Gabby expected the detective to be wetting his pants at the way Toni laid it down, but he had a good poker face on. “I thought she was your client,” he said, motioning to Gabby with a jerk of his head.
“I think we both have the same client in this case. Justice.”
The detective fell quiet for a minute. Gabby couldn’t get a read on him. Was he holding back rage? Or was he just debating the next tactic for him to use? Then he was reaching over the table and pressing the off button on the little recorder in front of them.
“All right. If you want to cut the bullshit, let’s cut the bullshit. Who are you people?”
They all looked at one another. They’d used real names, so they couldn’t really be caught in a lie. Well, Toni was impersonating a lawyer....
“I know you’re not a lawyer,” he said bluntly. “And you guys sure as hell aren’t paralegals. But I also know Kate didn’t kill our mystery man. Someone much higher up than me issued the arrest order. I haven’t seen one bit of probable cause. If she did shoot the guy, it looks like pretty clear self-defense. The guy had marks on his arms from breaking through the glass, so I know he forcibly entered. And you”—he pointed to Gabby—“took off running. Why would we pin a murder on Kate when the witness who leaves town would be the much more probable suspect? Once again, assuming this wasn’t self-defense, which this very obviously was. So if you all tell me what you’re really involved with, maybe we can all sort this out together.”
There was a moment of silence before Toni said, “I appreciate your honesty, Detective. I think we’re both after the same thing. We want to know who is pulling the strings.”
“Ten years ago, Mason Cooper was the one who pulled all the strings in this town. I was the one who unraveled those strings,” said Hunter. “I think someone is trying to kill me and Gabby because of what we did to Mason Cooper.”
“Mason Cooper died years ago.”
“I didn’t say he was the one trying to kill anyone. But he was the head of a major criminal organization. You know how those things work. You cut the head off and another head pops right up.”
“But that didn’t happen here,” said Craig. “He was double-timing the two different cartels. They couldn’t both be operating out of a small town like this. They moved on and found some other town to peddle their poison in. We’re a nice place here.”
“Not as nice as you thought,” mumbled Gabby. She had also thought her hometown was safe. That was before the Terminator smashed through the glass doors and came after her.
“I’ll tell you what, Detective,” said Toni. “If you get us the name of the higher-up who orchestrated Kate getting arrested, we’ll make sure this never happens in your town again.”
“What are you going to do about it?” he asked skeptically.
Toni smiled. “I’m a lawyer. Trust me.”
Hunter brought a tray of drinks back to the table at Chuck’s pub. The entire group had decided to grab some dinner and regroup. Gabby’s hunched shoulders showed exactly how uncomfortable she was with the group. He kind of wished Melissa was here to sit with her. Melissa spoke normal person better than Toni did. She’d be able to make Gabby feel more comfortable and at peace with everything.
Toni, however, was telling Gabby about how she’d managed to “steal” her own private jet, and Gabby was having a hard time finding the humor in it.
Hunter handed out a beer to everyone and then set a hand on Gabby’s shoulder. He meant it to be comforting, but when she flinched, he had a feeling he’d done the opposite of comfort.
Toni had undoubtedly noticed too, but she continued on with her story, trying her best to distract everyone. “So I get the guy to come to the land I’m, you know, trading with him for the plane. He brought his own testers out this time to make sure there was actually oil there. Now, I know there’s no oil, but I need to make sure these independent testers get the oil I planted. So when they arrive, I put on my best Pollyanna act. Bright-pink lipstick, tits out, a gallon of hairspray. I basically looked like a cartoon character. And then I ‘helped’ the testers by telling them the best place to test, which, obviously they ignored, but I stood right over the spot I wanted them to test and gave off every single fuck-me signal I could.”
“It was pretty bad,” admitted Scott.
“It was amazing. I was amazing. My mother would’ve been so proud of the reverse psychology I used. Those poor guys never stood a chance. It was amazing.” A soft smile curled Toni’s lips as she talked about her mother, and Gabby leaned forward in interest.
“Where is she?” asked Gabby. “Is she like you?”
Toni’s face fell. “She passed away a few years ago. Actually, it was Hunter’s old boss who did it. It’s how we met.”
Gabby looked to Hunter. “That’s an odd way to meet.”
“A lot of things were odd where Sterling was involved.”
Hunter looked down at his beer. This was all information Gabby didn’t need to know.
She opened her mouth, but Toni changed the subject. “So, Gabby, speaking of parents, let’s bring up the elephant in the room. Your father. What do we need to know?”
Hunter watched her shoulders somehow seem to hunch even more. Her mom had run off years ago, and after her father went to jail, she might as well have been an orphan. And it wasn’t as if the father she loved had been taken away from her. This was the father who had decided she needed to die so he could keep making his money. The whole thing was damn tragic, and Toni was picking at those wounds.
“There’s really not much to say,” said Gabby, in a normal tone. He could tell she was affected by the question, but she was hiding it well. “I always thought he was normal. He did the right things. Hugged me, told me he loved me. But one night, one of his guys messed up and he paid the ultimate price and I... I saw it. I confronted my dad and told him to turn himself in. At that time, I didn’t realize how entrenched in the life he was. I was so preachy about it. It was the wrong move. I don’t think my father could handle being talked down to by anyone, let alone his own kid. So he put out a death order on me. If it wasn’t for Hunter, I would be six feet under now.”
