Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
“I don’t want her location given away.”
“Come on. You doubt us in this day and age? We’ll make it look like the call’s pinging off India or New York. It’s up to Hope how she wants to egg him on.”
“Good.”
“We’ll get everything set up. When the men are close to making an arrest, we’ll let you call. Do you want to rehearse the call?” Alex offered.
“No. I want it to come off naturally. I have so much I want to say to him that I’m afraid I’ll snap.” Her back straightened as she stared at the men with a newfound strength she that radiated through her eyes. A smile tipped at the edge of her lips as she lifted one brow with the confidence of someone with power behind her. She cracked her knuckles, ready for an imaginary fist fight. Both men noticed the instant shift and read it for what it was. “Luckily we’re doing this over the phone, eh?”
Gage sensed the hint of fear she let slip and rubbed her arms. “Yes. I’d kill the bastard if I saw him face to face.” She leaned into him for that extra bit of strength to make it through. He was her rock.
“My men will set up in the dining room. Is that okay with you?” Alex asked Gage.
“Yes, that works for me. Do what you need to get rid of this fucker,” Gage stated while rubbing Hope’s arms. “Come on, Hope. Let me feed you.” Gage held her hand and escorted her Both of them had worked up a serious appetite for the day.
Twenty minutes later, they were eating their cold-cut sandwiches and sipping on some freshly made sweet tea when Bill entered the house. “Sorry, Gage. I don’t mean to interrupt, but the bull broke through the fence.”
“Shit. I’ll be back. I knew we should have fixed that small section before I came back in.” He’d left it alone because he wanted to check on Hope, and then Alex called him about the setup so he’d completely forgotten about it. He needed to remember that ranching didn’t have shortcuts.
Alex walked into the kitchen, stealing a glass of tea for himself. “We’ll be here. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Thanks.” Gage grabbed Hope, lifting her from her seat with one hand around her waist, the other around the nape of her neck, and kissed her roughly before pulling away and walking out of the house.
Breathless, she stared in the direction of Gage’s exit from the kitchen. Hope had fallen hard and fast for her rescuer, and it scared her. She could lose him so easily if he got tired of the nonsense or if her father or Navarro got ahold of him. Would Navarro lose interest now that she gave away her virginity? She sure as hell prayed that he’d drop his plans for her. She refused to be with anyone else. Gage was it for her.
“Hope, are you okay?” Alex asked.
“I’m fine. Sorry. He’s distracting.” She smiled at Alex.
“Ha. It reminds me of the day he met you. We had to repeat our questions to him because he’d been thinking about the woman walking around the Market.”
“Ah, yes—when he thought I was stalking him.”
“Now we know that’s not the truth.” He tried to stop himself from laughing, but slowly his lips twisted up into a grin that evolved until he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Sorry,” he choked out, laughing. “I don’t know why I find that so funny.” He took another minute to get himself under control.
“I don’t see shit funny about this,” an officer said as he entered the house with a tool kit.
“Relax, Austin.”
“Whatever. I want both of these bastards long gone, but murder is illegal. So I take this shit seriously. We have to stay focused.” Hope’s eyes widened at his frustration. He had a real grudge against these guys, but she felt it was extremely personal for him.
“Hope, this is Detective Austin Brody—he’s with the FBI in San Antonio. Human trafficking is a federal offense. Where do you want me to set up?”
The whole situation was serious to her, but that didn’t mean she had to hold back her one source of happiness—Gage.
“We’ll take it down the hall.” Alex led the way, while Hope decided to make some coffee.
An hour later, Gage returned. Immediately, he hunted down Hope. He pushed the kitchen door open and startled Hope. She dropped the bowl full of chocolate onto the floor.
“I’m sorry, baby.” He bent down and scooped up the bowl while she grabbed a dish towel to clean up the mess on the gorgeous flooring. Once they had all of it picked up, and she asked, “How are you?”
“Could have done better, but we went with what I have for repairs. I’ll have to get more supplies tomorrow. You’re doing great, it seems.”