Page 33 of Trapped (Sheppard & Sons Investigations #6)

Nathan

T he instant we walked into the house, my body went on high alert. I couldn’t see or hear anything, but I sensed something wasn’t right.

I drew my pistol and moved them away from the door. My eyes never stopped scanning. “Call John and wait here.” I ordered.

Pride filled my heart as I watched Ashley take a protective stance in front of her grandmother despite her hands shaking as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

So fucking brave.

The tremor in her voice as she asked for John pierced my heart like Robinhood’s arrow. “John’s not available,” she whispered.

We didn’t have time for a game of telephone, so I grabbed her phone. Keeping my voice low, I said, “This is Bravo One. I need backup at Flirty’s. Send anyone you can.”

As soon as Meg confirmed, I disconnected the call. “Sorry,” I apologized as I handed back her phone.

Thankfully, being in a small town meant it only took a minute before Cate called my cell. “We’re here. What do you need us to do?”

“Clear the back.”

“Clear the back. We’re on it.”

“Bravo Three, be discreet.”

“Roger that.”

Using our phones instead of comms wasn’t ideal for stealth, but they were all we had.

Before they finished, the rest of SSI arrived. John called for an update and then organized the Sierra team. We kept the line open, so I heard him order Jamie and Doug to cover the front.

I added Jay to the call and ordered him and Cate to stay out back and cover the door.

No one would enter or exit the house without us seeing them.

John, Jack, and AJ would help me clear the inside.

The first thing John did was hug a trembling Violet. “I’ve got them,” he said, releasing us to clear the house.

“I’m on point,” I said. If the person terrorizing Ashley and Violet needed shooting, I wanted to be the one pulling the trigger.

For their sake, I prayed the asshole was long gone.

I transitioned to operator mode and signaled to the hall. Jack and AJ drew their guns, lined up behind me, and signaled they were ready.

We searched the bedrooms and bath.

No one.

The last room we needed to clear was the kitchen.

I held up my hand to stop forward motion and pointed.

“Fuck,” Jack said behind me.

“Gloves?” I asked.

The black rose petals scattered around the blood stain could be dealt with later. First, I needed to check the mangled, blood-covered mound of black fur on the floor because we hadn’t seen Prince yet.

Jack pressed two blue gloves into my right hand. I holstered my gun, snapped on the gloves, and, avoiding the blood drops, dropped to one knee. The closer I got, the faster my breath came. “Snap some photos,” I ordered, wanting documentation before touching the bloody mass.

“Done.” AJ’s response was half growl.

Sending one last prayer to heaven, I touched it.

Thank God . Before I could say “It’s stuffed” Ashley screamed.

I was on my feet and ripping off my gloves faster than my brain could think. My arms were around her before I gave myself conscious permission to move. Needing to comfort her, I held Ashley to my chest and whispered “It’s not Prince” over and over until she stopped crying.

“We’re clear. Call everyone in,” Jack said, taking over the lead while I walked Ashley to the living room. John walked the pale-faced Violet to the couch and sat her beside Ashley.

“What happened?” Violet held her head high, but her voice trembled.

“A cruel joke,” I answered.

“I thought it was Prince,” Ashley said through her sniffles.

Needing to focus on the task at hand, not Ashley’s emotions, I transitioned back into professional mode.

“It wasn’t. It’s a stuffed animal.”

Whoever did this wanted to invoke terror. And worse, they knew intimate details about the York household.

Whoever did this had watched the house, waiting for us to leave.

When I looked at John, I could tell we’d formed the same conclusion—the Yorks needed more protection. “I’ll arrange it.”

“Arrange what?” Violet asked.

“Go, I’ve got this,” I said, dismissing John. It wasn’t an order, despite my rough voice, but he followed it.

“One person isn’t enough. We need someone outside the house twenty-four seven.”

“Isn’t that why we have cameras?” Ashley asked.

“Yes, but…” The person who broke in had probably disabled them. “We’ll check the feed, but the cameras didn’t prevent the break-in.”

After making his call, John made tea and delivered cups to Violet and Ashley. Violet made a fuss about being waited on in her own home, but John sweet-talked her. “Let us spoil you a little while we wait for the police to arrive.”

“Can’t you solve it?” Violet asked.

“We can, and we will, but we still have to report it,” he answered. “When the police are done, we’ll clean up the mess.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Violet, please don’t argue with me about this.” John’s words asked, but his tone issued an order.

