Under Threat by B.J. Daniels (reading the story of the .TXT) 📕

greeted him coolly, and despite the tear tracks on her cheeks, she was shoulders-back strong, and Natalie couldn’t begin to imagine what Gabby had endured to come out of this so...self-possessed, so strong.

“Ms. Torres.” There was an odd twist to the FBI agent’s mouth, but his gaze moved from Gabby to her. “Ms.... Well, Natalie, I’ve got a message for you.”

Gabby’s grip tightened on her arm, but when she glanced at her sister, all Natalie saw was a blank stoicism.

“It’s from the Texas Rangers Office.”

It was Natalie’s turn to grip, to stiffen. Because she heard “Texas Rangers” and she thought of Vaughn, she wanted to cry all over again for different reasons.

Anger. Regret. Loss. Confusion.

Mostly anger. She didn’t have time for anger, all she had the time and energy for was Gabby.

Agent Alessandro held out a piece of paper and Natalie frowned at it. “They couldn’t have called me? Sent an email?” she muttered, and though it was more rhetorical than an actual question, she glanced up at the agent.

His gaze was on Gabby again, and she was looking firmly away. They’d obviously had some interaction when Alessandro had been undercover, and Natalie could only assume it hadn’t been a positive interaction.

She glanced at the piece of paper, a handwritten note of all things. She opened it and scowled at the scrawl.

Once you’ve settled in with your sister, there are a few pressing questions I’ll need to ask you in person for full closure in the case.

Vaughn

Everything about it made her violently angry. That he’d written a note. That he couldn’t have called and been a man about it. That he’d dared sign his name Vaughn instead of Ranger Cooper when that was clearly all he wanted to be.

She didn’t want to get settled with her sister first. She wanted all of this to be over. Now.

“Agent Alessandro, would you be able to escort Gabby and my family home while I see to this?”

His eyebrows raised. “I’d love to be of service, but I doubt your sister...”

“Oh, no, please escort us, Mr. Alessandro. I don’t have a problem with it in the least,” Gabby replied, linking arms with Mama and Grandma. There was a battle light in Gabby’s eyes that Natalie didn’t recognize at all.

She almost stepped in, ready to put her own battle on the back burner. But Gabby’s intense gaze turned to her. “Tie up loose ends, sissy. I want this over, once and for all.”

“It will be,” Natalie promised. It damn well would be.

Chapter 17

Vaughn paced. He hadn’t expected Natalie to come right away. He figured she’d want time with Gabby, and it would give him time to set up everything. But Jaime’s clipped message had said that she was on her way. And it would probably be quick, despite the fact the hospital was on the other side of Austin.

“Can’t lie that I don’t mind seeing you like this,” Bennet said companionably as Vaughn stalked his office.

“Thanks for your support,” Vaughn muttered trying to figure out what the hell was trying to claw out of his chest. He’d expected time...possibly to talk himself out of the whole thing.

“You have all my support. In fact, I’m going to be the nice guy here and tell you that a simple apology probably won’t cut it.”

“You don’t even know what the hell is going on.” But apparently he was transparent because everyone seemed to know.

“You’re right, I don’t. But I know you’re all tied up in knots, and I’d put money on the hot little hypnotist—”

At Vaughn’s death glare, Bennet didn’t even have the decency to shut up. The jackass laughed.

“Yeah, you’re hooked.”

“Define hooked,” Vaughn growled.

“Going feral any time anyone even begins to mention her was the first hint.”

Vaughn wanted to argue with him just for the sake of arguing with him, but Natalie was on her way over here, and he didn’t have time. “So maybe something happened,” he admitted through gritted teeth.

“And you screwed it up, of course. I’m not one to tell you what to do, Vaughn,” Bennet began, all ease and comfortable cheerfulness.

When Vaughn snarled, Bennet laughed.

“Okay, maybe I don’t mind telling you what to do all that much, but point of fact is, if you’re trying to woo a woman, especially this particular woman, you’re going to have to do something that I’m not sure you have in your arsenal.”

“What’s that?”

“Anything remotely romantic that includes putting your heart on the line. I think you’re incapable of that.”

“I’m not...incapable,” Vaughn grumbled, but he was a little afraid that he was. Afraid that no matter what he decided about trying to start something with Natalie, something real, something that might turn into something long-term—a chance. All he wanted was a damn chance.

But Bennet was still yammering on. “Since you don’t have flowers, I’d figure out a romantic gesture or two.”

Vaughn might have physically recoiled at the phrase romantic gesture.

“Probably something she’d never expect you to do, but you do because you want her.”

Damn it. He hated that Bennet was right. Because he’d screwed this up, worse than he’d screwed up his marriage. Because the past few days of treating Natalie like a stranger at best... He’d known it was wrong. He’d felt it, in his bones, and the only thing he’d had to do to fix it was speak. Reach out. Put a little bit of pride on the line.

But he hadn’t. So now that he was doing it, now that he was done being a little wimp, he had to not just put it all on the line, but offer it up wrapped in a damn bow.

“I need an interrogation room, and no interruptions. Can you make that happen?”

Bennet grinned, but he didn’t give Vaughn any more crap. “On it. Good luck, buddy.”

Yeah, luck. Strange all Vaughn could feel was an impending sense of dread.

But no matter how much dread he felt, no matter how little he knew about putting his pride or his shoddy heart on the line, he knew that the minute