Anger and guilt flashed through Marcus, pulling him in different directions. Anger at the piece of shit who had caused this. And guilt because he had closed his bedroom door, essentially telling the boy he wasn’t welcome.
“Still can’t sleep?” Marcus asked, standing in the doorway in nothing but his underwear. This was quickly becoming his dress of choice.
Gavin shook his head, staring down at the puppy nestled in his lap.
Marcus hated seeing him like this. He stuck out his hand and offered it to the boy.
Reluctantly, Gavin took it and let Marcus help him to his feet.
“Hop into bed. I’ll get us some bottles of water,” Marcus instructed.
He nodded, then headed into Marcus’s bedroom.
“And the dog sleeps on the outside of us. I don’t want no nasty doggy ass pressed up against me while I sleep,” Marcus barked from the kitchen. He grabbed two bottles, then made his way back to his bedroom.
When he got back, Gavin was already in bed, lying on the left side with the puppy cuddled up in his arms. Marcus placed one bottle on Gavin’s nightstand, then walked around the bed and placed the other bottle on his.
He wasn’t thirsty anymore.
Lifting the sheet, Marcus slid in next to Gavin. He lay there for a minute, wondering whether he should say something.
“I really hate that I’ve become like this,” Gavin whispered, his back still to Marcus.
“Like what?” Marcus asked, propping himself up on one elbow.
“Likethis.A chicken shit. Every time I close my eyes, I see his smiling face glaring down at me in the dark. I was never like this. So weak and pathetic.”
Marcus slid in closer and wrapped his arm around Gavin and the puppy.
“Hey, it’s not your fault. You survived something traumatic, so it’s only natural that you’ll feel scared andvulnerable. I hoped that buying you that puppy might help to comfort you. I’m starting to realize that you won’t feel completely safe until Sheriff Burke captures that monster.”
Gavin nodded.
“I just keep thinking how close I came to being killed. The man had me alone… in his house. He drugged me and was basically steps away from slitting my throat.”
Marcus tightened his grip on Gavin. He understood what the boy was saying. He wasn’t sure what else he could do, other than letting him sleep in his bed at night.
Nuzzling his chin into Gavin’s neck, Marcus leaned in close and whispered into his ear, “You’re safe now. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, ever.” He wasn’t sure if he could promiseever, but he was damn sure going to try. “Tomorrow, I’ll call Sheriff Burke to see how the investigation’s going.”
“Thank you,” Gavin whispered as he relaxed his back into Marcus’s chest.
This was only temporary, Marcus told himself. Once Sheriff Burke and his team caught the Valentine Killer, Gavin would feel safe once again.
And if Burke couldn’t find the bastard?
Well, that’s when Marcus and the boys went hunting.
“So, you got nothing?” Marcus growled into the phone,trying his best to keep his voice down while he bit Sheriff Burke’s head off through the phone at the same time.
Gavin was still sleeping, and Marcus didn’t want to wake him. Lord knows the kid needed some sleep.
“We’re getting there. We swept through his house and now know the killer’s real name is Clive Trent, and he used to work as a drilling engineer before he got let go six months ago. I wouldn’t say that was nothing,” Burke argued through the phone.
The killer had given Gavin a false name when he met him—typical for someone who planned on murdering you a few hours later. Why share your real name?
The more he talked to Burke, the more he wanted to shove this Clive’s face through a wall.
Until this asshole was caught, Gavin would never feel safe again.
