by Claire Adams
I rode out to the winery and went inside. Gabriel wasn’t anywhere to be found, though the cart was outside. I felt like I was wasting more time trying to find him. For what? Nothing was going to change. I couldn’t make him love me.
As I turned and walked back to the front to leave, I heard Gabriel’s voice mumbling from the back of the room with Joe’s. They were working on the security, probably doing a routine check.
Before he could see me, I ducked out the door and jumped onto the bike. As I hurried off, I noticed a large commercial truck was about to turn in. On the side was the Emma’s Taste of Heaven logo. I hurried off, hoping Gabriel wouldn’t come out to greet the truck and see me.
I’d made up my mind: Gabriel was too busy with things for me to disturb him. Too distracted with making his money to have time for anyone, which was why he hadn’t before me. I was the product of a weak moment, a slip in his routine, and one he’d soon remedy.
I decided it was time to leave. I’d call my dad and see if he could come get me. I couldn’t spend another day in that house – or another night in it without Gabe.
I stopped at the port and parked the bike before hurrying in through the patio and down the hallway to the stairs.
With any luck, Gabriel would be tied up with the truck that had arrived and I could have all of my things ready to go before he even noticed. I hadn’t unpacked too much since changing rooms, but I’d scattered my toiletries and makeup all over the counter in the bathroom while getting ready.
As I hurried to collect the things, I thought about Gabriel. He would be angry, but he’d get over it. Maybe somewhere on the other side of everything, we’d be friends. It wasn’t like I hated him, and I hoped he would understand.
He didn’t need me in the same way I needed him. He’d be fine. He’d go on with his company and find a suitable replacement for me. He’d have no problem with that. I knew plenty who would give their right arm for my job.
Besides, the whole relationship was off balance anyway. He was a billionaire with houses all over the world, a vineyard, and could have any woman he wanted. What would he want me for? It wasn’t as if I could give him anything he didn’t already have. I brought nothing to the table, except an overprotective father and a bossy best friend.
Everything else was by his grace to keep me employed. I was prepared to lose it, too, the house and my car, if I had to, just to stop this torture. That’s what it was to know someone didn’t love you the way you loved them. Torture.
I sat on my bed and stared at my phone. Then after a deep breath and a big dose of courage, I called my father. “Dad, I think it’s time I come home.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Gabriel
Joe and I had gone over inch of the house’s security feeds and couldn’t find anything out of place, but just to be safe, I had one of my ITs go back to check each connection. He’d been at the house all day, and I was in my office waiting for the all-clear at any moment.
“Things have worked smoothly; perhaps whatever it was is fixed. That one loose connector could have been the issue.” Joe wasn’t in the habit of soothing me, so I guessed I must have looked pretty ragged. I still hadn’t had any sleep and the day had me wore thin.
“Let’s hope. It’s a sad day when the owner of a billion-dollar security company has glitches.” I hoped it didn’t become an epidemic and strike my mainframe system. I’d had the stations call in with reports all day to be sure.
Aside from my problems with the security, Luna was still not talking to me and had stayed upstairs most of the day. I’d seen her out riding a bike, and I assumed that was to cure her boredom. I imagined her relaxing upstairs with one of her books or curled up in front of my big screen. I’d shown her how to work the remote so she wouldn’t deprogram anything while trying to find a channel.
Once all of this was settled, I would go upstairs for a nice hot shower and see if she wanted to join me. We needed to talk. And, ever since she’d admitted her love, my desire had been to get inside her so I could claim her properly and tell her how I felt, too. I couldn’t wait for us to start a normal life together without all the drama that unraveled in Las Vegas and the simple thought of her beneath me had me hard.
Thank God I was sitting at my desk.
My phone rang and brought me to my other issue for the day: Kyle Johnson. Boner killer.
“How’s it going, Mason?” I’d been waiting on him to call back for hours.
“It’s going. Detective Hatcher said not to toot your own horn too hard. He claims that the boys in blue down at the good old LVPD were already onto this lead, but you sidetracked them with your information about Harbor.” The laughter in his voice was generous considering we both knew what a load of shit that was.
“Yeah, that’s why they questioned the wrong man. Did you tell him nice try?” There was no way they’d had their eye on someone they didn’t know existed, and since the LAPD were the ones who’d had the tip off about the car, I knew better.
“Nah, what’s the use? There’s no cure for his kind of arrogance. You’ll be in the clear before you know it.” A horn honked in the background, and he spat out a curse word.
I cringed thinking he might cause an accident. “Listen, man, let me go before you kill yourself or someone else.” After another curse, he ended the call. As my screen went dark, I placed the phone on my desk and stared at Joe, who glared down to his own mobile device like he wanted to throw it across the room.
“Bad news?”
My voice brought his head up and he frowned. “It’s the ex. Madison’s been sick for three days. She finally thought I should know.”
It was easy to forget the man had a family of his own because he spent more time with me than anyone else. “If you need to go, I understand.”
“No, she needs her rest. I’ll go tomorrow when we get everything cleared up here.” He was a good man and a great father. I’d hate to think of the poor bastard that tried to date his daughter.
