by Codi Gary
Val hung up before Caroline could respond, but the words rushed through her, shaking her to her core. She took several breaths, trying to calm the flood of emotions.
But isn’t that what you always thought happiness was? Freedom? That all the men, all the nights drinking away the past were just a part of life?
The cabbie pulled over, breaking through her confusion. “Central Park.”
“Keep the change,” she said, handing him the cash.
In the park, Caroline took the path along a little pond, smiling at the ducks as they cruised by.
If that was happiness, then what have the last few weeks with Gabe been? Did all the laughter and feelings of acceptance mean nothing to you?
Sitting down on a bench, she put her head between her legs. Lightheadedness and tears overwhelmed her, and she brushed at her eyes as she choked on the lump in her throat.
“Excuse me, ma’am, I don’t mean to intrude, but you look like you could use this.”
Caroline looked up at a man standing above her, holding out a worn paisley hankie in his hand, just like the kind her grandpa used to have. The man was dirty from head to toe, wearing overalls and a worn ball cap, with a scraggly beard covering his weathered face. His eyes were crinkled but besides that, they were kind.
And then she noticed his other arm was missing.
Pity overwhelmed her as she took the hankie and gave him a watery smile. “Thank you so much.”
He sat down next to her. “So is it your family or your fella?”
The question was so forthright, it caught her off guard. “Both.”
“I’ve been there, darlin’, yes I have. Had me a girl years ago, sweetest blue eyes you’d ever seen. She wanted me to stay in our little town and get married, but I wanted to make something of myself. Prove her daddy wrong about the type of man I was.” His chuckle was raspy, turning into a harsh, wracking cough. Caroline moved to pat his back, but he waved her off, taking in deep, rattled breaths. “I didn’t get to do those things, though. I went into the military and lost my arm. Came home bitter and angry, and when she said it didn’t matter, I spat on her love. My own brother stopped talking to me years ago, and though I get work from time to time, my demons seem to find me, no matter where I end up.”
Caroline smiled sadly. “Mine do the same damn thing.”
“My advice—not that you’re askin’—is to forget what you’ve done, what they’ve done to you, and face down your demons.” He patted her knee kindly. “You don’t want to end up old and alone, believe me.”
Biting her lip, Caroline thought of what her future might look like if she took over Mr. Kline’s bar. She couldn’t picture making a home here or anywhere else. When she thought of home, it was a two-bedroom apartment above a quiet little bookstore. And in that future, when she came home, she pictured a man with deep obsidian eyes and a wicked grin, greeting her with a kiss that would melt her socks off.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“You’re welcome, darlin’ ” the man said, getting up from the bench and moving along down the sidewalk.
Pulling out her phone, she went to dial Mr. Kline to refuse his offer but saw she had a new text message from the strange number that had called before.
Hey, Caroline, this is Chase, Gabe’s friend. I don’t know if he’s ever mentioned me, but look, he’s in trouble. They arrested him this morning for assault, and I don’t even know if you care, but he needs you. He won’t say that, because he’s a stubborn son of a bitch, but he does.
Caroline’s stomach dropped out, and a thousand different situations flashed through her mind—none of them good. Jumping up from the bench, she kicked off her four-inch heels and ran to flag down a taxi.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Revenge is a dish best served cold . . . and with plenty of gloating.”
—Miss Know It All
AFTER EXPLAINING TO Mr. Kline why she had to leave so suddenly and that she couldn’t possibly take his offer, Caroline packed up her suitcase and checked out of her hotel. When she arrived at the airport, she spent the night trying to get on a flight to Boise. Finally, she got a 6:00 A.M. flight and arrived in Idaho a little after noon. Surpassing the 80 mph speed limit, Caroline arrived back in town on a mission: she was going to rescue Gabe and try to make up for bailing on him. She was a strong, independent woman who had made mistakes and turned her life around. She wasn’t a princess, though Gabe often called her one, and she didn’t need a knight to slay her dragons.
She could do that all on her own.
