawton knelt right beside Noah and smiled at Emily. Her eyes were glassy and she was trembling from head to toe, but she managed to smile back at him. Lawton smoothed his large palm over her head and noticed the nasty gash on her temple that snaked up into her hairline.

“Hey there, sugar,” Lawton said softly. “I’m going to take a quick look at your stomach, arms, legs, and feet, Emily. I can already tell your shoulder’s dislocated, so I’m not going to move it. No, I’ll just bind it to your chest so it doesn’t move around until we have you in the hospital. Okay?”

“Okay,” she breathed and closed her eyes.

“It’s just us, Emily. No one else will see you, I promise.” Lawton offered her that last bit of reassurance before he looked to Noah and then Gabriel.

“Do it,” Gabe urged him.

Ross took Lawton’s vacant chair with a first-aid kit, blanket, and bottle of water he’d located in hand. He put everything down except the kit. He popped its lid open and took out the scissors first. Ross had helped Lawton too many times with victims, and he knew the drill. But it made his heart ache that they were having to minister to Emily’s injuries. Injuries that never should have been inflicted, because she should have been safe in a house that was filled by their entire team.

Carefully, Lawton began by cutting Emily’s filthy t-shirt away. Noah moved closer and helped him peel the material from her skin. The dried blood made their work slow, but they patiently removed the soiled garment until they could get a good look at the multiple cuts, lacerations, and bruises which marred her skin. Then they set about cutting her jeans and socks away, until she wore only her bra and panties.

The only indication Lawton gave that her injuries were affecting him, was the singular heavy sigh he emitted. He asked Ross for the bottle of alcohol and swabs. Once in hand, Lawton lightly began to clean her cuts so he could determine the depth of each.

Emily’s eyes flew open when the liquid set her skin aflame anew. She hissed and bit her lower lip as a tortured groan escaped her.

“Honey, look at me,” Gabriel intoned. He cupped her face and pulled her lower lip free from her teeth. He could see how ravaged it looked from the multiple times she must have bitten it to stop herself from crying out. There was even dried blood there too. What in the hell had she been through, he wondered for the five hundredth time?

“Stare at me while they work, or look at Noah. Just a little longer, Em, and we’ll have you at the hospital. I promise.”

“Don’t let them drug me,” Emily pleaded, as Lawton began to clean the deep gash along her left side.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, honey.” It was all Gabriel could promise her. She would most certainly need pain medication to see all of this through, but Eric’s malicious use of the sedatives had Emily ready to flee again in stark panic. He could see it flaring in her eyes, and it tore at his very heart.

“You’re safe now, baby,” Noah reassured her. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, leaving his lips there for several seconds. “No one, and I repeat
no one
, will touch you again. Gabe and I will be right by your side through all of this.”

Emily managed a jerky nod, but she stopped the motion quickly and grabbed Noah’s hand in a fierce grip. Lawton had begun to prod the gash on her side and Emily’s trembling increased tenfold.

“I’m sorry, Emily,” Lawton said heavily. “There’s still a piece of glass in there, and it needs to come out. Ross, give me something for her to bite down on.”

Lawton took the rolled up cloth Ross handed him and passed it up to Gabriel. With a pained look, Gabriel settled it against her lips, but Emily shook her head in denial.

“No, I’ll be still and quiet. I will, just don’t put that in my mouth, Gabe. Please?” she begged softly.

“What did he do to you, Em?” he asked, before he could call the words back.

Her eyes became shuttered and she looked away from his intense gaze. “We’ll talk about it later, but know that I’m okay, Gabe. I just don’t want that in my mouth. Please?”

“Okay,” Gabriel agreed and set it aside. He smoothed her hair while Noah wrapped his fingers around her injured arm. Once they had her held in place as well as they could, Lawton began to remove the glass shard.

Emily made no further sounds during the flight to the hospital, because just minutes after Lawton extracted the foreign object and started placing steri-strips across the gash down her side, she slipped into unconsciousness. They all paused when she drifted away, noting the moisture leaking from the corners of her eyes. Noah’s fingers immediately settled on her neck as he searched for a pulse, and he nodded stoically when he felt it beating strong and steady.

“It’s for the best,” Lawton muttered. “I don’t want her to feel this next part. Ross hand me the ace bandage so I can bind her arm before she comes back to.”

