“What else? What were you doing upstairs?” he asked gently.
“Flowers. I picked flowers.” Already she could feel the edge easing off her pain, the whisper of drowsiness sweeping over her. “I wanted to put flowers in your rooms. I’d picked some beautiful ones for your room.”
“I noticed them this morning. They’re lovely,” he replied. “It was a nice thing to do.”
“I like to do nice things for you. I don’t think people have been kind enough to you in your life.” She felt the warmth that crept over her cheeks and hoped that later she could blame her frankness on the medication. “Anyway, I’d just put the flowers in the rooms and was about to come downstairs when somebody pushed me.”
“And as far as you know, there was nobody else in the house.”
“Nobody,” she agreed. Tired. She was suddenly so tired, but then she remembered her conversation with Thomas. “Wait... Thomas was here.”
“Thomas Brady?” Gabriel sat forward in his chair.
“He was here before I picked the flowers.” She fought against the drowsiness, realizing what she had to tell him was important. “He came to ask me out to dinner, and I told him we didn’t have any future together, that I’d never be in love with him in a romantic way.”
Gabriel rose from his chair. “And how did he take it?” His voice was deceptively calm.
“He seemed to take it very well.” She tried to keep her heavy-lidded eyes open. “He said he understood that you couldn’t make somebody love you if she didn’t, that he’d sensed I wasn’t feeling the same about him as he was about me. Surely you don’t think he...” Her voice trailed off as she couldn’t fight the effect of the pills any longer.
As she closed her eyes, she thought she felt the press of Gabriel’s lips against her forehead, but it had to be a dream because he would never do anything like that in reality.
* * *
“ANDREW, YOU STAY here and keep an eye on Marlena. Jackson, you come with me.” Gabriel had a head full of steam as he left Marlena’s quarters and entered the dining room where the two other agents were seated.
He hadn’t realized the sunshine Marlena had brought into his life until he saw her now, bruised and broken, and what he wanted more than anything was to find the person responsible and beat the hell out of him or her, make whoever it was feel the same kind of pain Marlena was feeling right now.
The sight of her slender shoulder and dainty freckles hiding beneath vivid, violent purple bruises made him want to tear somebody’s head off.
“Where are we going?” Jackson asked once they were in the car.
“To Thomas Brady’s house. I want to find out where he was yesterday afternoon when Marlena was shoved down the stairs.”
Jackson shot him a look of interest. “You think he’s responsible?”
“It’s possible,” Gabriel replied. “Apparently he was here yesterday, and Marlena told him there would never be a romance between them. She said he took it well, but he might just be a good actor, and was angry enough to sneak back here and try to hurt her.” Gabriel tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “If he did this to her, then I’ll kill him.”
“Whoa, partner. It sounds like you’re taking this more than a little personally,” Jackson said.
Gabriel felt his partner’s speculative gaze on him and slowly eased the pressure his fingers had had on the steering wheel. “She’s a nice woman, and she’s obviously a target for some reason. I just want to get to the bottom of it, that’s all.”
Gabriel thought about the silky softness of her skin when he’d kissed her, skin that was now mottled and bruised, causing her enormous pain.
“Maybe I am a little personally involved,” he finally admitted. “First somebody tried to drown her in the pond, and now this happens. She needs a champion.”
“And you’ve decided you’re that man?”
“Yeah, I guess I have,” he replied. It didn’t mean anything, he told himself. It had nothing to do with any kind of an emotional connection between them. It was his job. Besides, she’d said she wanted to do nice things for him.
Damn, but that single statement had punched him in the gut. There had been no kindness in his childhood, and there certainly hadn’t been any when he’d been out on the streets alone. Even when he’d joined the FBI, he’d found camaraderie among his fellow agents, but he hadn’t known softness until now...until Marlena.
While he didn’t intend to get drawn into it, he at least wanted her to be okay to go on with the life she’d planned in the big city, with a husband who adored her, and babies to hold and love.
When she’d talked briefly about her life with Gary Holzman in Chicago, he’d heard the yearning in her voice, the desire for the fairy-tale ending.
What amazed him was that, despite her painful experience with her mother, and then again with Gary, her desire for love hadn’t waned. She didn’t seem to fear being hurt again but rather was open to loving without restraint.
He might hunt down killers and put himself in dangerous situations, but he could admit to himself that between the two of them, she was the one with real courage.
“Even if Thomas did get angry and pushed her down the stairs, that doesn’t explain Marlena’s unexpected dunk in the pond,” Jackson said, pulling Gabriel from his thoughts.
“No, it doesn’t.” Gabriel frowned. “But maybe he’d already sensed that she didn’t want to date him. Maybe he’s a psychopath who goes around trying to kill women he dates. Hell, I don’t know what to make of it all.” He slammed his palm against the steering wheel.
“I think maybe now would be a good time to take a few deep breaths,” Jackson said. “Either that, or I’m going to have to slap you, because you’re having some sort of a hysterical breakdown.”
Gabriel drew in a long draw of oxygen and then grinned at the man in the seat next to him. “Thanks for warning me before you tried to slap me.”