Her first stop was the police station. When she’d called Chase back, he said they were holding Gabe there until Monday. Chase didn’t know who the alleged victim was, but Caroline could only think of one man in Rock Canyon who Gabe would want to beat the snot out of. And if Kyle had provoked Gabe, intending to get revenge, she was going to use every piece of leverage her father had to destroy him.
Though really, if Kyle was involved in any way, shape, or form, she would make him pay. At this point, he’d threatened everyone she loved at one time or another, and there was no way in hell she was about to let him ruin Gabe’s life.
Caroline loved Gabe. She’d known it the moment she’d read Chase’s text message, but even before that too. Only she’d been too freaked out to face it. He was hers, and she was his. She needed him. And now, he needed her.
She didn’t care that she was speeding, and when a cruiser pulled out behind her and flipped on his sirens, she ignored him long enough to pull up in front of the Rock Canyon Police Department.
As she climbed out of her car, she heard a shout behind her. “Put your hands up!”
She turned toward the police officer, who had his gun trained on her, and squinted. “Grady Jenkins, put that fucking thing away.”
“Put your hands up first, Caroline,” Grady said. When Caroline was in high school, Grady had been a pervy freshman who’d liked to crawl under lunchroom tables to stare up girls’ skirts.
“I don’t have time for this, Grady,” Caroline said, holding up her hands. “Just get your ass over here, and get my shit.”
Grady kept his gun out until he was a few feet away and then put it back in his holster. “I really ought to arrest you, you know.”
“My purse is on the front seat; insurance is in the glove compartment,” she said, ignoring his shout as she turned and ran for the police station entrance. Barging into the front reception area, she walked up and started banging on the bell. “Hello!”
Officer Sam Weathers came running to the front and yanked the bell away from her. “Geez, Caroline, what in hell’s bells has gotten into you?”
“Do you have Gabe Moriarty in lock-up, Sam?” She craned her neck to see down the hallway.
“As a matter of fact,” he said, flicking the toothpick in his mouth.
“When do you plan to release him?”
“I don’t,” he said, and when she opened her mouth to argue, he cut her off. “I got a victim that said, and I quote, ‘Gabe Moriarty did this to me.’ ”
“Whatever he said, it’s a lie. Gabe wouldn’t—”
“Wasn’t a guy. It was your sister Eleanor who filed the complaint.”
“What?” Caroline hollered, sure she’d heard him wrong.
“Yeah, she was here pitching a fit yesterday morning that she’d turned him down at Buck’s, and he’d followed her outside to her car. Beat her so bad, poor thing’s eye is nearly shut.”
Why would Ellie lie? She had to be lying. Gabe would never hurt a woman. He’d sworn he’d never hurt a woman. “You don’t understand. I know him. He did not do this,” she insisted, panic edging into her voice.
“Well, your ‘knowing’ isn’t enough to trump an eyewitness,” Sam said, obviously irritated.
Caroline obviously wasn’t going to get anywhere with Sam; she needed to talk to Gabe.
And then Ellie. Her blood was boiling, trying to figure out why her sister would lie. Was this to get back at Caroline for bu
tting into her business?
No, Ellie wouldn’t be that cruel. Couldn’t be.
“Can I see him? Please?”
Sam hesitated, and she repeated, “Please, Sam, I’m begging you.”
After a moment or two, he grumbled. “Fine. Come on back.”
She almost passed Sam in her eagerness to get to Gabe, and when she saw him sitting on one of the cots, even though his eyes were closed and a dark shadow marred his jawline, he was the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.
“Gabe!” she cried, racing to the bars.
His eyes flew open, and he looked furious. “What the hell are you doing here, Caroline?”
“I’m going to get you out of here. I know you didn’t do this.”
“Yeah, well, you and Chase are about the only ones,” he said, bitterness clouding his tone. “I have it covered. Got my court-appointed attorney and everything.”
“But you don’t have to do this alone. I want to help,” she said, reaching out for him. “I don’t know why she’s doing this, but I’ll talk to Ellie. We can figure this out.”
