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She nodded at his words that weren’t a question but a curse. “Just like he did to that poor woman in the woods.”
“You said he’s targeting people that you—and now I—care about. Why target someone who is a stranger to both of us?
“The FBI criminal profiler believes Malgor has a sick obsession with possessing me. That’s why he taunts me with roses. My guess is he chose a victim who fits my profile to let me know what my future holds.”
He cupped her cheek. “My God, Rosalie.”
She pressed her face into his hand and drank in his comfort for just a moment before she pulled away. “I don’t understand why he’s targeting you. In fact, there’s not much we know about him except he’s European. Devon heard his voice while he was being kept and couldn’t place his accent, so what country he’s from is still a mystery. We do know that his father was one of the founding leaders in the organization that kidnapped Devon. Intel says that after the rescue, Malgor was punished by his superiors. Reports suggest torture.”
“So the sick fuck tortured you because he’d been tortured for the kidnapping going south?”
She nodded. “He didn’t just stab me in the back. When Maglor shot my father, he shoved a knife in my heart and twisted and twisted it until I bled out. You see, Malgor’s bullet didn’t kill my dad. He was alive when we got to the hospital and made it through surgery. Barely, but we had hope.”
Memories of that hope still spun in her chest like a ninja throwing star. Every what-if thought sliced her heart. What if she hadn’t…
Cannon grazed her chin with his knuckles, his touch as soft as his tone. “What happened next?”
“Malgor, or one of his associates, managed to get through hospital security and stab me while I was in the recovery room with my dad.”
Cannon flattened his wide palm over her scar. “Fuck, Snow Angel.”
“While I was on the operating table, my father coded. I woke up to the news of his death.”
“Jesus Christ. I’m so fucking sorry.”
She let a tear fall as Cannon cupped the back of her neck and pulled her into him. As he massaged small circles into her tight muscles, she granted herself a minute to be just a grieving daughter. A traumatized victim. A woman in need of comfort in the arms of a strong man. A part of her begged to stay wrapped up in Cannon forever. The special agent part shut that down.
With a sniff and a stiff spine, she pulled back from Cannon. “There were also reports that Malgor’s father, a leader in the terrorist organization, died shortly after Devon was rescued.”
She heaved a breath at the simple summation of her nightmare. “There wasn’t much chatter about the details. It’s unclear if the timing of the father’s death and the timing of Malgor leaving the organization are coincidental or if Malgor left in anger or was perhaps booted out. What is clear is that Malgor isn’t hiding behind a computer anymore. He wants blood.”
“You said he’s obsessed with possessing you.” Cannon braced his hand on the wall next to her head. The other landed above her breast. “I don’t think he wants just your blood. I think he wantsallof you. No fucking way I’m letting that happen.”
THIRTEEN
Cannon leaned into Rosalie until their lips almost touched. “Do you hear me, Snow Angel? Malgor can’t have you. Any of you. Not on my watch.”
Before she could remind him that she was the one with the badge, he covered her lips with his. She opened for him wide and eager, her taste still all cherries and sunshine even though the sun had set hours ago. All day, he’d had every reason to ask her to leave, and now he had a vital reason for her to stay. He needed her help, but right now, he needed her more than he needed the cold mountain air to sustain what little sanity he had left.
He growled low in his throat as he slid his hand from the wall to the back of her head, angling her mouth for deeper access. With each touch of their tongues, each beat of her heart beneath his palm, he fell further away from reality and further into Rosalie.
The small courtyard heated up along with his need to be inside of her and mark her as his. He pressed her into the brick and sighed as her soft curves melted into his hard planes. How his mind and body switched so quickly from terrified and tense to hot and horny was beyond explanation.
Was he insane for not demanding she leave? If she’d gone to another resort town, if she’d gotten hurt on another mountain, then his hospital wouldn’t have ended up in the line of fire.
And maybe another man who didn’t care if she lived or died might be kissing her.
He crushed the unpleasant thoughts with a bite on her lower lip. She responded with a soft moan. The sound spiraled him deeper into his new favorite hideaway that he desperately needed to explore.
“Cannon.” She whispered his name against his mouth before she broke away. “We should get back inside. My boss will be here soon, and I need to brief him.”
He touched his fingers to her lips. “Give me two more minutes before we face reality.” He still didn’t know what that entailed. It might not include her. He still had an opportunity to end this madness if he paid the ransom. But even as he thought about pushing her away again, he held her tighter.
She flattened her palms to his chest. “You like ordering me around, don’t you?”
“Only when I think you need it.” He traced the curve of her lower lip with his thumb. “Or enjoy it.”
“Why now? Because I need it or because you think I enjoy it?”
