Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

what?!” Noah demanded. “Talk to us and tell us what the fuck is going on here!”
    “Emily has a stalker,” Ryan said as he took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of the plain, brown envelope lying on the kitchen table. “He or she speaks to Emily through photos that arrive in the mail, in envelopes just like this one. They’re always innocent looking on the outside, but the sicko has increasingly stepped up the game. The photos have gotten very personal and they come with demanding messages now too.”
    “Ryan, shut up,” Andrew warned him.
    “ Excuse me ?” Gabriel asked in a low tone.
    “Look,” Andrew said as his shoulders lowered slightly in defeat, “I’m not trying to be an ass here. But we’re under strict orders not to let a word of this get out. We’ve done a damn good job, thus far, keeping it all under wraps, and that’s how we have to keep it until we catch this stalker. It’s what the sheriff wants and what Emily wants as well. We can’t talk to you about it while it’s an open case.”
    “So, I need to flash my badge at you and get the rest of my team in here, in order to hear the details? Is that the way of it?” Noah asked, his tone one of warning now too. “Because I’ll tell you right now – FBI trumps the sheriff’s office any day of the week. And if we come in officially, it will be you guys who are shut out.”
    “Stop,” Andrew sighed and held up a hand. “We know you two are like family to Emily. And I understand why you want details, I do. Just let me call the sheriff to tell him you’re here, before I divulge anything. I’m sure he’ll bring you into the loop, but this way Ryan and I won’t lose our jobs in the process.”
    “Make the call now,” Gabriel stated firmly.
    “Where is Emily, by the way?” Andrew asked as he lifted his phone to his ear and watched Noah inch closer to the envelope.
    “Not here,” was all Noah would say.
    “Sheriff, it’s Andrew,” he began. He turned away from them and started to explain what was happening at Emily’s home.
    “Ryan, how many of these has she received?” Noah asked him and gestured towards the pile of mail.
    Ryan cast a nervous glance over his shoulder at Andrew and then looked back to the two men before him. “Usually it’s one a week, and it’s been going on for over two months now. Three weeks ago though, she got two envelopes within seven days. It started out with photos of her doing day to day stuff, you know? But lately, it’s gotten downright scary. The son of bitch has been writing her little captions for each photo. And they leave no room for doubt that this person considers her his. She’s been under an incredible amount of stress because of it all.”
    “You said ‘his’. Is there anything that points to this stalker being a man?” Gabriel asked, ready to interrogate someone. And right now, Ryan seemed to be just the man for the job.
    “No, not a thing,” Ryan said wearily, and reached up to run a hand over the back of his neck. “It’s just a gut feeling I have, that’s all. His notes point to a physical interest in her, and they just seem… Well, demanding and domineering, I suppose. Like she has no other option but to comply with his orders and become his at some point.”
    Noah’s nostrils flared as he looked from Ryan to Gabriel. He needed answers and he needed them yesterday. And he needed to know where in the hell Emily had gone. It was clear to him now that she was running hard and scared, just trying to put some distance between her and the demon who had taken over her life. Made her hide within her own home, and had forced her to cut herself off from those who should have been her support network.
    “All right,” Andrew said, turning back to face them. “Sheriff’s on his way over. He said to give you guys whatever you need and to bring you in on this. He welcomes your help, and said if you want to call those on your task force in as well, he’s good with that. He