Free Untainted: (Crime Romance: The Photographer Trilogy #3) by Sarah Robinson

promised you that I would take care of you for the rest of your life. You’re going to be my wife and I’ve done nothing to deserve it, I just keep breaking your heart and your trust over and over.” He dejectedly looked down and a tear slid down his unshaven cheek.
    She reached up and wiped it off, kissing the trail softly.
    “Derrick, you can break my heart a thousand times into a million little pieces, and I will still pick them up and put them back in your hands. Always, Derrick. You’re my always.”
    He looked deeply into her wet, auburn eyes and saw that she was telling the truth. She loved him enough to forgive him everything, and he loved her enough to selfishly let her.
    It was better than the alternative of letting her go, he couldn’t live without her. If there was anything he had learned from the horrific events of today, it was that.
    “Kate, I love you so much.” He whispered.
      “Derrick? Can you check on Annie? I’ll be okay.” She reassured him as she worked to stand up, blood trickling down one of her legs.
    “Shit, yeah.” He scrambled the few feet over to her younger sister, and checked her pulse on the side of her neck.
    “She’s okay, her pulse strong.” He told her and Kate just nodded in relief as she walked over to them gingerly, pain radiating up one of her legs.
    “Annie? Come on, Annie.” He gently tapped her cheek, talking to her and she moaned slightly, her eyes fluttering. 
    Slowly, she was beginning to come back to them.
     
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
     
     
    “Snow, I’m not kidding. You will wait for me.” McCraig spoke sternly into the phone at her as she rolled her eyes and turned down the side street that indicated Fallen Oaks was nearby.
    “You’re like, what, five minutes behind me? I’m just going to go get them and put them in the car, make them go home. We don’t need amateur detectives keeping our attention away from the case.” Snow responded, shrugging.
    “I don’t have a good feeling about this.” He gruffly replied, his voice wavering over the slowing cell service between them.
    “McCraig, what kind of car did you say Frank drives?” She asked as she came toward a parked car on the side of the dirt road that just a little further up revealed her destination.
    “Brown sedan. Why?”
    “Fuck, he is here. And I see one car parked up near the stable. I think it’s Derrick’s car, but I’m not positive.” She groaned into the phone as she pulled up behind the parked car, partially hidden by the trees.
    “Snow, do not go into the stable until I get there! Just sweep the perimeter and scope it out. Do not go in!” He warned.
    “Got it.” She said as she hung up and shoved her phone in her pocket.
      She checked her gun holstered to her side, making sure it was ready if needed, then slid out of the car. Feeling the hood of the brown sedan in front of her, she realized it was still warm.
    She sighed a bit of relief thinking that at least he hadn’t been too far ahead of her and maybe she got here before anything went too far.
    Following the tree line, she circled around the side of the stable using the woods to hide her as she looked for any signs of life.  She found a spot toward the back of the stable where she was close enough to run to the back door of the stable, but also still had eyes on the main road so she would know when McCraig arrived. Since she still didn’t hear anything, she hunkered down against a tree to wait, ready to spring into action.
     
    ~~~~~~
     
    “That’s one hell of a headache.” Annie moaned as her sister sat her up and Derrick stood.
    The duo were relieved to see her coming around and both were eager to get out of the stable and as far away from Frank as possible.
    Their assailant was still unconscious in the corner of the office, beaten into oblivion by Derrick who still had his blood sprayed across his shirt and on his knuckles. He didn’t notice as he reached down and took her extended hands,