This time when Hunter squeezed her shoulder, she didn’t flinch. In fact, she leaned in closer to him. “After Hunter was arrested, everything seemed to fall apart. The police and IRS started to dig around and Dad was in jail before he could ever try to silence me again. The case against him was so clear that I never even had to testify. I don’t think the prosecution thought they could rely on me on the stand. He was sentenced to ten years, which wasn’t long enough in my opinion, but they only had him on racketeering charges, not murder. He was in jail for just a few months before he was killed. No one would give me a straight answer about how. He probably thought he deserved as much respect behind bars as outside. His mistake....”
Gabby was just as emotionless in her list of events as she had been before, but Hunter could tell the entire thing was painful. He wondered how many people she’d told over the years. It was such a small town that most people already knew. Or at least knew the generally accepted version of events. The whole scandal had probably only recently fallen into history, and now everything was dredged up again.
“Thanks for telling me,” said Toni earnestly.
Hunter was impressed by how quickly Toni could go from joking about running a con to being a counselor. Hunter wasn’t normally involved in this part of the job. Toni and Hart would tell him what he needed to do to help the clients. But actually hearing their stories and listening to their pain was hard. And this one was especially hard because it was Gabby he was listening to. Not some stranger. But Gabby. His Gabby.
“We’re going to figure this out,” promised Toni.
“I don’t have anything to pay you.”
“Honey,” said Toni. “I just stole a plane. I don’t need your money.”
Gabby let out a laugh and a little bit of her guard came down, a sheen of tears showing in her eyes. Hunter couldn’t s
top from taking her hand in his and giving a tight squeeze. Silently letting her know that he was there for her. Whenever she needed him.
She looked over at him from under her lashes, and for a second, he felt as though he were eighteen again. He’d never forgotten the way she looked at him after he saved her. It had been one of the stupidest, brashest decisions he’d ever made, but when he saw her panicked eyes meet his, he had no doubts or regrets. He’d save this girl a thousand times over if it meant he could get looks like that.
“Gabby! I’ve been so worried about you! When did you get back in town?”
The spell was broken by the stranger’s intrusion. The stranger who reached down and put his hand on her shoulder right where Hunter’s hand had just been.
He looked over at the newcomer and felt hatred almost immediately. From the possessive way he stood over Gabby, to the way he’d intruded on their obviously private conversation. It didn’t take a genius to realize this was her ex-husband.
Hunter reached over and pushed the man’s hand off her. He didn’t say anything as he did it. He didn’t need to explain himself.
Gabby looked over her shoulder at the man and Hunter had to give him credit. The anger that took over her immediately took the tears away.
“Ryan. What are you doing here?”
“You know. Grabbing a few beers with the guys.”
She nodded and her eyes scanned the room. Hunter had a feeling she was looking for Ryan’s girlfriend, the one he’d left Gabby for. Hunter was rather curious himself. How pretty would a girl have to be for Ryan to even consider leaving Gabby? He was fairly sure that kind of beauty wasn’t possible. Who could compete with Gabby?
“Oh,” she said in a surprised tone. “I didn’t realize you actually did that. I just figured that was code for fucking Sarah.”
Toni and Gage immediately burst into laughter, and Hart kept his measured gaze on Ryan.
Hunter also kept up his menacing presence. Ryan couldn’t be mistaken; he wasn’t picking on his lone ex-wife. She had backup.
Ryan immediately took the jab to heart. “That’s not fair,” he said defensively.
“You’re right,” said Gabby. “It’s not fair. But yes, I’m back in town. It’s nice to know that you care about my feelings now.”
“There’s no need to be rude.” Ryan shifted his weight. “I’m just being friendly.”
“It looks like Gabby has tons of friends,” said Hunter dryly.
Ryan finally turned his attention to Hunter and rubbed at his hand, the one Hunter had removed. It was obvious that he wanted to do some macho show in front of Gabby, but the uncertainty was clear in his eyes as he took in just how big Hunter was.
Yeah, buddy. Think carefully before you do anything stupid....
“So who are your friends?”
“They’re helping me out through a tough time. No one you would know.”
“Well, I was trying to say hello and be nice, but it’s clear you just want to think of me as the enemy, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Gabby. “I can’t imagine what would make me feel that way. I’m so sorry for making you feel bad for being a dick.”
Once again, laughter came from the back of the table and Ryan’s face flushed bright red. “Your taste in friends is just as bad as it’s always been. It’s no wonder Kate’s in jail. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up there too.” He turned away and walked off in a huff toward whatever hole he crawled out of.
Gabby turned back to the table, and her own cheeks were also red with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was going to be here.”
Toni was still laughing. “That’s the joy of him being your ex. You don’t have to apologize for him anymore.”
“I know we’re here to help you with all this life-and-death shit, but if you want me to teach him a lesson or two, I’ll throw that in for free,” said Gage.
“Are you sure he isn’t involved in all of this?” said Hunter.
