She closed her eyes for a second and took a trembling breath. When she opened them, he saw pain. “Malcolm insisted on going in to check things out. He was only in the building for a couple of minutes before I saw him at the door. Then, someone made a running leap toward me and started pulling me to a car. At the same time, Malcolm ran toward me. They shot him … three times … once in the head.” She swallowed hard and whispered, “There’s no way he could have survived.”
“Your father mentioned that no one had heard from you or your bodyguard.”
Skylar nodded. “They claimed to have put his body where no one would ever find it.”
Gabe didn’t bother to try to lie to her. Hiding a body forever wasn’t that hard to do. Malcolm most likely would never be found.
“Did he have a family?”
She shuddered out a sigh and shook her head. “No. His wife was killed in a car wreck a year or so after they married. They didn’t have children.” She swallowed. “I think I was the closest thing to a family he had.”
“I’m sorry, Skye.”
Shuddering out another breath, she straightened her shoulders. “We need to find Kendra. There’s no telling what those bastards have done with her.”
“I’ve already contacted LCR. They’re assigning a couple of operatives to search for her.”
Gabe watched the blood drain from her face as if everything was hitting her at once. “This is such a nightmare,” she muttered, then covered her face with her hands and shook her head. “I can’t believe all of this is happening.”
Recognizing shock, along with the normal exhaustion after an adrenaline surge, he said, “Why don’t you lie down for a while? I’ve got someone arranging safe passage for you. Till then, there’s nothing we can do.”
She rose and walked with a sad, weary gait toward the bed. Curling up on her side, she whispered something that would have broken his heart if he still had one to break. “I really believed you loved me.” Her eyes fluttered closed and he saw her breath become even and shallow.
While he still had the willpower, Gabe turned away. Everything inside him wanted to lie down with her, hold her, and relive for just a few moments what they’d once had. But he couldn’t act on that instinct…. Stupid, foolish, and crazy didn’t even begin to describe what those actions would be. Besides, he had to figure out what she was talking about. She’d thought he was dead? Where the hell had that come from?
eight
Setting her chin with grim determination, McKenna ran into the building. Victor’s booming, furious voice would soon attract more attention than they could afford.
Her expression one of surprise and concern, she shoved open the door and shouted, “What the hell happened?”
Victor whirled around, his arm swinging toward her. McKenna jumped back but not before he got in a glancing slug to her right eye. Shit, that hurt.
Blinking rapidly to avoid the natural tears that sprang to her eyes, McKenna focused on her role. “What the hell’s the matter, V?”
His face purple with fury, Victor reached for her. McKenna jumped out of his way again. Damned if she’d make it that easy for him.
“Somebody stole the bitch.”
“What?” Her eyes searched the room. The two men she and Gabe had left on the floor were still there … still not breathing. “Who would’ve done that?”
“You tell me.” Victor’s smooth, slimy voice didn’t fool her. This would be the third victim he’d lost when she was conveniently not around. The man might be crazy mean; that didn’t mean he was stupid.
She swung her hands out, all innocence. “I dumped Edmond at the morgue like you told me to. Just got back.”
Victor’s eyes roamed all over her. She knew what he saw. A smallish, not too bright woman with a half-ton of makeup on her face and short, bleached-blond hair. McKenna maintained her “I don’t have the sense of a dung beetle” act with little difficulty. Victor would be quite surprised to know how high her IQ really was. She’d always maintained that it took a true genius to act as dumb as she did and get away with it.
“Get over here. Now.”
His face still purple, veins bulged in his forehead. Having seen his uncontrollable anger before, McKenna knew she had two choices. There were only two ways to appease him. Take the beating from hell or the screwing from hell. Both would hurt, but she needed to be able to function after his punishment had passed. She had to go along with Victor until she found Lucas Kane. Then and only then would she be able to make him pay.
Closing down her mind for what lay ahead, McKenna moved closer. “Baby, I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” She rubbed her hand up and down his arm in a rough caress. “Let’s go find her. Maybe she’s still around.”
“No. She’s long gone. Their bodies are almost cold.”
“But—”
Her head and back thudded as he pushed her against the wall. McKenna controlled the wince—seeing her hurting would only turn him on more. His hand encircled her throat and tightened. “If you hadn’t killed Edmond, you would’ve been here. This never would have happened.”
She knew how to play the game. Knew what he wanted. Reminding him that he’d been the one to order the killing wouldn’t do anything but piss him off more. “You’re right, baby, I’m sorry. Isn’t there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
Keeping one hand around her neck, he slid the other one down to her crotch and squeezed hard, intentionally inflicting pain. “Oh, I think there might be something.”
Torn between wanting to scream at how much he was hurting her and the even greater desire to kill the freak, she closed her eyes and moaned as if she loved what he was doing.
His mouth smashed down on hers and McKenna made her mind go blank. The only thing she needed to do was survive … just this one more time and then, she swore, after Lucas Kane was safe, she would make sure Victor paid for every vile thing he’d done to her and countless others.