“It’s okay, Gran.” Ashley held her grandmother’s hand. “Just think, watching the handsome SSI guys do housework will be even better than having a chauffeur.” Ashley’s injection of humor helped convince Violet.

“In the meantime, I have some more questions for you,” John said.

“Nathan, got a second?” Cate asked from the kitchen entryway.

“Go, I’ll stay here.” John took out his notebook, ready to take notes the old-fashioned way.

Cate tilted her head toward the kitchen, so I followed her.

“What’s your assessment?” I asked. As a former FBI profiler, Cate’s opinion would be invaluable.

“This isn’t Finn. Nothing in his profile leads me to believe he’s capable of this.”

I didn’t think so either, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t involved.

“You think he hired someone?”

“Possibly. If he did, he found a professional who takes pleasure in terrifying his victims. Or it could be someone else entirely.”

“Ashley said she can’t think of anyone who’d want to hurt her.”

“It could be someone who’s never made contact.” She let the statement hang in the air. Our job would be a thousand times harder if the suspect were unidentified.

I glanced back at the mess. “Any thoughts on the black roses?”

“They symbolize death and mystery, so it feels like a threat. We should research crime reports that include black roses. We assumed Finn was responsible, but after this.” She glanced back at the mess. “We have to broaden our search.”

I nodded. “Thanks.” I looked through the arched entryway towards the living room. “Do me a favor? Type up your assessment and send it to me.” I wanted to review the details later with a fresh mind. “Keep me updated on what else you find. Please.”

“Of course. And Blaszek,” she waited for me to make eye contact, “you’re not in this alone, so whatever you need, just ask.”

“Thanks, Maxwell.” As a team guy, you wouldn’t think I’d need to be reminded, but you’d be wrong. My time with Hawken’s did more damage than I’d realized.

I was desperate to return to Ashley, but I had a job to do. “Sharpe, anything?” I asked Doug.

“Nothing in front but the back cameras went dark at two-seventeen.”

Fifteen minutes after we’d left.

“I scanned the streets before we left. I didn’t see anyone.”

“This isn’t on you,” he said.

“Isn’t it? It’s my job to protect them.”

“And you did. They’re both fine.” We turned our heads just in time to see Prince jump onto Gran’s lap. She flattened him like a pancake when she hugged him, praising him for hiding and staying safe while Ashley watched with new tears forming in her eyes.

“Can you replace the cameras?”

“I don’t have any with me, but as soon as we’re done here I’ll get new ones.”

“Thank you.”

A hand fell on my shoulder. “Blaszek, let us handle this. Go take care of your girl,” Jamie said.

My girl. Once again, I had to admit I liked how that sounded.

Glancing back at the mess on the floor, I vowed no one would ever touch a hair on Ashley’s head.

It hadn’t taken Jack long to figure out the substance on the floor wasn’t blood. I felt stupid for not realizing the smell was all wrong, but I’d been hyper-focused on making sure the black fur wasn’t Prince.

This is why we work in teams .

The police visit was shorter than expected. They photographed the crime scene, gathered the evidence, took our statements, and released the scene in what had to be record time.

“The Yorks hired us after a previous incident. This it part of our ongoing investigation. We’re also providing personal protection,” John said. “We’ll share intel if you do.”

The detective’s laugh was devoid of humor. “Do I have a choice?”

He did. He could withhold information, but things would go a hell of a lot smoother for everyone if we worked together.

The detective agreed, and they shook hands before Jamie walked his former brothers-in-blue out.

With Gran’s permission, we went through the house and secured all the windows with thick wooden dowel rods we’d found in the garage.

It was hours before everyone finally left. When they did, the kitchen was clean, everyone was fed, and the house was secure.

Ashley pretended she was fine as she read a book on the couch, but she hadn’t turned the page in ten minutes. Gran dealt with her fear by showing Prince the video from the cameras and watching for bugs the night vision picked up.

I watched them quietly, giving them the time they needed to process in their own way, but stayed close by.

Prince sat patiently on Gran’s lap, like an angel sent from heaven, comforting her.

Thoughts rapid-fired through my mind: Prince’s arrival on Violet’s doorstep a week ago, Finn’s visit, the black roses, Finn’s possessive, aggressive texts, the bloody ‘body’ left in the kitchen today.

What if Prince’s arrival wasn’t a blessing, but a curse?

“Violet, did Prince have a collar when you found him?” What if someone dropped him off with a tracker?

“No, and I didn’t find him; he found me. Why?”