“Well, I’ll have Judy send her a care package. She told me she loves it when Uncle Gabe sends her treats.” The little one held a special place in my heart and Judy treated her like a granddaughter.
“You spoil her,” said Joe, shaking his head. “But thank you. She’ll get a kick out of it. Besides, I know it chaps Myra’s ass.” All the more reason to do it. I never did like Myra.
An image of Luna illustrated in my mind of her with a big baby bump. I wondered if she had ever considered having children. I swallowed hard, thinking it was much too soon for all that, but I could see us long-term having a family of our own.
Joe’s phone ringing snapped me out of my daydream and a moment later. “That’s the man with the all-clear. But I think I’ll pull it up on your monitor and check out the quality on your end.”
“That’s great news; make yourself at home and let me know how it is. I’m going to find Luna.” I left Joe there and headed down the hall and up the stairs.
I went to my room and threw open the door with a wide smile, which faded as I searched for her. I went to the bathroom, thinking I might find her in a warm bath, but it was empty, too.
Panic struck as I went to the closet and found it empty of her belongings. She couldn’t have left the house. Did someone take her? Before the adrenaline could get good and pumping, I heard a noise from the guest room.
“Luna?” I hurried down to the door and threw it open so hard it bounced off the door stop and almost came back in my face. I barged in placing my hand on my heart in relief. “My God, you scared me! What are you doing in here?” I searched her eyes, but she looked away from me.
“I’ve called my father. He’s coming to get me in a few hours when he’s done with his counseling sessions.”
“You can’t leave – and why would want to?” She cringed away as I crossed the room and sat beside her. She’s changed her mind?
Her hands trembled, and I took them into my own and squeezed them tight as she took a deep breath. “I told you h
ow I feel, Gabriel. But I can’t stay here if you don’t feel the same way. It’s too painful. Every time we make love, it’s like I’m falling deeper and-”
“You were going to up and leave? When were you going to tell me?” Anger boiled through me. “I can understand you wanting to change rooms, but to bail on me completely when you know I don’t want you to go and we haven’t had a chance to talk. What are you thinking?”
“I need to know how you feel,” she snapped.
She didn’t know? “I don’t want you to go. I feel the same, Luna.”
She blinked her eyes and shook her head. “But you said… Well, you didn’t say, but you acted like you… Do you want the annulment?”
I barely moved my head back and forth and formed the word no with my lips. She was already in my arms. “No, of course I don’t.”
“I thought when you didn’t come to bed that you didn’t want to be near me.” She covered her mouth and wiped the tears that pooled in her eyes.
I pulled her into my arms and held her. “We’ve had a bad time around here, and I didn’t want to worry you. You took me a little off-guard by sharing your feelings because I thought you wanted the annulment. I always felt that in the end you were going to leave me.”
“I didn’t want to, but I knew I would if I had to, no matter how much it hurt.” She wiped her face and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come up sooner. I had no idea you were up here feeling this way. You should have come down and talked to me.”
Her eyes widened. “The last time I tried to do that, you were too busy. And earlier, I rode out to the winery, and you were busy then, too.”
“I’m always going to have busy times, especially if it concerns your safety. We’ve been having glitches the past few days and I’ve had to have someone come out and look at the system.” I hadn’t told her about Kyle, the suspect, but wondered if it were best to keep that to myself. I didn’t want her scared.
“I know you’re a busy man, and I’m used to being busy with you at your side, but here I feel like I’m in the way. I guess I’m out of my element.”
“Nonsense, this is your element. You’re home, Luna. This is our home together.” The words were like a magic spell that brought a smile to her face.
“It’s so weird when you say it like that.” She closed her eyes tight and held them that way, as if savoring the moment.
“Get used to it.” I brushed my thumb across her cheek and swept away one last tear.
“I guess I should move my things back into your bedroom.” She held up a finger and smiled. “I mean our bedroom.”
“Yeah, let’s get you unpacked and-”
My phone rang out Joe’s tone, and I hurried to answer it. “Yeah?”
He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “The system’s down again for a minute now. The guards are on alert.”
“Have they found anything?” I glared at Luna, who stared back with wide, curious eyes. I didn’t want her to be afraid, but I had to warn her to sit tight.
“Nothing, but it’s still down. It’s usually back up by now.” His tone didn’t sound hopeful.
I remembered Luna’s father planned to show up at some point. “Don’t let anyone in. If Mr. Spencer shows up, bring him into the guard shack until we’re secure.” Luna’s eyes widened as she clenched my hand. “I’ll be right down.” I ended the call and met her eyes directly as she gazed at me with worried, hopeful eyes.
“Gabriel? What’s happening?”
“The system went down earlier and it’s down again now. I’m going to go down and do a walk-through with the men to make sure the place stays secure while it’s down.”
“Who’s trying to get in?” She clutched her collar and gripped the fabric tight in her fist. “It’s the killer?”
“We’re not sure, but it could be. You sit tight up here. Go ahead and get yourself moved back into our room and wait for me to get back.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I want us to spend the night together.” I claimed her mouth, kissing her hard hoping it would give her something pleasant to look forward to until I got back.