“You’re welcome.” Jackson returned his grin.
By the time they pulled up in front of Thomas’s attractive two-story house, Gabriel had calmed down a bit. Jackson had reminded him that before yesterday, Thomas shouldn’t have had a motive for attempting to hurt Marlena, which put the near drowning in question.
It was easy to speculate that whoever had pushed her in the pond was the same person who had shoved her down the stairs. The M.O. was the same...and it would appear somebody wanted Marlena dead, but they also wanted it to look like an accident.
“Are we getting out, or are we just going to sit in the car and meditate?” Jackson asked drily.
Gabriel shut off the engine. “We’re getting out. I was gathering my thoughts.”
“I’m glad one of us has some thoughts left to gather.”
The two got out of the car and approached the house. They’d been here before to ask Thomas questions about the Connelly family.
While they had learned that he had, indeed, been in New Orleans during the time the family had been taken and they had in their possession copies of the receipts of his motel-room bill, Thomas was an independent contractor, so there were no copies of work hours, no coworkers to question about his schedule.
He’d never fallen off their list of persons of interest because of how close New Orleans was.
Be honest with yourself, Gabriel thought as they headed toward the front door. He’s still a person of interest on a short list of two. Thomas Brady and the hotheaded Ryan Sherman, with his shaky alibi provided by his dopehead girlfriend, were the only two names on the list.
Gabriel knocked on the door with a firm fist. Brady’s work truck was in the driveway, so Gabriel assumed the man was at home.
The door opened as Gabriel was about to knock again. Thomas Brady looked at the two FBI agents in confusion. “I thought I was done with you all. I gave you everything
I had from my trip to New Orleans.”
“We’re here about another matter. Mind if we come in?” Gabriel kept his voice calm. In fact, he attempted to be pleasant but knew he hadn’t quite made it when Thomas’s brown eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I can’t imagine any other matter we’d have to discuss,” he replied, not indicating any desire to allow them into his home.
“How about Marlena?”
“What about her?” There was no missing the slight softness that filled Thomas’s voice or the sudden uncertainty that darkened his eyes as he looked first at Jackson and then back at Gabriel.
“She was shoved down the staircase in the bed-and-breakfast yesterday after you left,” Gabriel said.
Thomas’s features twisted in what appeared to be obvious shock. He reached out and grabbed Gabriel’s arm, his big thick fingers squeezing tightly. “Oh, my God, is she all right?”
Gabriel pulled his arm out of Thomas’s grasp. “She’s pretty banged up, but she’s okay.”
Thomas opened his door to allow them inside and out of the heat. “You can’t believe that I had anything to do with that? I love Marlena.” He gestured the two agents to an overstuffed sofa and fell into a chair as if his legs would no longer hold him. “She’s really okay?”
“She’ll be fine,” Jackson said as he and Gabriel sat down.
“We understand you had an unpleasant conversation with her yesterday,” Gabriel said, his gaze focused solely on Thomas’s face and body language.
Thomas leaned back in the chair and shook his head. “It wasn’t unpleasant, and it wasn’t completely unexpected. I’ve never hidden my feelings for Marlena. I think she’s a wonderful, beautiful woman. And I’d hoped that we could have a future together, but I also recognized that she wasn’t at the same place I was, that she didn’t love me like I love her. Yesterday she just confirmed to me what I already knew in my heart, that there was never going to be an us with me and Marlena.”
“Did that make you angry?” Jackson asked.
“No, it made me very sad,” Thomas replied without hesitation. He leaned forward, his features radiating with intense emotion. “I would never lift a finger to harm Marlena, whether she loved me or not. Even though she told me she’d never love me in a romantic way, I still love her and would never want to hurt her in any way.”
“Where did you go yesterday after you left the bed-and-breakfast?” Gabriel asked.
“I went to the café and had a late lunch. You can check—I talked to half a dozen people while I was there, and I left the café with Chuck Gomez, who wanted an estimate for building a deck. I was at his place until after five.”
“And if we check with Chuck, he’ll tell us the same thing?” Jackson said.
“Of course he will, because it’s the truth.”
Gabriel believed him. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t think that Thomas was responsible for Marlena’s heart-stopping ride down the staircase.
Jackson rose from the sofa, as if knowing they were done here. The next step would be checking out the alibi Thomas had given them.
“I don’t suppose it would be a good idea for me to see her,” Thomas said as the two agents headed for the front door.
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Gabriel replied. He wasn’t sure if he didn’t want Thomas around Marlena because he thought Thomas might be guilty of something or because he knew Thomas loved Marlena. He was surprised to find a tiny knot of jealousy residing deep inside his heart, one that flared bigger at the thought of Thomas and Marlena together.
“Any ideas?” he asked Jackson when they were back in the car together.
“I don’t know. Maybe we should check out Pamela Winters again. I know it sounds crazy, but both attempts on Marlena feel feminine, if you know what I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Gabriel agreed, although he hadn’t consciously thought about it until now. “I do know that it’s fairly obvious that whoever is trying to hurt her is also trying to make it look accidental.” He started the car so he could run the air conditioner to cool off the interior.