It took all four of them, lifting and shifting Emily’s body, but they got the bandage around her shoulder and torso so her arm was securely held in place. Lawton led Noah as they cleaned the cuts on her legs and battered feet. When at last he examined her temple, Lawton tended it and then sank back on his heels.

“I’m glad I’m here with you guys,” he said and clenched his jaw.

“Why?” Ross asked quietly, though he knew Lawton’s answer before he spoke it.

“Because if I was still on the ground with that son of a bitch, after seeing all of this, I’d kill him with my bare hands and not bat an eye.”

“Then I’m glad you’re in here with us,” Gabriel said and sighed.

“I’m proud of you guys, too, you know?” Ross nodded at him and Noah. “Most men would have put a bullet through his head after seeing the woman they loved hurt and used as a shield as Emily was. I’m glad you listened to your own conscience, instead of the need for vengeance.”

“Not gonna happen,” Noah said thickly. “I’m not about to go to prison and leave her. He wasn’t worth that kind of sacrifice and loss.”

“Not hardly,” Gabriel agreed and stared at Noah.

“We’re landing in three minutes, guys!” one of the pilots called. “Get ready to jump and go!”

“Ross, bring me that blanket and let’s get Emily wrapped in it before they put her on a gurney and wheel her away.”

Gabriel’s words spurred the last bit of action within the helicopter as they began to slow and descend atop the hospital the pilots had chosen in Dalton. Noah placed one more kiss against Emily’s cheek before he slid onto a seat and raked a tired hand through his hair. He watched Ross rise to open the door, seeing the trauma team already on the helipad and headed their way as the aircraft touched down.

CHAPTER 39

Noah closed his eyes and leaned back against the nearest wall, hoping like hell it could hold his tired body up. The last few hours had depleted whatever remaining stores of strength and resolve he had clung to throughout the night and early morning hours, while they turned the wilderness upside down looking for Emily.

After scans, tests, stitches in multiple places, and the gut-wrenching reseating of her shoulder, Emily was resting more comfortably at last. Though he and Gabriel had talked her into allowing a local anesthetic, Noah doubted he would ever forget the tortured cry that had escaped Emily when the doctors finally popped her shoulder back into place. It had been hell and relief for them all, and not something he ever wanted to see repeated for as long as he lived.

And now, Noah felt like he could finally let his guard down. Only it felt more like he was precariously close to crumbling from the inside out, and he needed something to help hold himself together before he completely lost his composure. A shaky exhalation escaped his lips, just as Gabriel’s hand settled on his shoulder and squeezed.

Noah cracked his eyes open and let his head roll to the right. He offered Gabe a weary smile, and saw one given to him in return.

“I’m right there with you, Noah,” Gabriel said softly.

“I don’t have the words to tell you what seeing Em held in Eric’s arms did to me,” Noah admitted in a choked whisper. “My life… No, make that
our
life, flashed right before my eyes. And in that one moment, when she said she trusted us and let her body go slack… I died a thousand deaths inside, Gabe. I was afraid that we wouldn’t get to her in time, or that damn gun of his would go off. I was just so afraid…”

Noah broke off and put his fist over his lips, as a fierce grimace stole across his countenance. Gabriel wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled Noah into a side hug. He nodded and looked at the monitors attached to Emily, quietly humming away and telling them that she was stable and out of danger.

“I know, Noah,” Gabriel finally managed to say. “But she’s with us, and she will never be without us again. And before this is all said and done, she’ll probably get exasperated and cross with us, because she’s never going to the bathroom or anywhere else alone for at least the next few years. Not just for her safety, but for our peace of mind.”

“I would think your young lady would indeed grow tired of the two of you hovering like that,” Hollington chuckled as he walked into the room.

It was a testament to just how tired they both were that Noah and Gabriel had missed the sound of the door opening and their boss walking in. Gabriel released Noah and they both pushed off of the wall, but Gregory Hollington motioned with his hand for them to relax. He passed by them and stopped next to Emily’s bedside, watching her with a tender, fatherly smile gracing his lips.

“I talked with the doctor in charge of her care and got a rundown from him and also from Lawton. They say Emily will make a full recovery in short order,” he murmured and brushed a palm over her hair. “She’s young and very resilient, it would seem.” He watched her for several moments and then turned back to the men. Hollington moved closer to Noah and Gabriel once more and reached out to pat Noah on the shoulder.

“So now my question is: how are the two of you holding up? Honestly?”