“Promise you’ll hurry?” She smiled before pressing her lips against my neck.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll be back before you know it.” I kissed her three more times before I broke away and ran down the stairs to find Joe.
When I didn’t find him downstairs, I went out into the yard. Crossing the patio, he ran from the front guard shack and changed directions when he saw me. He stopped caught his breath. “I have the guys watching the perimeter, and so far it’s all clear.”
“Good. Are we back up yet?”
“Not yet. I have Jones in the shack waiting on it.” He followed me back up to the house and stopped outside the patio door. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and noticed the low battery signal. “Dammit, I have to plug in my phone. I’ll be in the office if you need me.” I walked into the office and went around my desk to where I kept my charger. As I plugged in my phone, my computer screen lit up. I glanced up and realized we were back online.
Thank God. I glanced to the small camera shots and saw Luna in our room. She stood at the bed where she’d laid her suitcase to unpack it. As I looked away, something caught my attention.
I hurried to enlarge the screen and when I did, fear gripped me and a wave of nausea hit knowing I was not going to reach her in time. As I processed what I’d seen, I pressed the alert for the guards, then I grabbed my gun from my desk and prayed I wouldn’t be too late.
Kyle Johnson stood behind her, waiting to strike.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Luna
Alarms sounded in the distance, and I wondered if my father had set them off on his way in. It seemed everyone had been on high alert.
I spun around and stopped as I came face to face with a man I’d never seen, and before I could react, he charged, pushing me face-down to the ground. His knee jammed hard against my back as something went around my neck. I’m going to die. This is the killer.
I gripped at the thin cord closing tight and fought as best as I could, twisting around, clawing and scratching at his face, my feet kicking at his chest until my limbs grew weak and finally, I resigned myself to the blackness that splotched my vision.
This was how it would all end for me. Not with a happily ever after, not with Gabriel and me staying married until we grew old. With one last swipe of my hand, trying desperately to hold onto life, I heard a gunshot. Darkness fell upon me with a warm, wet thud.
I woke some minutes later, rousing to my body being shifted and the tight cord being pulled free of my neck. Intense pain burned in my throat. I dared not to make a sound or breathe too deeply.
Joe stood close, looking down with a grim expression as he met my eyes. “She’s awake,” he said to someone behind me.
Gabriel, whose arms I was gathered in, shifted me against one side, cradling me like a baby. “It’s okay, Luna. He can’t hurt you. He can’t hurt you.”
His eyes were mad and feral and as I leaned against him, I realized what sounded like choking sobs weren’t coming from him or Joe. Suddenly the world had color and things became clearer around me. Blood. It was everywhere. Red, slick, and wet, it soaked my clothes and as it cooled, my temperature dropped, giving me chills.
“Is he dead yet?” Gabriel mumbled to Joe, who shook his head and stopped when he realized I was looking.
All of a sudden, there were others coming in. They pushed Joe aside to get to the killer. He’s breathing. Pulse is weak. Let’s get him out of here. Okay on three. One. Two. I blacked out before the next number was spoken, and when I woke again, I was being loaded into an ambulance. Gabriel’s voice shouted above all the other noises around me.
“I want to ride – she’s my wife!” Moments later a warm hand rested on mine, and we were moving. I’m his wife, I told them. I’m his wife. But I wasn’t sure I’d actu
ally spoken at all.
I woke up in the hospital hours later with an IV in my arm and an urge in my bladder. I sat up, and as I did, Gabriel jumped from the chair beside me and grabbed my arm. “Take it easy. They’ve got you plugged in.”
“I need the bathroom,” I said, my voice still rough from… I put my fingers to my neck and felt the welt that remained from the cord I’d had around it. “He tried to kill me, didn’t he?” I met Gabriel’s eyes and he looked away, his expression grim and angry.
“Yes, and I’m so, so sorry, Luna. I’m sorry I put you in that position.” He gripped my arm to steady me as he helped me to the bathroom and left me with my dignity. Once I was done, I called for his steady arm as he led me back to the bed.
“It’s not your fault. Besides, you saved me. You killed him, didn’t you?” His eyes ringed red, and I wished I hadn’t asked.
Surprisingly, he shook his head. “He’s down the hall in ICU barely hanging on. But I wanted to kill him. I hoped he’d die before they came for him. I begged Joe to let me finish it.” His eyes closed tight and tears of anger wet the corners.
I found it hard to believe that even if the man had hurt me that Gabriel would want to take another human’s life. He didn’t have the heart of a killer. “You did good, Gabriel. You saved my life; that’s all that matters.”
He tucked me under the covers and held my hand. “I’m never letting you out of my sight.”
I loved the sound of that. I hoped we’d never have to be apart again, too. “I just realized something.”
“What’s that?” He leaned down closer as my voice grew weaker from so much use.
“I got out of the house.” I flashed him a weary smile, but he didn’t laugh.
“Yeah, but not the way I’d have liked. It’s been a long time, but I promise I’ll take you anywhere you like. Name it.”
“Las Vegas?” I smiled so wide it hurt, and that time he did laugh.
“You must be feeling better. You’re making jokes.” He brushed his fingertips across my cheeks as I glanced around the hospital room.