Skylar snuggled up against the warm, hard body next to her. Another dream. They were coming more frequently now and seemed so much more real than before. At the sound of a soft snore, her eyes flew open. It wasn’t a dream. Gabe was really here … he was alive.
She pulled away from him and sat up. The agonizing hurt she’d managed to suppress earlier returned full force. All these years she’d been grieving for a man who’d been alive and well. She’d been consumed with guilt for not seeing his emotional problems earlier. Had blamed herself for leaving him alone. Thought that if she’d stayed with him, he never would have killed himself.
And now here he was, lying beside her. He’d acted shocked at her words. Like she was going to believe anything he said. But why, after all these years, would he suddenly appear in her life to help her out? Was it just because he worked for Last Chance Rescue? She was a job? Nothing more? How ironic.
His breathing changed; he was waking up. She needed to be on her feet when that happened. Lying beside him like this, she felt vulnerable. Unable to handle the confrontation she was determined they have.
Throwing her legs over the side, she placed her feet on the floor. Before she could stand, a hand wrapped around her waist and Gabe growled behind her, “Stay here.”
“No, I need—”
“And I need this. Please, Skye. Just for a minute.” She felt his hot breath at her back and then gasped as he lifted her blouse and nuzzled the small of her back, pressing a kiss against her skin. “Just for a minute.” He pressed another soft kiss and then his tongue licked along her spine … a secret erogenous zone she hadn’t known she had until Gabe had revealed it. A hot throbbing sensation and heated moisture pooled between her legs. That easy … she’d always been that easy for Gabe.
Her eyes closed at the sweetly erotic sensation of his scruffy beard on her skin. Even after all these years, he could still turn her on. Without permission, her body took control of her resistance and she leaned back against him.
Gabe pulled her down beside him. Before she could speak, work
up any kind of protest, his mouth was on hers, hot and sexy, but oh so soft and tender.
Skylar groaned against his lips and, unable to stop herself, opened her mouth and let him in. He tasted wonderful. Better than she remembered. With another groan of surrender, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer and deeper into the kiss.
This was the way it had always been for them. Within hours of meeting, they’d kissed. And though they hadn’t made love until right before they married, they’d struggled to keep their hands off each other. Gabe’s natural tendency to be a gentleman and her innocence had inhibited going all the way … but it had created some hot, steamy make-out sessions. And when they’d finally made love, it had been wild … explosive.
A desire that hot and potent was destined to die out. She should have known that.
Realizing if she didn’t stop him now it would be too late for both of them, she pressed her hands against his shoulders.
He resisted briefly and then, as if he knew this had been a stupid thing to do, he pulled away with a heavy sigh.
Skylar rose up to get out of bed, but his arm stopped her. “No. I’ll keep my hands to myself. Promise.”
She shook her head and pushed him away. “I think we both need some distance.” She stood and walked the few feet to the ragged, cloth-covered chair in the corner.
Sitting up, Gabe blew out a long breath and leaned against the headboard. “Okay. Out with it. Tell me why the hell you think I faked my death.”
She raised her brows. “Uh, well … maybe because you did?”
“Hell, Skye. This isn’t getting us anywhere. Tell me what happened.”
Skylar ground her teeth. He wanted to dig that deep into the past, then fine. That’s what she’d do. He was the shithead who’d betrayed her. She looked forward to his explanation. Not that there would be one she’d accept.
“I’m waiting, Skye.”
“Don’t call me Skye.”
Black brows drew together in a furious frown. “Why the hell not?”
“Because I don’t like people calling me Skye. I never have.”
“You didn’t object to it before.”
“That was different.”
“Why?”
“Because … you were … I thought …” She shook her head. “Never mind. Just don’t call me that again.”
“Fine. Skylar,” he said with sarcastic emphasis on her name. “Now, tell me why you think I faked my death.”
In an effort to give a cool, unemotional account of those dark days of hell, she drew in a breath and straightened her spine. “I came back to the island from visiting my family. You’d left a note on the dresser.” She repeated those hated words. “‘By the time you read this, I’ll be gone.’ You said you’d been filled with sadness, and though being with me had helped, you couldn’t escape it completely. You said the darkness was closing in on you.”
Skylar swallowed the lump in her throat. She never talked about that time with anyone anymore. Her family had tried to be sympathetic but deep down she knew they’d been more relieved than anything. Having her marry a stranger at the age of twenty hadn’t been something they had approved of. Especially since the groom had no connections and no money.
“Skylar?”
Gabe’s hard, cold voice jerked her back to the present. “I went looking for you.” She swallowed again to rid herself of the thickness in her voice. “That’s when I learned that you had rented a boat but hadn’t returned. I rented another boat and we went looking for you. We found the boat … about a mile and a half from shore … you weren’t on it. You’d left your wedding ring and another note on the driver’s seat.”
His voice concrete hard, he said, “What did that note say?”
Fighting the urge to scream at him that he knew damn well what it said, she recited the most hurtful part first, “‘I thought you could save me, but no one can.’” She swallowed again to clear her husky voice and continued, “‘I’m not the man you thought I was.’” Her eyes swam with tears. How ridiculous. She was once again grieving over that horrific note, and it had all been a lie.