I didn’t know why the difference mattered, but it wasn’t worth wasting time on.

“Just curious.”

“He’s not chipped either,” Ashley added. “I wanted to make sure we weren’t stealing someone’s pet.”

Knowing it was near impossible to inject a GPS tracker under a dog’s skin, I moved forward with the assumption it’d be impossible with a cat. I’d verify, but my confidence level was high.

“He’s my little angel,” Gran crooned.

“More like a demon,” Ashley teased.

“I think he’s a little of both.”

I texted John my thoughts concerning Prince, trusting him to follow up. Or tell me I’ve lost my marbles.

Soon after, Gran went to bed, and Ashley wasn’t far behind.

I read on the couch, with my gun and laptop on a TV tray just to my left. I glanced at the screen each time I reached the bottom of a page.

I’d only read two chapters when Ashley padded into the living room with green fuzzy slippers on her feet. Fucking adorable . As my eyes travelled up her uncovered legs, the word adorable stopped applying. I cursed the long strappy top she wore for hanging mid-thigh and disrupting my perfect view.

“Eyes up here, Casper,” she whispered as she walked closer.

I didn’t have to see her face to know she wasn’t okay; the tension in her shoulders spoke volumes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t sleep.” Not surprising .

“Sit.” I patted the cushion next to me. Not waiting for an invitation, she snuggled up to my side. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer still.

“Whatcha reading?” She asked, her hand settling on my chest, no doubt feeling my heartbeat pick up pace.

“The Hobbit, by Tolkien.”

“So not a rom-com?” I missed her hand when she pulled it away to cover her laugh.

“No.” I dog-eared the page and put the book down. “Want to talk, or do you want quiet company?”

“Can we talk?”

“Of course.” I could hardly blame her for wanting company or needing comfort; the last few days had been hell.

“I can’t believe Finn’s doing this.”

She didn’t resist when I lifted her chin so I could see her eyes when she answered my next question. “Why not?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. He’s always talked tough, but never follows through, you know?”

I did; we shared her opinion. “Do you think he’d hire someone to harass you?”

“He might. How do you find someone willing to do this kind of stuff?”

“It’s a lot easier than you’d think, especially if you have a lot of money and no conscience.”

“It’s a shitty way to try to win me back.”

Mine . My arm tightened around her shoulders.

She patted my chest. “Don’t worry, Casper, I don’t want him.”

“Do you think you’ll stop calling me that anytime soon?” I didn’t hate it, but it reminded me of things I’d rather not think about.

She buried her face in my chest and laughed. “Maybe. Would it help to know I think of you as my gorgeous protective ghost?”

Hers . I smiled before kissing the top of her head. “A little.” I was totally and completely hers.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” she mumbled into my chest.

“How’d you end up with a guy like Finn?” I sounded judgmental, but was legitimately curious. She’d dated AJ and was attracted to me. Ashley clearly had a type, but Finn was so far from it he might as well be a different mammal.

“I wanted to try something different. He seemed nice and was easy on the eyes.”

My free hand lifted to my scarred face without conscious thought.

“You have nothing to worry about, my ruggedly handsome ghost.” She ran the back of her fingers down my scar. Her gentle caress had the dual effect of calming my nerves and exciting my body.

“Thank you.”

“Sadly, Finn isn’t the first ass in my life.”

I growled as I ground my teeth hard enough to crush stone. If I hadn’t, I would’ve demanded the name of every asshole who’d dared to touch her. My mind was already thinking up creative ways to make them pay.

“Breathe, Casper,” Ashley whispered. She reached over, her fingers forcing mine to unclench. She laced hers with mine and squeezed.

I needed to know. “Who hurt you?”

“No one.” My left eyebrow lifted in disbelief, so she added, “I swear.”

I tilted my head and waited for her to explain.

“They were assholes, and I refused to put up with their shit. I kicked them to the curb once I saw their true nature. You don’t need to worry about me.”

My free hand lifted, caressing the side of her face. “Just because I don’t need to doesn’t mean I won’t.” I saw her pupils dilate before I glanced at my laptop.

Ashley bragged about her independence, but she liked that I was worried, and when I got jealous. Good . I just hoped she’d like it when I acted on that concern.

When she started yawning, I stood and offered her a hand up. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Hearing her sound small and scared again invoked two feelings: empathy and anger.

My anger wasn’t directed at her, so I choked it down and focused on the empathy.

“I’ll stay as long as you want.”