“And now you know Beckett and Knox,” Zeke said from beside her. “Wanna guess which one’s which?”
“I’ll go with the smaller one being Knox.”
Zeke urged her out of her chair and guffawed. “Don’t ever tell him you called him small. You’ll wound his already battered geeky ego.” He jerked his head toward the table. “You ready to try again?”
Not really. Watching from a distance was a whole lot easier than anything up close and personal.
“I’ll be right there next to you,” he said. “Danny, too.”
She closed her eyes, wishing that maniac internal panic would just disappear for once. “I’ll give it a try.”
Jace was the first to notice them headed their direction. “Gabe, you gonna play?”
It was a simple question. Nothing difficult. All she had to do was answer and be polite. “I’m not sure I’d be any good at it.”
Axel’s gaze snapped to Danny. “Shite, you’ve never taught the lass to play cards? What kinda bloody brother are you?”
“I’ll help her.” Zeke pulled out a chair for her and jerked his thumb at Trevor. “Move the hell over. You can save your moves for later.”
“What? So you can make a play?” Regardless, Trevor stood up, a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “And since when have you been able to sit still for poker?”
“Since about right now.” He dug out his wallet, slid a stack of hundred dollar bills free, and tossed them toward Jace. “Gabe and I will play one hand for now.”
Jace eyeballed Zeke, then Gabe, then Zeke again, and raised an eyebrow.
Zeke shrugged and settled in the chair next to Gabe.
All of a sudden it hit her. “Wait. You play with real money?”
Trevor hesitated in shuffling the deck. “Is there another way?”
Danny tossed over another wad of cash to fund his own pile.
Holy crap, no way could she do this. “I can’t—”
“Sure you can.” Axel slid a huge stack of chips across the green felt. “They’re just stacks of plastic after all.”
Trevor dealt the cards, each one sliding neatly in front of its target with laser precision.
This was insane. Certifiably insane. Beneath the table her leg, next to Zeke, took up a nervous jiggle.
Zeke picked up the cards with one hand and covered her hand on her bouncing thigh with his other. Instantly, her mounting tension cut in half and her leg stilled. He fanned the cards so she could see each one and frowned. “So what do you think you should do?”
“I have no idea. I told you I don’t know how to play.”
He tossed the cards into the middle and shoved her ante behind it. “We fold.”
“You just want to give up?” She almost stood and took the chips back. “You don’t want to lose all that money.”
“It’s a rotten hand,” he said. “Better to go for it when you’ve got something to work with.”
“Just like life, lass,” Axel said. “Toss the shite and roll with the good.”
And just like that, things settled into a steady, relaxed, but playful pace. Deal, assess, bet, and move on. She even found herself smiling at some of the banter tossed back and forth between them, especially when Viv managed to innocently put one of the men in their place.
Beckett scooped his winnings from the center. “Hey, Danny. I meant to tell you, my guys did a check of your neighbor’s break-in. Whoever it was, was good. No prints. No signs of forced entry. Hell, I don’t even think they took anything.”
“What were you doing in Mrs. Wallaby’s house?” It just popped out, fueled by years of practice keeping anyone and everyone at a safe distance. Unfiltered and 100 percent the harsh tongue Danny had begged her to keep under lock and key.
The room went silent. Well, all except for Danny, who ducked his chin, rubbed the top of his head as though searching for his cap, and muttered under his breath, “Jesus, Gabe.”
Jace cocked his head. “We thought you’d want to know more about what happened, so we had Beck run it down. Maybe we were wrong.”
Now she’d done it. Danny, the man who’d always had her back even when she didn’t think she needed protection, wouldn’t even look at her. Her heart fumbled in a string of unsuccessful attempts to beat. “I just thought the cops would handle all of that. I mean, that’s what they do, right?”
“Did they?” Jace said.
“Hell no.” Danny tossed his cards into the center of the table. “They haven’t been back out once.” He pinned Beckett with a hard man-to-man look. “I appreciate it. I know Mrs. Wallaby would, too.”
“Yeah, well, she needs a better security system,” Beckett said. “Or at least to use the one she’s got. If she wants a new one, let me know and we’ll hook her up at a discount.”
“I doubt it’ll get that far.” Danny took a drink of his beer. “Gabe talked to her a few days after it happened and she seemed okay with everything, but if she’s like the retired couples down the street, she’ll probably sell out once she’s back from Florida.”
“I saw those two empty houses near the end of the block,” Beckett said. “Those the ones you’re talking about?”
Trevor dealt a fresh hand and Danny studied his cards. “Yep. No clue who the new owners are. No one’s moved in.”
Beckett frowned for all of two seconds, then shrugged. “Well, if she doesn’t want us to do it, I could teach you how to install one for her. You could get the parts through my company at cost and pocket the rest for yourself.”
“No shit?” Clearly the news was exciting for Danny, because not only did his eyes get good and wide, but Axel got a good look at his hand and grinned.
“Be a good thing to know,” Beckett said. “You’re already a natural in the field. Why not add the technical side to it?”
Whoa. Wait a minute. She opened her mouth to speak, but this time checked her delivery and managed to soften it about half a second before her question hit air. “What’s he mean, in the field?”
