“I’m sure he was probably just visiting the fair and happened to see us up here,” Gabe assured her, but she could feel the tension in his muscles and knew he wasn’t as unconcerned as he appeared.
When she gave him an irritated look, he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her palm that sent a jolt of desire through her body. “I think you’re trying to distract me, Gabe Dawson.”
He winked at her. “Is it working?”
She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to where Jeremy Monroe had been watching them, but he was gone, having vanished into the crowds milling around the midway.
“I made you a promise, Elle,” Gabe reminded her, caressing her skin in a maddeningly sensual motion. “I’ll do whatever necessary to keep you safe.”
She turned to meet his gaze, the heat she saw there practically searing her skin. Or maybe that was just the warmth spreading through her body, a fire that burned so intensely Elle worried she might spontaneously combust if she didn’t soon get some relief.
Chapter 14
“They’re at the fair.”
“The fair?” Jeb repeated, not quite sure he’d heard his son correctly.
“Yes, sir,” Jeremy assured him. “Looks to me like they’re on a date.”
Jeb Monroe shook his head. He knew the deputy and that whore were fucking each other. Well, all the more reason to provide her with a little reminder of how fleeting life could be. She’d clearly forgotten what it was like to mourn a lost family member. But he remembered, remembered every day.
“Do you have the items I gave you?” he demanded of his son.
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, then, why the hell are you on the phone with me, boy?” Jeb raged. “Get your ass moving and complete your mission.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jeb hung up and turned to storm from his study but came to an abrupt halt when he saw his wife standing in the doorway, her eyes swollen and puffy. “What do you want?” he sighed. He’d grown tired of her continued uselessness. If she was going to mourn their son, she needed to channel her grief and do something productive—like exacting justice on those who’d taken him from them—instead of wallowing around the house, looking like hell.
“Where’s Jeremy?” she demanded. “Where is my son?”
“He’s doing his duty. Which is more than I can say for you.” He looked her up and down, his expression twisting with disgust at how she’d let herself go. “When was the last time you bothered to make yourself presentable?”
She clenched her fists at her sides and lifted her chin at an angle he didn’t altogether care for. “What are you making Jeremy do for you? What is this ‘mission’ you’ve sent him on?”
“If I’d wanted you to know, I would’ve already told you,” he growled, charging forward and grabbing her by the arm, shoving her through the doorway. “If you want to see justice for our boys, you’ll let me handle it and not question my judgment.”
He slammed the door to his study and turned back to his computer. He generally wasn’t a fan of the Internet, didn’t trust it. Too many idiots voicing their ignorant opinions or spreading rumors and lies. But he had to admit it came in handy now and then, and had proven to be a useful tool for sharing his vision.
Jeb grinned as he scrolled through the newspaper article he’d printed and had given to Jeremy to deliver. Elle McCoy once knew what it was like to lose those she cared about. It was too bad she’d forgotten what that felt like, the emptiness such a loss leaves in one’s soul. Well, she’d soon remember. He wanted her to suffer for a while before he took his final revenge upon her. And this little bit of news was exactly what he needed to make that suffering complete. It seemed that when he managed to take what mattered most from Mac Dawson, the loss would touch more than one heart…
*
“Thanks for today,” Elle said as she and Gabe headed back through the midway. “I appreciate you keeping my mind off of things.”
Gabe shrugged but grinned down at her. “Least I could do.”
She sent a sidelong glance his way. His limp was more pronounced than it’d been earlier that day. She’d suggested leaving several times, but he’d been determined that she have a good time to keep her mind off the anniversary of her family’s car accident.
“Even so, I appreciate it,” she told him, slipping her hand into his. “It means a lot to me.”
He nudged her playfully with his shoulder. “Then my job here is done.”
God, she hoped not…