Page 33 of Girl Long Gone

The EMT had lifted her to a seated position on the edge of the seat with her feet dangling out of the car door. Fear pinched her face, and she darted her gaze around like a scared animal searching for escape.

He rushed to her and dropped to his knees in front of her. He covered her trembling hands with his, placing them on her lap. “Are you okay?”

“Did you get him? Did you get Gabriel?” The frantic plea in her voice broke his heart.

“Not yet, but we will. He can’t weasel his way out of this one.”

A crooked smile played on her face, and he crushed her to his chest.

“Sir, we need to examine her. You need to step back.”

Connor ignored the woman hovering beside him. He’d step back in a minute, but right now he needed to hold Evelyn in his arms. “Don’t worry. We’ll nail his ass and find Monica.” Excitement coursed through his veins.

Gabriel had slipped up. They would finally catch him and find his sister. And once this nightmare was behind them, he’d never let Evelyn out of his arms again.

Evelyn couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering even as she burrowed into the warmth of Connor’s chest. Her muscles ached and needlelike pricks attacked the palm of her hand. She breathed in his scent and fought against the terror still trying to paralyze her.

Waking up in the back of a strange car alone had been one of the scariest moments of her life, but she wasn’t alone now. Now she had Connor’s strong arms around her, keeping her safe. And she never wanted to leave.

He rubbed his large palms up and down her spine. “The paramedics need to look at you.” He pulled away and she couldn’t stop the whimper in her throat as she hauled him back to her. She wasn’t ready to let him go.

“I’m fine. I don’t need to be looked at. I just want to get out of here. I have to get upstairs. Abbie’s all alone.” She spoke into the soft fabric of his shirt, hoping the muffled sound took some of the panic from her voice.

“Okay, I’ll have someone sit upstairs until we’re done here, but you have to let them look at you.” Connor kissed her temple and pivoted to her side, sliding his arm from behind her back to rest around her shoulders. “Can you stand? It might be easier if we can get you to the back of the ambulance.”

She nodded and swallowed hard as she tried to catch her breath. She could comply with the medical professionals this time. This wasn’t the same as before. She wasn’t a terrified teenager who’d just gotten the crap beaten out of her and was forced to lie to everyone about what had happened.

She was an adult, she was strong, and she was fully capable of walking to an ambulance and letting the paramedics check her injuries. She tried to stand, but her muscles wouldn’t cooperate.

Connor kept one arm wrapped around her and tucked the other behind her knees. With one swift movement, he straightened to his feet and headed toward the ambulance.

The siren had stopped, but the flashing red light continued to slash into the night sky. People stared at her, mouths open. She bit her top lip, but it wasn’t enough to stop the tears trickling from her eyes. She turned her face against him and let the moisture seep into his shirt. For the first time in her entire life, Evelyn felt completely safe.

16

Gabriel pounded the heel of his hand against his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

His frantic pace ate up the length of his workshop. He’d had a plan. Detective Dipshit was supposed to interview Kevin tonight. The hulking cop wasn’t supposed to be anywhere around when he went after Evelyn.

Pressure built in his chest, reminding him of the suffocating walls closing in around him. The cop had proven smarter than he’d anticipated. He’d spoken with too many people, had gotten too close to uncovering secrets Gabriel had spent years keeping buried. No way he would sit back and let the bastard take everything away from him. He’d had to strike fast and strike hard.

He had to get Evelyn.

Watching the detective unravel after taking his sister was more amusing than he’d expected. Amusement had turned to excitement at the thought of taking another woman close to him. The cop would go from unraveling to hitting rock bottom in no time, and Gabriel needed to put the asshole in his place. He needed to sit back and watch with the knowledge that he’d taken everything from the man who tried to throw him in a cage, then he could do whatever he wanted with his little pets—his little beauties.

A soft whimper rose from the corner, breaking into his erratic thoughts. Gabriel stopped pacing and released a ragged breath, turning toward his little kitty curled into the corner of the room. He hesitated, a fresh idea forming in his mind, before crossing to her. The floorboards creaked under his weight. He could still turn this around, just not in the way he’d planned.

Crouching beside his little kitty, he ran a hand through her wild tangle of hair, balling the ends into his fist and yanking her head back. She yelped, and excitement jumped in his veins. It was time to trade his kitty in for a mouse, bring the cop so far down he’d never find his way back up, then get the hell out of the city.

He brought his lips to the subtle curve of his kitty’s neck and filled his nostrils with the intoxicating scent of sweat and fear. Releasing her hair, he stood and hurried to his desk. He had a lot of planning to do and not a lot of time. A new workshop, a new town, a whole new life to figure out...a life made just for him and his little mouse.

Evelyn stood in Abbie’s darkened doorway, trailing her hands up and down her arms to try to get rid of the chill clinging to her bones.

The little girl’s soft snores broke through the quiet house and reminded Evelyn that Abbie was safe.

The warmth of a body pressed against her back, and she glanced behind her. Connor dipped his head to her shoulder, and she flattened her palm to his cheek. The sense of peace he brought to her rattled her core, even if she was still terrified about what had happened.