“Forget about tomorrow unless we have it at my place,” he told Dax. There was no way in hell he felt it was safe to leave Hope unprotected so he could go out and gamble.
“That could work.”
“Let go of me. I’m all good. I need to go home to my family.” Despite having Cummings feet from him, he wouldn’t risk being arrested just to get only a punch in because he was certain they’d stop him before he got in more than one.
“Are you sure?” the other officer asked. He felt the seething hatred running through Gage.
“Yes. I promise to behave.” When they released their grip on him, Gage straightened his clothes and took a deep breath. Dax and the other officers stepped back to give him a little room, but they kept their eyes on him. The two uniformed officers moved to the door, guarding it just in case Gage wanted to run back up the stairs toward Cummings.
“Let me know if you want to have it at your place. We’ll need room to bunk up, but I’m sure the guys will be up for it.”
“Nah, keep the game at your place. I’m not going to disrupt the gathering with my foul mood. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the game anyway.”
“Yeah, you’d make an easy mark. You should host,” Dax teased.
“Nah. Besides, I need some time to seduce my wife.” He wagged his brows, trying to calm himself down before he took off, but it didn’t work. Driving when pissed was never a good idea, and he was most definitely pissed.
“Seduce? Isn’t baby number two still in the oven?”
“Yep, and I want another ten more.” He winked at Dax. The thought of filling Hope up with more babies turned him on more than most would understand. Gage felt a primal, feral need to procreate.
“I’m thinking she won’t go for that.”
“Probably not, but I’m not going to stop trying.” Gage leaned in and added, “Let me know what’s going on with that bastard.”
“Of course,” he whispered back. The men gave each other a one-armed hug and then parted ways, neither feeling any better about the situation.
The entire drive home, Gage wondered what Baxter’s plan was. There had to be something up his sleeve. Gage had seen it all before when he was a prosecutor, so he became more paranoid about Cummings. “Damn it. Get a hold of yourself. You can’t go home and scare Hope with your insane need for blood.”
Chapter 4
Another month passed without any incident. From the information that Gage was able to gather, Cummings established a legitimate business while waiting for trial. While he seemed to be thriving and acting like he was free and clear, Hope had pretty much been locked in the house with Johnny while Gage worked on the ranch, taking out his frustration in the form of backbreaking work.
The weather heated up as summer hit and Hope ached to go outside more. She began to feel trapped again and all because of her father. He managed to have a hold on her even when she was no longer under his roof. Hope didn’t put the blame on Gage when he demanded she stay inside. Hope understood that she was in danger and so were her babies. It was the only thing keeping her trapped inside. Sighing, she cleaned up the baby’s toy area as he took a nap.
“What’s with that sigh?” She spun her head around to see Gage staring down at her.
“It’s nothing. Cleaning up toys is a wonderful chore.” She rolled her eyes at him. Most of her days were so monotonous that she was losing her mind. Even her work in the office as Gage’s assistant had become efficient and took her less time to complete each and every week.
“Do I sense sarcasm in your tone?” he questioned, a small smile creeping up the sides of his mouth that caused one of her own.
“No. Not at all. I love spending all day cleaning.” She rolled her eyes again, which caused Gage to drag her into his arms and crush his mouth to hers.
“Sometimes, Mrs. Gibson, you need to be spanked.”
“Promises, promises.” He spun her around with her back pressed firmly against his front to see how turned on he was.
“Just for that, I’m going to have to show you I’m a man of my word tonight.” He bit her earlobe gently and then swatted her ass. “Sweetheart, come on. I want you to get ready. I’m taking you out.”
She turned back to face him and asked, “What? Why? How? What about Johnny?”
“Don’t ask all those questions and waste our time. I want to take my gorgeous wife out.” He swatted her ass again to get her moving.
Hope ran up the stairs, causing Gage to have a mini-stroke. “Be careful, woman,” he called out after her, shaking his head. He waited until she was out of sight before he made some calls. He wanted his security around the area he was taking Hope.