Then she realized he hadn’t moved toward her or even tried to hold her hand. All she wanted to do was touch him, to make sure he was really okay, but he was holding back from her. “Gabe . . . please . . . I’m sorry for the way I left. I just got scared and needed a minute to put everything in perspective. Then, when Chase texted—”
“You what? Thought you’d run back to town and save the day? Maybe pull some strings with your dad or, like you said, convince your sister to drop the charges?” Gabe snarled. “The damage is done, princess. Word’s out that I’m an ex-con who likes to beat up on women. It didn’t take long for people to start digging once the cuffs came out, so my fresh start? The thing I wanted more than anything? It’s over with.”
“We’ll explain,” Caroline said, gripping the bars hard. “We can work this out—”
“No, there’s no we,” Gabe said harshly. “You wanna help? Then go home. Whatever you thought, just get it out of your head, because I don’t need you.”
“Gabe . . .” she said, shaking with the pain of his words. He couldn’t mean it.
He ignored her as he leaned his head back again and closed his eyes.
“Gabe, please look at me,” she said, hanging on to the bars as her knees weakened.
“At least you finally got what you always wanted,” he said without looking at her. “The apartment is yours.”
“I don’t want that! I haven’t asked for my own space, and I don’t want to lose you, so will you stop acting so defeated? You. Did. Not. Do. This. And I’ll prove it,” she said vehemently.
“Hey, no worries, princess. We both knew that living arrangement was only temporary. At least we got to have some fun along the way.”
Part of her knew he was just saying that because he was hurt and angry, but the other, insecure part asked, “Fun? Is that all it was to you?”
“Well, hell, what else was it supposed to be?”
“I thought maybe you had actually turned into a human being, that you might actually be more than just—”
“Just what? An ex-con? A loser?” He opened his eyes to stare right at her. The blank expression in them broke her heart.
“Stop it! I didn’t say any of that. I just meant that I know you try so hard to keep people at bay and for a while there, I felt like you were letting me in.”
Gabe shook his head. “Just go, Caroline, okay? I’ll be fine. We had a good run, but honestly? I’d be happy if I never saw you or your sisters again.”
Caroline thought her chest was going to break open, the pain was so intense. Before she could plead or say anything else, Sam put his hand on her arm. “Come on, Caroline, it’s time to go.”
She started to follow Sam but stopped and said, “I know you think I gave up on you, but you’re wrong. I had a weak moment, but I came home. To you. And I am not going to give up this easily.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond. As she passed through the front doors of the police station, she saw that Grady had shut all her doors and left a ticket on her windshield.
Caroline pulled it off before climbing inside, then glanced down at the total and laughed at the three-hundred-dollar scrap of paper. Her laughter soon turned to tears, and she laid her arms on her steering wheel, sobbing into them. Even if she saved Gabe’s reputation, she might have already lost him. He’d given her exactly what she’d needed, accepted her for who she was, but when he’d opened his heart and invited her inside, she’d bolted.
If it was the last thing she did, she would make it up to Gabe. Even if he never forgave her.
CAROLINE STOPPED BY the veterinary hospital on the way home to check on Googlie. Zoe had been happy to report that he was eating and drinking again and had started gaining weight. Caroline had been surprised to find out that Gabe had dropped Possum off on Friday to be with his brother. Apparently, it had been a turning point in Googlie’s improvement and although she was happy he was doing better, she’d asked Zoe to keep the kittens a few more days while Caroline sorted out Gabe’s situation. Luckily, Zoe agreed.
She parked in front of the bookstore, figuring that Gabe’s bike was in the back. When she reached the stairs, she found Ellie sitting at the top, waiting for her. Even from several feet away, she could see the bruises on her sister’s face and knew she’d taken a hell of a beating.
“Holy fuck, who the hell did this to you?”
“It was Kyle,” Ellie said quietly.
Caroline grabbed the railing, afraid she was going to hurl over the side. “You were seeing Kyle? He did this to you?”
