Page 67 of Color of Love

Hot rage pulsed through him at the thought of these two officers whom he trusted to protect the town, harming and abusing one of their vulnerable citizens. Disappointment in himself came hot on the heels of the rage. How could he not have noticed what was going on with his own officers?

“Pendejos!” Justine spat, tutting over the falling glass. He nodded in agreement. He slowed the car and stayed back in the tree line, watching them drive closer to the barn. He killed the engine and glanced around. Where the fuck was the protection officer from the other precinct? He couldn’t see anyone here. The rescue center was wide open to attack, leaving Rebelle vulnerable. He checked his phone and saw he had several missed calls. He dialed the number back and Sheriff Carlisle answered.

“Where the hell is your guy?” Blake demanded.

“I’ve been trying to reach you, where have you been? There was an incident at the county border, a large fire was set and we needed to pull our guy back to help out the fire department and investigate leads. I tried to let you know so you could get someone to cover but I’m sending someone else over now,” she said. Blake tried to calm down, it wasn’t her fault, and she was doing him a huge favor by having one of her officers help out every day.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll check things out in the meantime,” Blake replied and hung up. He opened the glove box and pulled out his firearm, checking it was loaded and the safety was off.

“Blake, what are you doing?” Justine’s voice dipped slightly. Fuck, what were you thinking bringing her here? his mind shouted. He squeezed her knee and dropped a lingering kiss on her forehead.

“I’m just going to check that Rebelle is okay. I think they’re just being assholes and trying to scare her, so I’ll send them packing with a warning. Stay here and do not get out under any circumstances. Lock the doors when I leave.”

“Blake, if you think they’re just trying to scare her, why do you need your gun?” she asked, her brow pinched in worry.

“Honey, it’s just a safety precaution, don’t worry about me. Just stay here and think about all the things we’re gonna do in bed when we get home later,” he added, wanting to take her mind off things and fill her with the calm he wasn’t feeling himself. She gave him a small smile and he kissed her lips briefly before getting out of the car. He shut his door quietly and waited for her to lock the doors before he shot her another smile through the windshield and left.

He crept up through the trees, his footsteps stealthy, not even crunching the dried leaves, his movements calculated, his breathing low. All his training had prepared him for moments like this, a covert attack. He kept his eyes focused in the darkness. The moon faded in and out of the clouds, lighting the way for a brief moment before plunging the world into eerie darkness again.

He approached the building, still scanning the area in the dark, and squatted down beside Rebelle’s truck. He kept still, straining his ears for any sounds, his eyes picking up nothing.

“Get out here, you whore!” a voice shouted in the dark, menace and threat coating the words.

“Yeah, unless you want us to come in there and get you,” a second voice jeered gleefully. They were clearly enjoying this, and Blake’s blood boiled, his stomach turning at the realization that they wanted to seriously harm Rebelle. There was silence. It stretched on for an eternity. Blake inched around the side of the truck, moving closer.

The sound of smashing glass and laughter had his finger twitching on the trigger of his gun. He crept forward slowly, and a few feet away a figure shot past him and around the side of the building.

Blake needed to have sight of both men otherwise he was open to an attack himself. He didn’t know what weapons they had and if he was incapacitated, he couldn’t protect Rebelle. He leaned against the side of the building. He could hear murmurs, then a scuffle.

“I’ve got her!” one of the men shouted triumphantly. Blake’s pulse kicked and tension set his shoulders as he peered around the side of the building.

“Fucking bitch bit me!” one of the men shouted then Blake heard a slap against flesh and promised himself both men would pay for any injuries Rebelle endured.

“Just fucking shoot her!” the other shouted. Blake rushed forward, only one man in his sights, but he needed to save Rebelle before they hurt her anymore. He ran to one figure, grabbing him from behind, trapping both his hands behind his back. The man used his trapped hands to his advantage and flipped Blake over his shoulder. Blake fell to the ground, the man jumping on him and raining his fists down. Blake blocked a punch to the face and raised his hand, cracking the butt of his gun over the man’s temple. The guy grunted and slumped over. One down, one to go.

Just as he stood, Blake heard a scream, but it didn’t sound like Rebelle.

“Justine?!” he shouted, fear pounding through his chest. She screamed again, the sound followed by a gunshot. The noise of the gunshot ricocheted all around him through the silent night.

Blake ran towards it, his heart in his mouth.

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