Page 15 of Ruthless Enforcer

Gabriel goes quiet—too quiet.

I face him. "What?"

"His night gets better."

"And ours?"

"Significantly shittier."

Fantastic. I pull the sweatshirt farther down my thighs. "Where are you taking me?"

"Blackthorn Ranch, in Iron Ridge."

I don't know it. "You own a ranch?"

"I know the people who own it." He glances at me. "You'll be safe there until we figure out what to do. I trust the men who own it."

Something about the second reason sounds considerably more important than the first. "And then?"

"Then you get something to eat, preferably put on pants, and we figure out how to get you home without inciting World War III."

I search his profile. “Do you think that’s actually going to work?”

He chuckles.

“That’s not reassuring,” I mutter.

He glances at me, that wicked smile returning. “Relax, Duchess. I’m very good at getting away with things.”

14

GABRIEL

Ihadn’t made the decision to go to Blackthorn Ranch until Mandy called, but it’s the best plan. No fucking way can I take Clara home with me.

I glance at her.

Big mistake.

James Whitlock’s untouchable niece is sitting in my passenger seat wearing nothing but my sweatshirt, her million-dollar emeralds, and someone else’s blood. Somehow, she’s still the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.

Fuck.

I drag my attention back to the road.

Not the time.

Definitely not the woman.

My job is simple: keep Clara Whitlock alive, find Cole Turner, and get her home before anyone realizes a Reyes took her. In that order.

How hard could it be?

15

CLARA

Ashort time later, we turn off the highway and onto a private road winding through pine and open pasture. The land is beautiful.