“Don’t know yet, sir,” Noah told him frankly. He chuckled sadly and let his head fall back against the wall.

“Yes, that’s understandable. And you, Gabriel?” he asked, turning his intense blue eyes to those which eerily matched his own.

“In need of a nap that lasts about six months. With Emily by our side, that is,” Gabriel added.

Hollington’s smile grew and he nodded slowly. “I’ve come to understand from your teammates that the two of you have finally taken the leap and asked Emily to marry you. I’m happy for you both. Know you have my full support in that, as well as all we’ll have to deal with in the case we’re building against Eric Waltower.”

“Thank you,” they both said.

“It doesn’t bother you, sir? That we’re both committed to a relationship with her?” Noah asked.

“Not in the least, Noah. With all the evil and depravity we have to witness, I would think more love would be a welcome addition to our lives, not something to shrink away from,” Hollington chuckled softly.

But Gabriel went on to ask the question that had been burning its way through his mind since the moment he took Emily in his arms on the lake’s shore. “Where is Eric now?”

“Actually, Gabriel, he is being held in our facility here in Dalton,” Hollington said. “I decided Eric would stay in Georgia, but he’s not going to be held in the very station in which he worked within Whitford Falls. No, that wouldn’t be good for his fellow officers, or our investigation. For now, he’s ours and I have the authority to make sure Eric stays in our custody.”

“I’m glad,” Gabriel nodded and breathed a little easier. “I don’t want him escaping the punishment he’s due. And I honestly don’t trust anyone but us at the moment to see that he gets what’s coming to him.”

“Yes, I can see how your trust in the local officers has been abused,” Hollington acknowledged. “I’ve also talked this morning with the town’s sheriff. Strauss is understandably distraught over this whole sordid case. He feels as though he failed not only Emily, but his entire force and town. And for a man who’s made being a lawman his sole calling, that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Gabriel grunted and Noah exhaled loudly, but neither jumped to Strauss’s defense. They needed a little more time before they could put their anger to the side and talk to the man civilly, though in their hearts they knew it wasn’t his fault. No, it was Eric’s and Eric’s alone.

“And as to that, I’ve ordered a full internal audit of all Whitford Falls law enforcement agencies, led by an FBI team which specializes in such situations. Strauss is in wholehearted agreement, too. It’s best we reinstill his faith in his leadership and the town’s faith in those who are sworn to protect and defend them on a daily basis. We’ll get the evidence against Eric we need, and help them pick up the pieces at the same time. All in all, it will work out.”

“Thank you,” Gabriel said again, feeling more of the tension seep out of his exhausted body.

Hollington’s eyes roamed over Gabriel’s face and then Noah’s, before he gave them a firm nod and stepped back a space.

“Now,” he began again, “let’s take care of the two of you. Your entire team is outside, as well as your parents, your two younger brothers, Gabriel, and one very determined young lady named Tara who told me to be quick about my visit in here so she could get inside.”

They all chuckled softly over Tara’s tenacity.

“I know,” Hollington said with a smile. “She’s a good friend, not only to Emily, but to the two of you as well, it would seem. She has home-cooked food and a change of clothes for you and your teammates. You can take turns showering in Emily’s bathroom here and rest a little more comfortably. So, shall we let them in so you can eat and relax a bit?”

“Sounds good,” Noah answered for them.

“Excellent,” Hollington said in approval. “You know, you two have made me very proud. There is a reason I recruited you away from the Marines to head up this team, before I sought out any of the others.”

“Sir?” Gabriel asked and arched an eyebrow in genuine surprise.

“Certainly it’s not escaped you that you and Noah are the only two members of your team who grew up together, lived and served as brothers in arms, not just for the military, but throughout your entire lives?” He watched their stunned expressions with a knowing smile playing on his lips before he continued.

“Ah… I see you’ve not given it as much thought as I, apparently. Well, let me say it now, then. I knew that if I were going to establish the kind of effective teams we have in place on our taskforce, those who would have to see mankind at its very worst, then the bonds of said men and women would have to be so strong, so infallible, that nothing could deter their focus or professionalism.”

“And through your own bond as friends and brothers, the two of you have made sure the rest of your team members fell in line. They’ve followed your example and you’ve all become family to one another. Exactly what you have to be, to see the kind of cases through that you all are responsible for.”

