Page 17 of Security Breach

“Yes.” No hesitation.

“The women in Maple Valley must have pursued you while I was gone.”

He snorted. “Is the sky blue? I felt like I had a target on my back. Every time I showed my face in public, at least one woman made it a point to extend an invitation for a meal or coffee. The interest was one-sided, Emma. I never considered accepting an invitation. I wasn’t interested and didn’t think it fair to lead them on when I knew the relationship would never go anywhere. What about you? Are you interested in an exclusive dating relationship with me after all these months?”

She smiled, the knots in her stomach unraveling. “Nothing would make me happier.”

David relaxed. “Excellent. Now that you’ve returned to my life, I’m not letting you go. We stick together, no matter what.”

Emma blinked. He couldn’t mean that like it sounded. “What if I have to return to witness protection?”

“I’ll go with you.”

Stunned, she shook her head. “You can’t. Your brothers and the citizens of Morgan County need you.”

“My brothers are grown men who can take care of themselves and the county’s needs. You’re my priority.”

“If I have to stay in protection, you can’t see your brothers. I won’t ask you to make that sacrifice.”

“You’re not asking. I’m telling you what I want. As for not seeing my family, all of us are Special Forces. We’ll find a way to see each other.” He started to say more, but his cell phone rang.

David glanced at the screen and scowled. He swiped his thumb across the surface and tapped the speaker button. “Yeah, Montgomery. You’re on speaker.”

“Where’s Ms. Tucker?” Craig Jordan demanded.

“I’m here,” Emma said. Agent Jordan didn’t sound happy.

“The Butcher made contact. He sent you a message.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

David’s hand tightened around his cell phone until the plastic groaned. “When?”

“Not sure. The timeline is murky. Sometime after she escaped from her safe house.”

Murky? David scowled. He had to be kidding. Jordan was a senior agent with the FBI. Their pockets were much deeper than David’s county budget. How could they not be able to nail down a timeline?

“What did he say?” Emma asked, voice shaky.

He wrapped his arm around her and tucked her closer to his side. If he could, he’d shield her from this latest move in the game. Since that wasn’t possible, all he could do at the moment was offer support.

The sound of paper shuffling came through the speaker. “He said, ‘No more playing nice. Next time I won’t miss.’”

David’s jaw tightened. “You checked traffic and security cams in the area?”

“Waiting on a warrant.”

Emma didn’t have time to wait for the feds to wade through red tape. The Butcher was a threat to Emma’s safety as well as anyone around her. David knew he’d have a battle on his hands to stay with her. His girlfriend would sacrifice herself to keep him and those he loved safe. She’d already given up more than a year of her life for that reason. He wouldn’t let her give more. He needed the information now. “I might be able to find the information we need.”

“Legally?”

“You sure you want me to answer that question?”

A growl. “I have to be able to use information we gain in court, as you well know.”

“Keep pushing for the warrant. I’ll see what I can find out on my end.” He paused, then asked the question he knew Emma wanted answered. “Any survivors this morning?”

“You know the answer to that question. We lost four good men today. Tell me what happened again. We need a lead to help us bring closure to their families.”

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