That was the moment he chose to threaten me and hunt down the witness. It wasn’t so much the words he’d used but the expression on his face.
Fuck. Just thinking about her brought back the same desire I’d felt earlier. Valentina was a beautiful woman with long dark hair and eyes so blue they could hypnotize a man from across a room. I’d been captivated by her beauty the moment she’d walked into my chambers. Every thought after that had been fraught with sinful yearnings that had no place inside a courtroom.
Every word she’d whispered in her soft, but determined voice had me staring at her voluptuous lips, wondering what it wouldbe like to kiss her. I’d never had that reaction to a woman before, certainly not one seeking justice.
That’s why sharing the single night had been so enthralling. She’d been everything I’d craved and so much more.
My cock ached even now, my balls tight. The last time I’d seen her after crossing the line, there’d been so much to say and no adequate words. So we’d both walked away, content with just one night. Touching her had been inappropriate. If discovered, my behavior could have been grounds for dismissal, let alone the case could have been jeopardized. For a few seconds I worried our affair had surfaced and the technicality was based on our actions.
No, I would have heard by now.
How many nights had I lain awake in a sweat from thinking about her?
I scrubbed my jaw, trying to shove aside the ridiculous thoughts. She could be in danger. He could be worried she’d resurface, once again putting him behind bars.
Tomorrow morning, I would find out exactly what the fuck had happened.
Just before refreshing my drink, I noticed Gabriel had left his hat. While in his down time, no one would ever know he was a snazzy dresser as a judge, even more so than I was.
Chuckling, I returned to the door where I’d been standing before, watching the rain driving against the surf. I’d killed people in the line of duty protecting my country and freedom. I’d done so without remorse, without second guessing myself. But being in the Marines was entirely different.
Or was it?
I took a gulp, holding the amber liquid in my mouth.
When I heard a knock on the door, I assumed Gabriel had returned for his favorite hat. I grabbed it on the way to the entrance foyer. As soon as I flung the door open, a strange feeling fell over me. Whoever the visitor, she had her back turned toward me.
There was also a moment of apprehension. I hadn’t thought I’d need a gun with me just to open my own damn door.
“Can I help you?”
Slowly, she turned around, peering up at me with wide eyes while she tried to keep the rain from the child she was holding in her arms. In a few seconds, time ceased to exist, the past returning with a heavy hit that I hadn’t been expecting. I was shocked from both the effect her presence had on me and the horrible fear resonating in her beautiful features.
In my gut I knew my life of protecting the law was about to change.
“Judge Armstrong? I’m sorry, but I had nowhere else to go. I’m in danger and you’re the only man who can help me.”
CHAPTER 6
Valentina
There’s nowhere you can run, nowhere you can hide. I will find you.
They were the words written in blood I’d imagined in my mind so often that I’d barely slept a full night in several months. While they’d never been said to me, I’d continued to harbor the terror evoked by the horrific crime and the pictures of the man in the news.
I’d seen immorality and rage in my ex when he’d been high on drugs, but Jacob Jones was the epitome of pure evil. You could see it with a single glance into his cold, dark eyes. They were the eyes of someone devoid of a soul.
While up until a couple of nights before there hadn’t been any indication the Undertaker had learned my identity, somewhere in the back of my mind I’d known better.
Two days before, I’d realized that all my nightmares were real.
The monster was on the prowl and I was his next intended victim.
I’d run out of options.
The four little words painted in dust and grime on the hood of my car had changed everything. So had the sight of a lone figure standing outside my window staring without moving for several minutes. The sight of him had been the last straw.
I was terrified. While I had friends, I was fearful of putting them in harm’s way. I knew he’d kill them to get to me.
