Page 33 of Easton’s Claim

Sex with Easton would be powerful and raw, but once the initial fireworks and excitement wore off, would he lose interest? He’d built her up in his head for so many years. He’d have certain expectations. What if the reality of being with her didn’t measure up? She didn’t want to find out she was a disappointment.

She was on her way to the kitchen to check if Charlie needed help when her phone rang. It was the lead detective on her case. “Hello.”

“Hi. We’ve got a possible lead I want to talk to you about. Can you come down to the station?”

She glanced over at Easton, who’d stopped and was watching her, his roller still on the wall. “Sure. Give me twenty minutes.”

“Is Agent Colebrook there with you?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Bring him too.”

“Okay.” She’d planned to anyway.

Easton drove her to the station and sat next to her while the detective and FBI agent laid out what the latest developments were. They hadn’t found a print on the tracking device, and techs were still trying to trace the signal back to whoever had been monitoring it.

“We’ve done some digging, and managed to come up with a possible suspect,” the detective said, turning the computer screen on the desk to face them. A man’s mug shot appeared, along with his name. Brandon Gallant.

Easton tensed and sat forward, his attention riveted to the screen. Piper glanced at him.

“You recognize him?” the detective asked him.

“Yeah.” Easton sat back and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “We did a raid a few years back in D.C. and arrested him. Drug trafficker.”

The FBI agent nodded and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s right. Our records indicate that Mr. Rutland had dealings with Gallant while he was sheriff.” His gaze shifted to Piper. “Is he familiar to you at all?”

She shook her head. “No, not at all, and I don’t recognize the name either.”

“Given the history between him and your ex-husband, and the connection with Agent Colebrook, we feel it’s best that you take precautions until Gallant is apprehended.”

“She’s staying at my family’s property outside of town,” Easton said. “One of my teammates is there as well. She’ll be well protected.”

The agent nodded. “Good.”

Outside in the hallway, Piper grasped Easton’s forearm and he stopped and looked at her. “Maybe I should leave town for a while. Until they catch him.”

Easton’s mouth thinned into a flat line and he shook his head. “You’re safe with us. My family is trained, and no one’s as motivated to keep you safe as we are. I won’t entrust your safety to strangers, Piper, so don’t ask me to.”

She blinked at him, taken aback by his vehemence. His family had been through more than enough already without taking on more of her shit.

He sighed and softened his expression. “Look, all of us know that land like the backs of our hands. You’ve got Jamie and me there, and Charlie can handle herself, and my dad can still shoot just fine with his left hand. If anyone comes looking for you there, they’ll be sorry. And if necessary, we can use one of the trails to get you out of there.”

Chapter Eleven

Hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, Brandon stayed in the shadows and watched as two of his men supervised Greg while he searched through the storage unit. They’d had to wait until the security shift change at two in the morning. A few hundred bucks in product for the new guard, and he’d been happy to go on break to get his fix and let them do whatever they wanted.

“Make sure you check everything in there,” he said, watching with a sharp eye.

Before he’d been a corrupt sheriff, Greg had served in the Army and done combat tours. He was better trained than Brandon and his hired muscle. Even beaten to a pulp and half-starved, Greg was a threat. If he made a move to try and escape, Brandon would shoot him dead before he ever made it out of the storage unit.

“We got nothing, boss,” one of his men said a few minutes later.

“Because it’s not here,” Greg said, his voice strained and angry. “Like I already told you, it’s not goddamnhere.”

“So where is it then?” Brandon demanded. He’d had to bring his own men here to check things out, to make sure Greg wasn’t lying. Because he was one of the best liars around.

“I don’t know.” Greg hunched over and winced, put a hand to his ribs. “I’ve already looked everywhere.”

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