Page 145 of The Case of the Missing Love Stone

The knot eases further. Scarlet makes a broken sound when he begins to withdraw. Her body tries to hold him. I press close behind her and fill the space his chest leaves. Wes moves slowly, stopping whenever her muscles clamp around him. By the time he is free, sweat dampens his hair, and Scarlet is shaking between us. He wraps a blanket around her before reaching for his pants.

“I’m going downstairs.”

Scarlet catches his hand.

Wes turns back.

“Don’t leave me.”

Her plea strips every edge from his expression. Cedar thickens through the room as he looks toward the hallway, then back at the omega clinging to him. The rider escaped, but the house and greenhouse still need to be cleared before any of us can assume he left nothing else behind.

He kneels beside the bed and kisses her knuckles. “I’m so sorry, sweet omega. None of this is your fault. I’m not leaving you. I’ll be right back after I check the house and greenhouse. Roman stays with you.”

She brings his hand to her cheek and breathes him in. “Please, come back.”

“I will.” His promise is steady, though his hand remains around hers until the last possible second. He pulls on his pants, clips his holster at his waist, and kisses me before leaving. His mouth is brief but fierce, a transfer of trust and urgency. “Keep her with you.”

“Always.”

He forces himself through the doorway.

Scarlet watches the open space until another cramp twists through her. Her hand reaches for me. I strip off the ruined bedding and pull the waterproof pad smooth beneath her. She curls onto her side, drawing her knees up, every breath scented with need as she works her hand between her legs.

“Help.”

The word is soft enough to break me. For the first time, I wish I could give her a knot. Instead, I cover her hand with mine.

“More,” she whispers.

I give her more. Her hips move against our joined grip. I slide my other hand beneath her breast and hold her close, letting her use my body for leverage while her heat burns through another relentless rise.

Below us, glass rattles as Wes enters the greenhouse. The sound travels through the cottage.

Scarlet tenses.

“He’s safe,” I say against her ear.

“You can’t see him.”

“I can feel him in our bond.”

Wes calls through the secure line on the tablet and adds Tom on the call. “Greenhouse clear. Camera mount is fresh. There’s residue on the tape and a dropped object near the rear bench.”

“What object?”

“Metal tag, stamped with a bay number.”

The repair yard.

Scarlet hears him. Her eyes open, fever bright.

I press my lips to her neck. “We’re all safe. You’re okay.”

The courier has been watching the cottage from equipment hidden in Scarlet’s greenhouse, and the same network may have stored the device at the repair yard.

Tom’s voice comes through the tablet. “Photograph it in place. County tech is eight minutes out.”

Wes lowers his voice. “Keep this on the secure line.”