Guarding Hope

Taking a deep breath and trying to be positive, she said, “Fine. We can’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right?”

“I don’t know. Things just don’t fall into your lap unless…” The wheel in Gage’s head spun as Hope looked on, waiting for him to continue.

“Unless…what?” she questioned.

“Unless Cummings did something to send the guy over the edge.”

“Over the edge? Not one of them cared about what happened to me.” She remembered quite vividly how no one offered to let her run away. Not a single one lifted a finger to help her. She frankly hated every last one of them.

“Sometimes a guilty conscience takes over or the informant doesn’t trust Cummings.”

She scoffed. No one trusted her father, and feeling guilty wasn’t their forte. “It wouldn’t be Jimmy. He’s the leader of the idiots. He wouldn’t rat out my father even if he killed his mother.”

“Then who?”

“I don’t know.” The mood shifted—gone was the frivolity of time alone without any thoughts of Cummings or Navarro. Hope lost her appetite as soon as Gage told her about the messages.

Seeing the change in her demeanor, Gage said, “Let’s get out of here. You get everything you need, baby?”

“I grabbed plenty.” Gage took her hand and carried the bags with the other. Hope carried two small bags from Victoria’s Secret in her free hand. She pressed her head against Gage’s chest and released a sigh briefly before pulling back.

Gage took that as a sign that she trusted him like he’d hoped. Once they reached the vehicle, he let her in first before loading the bags into the back to keep her away from prying eyes, although Gage’s motives could be questioned. Did he just want to protect her from those out to get her, or because other men noticed her beauty in the mall? In his heart, he knew it was the latter.

The ride back stayed awkwardly silent until Gage asked, “So how did you get along with your mother? Were you two close before her death?”

“I was fourteen when she died. She was my only friend. My body had started changing, and the boys noticed. The few friends I was allowed to have resented me for it. I lost every one of them before she died. Her death was ruled a homicide, but they never found the shooter. They searched with us, questioned Baxter and me, but they ended up with nothing.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wanted to learn a little more about who you are.”

“I’m not upset. I’m glad you asked. She made me smile so often, but he took away hers. I remember how she’d went from playing with me in my room to doing my hair, only to be scolded for turning me into a whore. It’s funny, actually, because he didn’t want me to like boys because he planned to whore me out himself.”

“He’s a prick and will pay for the things he’s done. I’m sure of it. He’s got to have some enemies.”

“Oh, he has plenty. Navarro isn’t his friend. He’s a bastard looking for another way to screw my father.”

“Do you feel anything for your father?”

“Nothing but contempt. He’s a piece of filth that I wouldn’t even scrape off my shoe. I’d toss it right into a burn pit.”

“Wow. I’m surprised you call him father sometimes.”

“I know he doesn’t deserve the word, but he never wanted me to call him that. Now, it’s like a spiteful, revenge kind of thing. It’s stupid and petty, but it’s the little things in life.”

“No, you do what you need to get by. He ruined all the fun years that we all experience. I know you missed out on a lot, but I promise that I’ll find a way of making it up to you when this is all over.”

“We’ll see when it’s all said and done.”

“You’ll see, all right.” They passed the cameras on the ranch, and he received another notification. His phone pinged with the images when it happened throughout the day, but the only ones were his workers twice and the mailman.

Chapter 12

Rain crashed against the window, startling Hope out of her sleep. Once she gathered her wits, she laughed to herself. Since when did she become afraid of the rain? Her dangers had always been lurking in her home, so she didn’t have time for silly fears that could wake her father. His wrath proved to be worse than any storm. This time had been different. She’d woken up the bastard, and he’d never stop searching for her; his men hunted day and night.

And although Hope now had a big, strong beast in the other room to protect her, he was still a room away. She wanted him to hold her and maybe even more. She lusted after Gage Gibson so desperately, but danger lurked around every corner, and she had more to be concerned about.