“What about other potential victims? Don’t you want to capture this guy before he snatches up another victim?”
“Of course we do!” Sheriff Burke barked back. “I’m sorry this is taking so long, but we have steps that we need to follow. Otherwise, even if we do arrest him, the courts won’t find him guilty. We need this man locked up.”
That was the same thing Nikolai’s better half, Reid, told Marcus when they were trying to take down a human trafficking ring not too long ago. The criminal justice system sucked and seemed to work only for criminals, not victims. That wasn’t right at all.
“Trust me, Burke, you want to find this guy before Ido,” Marcus snarled. The thought of that monster almost extinguishing the lights of such a sweet, funny, and annoying twink filled Marcus’s veins with rage.
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.
Was Burke actually considering his offer?
“I’ll keep you posted on any progress we make on our end. Let me know if the boy becomes too much for you to handle.”
“No, that’s not it. The boy is fine, and he’s safe. I just want to catch this scumbag before he hurts anyone else. Monsters like this guy don’t deserve to be breathing fresh air.”They don’t deserve to be breathing at all.
Marcus let out a sigh.
“Just let me know what I can do on my end to help you out with your case. Gavin is doing well here, so don’t worry about him.”
Burke let out a chuckle.
“He’s annoying the shit out of you, isn’t he?”
Marcus looked over his shoulder toward his bedroom, half expecting Gavin to be standing there, watching him.
“More than you know,” Marcus noted with no heat in his voice.
The truth was, he kind of liked having Gavin around. The spitfire, little bundle of energy, always found a way to keep him on his toes. There were many similarities between Gavin and his brother, Ace, and having Gavin in his home just felt… natural. Warm and inviting.
Marcus couldn’t put his finger on it, but being aroundthe guy somehow made him feel whole again, like he wasn’t missing something from his life.
He felt needed and wanted, and the way that those blue eyes looked up at him while they were swallowing his dick… was purewantanddesire.
Desire.
Marcus always thought of himself as rough and tough, a true alpha male when it came to getting naked in the bedroom.
But seeing the way Gavin looked at him… made him feel so…
“Who are you talking to?” a groggy voice asked from behind him.
Marcus couldn’t help the tiny grin that pulled at his face. His boy was awake.
Ending the call, Marcus placed his cell phone down on the kitchen counter.
“Sheriff Burke. Just getting an update from the guy.”
Gavin rounded the counter, with the puppy following at his heels. The little guy was stumbling over himself, trying to nip at his master’s feet.
“And?” Gavin asked, pressing his arms against the counter as he waited for an update.
“And… they’re making good headway. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
He didn’t have the heart to tell Gavin that Burke and team were fucking useless, and that the monster of his dreams was still out lurking in the shadows.
No, for now, it was best to keep things positive.
The Shadow Vipers would continue to protect the boy, while Marcus secretly worked out a plan to hunt down and take that motherfucker out.
