AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How do you know?” Justin asked.
Sometimes Gabe wondered what Heather had seen in Justin and yet she had dated him for at least a year, maybe longer. Sometimes he hated the little fucker for having his way with her first. The rest of the time, Justin was tolerable. He liked him well enough except when he wanted the floor and the spotlight, which was pretty much eighty percent of the time.
“Listen, Justin. We’re wasting time and every minute we waste could be an extra minute the Vance brothers have to abuse Heather.”
Bradley stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m with Gabe. Let’s do this.”
“Before anyone else asks questions, it’s been seven years.” Draegan looked away from the map. “I don’t know what’s up there now. When Mac and I came here before, we knew Markie was here and we knew why he was here. We had one goal, kind of like today, search and rescue. Get in. Get out.” He hesitated. “The difference between our venture to save Markie and our effort to save Heather is the obvious. We didn’t know how dangerous the Vance brothers were. Now we do. Now we have a new goal, too. We want to leave as few casualties as possible. More importantly, we don’t want to give these boys any reason to come looking for us in Trouble.”
Apparently Draegan believed that was a real possibility. Mac McCall, Trevor Lamb, and Nicholas Speed had left town with their woman the second they discovered Trouble’s founding fathers were going up against the Vance brothers. And Nicholas and Mac didn’t run from much.
“Agreed,” Allister said. “What happens here, stays here. We don’t want anyone following us home.”
“If rumors are true, they will shoot to kill.” Curt looked at Gabe. “That means if we pull our guns, we’d better plan on using them.”
Gabe liked Curt. He was a standup guy. Like Gabe, Curt didn’t take a lot of shit. Curt and Gabe didn’t go around and pick fights, but if they pulled a weapon, they knew how to use it.
In many ways Gabe and Curt were a lot alike. As far as Gabe was concerned, the only difference between them was where it counted. Curt had been one of Heather’s first fucks and Gabe would be the last man to ever slip between her long, shapely legs.
He almost felt sorry for Curt then. Poor fellow had carried a torch for a gal he’d never have as his own.
Gabe just needed to figure out a way to make Curt and Justin understand his intentions. He wasn’t exactly the better man of the three but he was definitely the better man for Heather.
With Heather, these situations could end up being the norm. She would always find danger. She was drawn to it like an addict was lured to a drug. She craved adventure, had a real need for excitement. Her drug of choice was adrenaline and the high it gave her was worth the risk apparently. Wherever she went, whatever she did in life, she would always yearn for that next satisfying fix.
Gabe had come up with a way to satisfying that yearning, too. He’d had plenty of time to think about it and one thing was certain—he would handle little Miss Heather. A woman like Heather couldn’t be controlled. To control her, to try and tame the wild seductress living within a vixen was to kill her spirit.
He didn’t want to harness that kind of recklessness. Oh no. He wanted to feed it.
Allister snapped his fingers in front of Gabe’s face. “You still with us?”
Harley slapped his back in passing. “Come on, man. If we’re splittin’ up, you’re on my team.”
“What the fuck?” Draegan threw up his hands. “Seriously?”
“You’re with Allister. Don’t worry, bro. Allister is a badass. He’ll look out for you.”
“Fuck off, Harley,” Draegan said, throwing some rope over his shoulder.
Curt, Justin, and Bradley headed left. Draegan and Allister walked straight up the middle. Gabe stepped right in stride behind Harley.
A few minutes later, the cracking and popping of twigs under boots filled the area. About halfway up a steep incline, Harley apparently decided it was time to brave the task of asking the difficult questions. “How long have you known Heather?”
Gabe sniffed, trying to ward off a smile. It was hard to think about the first time they’d met without grinning. “A little over four years.”
“Did you guys date or—”
“Definitely an or,” Gabe replied, stepping over a log and searching the hillside for any sign of movement. “We never really had an opportunity to start anything. Her parents and brother made sure of that.”
“I’m surprised you and Bradley are on speaking terms then.”
“It’s a long story.”
“What happened?”
“It’s what didn’t happen that haunts me.”
“Then what didn’t happen?” Harley stopped walking and shot him a grin. “We have a hike ahead of us. Might as well tell me a daytime story.”
