Page 74 of Mine to Protect

“What happened?”

Alta tiptoed closer with questions in her eyes.

“Who is it?” she whispered once she was by my side.

Ignoring her question, I turned my back to her and focused on Peters.

“Another woman went missing. Be ready in fifteen.” The line went dead.

Holding the phone out, I stared at the blank screen. “Another woman went missing,” I stated, monotone. “Peters will be here in fifteen minutes.”

The sound of something falling onto the couch made me turn. Alta sat on the old worn couch with a hand covering her mouth.

“When? Where?” she asked from behind her hand.

“He didn’t give any details.” My gaze traveled from her disheveled hair—I wasn’t too gentle when I ripped the hat from her head earlier—to her long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans. “Get dressed. You’re coming with me.”

“What? I’m suspended.”

Glaring down, I widened my stance and crossed both arms across my chest. A flick of lust-filled heat flashed in her eyes, stirring my cock back into action. “If you think I give a shit about what that asshat John has to say, you’re wrong. I’m not leaving you unprotected. You’re coming with us, and that’s final, Lady.” I pointed toward her bedroom. “Go get changed. It’s grown colder since the sun’s set, and it looks like a storm’s blowing in.”

A mischievous smile played on her lips, making her look even more irresistible.

“Yes, sir.”

“Go.” I jabbed my finger for emphasis.

Against my better judgment, I watched each of her steps, loving the way her ass bounced.

“I need a fucking cigarette,” I mumbled to myself. The dog perked up, eyeing me from where he lay on a massive bed in the corner of the room. “Seriously, I get it. It’s going to kill me. Stop it with the guilt trip.”

Not dropping his stare, I walked back toward the door. The second my hand wrapped around the doorknob, I swear he shook his head in disappointment.

Outside, the wind whipped through the trees as the first glimpses of the moon peeked over the mountains. I snagged the spare pack I left on the windowsill and pulled a cigarette out with my teeth before tossing the rest back to my not-so-secret hiding spot.

Cancerous smoke filled my lungs, easing the tension from the day. That woman kept me on my toes, that was for sure. From the second I pulled into her driveway that morning till now, it was nonstop. And that incident with the mountain lion…. I huffed a laugh as I slid the butt of the cigarette back and forth over my lower lip. She was a mess, a highly entertaining mess.

Headlights cut through the dark, signaling Peters’s arrival. Steeling my frustration at him for the interruption of my next few hours, I leaned against the post and watched as he climbed out of the SUV.

“You look murderous.” Not that he seemed to care with his constant knowing smirk. “Don’t kill the fucking messenger, okay.”

Instead of confirming what he already knew, I sealed my lips around the cigarette and took a deep inhale.

“You ready?”

“Waiting on her.” I tilted my head toward the cabin. “She needed to change.”

“Her wet—”

“Careful,” I said in a tone that cut through his shit.

He sighed. “You’re no fun like this.” With a wave of his hand, he gestured up and down my face with a cringe. “But you weren’t the other way either, so I guess there isn’t any change in your normal sour attitude. Either way, I didn’t make this shit happen. We have a job to do, and duty calls.”

“I get that duty fucking calls,” I seethed. “What do we know?”

“Nothing.” I shot him a glare. “Fuck, man, all they said was a man reported his wife missing this afternoon. Somehow my office found out about it, called me, and I called the Estes Park police station. The lead investigator isn’t giving me shit since I’m not a cop, which is where you come in. I need you to strong-arm this asshole captain into giving us all the details of the case.”

Around us, darkness blanked the area along with a thick cloud cover, sealing off the moon’s bright rays. Dampness in the air mixed with the cold mountain wind made everything feel heavy and foretelling—though of what, I had no idea. Everything was off about this guy and his fascination with Alta. The fucker had gone off the rails, which was never a good thing.

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