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

just wants this pervert caught, as do we all. None of us wants to see Emily suffer anymore. She’s been through hell of late.”
    “Yeah, I’m getting that now,” Gabriel whispered. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and looked over at Noah.
    He could easily see that his friend was thinking the exact same thing he was. That while they were out catching criminals who trafficked in the most debase of crimes and abuse towards innocents, their very own innocent had been at home, fending off a demon all alone. And it was not a feeling that was sitting well with either of them.

 
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTEr 4
     
     
    Sheriff Eli Strauss was a man whom Noah and Gabriel knew and respected well. He had been Whitford Falls’ lead lawman for over thirty years, and he had kept the area free of the heavier drugs that seemed to insidiously snake their way into small-town America these days. It was because he had built a relationship with his townsfolk, and he knew when something or someone was out of place.
    Which only underscored how very careful Emily’s stalker had been. Because no one in the quaint North Georgia town had reported or noticed anyone suspicious in the area. And that meant to Noah and Gabriel that it was most likely one of their own neighbors stalking Emily. Someone she trusted.
    While they waited for the sheriff’s arrival, they’d gotten the full rundown from the two deputies, and they had also placed the initial call to the six other men who worked on their specialized task force, bringing them into the loop and prepping them for the possibility that they were all about to go on another hunt. Even though they were all scheduled for downtime for the next two to three months, because it involved family, all of the men pledged their immediate support and willingness to move out at a moment’s notice.
    Noah heard the sheriff’s car pull up before either Ryan or Andrew reacted to it. He headed for the front door, and held it open as the white-haired man entered with another deputy on his heels. Jasper Collins was closer to Noah’s age, just one year younger, and he smiled as he stepped inside, lugging a box under one arm.
    “Noah, glad to see you, man. But sorry to catch up under these sad circumstances,” Jasper said and swatted Noah’s upper arm. “Damn, still built like a wall, I see,” he chuckled.
    “Jasper,” Noah nodded and then looked to the sheriff. “Did you bring it all?
    “Every last picture,” the sheriff replied. “Honestly, Noah, it’s all we have to go on. There are no fingerprints, no evidence that they were printed at any of the local shops or pharmacies, nothing that can give us a lead. Believe me, I’ve tried to find one and so far it’s been one dead end after another.”
    “Mind if I take this?” Gabriel asked as he joined them and gestured to the box under Jasper’s arm.
    “As long as you have gloves, then the answer is no,” Jasper answered with a grin.
    “Here, son,” Sheriff Strauss offered, and passed a pair from his belt over to Gabriel. He snagged a second pair and thrust them at Noah.
    “Thank you,” Gabriel said softly as he snapped the last one on. He flexed his fingers, a move that Noah had seen him execute more times than he cared to count, and then took the box of evidence Jasper was offering him. Gabriel carried it over to the coffee table in front of Emily’s sofa and promptly removed the top. Noah moved over to sit next to him, while the three deputies and the sheriff stood around them.
    “The evidence is filed in order of the date Emily received it, with the most recent envelope in the front and the oldest at the back. I’ll need to open the envelope you guys found here today and catalog all of its contents before I can add it to this box,” Jasper said as he eased down on the sofa’s armrest.
    “I’ll go get it,” Ryan offered and headed for the kitchen.
    “Prepare yourselves, boys,” Sheriff Strauss warned. “I know you see all manner