Page 60 of Echoes of Desire

Taylor’s eyes open, his gaze hardening as he straightens slightly, though he keeps one arm loosely around Raven. “We were in the backyard. Knox wanted to show me something he’d been working on with the garden. It was peaceful. Quiet. Then I heard a sound like someone stepping on a branch. I turned toward it, and before I could react, there was a gunshot. Pain hit me, and I dropped. When I looked up, Knox was gone.”

“Did you see anyone? Anything out of place?” I ask, my voice low and controlled, though rage simmers just beneath the surface.

“No,” Taylor says through gritted teeth. “Whoever it was, they were fast. Professional. They knew exactly what they were doing.”

Blaze’s jaw tightens, his hands curling into fists. “We’ll find him. Whoever did this won’t get away with it.”

“We’re going to need the footage from the cameras,” I say, looking at Reynolds, who nods.

“It’s already being pulled,” Reynolds replies. “King’s on it.”

“Who would want to hurt Knox?” Raven asks softly.

“A lot of people, honey,” Taylor says, his voice breaking as he rests his face on top of her head. “His job is high-risk.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with his job,” King says, walking into the room. “Knox did a stupid thing, and now he’s being targeted.”

“Explain,” Ghost says. “Ambulance is on its way, Taylor, and you will be leaving in it.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I find my husband,” he says.

“I’ll go with you,” Raven says. “I’m just in the way here. I would say that I’d protect you, but I wouldn’t recognize the bad man even if I had his picture in my hand and was looking at his face. But I will stay by your side the whole time.”

Time freezes as I realize the truth of her statement.

“Fuck,” Blaze says, as I’m sure he’s come to the same conclusion.

Someone could hurt our woman, walk away, and she would never know if she looked them dead in the eyes again.

“We’re locking her away,” he says so low that only I can hear.

I nod my agreement. She’s more vulnerable than anyone we’ve ever met.

“We’ll keep her safe,” I tell him.

“What did he do?” Taylor asks King.

“He and your sister have taken it upon themselves to hack a website with known sexual predators,” he says. “They’ve gained access to private webcams and are crashing the sites and sending the information to the police.”

“Is Emily okay?” Taylor asks shakily.

“She’s fine,” King says. “Pissed, but fine. She said they didn’t want to say anything because you would have made them stop.”

“Damn right I would have,” he growls, tightening his hold on Raven. “What the fuck were they thinking? Look at the shit that happened to her the last time she played this game. And, now she brings my husband into it? When he gets home, I’m going to hold him until I can breathe again. Then I’m going to turn his ass so red that he won’t be able to sit for a fucking year.”

“So, I take it someone is retaliating,” Blaze says, his voice tight with controlled fury.

King nods. “They’re coming after him because he got too close. Because he’s exposing the monsters they’re trying to protect.”

“Or it was the monster he’s trying to expose that took him,” Raven says. “Maybe we can ask this Emily person if there was someone that they were currently trying to catch but haven’t been able to yet.”

“Smart,” King says. “I’ll call her now.”

“Or you can just ask me.”

“Damnit, Em,” Taylor growls. “Why are you here?”

“As opposed to what? Hiding away? It’s like you don’t even know me. Who are you holding?”

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