Axel tossed two cards to Trevor. “Beckett runs a security company. Handles the wires and the muscle. Danny’s been running point on a few security details.”
“Security details?” she asked.
“Yep. Physical protection. Like a bodyguard.” Beckett nodded and studied his cards. “He’s got a good eye.”
Bodyguards get shot.
Dead people don’t come back.
Danny’s all you’ve got.
She forced a smiled. Or at least she thought it was a smile. On the inside it felt more like a warped grimace. Danny was happy. People were giving him kudos for doing a good job. And they seemed like good people. Friendly and down-to-earth just like Zeke had said.
She rotated her bottle of water in the little circle meant for beverages and swiped a bead of moisture off the label. The topic shifted to something else, something about a new client for Knox and cyberattacks. She needed a break. Fresh air and time to level out. She waited until Viv glanced her way and asked directions to the restroom.
Viv hopped up and guided her to a beautiful half bath down the hall. As soon as the door shut behind her, Gabe locked it and darted for the ornate lavatory with its gold filigree cabinet accents and granite top. She splashed cool water on her face and focused on steadying her breath.
Have you looked at this house? Really looked at it?
They’re professionals. Educated. Smart.
You’re a mechanic. You’re a social freak.
You don’t fit in here. Not with them.
Not with anyone.
She shook her head and dried her face. Everything was fine. She didn’t have to listen to her thoughts. It was just the anxiety. Another layer to the shitty committee constantly yacking it up in her head. Besides, this was Danny’s li
fe. She’d done her best to play nice and hopefully hadn’t bungled too much. She’d just wait until she could get Danny alone and let him know she wanted to catch a cab home.
See? An easy plan. In no time she’d be back at home, pajamas on, and curled up with Toothless and a good book. She opened the bathroom door, only half aware of where she was going, and ran smack into Zeke.
Chapter Seven
“You okay?” Zeke tried to keep the question light, but it was an ironic one considering he was anything but okay himself. The second Gabe had quite literally walked into his arms, he’d wrapped her up tight to keep her from falling, but now couldn’t find the gumption to let her go. Everything about her next to him was perfect. Her scent, soft and subtle, yet with an exotic edge. Her breath whispering against his chest. Her soft breasts pressed against him. Of everything he wanted in that moment, moving her wasn’t one of them.
She’s Danny’s sister, you moron.
The thought lashed hard and unforgiving. About the only thing that could fuck things up for Danny with the brotherhood would be his sister. If Zeke stepped across a line right now with Gabe, there’d be no telling how many ways things could go sideways.
“Hey.” He forced his arms from around her and eased back, holding onto her shoulders and keeping her steady.
A little part of him died when her hands slid free of his hips and she tucked the tips of her fingers in her jeans pockets. Instead of meeting his gaze, she studied her boots. “I’m just tired. I think I’m going to grab my purse and catch a cab home.”
A cab would be the safest bet. Yeah, he’d gained a whopping foot letting her go, but the way his blood was revved right now, he’d need more like miles to cool things off. Heck, he could offer to take Danny home and suggest she take Danny’s Chevelle. “Why don’t I take you?”
Her head snapped up, surprise leaving her lips slightly parted and her pale blue eyes wide-open. The edges around them were puffy and red, though, and her eyelashes spiked in tight clumps as though she’d been crying. “I can’t ask you to do that. You’re with your friends.”
“I don’t mind. Sitting still’s not my strong suit. I’ve already shocked half the guys making it as long as I did.” He urged her back down the hallway to the game room. “Let’s grab your stuff, and you can tell Danny good-night.”
Oddly, extracting himself from the night’s entertainment proved easier than he’d anticipated. Trevor and Danny were both reveling in their growing mounds of chips, and Axel, Beck and Knox were too focused on making a comeback to put up much protest. Only Jace lifted an inquiring eyebrow in his direction, silently stating he noted Zeke’s possessive hand on Gabe’s shoulder. After that, it was smooth sailing. Quiet, light and easy.
Zeke took the on-ramp to Highway 75 and goosed the engine up to the speed limit.
“What made you become a doctor?” Unlike the austere conversational tone a lot of people paired with that question, Gabe’s was genuinely curious.
He checked the lane on his left and shifted to the HOV lane. “The short version? An inability to stay still for extended periods of time and a hair-trigger temper.”
“You? Angry? I mean, you get really focused sometimes, but I’ve never seen you angry.”
“Ah, but you’ve only seen me a few times. Could be I’m a part-time whack job and you just haven’t had the joy of experiencing my ugly side.”
“I doubt that.” She propped her elbow on the door and fiddled with the end of her hair.
He loved watching her do things like that. Those carefree, easygoing mannerisms that made him think of tropical beaches and hammocks. “Actually, my temper used to be pretty bad. My job keeps me even now, plus I do a lot of high-octane sports to burn off excess energy. Most things don’t bother me anymore, but I’ve got my triggers.”
“Such as?”
“Bullies. People with superiority complexes. Assholes in general.”
She laughed at that, the sweet, airy sound unwinding his muscles and making him crave more of the same.
“So what made you decide you wanted to work on cars?” he said.
