Page 27 of Mine to Dominate

“We pretend out in public,” he said.

“I agree. You two need to ignore each other until we find out what Harold, Fletcher’s dad, is up to. I’ll call in a few guys I know. They’ll blend in and be able to move around more than we can,” Darrell said.

“What about setting him up?” Kayla said.

Zeke shook his head. “Not if it has to do with you being the bait.”

“I don’t like it either,” the older man said.

Kayla rolled her eyes. “You guys. Listen. Darrell will be here to protect me, and you’ll be at work when I’m there. I’ll be guarded the whole time. I’m more worried about Zeke. It wasn’t me he threatened to kill, remember?”

Zeke looked at Darrell. “I don’t want her anywhere around this.”

“I’m already in the middle,” she reminded them.

Zeke wiped a hand down his face in frustration before he looked at Darrell. “What are you thinking?”

“She’s right about being protected. I won’t be leaving the house until this is finished, and no one knows I’m here. If the man is going to contact her, it would be here. He’s not stupid enough to try anything anywhere else.”

“Do you think his son knows anything about this?” Zeke asked.

Kayla shook her head. “No. He looked confused when I talked about my problem being closer to his home.”

“Should we get a camera set up here?” she asked.

“That’s a good idea. I can have someone set something up tomorrow,” Darrell said. “Then he won’t be able to say it’s his word against ours. It would make it easier for the prosecutors.”

Zeke nodded. “Have him look like an electrician or plumber.”

Darrell nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

“I should go so you can get some sleep.” He stood and pulled her up beside him. “Walk me to the door.”

Zeke heard the other man on the phone talking to a person who would set up the cameras. He stopped them before she opened the door.

He gripped the back of her neck and kissed her until they were both breathless. “Very soon, we won’t have to stop, and I can do everything I’ve dreamed of doing to you.”

She looked confused. “Like what?”

“I’ll show you later. Lock the door behind me. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”

She nodded and closed the door after him.

Zeke stood with his back to the house and studied the area. He didn’t sense anyone, but he would always be careful. He ran back home, taking alleys or backyards. When he came to his house, he stood behind a tree and surveyed the area. He couldn’t see any movement, but the air felt heavy. He pulled his gun from the holster in the back of his jeans and then slowly walked to the back door of the house he was renting, unlocked the door, and walked in.

Zeke went through the house and only relaxed when the doors and windows were locked, and everything seemed fine. It didn’t mean he’d take down his guard because that’s never happened. With the military and being a city cop, you learned to always be attentive to your surroundings, and it became second nature to him.

Later that night in bed, he lay staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t get his mind off of having Kayla in his home, and the sooner, the better.

He would show her who she belonged to for the rest of her life.

Chapter Fourteen

Kayla’s stomach hurt from the tension she’d felt all day. It was hard trying to act like she disliked Zeke. It didn’t help that Fletcher had eyes on her all day. What baffled her was instead of the desire-filled expression he usually used while staring at her, he just looked confused.

When her replacement, Betsy, showed up, she was ready to get home and shut the world away.

“Was today bad?” Betsy asked as she stuck her purse into the drawer.

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