“But what would Pamela hope to gain now? The family is missing, and Marlena has already made it clear that she intends to leave town in the very near future.” Gabriel frowned. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Sometimes things just don’t make sense. We both know that Pamela hates Marlena. Maybe Pamela doesn’t trust that Marlena will really leave. Maybe Pamela believes that if the family is found safe and sound, then Daniella will talk Marlena into staying on as manager.”
As the air conditioner began to blow cool air from the vents, Gabriel backed out of Thomas Brady’s driveway. “Maybe we should check out Pamela’s alibi for yesterday after she cleaned the bed-and-breakfast.”
The last thing Gabriel wanted was to leave any stone unturned. Both attacks on Marlena had been attempted murder. Whether the threat against her was connected to the family disappearance wasn’t clear.
All he knew was that when he thought of the bruising on Marlena’s body, how lucky she was to be alive, he wanted—no, needed—somebody to pay for her pain.
Chapter Ten
Marlena awakened from her drug-induced sleep just after two in the afternoon, surprised to see Andrew sitting on the chair near her bed.
“Where’s Gabriel?” she asked.
“He and Jackson left a while ago to talk to Thomas. Hey, are you hungry? I could whip us up a little afternoon snack.” He rose from the chair.
She swallowed a smile. She had a feeling Andrew had been just waiting for any excuse to have a snack. “Actually, I am a little bit hungry,” she replied, surprised to discover it was true. Although her body still ached from her fall down the stairs, her appetite apparently hadn’t been affected.
Andrew reappeared minutes later with a platter of several kinds of cheese, some sliced salami and a variety of fruit cut into bite-size pieces. “I’ll be right back with iced tea.” He set the platter on the nightstand and then left her room again.
A few moments later he’d pulled his chair up closer and they were munching from the platter. “Those pain pills really knock you out,” he said, and then popped a square of apple into his mouth.
“I’ve always had a low tolerance for any kind of pain medication.”
“Cory came by to see you, but I sent him away with the assurance that you were resting comfortably.”
“I’m sure he’ll stop by later this evening.” She tried to keep her mind off Gabriel. She didn’t want to think about how gentle he’d been with her, the deep worry that had cut lines into his face and the anger that had darkened his eyes as she’d told him about Thomas.
“He won’t kill Thomas, will he?” she asked half-seriously.
Andrew grinned. “Only if he has to, although if he finds out Thomas is the person who tried to kill you, then all bets are off.”
“I just can’t imagine Thomas being responsible for any of this. But I can’t imagine anyone who would be responsible for these kinds of horrible things.”
“That’s because you’re a nice woman. Nice people are always the ones who are totally blindsided by evil.” He reached for a piece of salami. “I’ve seen a lot of crazy in my career as an agent. Nothing really surprises me anymore.”
As they continued to consume the platter of food, they talked about Andrew’s soon-to-be fiancée, some of the past cases the three-man team had worked on, and Jackson and Gabriel.
“Jackson is the proverbial Southern gentleman with the soul of a riverboat gambler,” Andrew said with a laugh. “He’s charming, has a reputation as a bit of a ladies’ man and is sharp as a pin. Gabriel is the dark angel of our team. He’s solitary, a lone wolf and has a heart that’s made of coal.”
“Is that another warning of some sort?” she asked.
&
nbsp; Andrew shrugged. “Jackson and I both can’t help but notice that there seems to be an...energy...between the two of you. Gabriel seems more invested in this case than in others. I don’t know—maybe we’re seeing something that isn’t there, but I just wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I know exactly who Gabriel is and what he’s not capable of giving.” Besides, it was too late for her not to be hurt by him.
She wasn’t sure when exactly in the span of nearly two weeks she’d given him her heart, but she recognized now that he owned it. She was in love with him.
* * *
IT WAS LATE in the day when Gabriel came into her room, looking as tired and defeated as she’d ever seen him. He sat in the chair that had been pulled up by her bed and released a deep sigh.
“I’m assuming because you’re here you didn’t kill Thomas,” she said, trying to alleviate some of the darkness in his eyes.
She succeeded. A smile lifted one corner of his mouth as he shook his head. “Nah. I managed to get through the entire day without killing anyone.”
“Then that’s a good day, right?” She reached out and grabbed his hand, unable to stop her need to connect with him.
He appeared surprised, but then wrapped his fingers around hers. “I would have at least liked to get somebody under arrest. That would have been a great day.”
He stared down at their entwined fingers. “You put it all out there, don’t you? Despite your childhood and what happened in Chicago, you just go for it.”
“It? You mean human connection? Love?”
He gave a curt nod.
“You know the old saying, ‘I’d rather love and lose than never love at all’? That’s what I believe. I believe you might have to kiss a lot of frogs, but eventually you find the prince who will love you as you need to be loved, who you’ll love with all your heart and soul.”
He started to pull his hand from hers, but she held tight. “It’s okay. I know you don’t believe the same thing I do. Although we share similar experiences of being abandoned by the women who should have loved us more than anyone or anything else on earth, we came out on the other side with very different views of love and relationships.”
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