“No, I was never seeing him. I swear,” she said, confusing the hell out of Caroline.
“Okay, you weren’t seeing Kyle, but he’s been beating the shit out of you?”
“I wanted to explain—”
“Why you’re pressing charges against Gabe?”
Ellie stood up, her eyes shifting away. “So, you heard?”
Okay, that pissed her off. On one hand, she was prepared to dismember Kyle, slowly and with a very dull knife, for hurting Ellie. But on the other hand, Ellie was acting like it was no big deal that Gabe was sitting in jail for something Kyle did.
What the fuck was going on?
“Oh yeah, I heard. What do you mean, oh, so you heard? Like it’s some casual piece of gossip in that stupid blog you follow?” Caroline’s voice rose until she was screaming, “You accused the man I love of assaulting you! Are you fucking insane? If Kyle did this to you, why the hell did you accuse Gabe?”
“Can we just go inside, please, and I’ll explain?” Ellie said, starting to stand but she was moving so slowly that Caroline finally put her arm around her sister to help her.
“I would just like to say that although part of me wants to strangle you, the fact that you wouldn’t tell Val or me that he was hurting you is just crazy. Why would you let him do this to you? Does he have something on you?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Good thing we’ve got some time, then.”
Inside, Caroline stopped when she caught sight of the kitchen, which had putty-filled holes in the walls. Some of the doors to the cabinets were on the floor, and there were tools everywhere.
Geez, talk about a disaster zone. She’d ask Gabe what had happened later, once she had him out of jail.
Lowering Ellie to the couch, Caroline plopped down next to her. “Okay, talk. Now.” When Ellie winced, Caroline reached out to take her hand. “Do you need something for the pain?”
“No, I took something earlier, but I can’t take painkillers if I’m gonna drive.”
“Okay,” Caroline said, waiting for Ellie to say more, but she seemed at a loss. “Start at the beginning. How did you get involved with Kyle?”
Ellie took a deep breath before answering. “Last year, I was driving home from a bar in Twin Falls, but I’d only had one drink, so I thought I was fine. That I could make it home. It wasn’t very far.”
Caroline thought back to Gabe’s own DUI and the tragic circumstances surrounding it. “You know better, Ellie.”
“I know. The worst part was that I drifted into the other lane and hit another car. The driver lived, but she had a broken leg and some other injuries. I freaked out and drove off,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “I was underage and driving under the influence. When I hit her, all I could think of was that my life was over. Then the police started investigating and offering rewards for witnesses. Kyle caught me trying to pop the dent out of my beamer, and when I confessed to him, he took care of it.”
“How, for God’s sake?” Caroline asked, horror mixing with her fury.
“He offered the woman a large settlement to change her story. Since no one else saw what happened, it was easier than I thought,” Ellie said, shaking her head. “But when I offered to pay Kyle out of my trust after I turned twenty-five, he said he didn’t want my money. He wanted a favor.”
“What did he want?” Caroline asked.
They sat down on the couch, and Ellie continued, “He wanted me to dig up dirt on Dad, which is part of the reason I have that file of all his shady dealings. He said we’d be square if I gathered info and gave it to him, but I couldn’t. Dad may be a rotten bastard most of the time, but he’s still my dad. But when Dad started digging into Kyle’s past, he became obsessed with what Dad might know, and he . . . he started threatening me.”
“Is that when the beatings started?”
“When I told him I wasn’t going to spy for him anymore, he punched me,” she said, waving her hand over her face. “I think he liked hurting me.”
Caroline’s blood ran cold. “He didn’t . . . he never . . .”
Ellie seemed to pick up on what Caroline couldn’t say. “No, he never went that far.”
Caroline’s head was spinning. She had no doubt Kyle was capable of blackmail, but why would he do it? He wouldn’t really jeopardize his cushy life or his freedom for a little wounded pride and petty revenge.
Wait—this was Kyle. Of course he would. Because in his mind, he could never be caught.