“For if you ever slipped and decided to play judge and jury on your own, forsake the team and the law for retribution’s sake, then the taskforce would surely be called into question – possibly defunded and disbanded. And that just can never be. We’re needed desperately, for there are far too many predators out there who are just waiting for us to let our guard down. And it would be the most innocent of us all who would pay the price,” Hollington added heavily, sadness weighing deeply in his gaze, making the grey at his temples a little more pronounced.

“So,” he began again, with a more genuine smile returning, “if I’ve not said it lately, thank you for the work you do, for your professionalism, and for your leadership. And now that you have need of us a little more than usual, know that the bonds you’ve helped to build with the others will be there to help hold the three of you up as you heal.”

Noah’s eyes grew moist and he could only offer Hollington a shaky nod before he turned his gaze away, hoping to collect himself. Gabriel also nodded, but he managed to extend a hand to their boss. Hollington gladly took it and shook Gabriel’s palm firmly, then he released him and stepped over to the door. He opened it and motioned everyone inside with one finger held over his lips, asking for the conversations to remain muted while Emily slept.

Gabriel’s family was the first inside, followed immediately by Noah’s father and stepmother. Each man was enfolded in loving hugs and checked over thoroughly before they were released. When they turned to look at Emily, they saw their teammates and Tara crowded around her bedside. Lawton had snagged her chart from the end of the bed and was reading over it, and Garrett was right beside him scanning it too.

Tara stepped closer and gestured to several large duffel bags and coolers she’d had the guys help her lug inside. “I packed a change of clothes for everyone from their luggage, and I have enough food to feed an army. One of you go ahead and take a shower, then the rest of the guys will each take a turn and change into fresh clothes. Then we’ll eat.”

“Tara, thank you for this,” Gabriel said.

“While you guys were working, I had to keep busy,” she shrugged. “Cooking took my mind off of everything that could be happening, so it all worked out.” And though she was trying to be stoic, her own external armor was clearly crumbling. Tara sniffled and Noah drew her into a hug.

“She’s okay now, Tara,” he reassured her softly.

“I know.” She nodded. “And I love you guys for finding her and bringing her back. But I swear, if you don’t bathe soon, I’m barring you from this room.”

“Smell that good, do we?” Noah chuckled and released her.

“I can tell you were all running. A lot,” Tara added and pinched her nose.

“Fine. I’ll start the round of showers.” Noah winked at Tara, and then he let her lead him over to a duffle for his clothing and the toiletries she’d packed.

Conversation was subdued while each of the men took a turn washing the night’s grime from their bodies. Once everyone was refreshed, Tara proved good to her word. She pulled out more food than they could hope to consume, but the men dug in with gusto and tried. Even Gabriel’s two younger brothers attempted to help polish it all off.

But as the shared meal came to a close, they all began to talk of their immediate plans. Gabriel and Noah learned that Hollington had been busy. He’d reserved rooms for everyone at a nearby hotel, ensuring the team and their families could remain close while Emily remained in the hospital. He’d also stepped in while they gave over to exhaustion, to take the reins where Eric and the fallout in Whitford Falls was concerned.

A quiet moan from the bed had all eyes turning towards Emily. Noah and Gabriel rose from their chairs straight away and moved to her side. Noah let down the bed’s side rail and gingerly sat on the edge of the mattress. He gathered the hand of her uninjured arm in his and lightly stroked her fingers. Gabriel leaned over and kissed her forehead while his hand began to gently sweep over her hair in a soothing pattern.

Noah called her name twice before she responded. Ever so slowly, Emily lifted her weighty eyelids and stared at him. A small smile lifted the corners of her lips. Her eyes left Noah’s gaze and connected with Gabriel’s. Both men offered her such loving, tender smiles, filled with gratitude and happiness, that it stole Emily’s breath right away. Her eyes flooded with tears and her bottom lip began to quiver.

“Shhh, don’t cry, baby,” Noah whispered. “You’re safe and so are we.”

“I know,” she breathed and squeezed his fingers. “They’re happy tears.”

“Well then, we’ll shed some of those together. ’Cause I’m pretty damn happy too,” Noah chuckled helplessly. He lifted her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles.

“How long have I been asleep?” she asked in a raspy voice.

“Several hours,” Gabriel answered. He bent to kiss her lips this time, not satisfied with placing his own lips to her forehead any longer. It was feather-light and the softest contact he could manage, but he felt it all the way to the depths of his soul. She was alive and safe, and somehow the world didn’t seem quite as dark as it had twelve hours before.