Gabe’s feet hit the floor with a loud thud. His expression was unfathomable as he stared across the room at her. Skylar held her breath. Even though she told herself there was nothing he could do to make up for faking his death, somehow she wanted him to have an explanation. Something other than he hadn’t wanted to be married to her and just hadn’t had the courage to tell her in person.
When he spoke, she barely recognized his voice. The tone was low, almost like the sound of a wild animal bent on attack … and it was full of fury. “Two days after you left, I opened the door to find your father on the doorstep. He told me who he was … who you were. First he tried to bribe me. Promised me money, a job … anything if I would just get the hell out of your life. When I refused, he showed me magazine after magazine, filled with photographs of your smiling, very famous face. He explained that you fell in love easily and fell out of love just as easily. That he was always fixing your messes and I was just one more.”
Skylar sat in stunned silence. This was the best he could do? Blame it on her father? “That’s the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard. You expect me to believe that my father convinced you to fake your death?”
Through clenched teeth, he gritted out the words, “For the last fucking time … I did not fake my death. I told your father to get the hell away from me. That you might be famous, but I knew you loved me.”
No. That didn’t make any sense. Still not believing him, she decided to play along. “Okay … say my father did show up, that still doesn’t explain why you faked—” She stopped when she saw his look of furious denial. “Okay, fine. So why did you leave?”
If possible, he looked even angrier. “Because you called and told me you didn’t want to be married to me anymore, Skye. That’s why I left.”
In an instant, Skylar was on her feet and marching toward him. “You’re crazy! I never did that.” Stopping in front of him, her hands on her hips, she challenged, “Come up with a better lie, Gabe. That one doesn’t fly.”
“It’s the truth. You apologized for not being able to break it off in person, but you couldn’t come back. There was some sort of party or something you had to attend. You said you hoped I didn’t hold any grudges and that—” She saw his jaw work furiously as if he could barely contain his rage.
“What?”
“You offered to send me money.” He glared at her. “As you’ll recall, I refused.”
“I never called you, Gabe. I came back … found that note. Divers searched for days for your body.”
Gabe shook his head. “I left you a letter—though not the one you referred to—along with the ring. Stupid really, but what you said on the phone shocked me so much, I barely said anything at all to you. I gave it to the manager at the resort. He promised to forward it to you. And then I left.”
Skylar could feel her head shaking, but her body was so numb, she had no control to make the shaking stop. What he said had to be a lie. But she saw in his eyes … he was telling the truth. But who would do this? Who would create such an elaborate ploy to keep them apart?
Apparently seeing the question in her face, he gave an answer she absolutely could not accept.
“Your father,” Gabe said.
“No. He wouldn’t do anything like that. He wouldn’t.”
“Did you know he was coming to the island?”
“No.” Then, realizing she needed to remember every moment to prove her father had nothing to do with such a hideous cover-up, she paced back and forth in front of him as she recited what she remembered. “I went home to tell him I’d gotten married. He wasn’t happy about it. I knew he wouldn’t be … he thought I was too young to know my own heart. But he said he would reserve judgment until he met you.”
She waved a hand as she explained. “I knew it would take some time for him to accept it. He’s always been so protective. I had planned to
come back to the island after I talked to him, but my mom called and asked to see me, so I went. I’m not as close to my mom as I am my dad—that’s the biggest reason I went to see him first, instead of her. I wanted to get back to you as soon as I could, but I changed my mind when she called. If there was one area my mom still had influence over him with, it was about me. I figured if I could convince her how happy I was, she would convince him.”
“Tell me about the phone call, Skye.”
“I didn’t call you, Gabe. At any time. I knew if I did, I’d start crying. I was so emotional during that time and I didn’t want to upset you. I wanted to get my family on board before I came back to you. I still hadn’t told you who I was. I mean … well, you know what I mean.”
“Then who called me?”
“I have no idea. I—” She halted abruptly at a hideous thought.
“What?”
The memory of girlish laughter skittered in her mind. Her cousin Lisa had always mimicked her. They were close in age and spent every summer together as kids. Lisa had studied acting and prided herself on being able to mimic just about anyone. She did Skylar’s voice perfectly.
“My cousin Lisa used to mimic me … can sound just like me.”
“So your father had her call, pretend to be you, and break off the marriage.”
She still wasn’t ready to believe that the father she’d known, loved, and trusted all these years had done something so incredibly cruel. After he’d seen what she’d gone through? What Gabe’s suicide had done to her? How could he have not told her the truth?
Skylar took a bracing breath. She could only deal with the here and now. She needed an answer to a very important question. “Why didn’t you ever try to get in touch with me? My God, Gabe. We’re still married.”
“Hell, Skye, I tried, numerous times, with little luck. Every letter I sent you was sent back.”
“I never got one letter.”
“Your dad didn’t want you to be married, so he apparently kept them from you.”
“Just because he didn’t want me to be married didn’t mean I wasn’t.”
No Chance Page 10