Page 94 of Untamed

After raiding the minibar for whiskey, I collapse on the wingback chair in the corner of the room. Cash’s number flashes across my phone. I swipe over the green icon to answer it.

“Finally alone?” I drawl.

“Fuck, brother. We’re in some deep shit. They got a warrant to search the house. Detective tore apart your room, and they found a pair of Rosie’s panties.”

I close my eyes, resting my head back on the chair. “What else?”

“Her mother is in the hospital for severe malnutrition, and the aunt hasn’t left her side. Dolly is a wreck. The sheriff told us that for now, he’s not arresting any of us, but if they don’t hear from you or her soon, that could change. They’ve named you as the number one suspect … armed and dangerous. Turn on the news.”

I grab the remote and flip on the TV. The first station that pops up is a national news channel. My face is plastered next to Rosie’s. I turn up the volume.

I clench my fists as Mayor Dixon’s voice booms over the speakers as he appears in a slick blue suit with a solemn expression.

“My daughter is strong. She’s a smart girl. She is most likely still alive and potentially looking for an escape from the monster who killed my brother. If anyone sees her out in public, alone or with a companion, please don’t hesitate to assist her in escaping and call the local authorities immediately. Holden Redford is a dangerous criminal who should be kept off the streets to keep all of our young women and wives safe.”

My mugshot is blown up to fill the screen, as well as additional pictures of me in a cowboy hat and with and without facial hair. I think back over the interaction we had with the clerk at the front desk. He seemed indifferent to us, not paying much attention to either my or Rosie’s face.

“What’s Warner saying?”

Cash sighs. “He’s right here. I gave him a cigar in exchange for an evening of mutual wallowing.”

“You’re a wanted man now, Holden,” Warner says over the speaker. “At some point, you’ll need to bring her in. The news just broke today, so it would be logical for any man to need time to get shit together before showing up at the police station. Pike has the phone, and right now, he’s our best bet for finding out who’s behind this shitstorm. Once we know that, we can make a plan for tomorrow.” He hesitates, the line going silent. “Right now, there’s no warrant for your arrest. You’re just a suspect. The one fuckup they made with making this shit national news is that now we have a lot of witnesses. They can’t arrest you without a warrant. They can only detain you for questioning.”

I close my eyes, tipping the rest of the amber liquid over my lips and letting it burn down my throat.

I have two priorities right now.

The primary one is to keep Rosie Dixon safe from whatever monster actually ordered her kidnapping.

The second is to stay the fuck out of prison. I’ll be useless in keeping her safe if I’m behind bars.

“I’ll make contact when I have the phone tomorrow.”

I hang up the call, rubbing my eyes. The door to the bathroom clicks open. I look up to see Rosie wrapped in a towel. She steps over to where I set the bags down. I stand, making my way to the bathroom and resisting the urge to touch her.

“You done in here?”

She nods as she digs through her duffel, not looking at me. I pause at the door, wishing I could pull her into my arms and whisper into her ear that I am going to get us out of this mess. I want to tell her that we will move past this, that I’ll die before anyone ever hurts her, physically or emotionally, ever again.

But in this moment, the invisible barrier between us is insurmountable. She has a right to feel every drop of betrayal and resentment toward me. I’m at the center of the problem. I killed a man. I’m the one with a criminal record. I’m the one who won’t let her go home to see her family.

After stepping under the warm water, I let out a moan as it spreads over my aching body. The physical stress oozing from my tense muscles nearly brings me to my knees with the small feeling of relief. I don’t bother turning when I hear the door to the bathroom click open, assuming she forgot something in the room. I open my eyes when the door to the shower slides over and the air turns cold.

She’s naked, fully bared to me. Her heavy breasts and smooth, perfect skin are as tempting as ever. My dick hardens as she looks up at me with those unforgettable blue-green eyes and drops down to her knees on the wet tiles. Without uttering a word, she wraps her hand around my growing erection.

I almost stop her. I almost pull her up and tuck her into my chest for a hug, murmuring sweet nothings in her ear.

But I don’t because I fucking need this. I need the soft wetness of her tongue as she tastes the underside of my dick. I need the vibration of her humming mouth over me as I tighten the grip on her hair and thrust my hips forward into her.

She gargles, making a choking sound. I pull back, looking down at her. She takes a steadying breath before wrapping her lips around me again.

“You can take it, angel.”

She nods as she sucks on me again. My eyes roll back in my head, a desperate, whimpering moan escaping my lips. She’s inexperienced, unsure of how to please me but trying nonetheless. I have to watch her, to see her pretty pink lips around my cock.

My eyes take her in, her lashes wet from the water as she sucks on me, pulling back and moving back in again. I grab her hand, placing it on the base of my dick. She squeezes, blinking up at me.

“That’s right, angel; squeeze it while you suck on me. You look so fucking angelic with my cock in your throat, baby. A fucking perfect angel.”

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