She shrugged and tucked her hair behind one ear. The soft blue light from the state-of-the-art navigation Danny had incorporated in the car’s redesign cast Gabe’s delicate profile in an angelic glow. “It’s just what I know how to do. It was comfortable.” She frowned and rubbed one hand along her thigh. “Danny would say it’s safe.”
“Is it?”
Her head cocked to one side, eyes soft on the road in front of them. “Maybe. I like it, though. The quiet. Being able to let my mind wander while I work. You like a thrill, but I like the calm.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Hell, he’d never had a calm moment in his life, but if it was anything like how relaxed she made him feel, he could see the appeal. For some reason, just being in her gravitational pull flipped his overdrive into neutral.
The drone of tires against the highway filled the silence. That was another thing he liked about being with her. She didn’t need to fill every empty second with meaningless chatter. When she had something to say, she said it. When she didn’t, she soaked in what was happening around her.
She turned from gazing out the passenger’s window and caught him watching her. “I’m sorry I jumped all over your friend for checking Mrs. Wallaby’s house.”
“Beckett?” He scoffed and refocused on the road. “Don’t sweat him. The guy’s Teflon when it comes to emotions.”
“And Jace?”
That was a damned good question. Her cautious nature wouldn’t necessarily prevent Danny getting into the brotherhood, but it sure wouldn’t help. Granted, nothing they did was immoral or caused innocents harm, but in the wrong hands, particularly in the hands of someone without the full story, it could sure cause them problems. Hoping Jace hadn’t registered her suspicious mindset was like hoping Texas wouldn’t see triple-digit temps in August. “Jace is the last person to jump to conclusions.”
At least he hoped that proved to be the case.
He exited onto Interstate 30 and glanced in his rearview mirror. “You mind if I ask you a personal question?”
Her torso straightened, and she squirmed a little in her seat. “Okay.”
“You know they have meds that help with the anxiety. You ever thought of trying one?”
She hung her head. “I guess Danny told you more than I thought.”
“I’m a doctor, Gabe. Hearing someone has Social Anxiety Disorder doesn’t faze me any more than hearing someone’s got high cholesterol. Especially in today’s day and age. We’re twice as connected. Expected to do ten times what our parents or grandparents ever had to do. You’d be surprised at how many other people feel exactly what you feel.”
“Do they take medicine?”
“Some of them. Depends on the severity and their lifestyle needs, but it’s definitely not something to be ashamed or afraid of.”
She lifted her chin and stared out at the highway.
“Think of it this way,” he said. “A diabetic takes insulin. Do you think less of them?”
She faced him. “That’s different. They have to have it to live.”
“Actually, it’s exactly the same thing. Except instead of dealing with insulin, it’s dealing with serotonin. And if it allowed you to experience more of life without putting yourself through physical hell, it might be worth a shot.”
She pursed her mouth as if she were fighting back an argument.
God, he was an idiot. He’d finally got her talking, and then he had to go and stomp into difficult terrain. “Sorry. It’s the doctor in me. I didn’t mean to push.”
“It’s okay.” She shook her head and chuckled.
“What?”
“Just had a funny thought.”
“And?”
A small smile played at the corners of her mouth and a wayward strand of blond hair brushed her cheek. “We may not live our lives the same, but we’ve got one thing in common.”
“What’s that?”
“Bullies.”
The word catapulted him out of his peaceful state, his grip on the steering wheel making the hard plastic groan in protest. “Bullies how?”
Her gaze locked on his hand clenched around the gearshift, and she placed her hand on top of it and gently squeezed. “Relax. I didn’t mean now.”
Bit by bit, her touch penetrated. He dragged in one slow breath after another, concentrating on the warmth of her hand and the hum of the highway. “Tell me about them.”
She pulled her hand free and he almost reached across to reclaim it.
“I didn’t always keep to myself,” she said. “Not when I was little. Some stuff happened at home with my mom.”
Stuff as in the arrest that had sparked their dad filing for divorce and full custody of the kids. With Knox’s far reaching technical abilities, Zeke probably knew more about the technicalities of what happened when Gabe was young than she did, but he figured she’d share when the time was right. “And?”
“I didn’t deal with it well at school. One thing led to another, and I had a few run-ins with some not so nice girls. After that, I kept myself as far away from everyone as I could. Over time, it was just easier to stay that way than try again. So, yeah. Bullies.”
For the first time since he walked in her house this afternoon, he wanted to pace. Or run. Or beat the shit out of something. If he could reach across the console and thread his fingers through hers without looking like a flaming Nancy, he’d do it in a second. Especially if it gave him a little more of that calm goodness she radiated.
“Man, you weren’t kidding about the quick trigger,” she said.
The playfulness blasted through his tension-riddled muscles, as fresh as if someone had rolled the window down and let the cool night air smack him straight in the face. “Nope. It doesn’t come out much anymore, but when it does, it’s not pretty.” He hesitated, not at all eager to share more, but compelled to do so after everything she’d offered. “It’s embarrassing as hell after the fact, but when it’s live, it’s like I’m not even in my body.”
Wild & Sweet (The Haven Brotherhood) Page 8