Gabby looked over at him, shocked. “Ryan? Ryan wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“He doesn’t seem like the type to care about a fly’s feelings,” said Hart.
“Not that.” Gabby shook her head. “He’s literally not capable of hurting a fly. That would involve coordination and planning. Ryan’s more of an act first, plan later kind of guy. As pissed off as I am at him about the affair, I get it. It totally makes sense for him. He was probably already fucking her before it actually occurred to him that it was a bad idea. It’s just his nature.”
Gage seemed to think about that. “That’s funny because the nature I know is a bitch. If you want to follow the natural course of nature, it is only a matter of time before you get eaten alive.”
Hunter put the car in park, and Gabby didn’t make any motion to get out of the car. She was still trying to absorb the strange events of the day. Her frantic drive to get away from Hunter, realizing he’d somehow beat her home, storming the police station, and then confronting Ryan. It was all too much to take in.
And to top it all off, here she was, at her apartment with Hunter. It seemed like it had been so long ago they were here together when it had only been a few days. But in those few days, so much had changed. He shot her down so forcefully that first time, but things seemed different now. He seemed different now. And she was.... The same. What had really changed? He was still her knight in shining armor, and she was still just as obsessed with him. Even if they were right back in a life-and-death situation and her best friend was in jail, she didn’t feel any differently about them.
“I should go in and make sure it’s clear,” said Hunter.
Gabby nodded. Yes, that’s why he should go in. To make sure it was clear, and for no other reason. Toni had offered to buy her a room at a local hotel, but Gabby had refused. Hunter’s friends were already doing way too much to help her. She wasn’t used to accepting help. After her dad had been arrested, she’d done so much on her own. The idea of someone offering so much and expecting nothing in return was alien to her. Even with Ryan, every time he offered to do any normal husbandly thing, like replacing a light she couldn’t reach, or shoveling the driveway, he made such a big deal out of it. He expected her to fall all over him and tell him exactly how perfect he was. And hey, for shoveling the driveway she was willing to lay down a lot of compliments, but it got tiring after a while.
Gabby pushed open the car door and led the way to her apartment. Hunter knew where it was by now—after all, he’d already been there—but they were each kind of acting as though that had never happened. When she took out her keys to unlock the door, he took them from her. “Hang back until I give the all clear.” He also handed her the keys to her car. “If I don’t give the all clear, take off.”
Well, she didn’t like the sound of any of that, but she figured now wasn’t a good time to argue. Frankly, she couldn’t see the idea of Hunter not being able to best anybody. Somehow, she’d built him up so much in her mind that he seemed almost invincible. Good luck to anybody hiding in the shadows of her apartment. If they jumped out at Hunter, he’d be one of the last things they ever saw.
She waited patiently as he stepped inside. It took longer than she expected. He must be going through each room with a fine-tooth comb, making sure there was no one hidden in any little crack or crevice. But eventually, he came back to the door and gave her the all clear.
The second Gabby walked inside, the exhaustion took over. She had been holding it all back and trying to function like a normal person, but now that she’d made it to the safety of her home and knew that there weren’t any hidden killers awaiting her, she just gave up. Her shoulders sagged, and her body seemed to struggle to carry itself. She let out a big yawn and looked over at Hunter. “So.... What’s the plan?”
“Get some sleep. We’ll figure out the next steps tomorrow.”
Liar, she thought silently. She was sure he already had the next five steps planned out in his mind. And from what little she knew about his friends,
they were also thinking up a plan A, B, and C. But she was too tired to point that out. “I....” Words seemed much too hard at this point. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I’m not leaving you alone. You go to sleep, and I’ll be watching over you the entire time.”
A sense of warmth and security filled her. That was exactly what she needed to hear. “Don’t you need to sleep too?”
“I’m good. You get some rest.”
Damn it, why did he have to make this hard? Gabby took a deep swallow and then finally said what she wanted to say. “I don’t want to sleep alone.”
Silence stretched between the two of them. She really wanted to ask what he thought about that. Did he know that she was saying it because she wanted to be close to him? Did he know that she wasn’t just afraid, but she wanted him near her?
Finally, Hunter nodded. “Okay.”
It was all he said, but it was also all she needed to hear. She nodded and led the way to her bedroom. She didn’t see him, but she could hear his footsteps on the carpeting. Her heart kicked up, and she swore she could feel it beating in her throat.
She kept the door open as she walked in. Keeping her back to him, she pulled her T-shirt over her head and let it fall to the ground. Her bedroom wasn’t in the most pristine condition, piles of clothes here and there. She wasn’t expecting company anytime soon, in her defense.
But even without looking behind her, she knew Hunter wasn’t judging the mess. She could feel his eyes boring into her back. She fought the urge to turn around and let him see what he really wanted to see. Instead, she carefully reached for the second drawer in her dresser and pulled out her baby-blue nightie. She usually slept in a T-shirt, but she wanted something special. Something for Hunter. It was a simple silk nightie, but it managed to hug all the right places on her and fell just a few inches down her hips. Hiding just enough, but showing all too much at the same time. Biting her bottom lip, she turned to face him.
The Deadly Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 7) Page 7