The low, rasping sound of his voice was a stroke over her skin. One she didn’t need. She sensed what he was going to do before he even did it, and she tried to twist away, but . . . too late.
His hand curled over the back of her neck.
Stunned by the shock of it, she tried to jerk away, but he held her too firmly, his other hand coming up to wrap around her upper body.
No. Oh, no. Just who in the hell did he think he was, touching her now, like he had a right to? She reached up, grabbing his arm.
Flash, flash, flash.
A woman. The woman she’d glimpsed in the picture he’d shown Patrick. But now she was in a room. Dru recognized the setup. A guy in a suit. A crime board. You’re sure this will work? the suit asked.
Fuck, no. But do you have any better suggestions? Joss demanded.
The woman, the one Dru had thought Joss had kidnapped, smiled. Stop looking so worried. It’s going to be fun for me for a little while. After all, I get to hit you in that pretty face of yours . . .
Groaning, Dru severed the connection.
But Joss still held her. “Let me go,” she said hoarsely. She could feel that connection trying to reestablish itself and she had to get away.
“You’re not barreling in there blind,” he said flatly. “This is a federal investigation and—”
Snarling, she dropped and pivoted, trying to throw him off.
It didn’t do much good, because he moved with her and now she was pinned against the building, with that big, heavy body pressed against her. “Stop it, Dru,” he rasped against her ear. “It looks like you want this done as much as I do, but I’m not risking this getting fucked up.”
“You want it done?” A hysterical laugh burning in her throat.
Memories of all the pain she’d taken. The abuse. The times she’d allowed Patrick to hit her, and she’d just taken it. All so she could be here. Right here . . . finding a way to stop him.
“You have no idea how badly I need this,” she said, and the misery from all the past months tried to crush her. Her shields fractured. She felt bits and pieces of herself slipping out, and desperate, she clung to them. “Let me go, damn it. Just let me—”
“Not until you get ahold of yourself—”
From behind them, Tucker spoke up. “Actually . . .”
Joss went rigid.
From the corner of her eye, Dru saw Tucker, that fine line appearing between his brows. “You’re going to let her go now, or I’m going to fuck you up in so many different ways,” Tucker said, his voice lazy. Easy. But there was a storm in his eyes.
“Stay the—”
A strangled groan was all that escaped him after that and his body went rigid.
Dru wiggled her way out from his grip, moving to stand by Tucker, eyeing Joss narrowly. He was pale, eyes glittering like black ice in the night. And the woman, she was watching it all with the keen interest of a hawk watching her prey.
“Here’s what we need to do,” Tucker said easily. “I can’t hold you forever without killing you. And I’d rather not do that. But if you put your hands on her again, that’s what I’ll do.”
A growl escaped Joss.
Tucker arched his brows and slipped his hands into his pockets.
“This is a federal investigation now,” the blonde said.
“Tough shit.” Tucker shrugged. “There’s information inside her head that you all probably don’t have. And if you keep dicking around, people are going to die.”
And then the next card was thrown.
A voice, clear and sharp, rang through their minds, so loud, it practically rattled their brains. The guards just arrived. With guns. Big, ugly guns with silencers. That cleanup protocol apparently isn’t a myth.
Dru closed her eyes, not even wondering why in the hell some unknown woman was speaking into her mind. She turned, ready to run into the building.
But Tucker continued to stand there, holding Joss. “Are you done?”
* * *
WHATEVER it was freezing his brain, it was like a boa constrictor or something, and it loosened just enough that he was able to snarl out, “For now.”
Then it was gone. Whatever weird energy that had been freezing him, pressing in on him and sucking out his ability to move, even think, it was just gone.
He could move, could think. Although he could barely breathe