by Kari Shuey
He would make this work, and he would do it without help from the authorities. Windsor had said the security team would arrive by Friday. That was cutting it close but the deadline wasn’t until Saturday.
All Gavin knew was his priority would be keeping those he loved safe. If he could manage that, he would be relieved. And if he lost Abby in the crosshairs, he’d have to remind himself it was for her own good. Her life was more important than his need to have her.
***
Abby heard a crash in the kitchen and stood up to investigate. She saw Gavin quietly arguing with Windsor and a kitchen chair out of place across the room. Itching to get closer, she wished she had better hearing or that the house allowed for voices to travel. Unfortunately, neither one of the men spoke up and they didn’t seem to think she needed an invite to the party. She was grateful that Windsor had come when he did, but she also wondered what would have happened had he not. Gavin might have dropped his defensive enough to betray himself and open up. And at this point any clue was better than nothing. She felt like a child caught spying on the grownups fighting. Small and too ignorant to understand. Gavin left the room and she didn’t see him again that night.
Back in her room, she messaged Lori, telling her that things were getting weird with Mr. Saxe and to put a rush on the investigation. Something was coming to a head and she didn’t want to be caught in the middle of it.
For the next few days, Abby avoided any contact with Gavin. He seemed to feel the same apprehension around her as he stayed in his office from the moment he got home to when he went to bed. She would bring him his meals and he would leave the empty dishes in the hall much like someone would at a hotel.
Lori told her to be patient. Information like this wasn’t easy to find, and even the pros had to dig to find out details of something that happened years ago. Abby’s patience was wearing thin and she thought that finding her own private investigator would benefit the hunt for information.
Pulling out her computer one afternoon, she searched for local investigators to hire. There was one who got excellent reviews and guaranteed if they didn’t find the dirt, they only got paid part of their full fee. She’d have to pay the first 25 percent upfront and the remaining amount when she received the result of the entire investigation.
Abby picked up her phone and called the number listed on his website. When his assistant answered, Abby gave her information and was informed that the investigator would call her back before the end of the workday.
In this situation, Abby felt multiple investigators were better than one – she needed information and fast. Lori would call her impatient or scold her for paying for something she could do for nothing, but Abby knew Lori was pretty busy. She couldn’t expect her friend to drop everything for this.
A few hours later, Abby got a call from the private investigator. He asked a lot of questions. Abby didn’t want to share she was looking into Gavin’s past, so she left him out of it. Rather, she gave the names of the missing women and the last city they lived in. She explained they were friends she knew growing up and wanted to invite them to her wedding. They’d lost touch and she desired to reconnect.
The investigator didn’t seem to care why he was locating these women, he just wanted to know their names and last known locations. He assured her he would get the information by the end of the week and would give her a call with their information. Abby thanked him and hung up.
It was Wednesday and he was guaranteeing he’d have information by Saturday. If that wasn’t someone who was good at their job, she didn’t know what was. She hadn’t heard from Lori since they spoke on Monday, and she thought her friend would have found at least a little information about these women. Abby debated about calling her and updating her with the new turn of events. She wondered if Lori would be offended that Abby enlisted additional help. No, she wouldn’t tell her yet. She didn’t want to distract her friend or make her feel unappreciated.
Later that evening, Lori did call her with an update. She insisted it would be best to meet for lunch so she could give her all the information in person rather than on the phone. They set up a lunch date for the following day. Abby couldn’t control the bout of nerves she felt as she finished up the conversation with her friend. If Lori wanted to meet in person, it had to be bad. Otherwise, she would have told her that there was nothing to be worried about. Yes, Lori found something, and she wanted to deliver the bad news in person. How bad was it? Was it bad enough she wanted her out of the house for her own safety? If that were the case, she’d probably tell her to pack up and plan not to return to the property until Gavin was locked away. So maybe not so bad?
Abby had to actively tell herself to remain calm so she didn’t work herself into a frenzy and clue Gavin into what she was rapidly figuring out.
Chapter 33
Thursday morning, Abby didn’t hear Gavin leave. He must have decided to work from home. Abby still didn’t feel comfortable seeing him face to face. His erratic behavior a few days ago shook her more than she’d like to admit. And now with the new information coming to light, she was beginning to regret taking the job in the first place. Abby hadn’t called Mr. Perkins about a reassignment yet, but mentally told herself to call him later in the day. First, she wanted to hear what Lori had found.
Abby surveyed the house and gave her nod of approval. Just because she no longer wanted to work for her employer, didn’t mean she didn’t want to maintain pride in her work. It was likely Gavin wouldn’t know that she was even gone, as he was staying cooped up in his office. She would get a few errands done as well and call it a day.
Grabbing her keys and purse, she quietly left the house and got in her car. Lori wanted to meet her for lunch at one of the restaurants downtown. There was a parking garage Abby liked to use nearby and she could walk down the block a bit. It had been a few weeks since she’d been in this part of town. Mr. Perkins hadn’t called her to come do any extra jobs since she gave him the green light. She was disappointed she wasn’t fully being utilized, but maybe the cleaning season wasn’t particularly busy. She couldn’t remember what months were notably busier than others.
As Abby pulled into her parking space, she looked at the time. She was a bit early, but that was for the best. She could grab a table and wait for Lori. Then they wouldn’t be waiting to be seated. Abby sipped the water that was brought to her table and looked at the menu. Nothing really sounded appetizing at the moment. Her stomach, completely knotted, refused to be filled with anything. Opting for something light, she picked out a salad and put her menu down.
Lori arrived right on time. She had a folder in her hand, and she gave Abby a big smile. Abby gave her some time to look over the menu so they could order before Lori shared her findings.
“Okay, Abby. I don’t want you to freak out or anything. I didn’t find any concrete evidence that Mr. Saxe is a criminal. But everything surrounding this guy is shady. He started his business in California – but you knew that already. Securitech was doing great for years, there really was no reason to relocate to Boise – but he did. He’s been so private, you can’t find anything about his family anywhere. There were rumors he was married but I couldn’t find any record of that. And then there is the matter of his staff. He’s had a lot of people coming and going from his place, but even they don’t know much. He keeps everything locked down tight – and usually only people with something to hide do that. The women you wanted me to find are another red flag. Miss Hall was pregnant, dating, and presumably happy with her life and she literally disappeared. Her baby’s father reported her missing, and at one point he thought that Gavin had something to do with it. Miss Tye is a literal ghost. I couldn’t find one iota of information on her. It’s like she never existed. So, I’m assuming it’s another thing Mr. Saxe is hiding.
“All that being said, there is no evidence that he is engaged in any kind of wrongdoing – but if your gut is saying to run, I suggest you do so.” Lori put the papers she was summariz
ing on the table. There were still no pictures of the people she looked into.
Abby reached across the table and picked up the papers. The majority of the information she found was what she already knew. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment. Disappointment that Gavin wasn’t who she hoped he was. “Well, that’s depressing,” she sighed. “I guess I might as well ask the P.I. I hired to forget it.”
“P.I.? You hired someone on top of asking me for help?”
Abby knew she shouldn’t have mentioned it. Lori was obviously miffed. “Not that I thought you couldn’t dig up enough information… my thoughts were more along the lines of… well, I didn’t want to take advantage of you, and I knew you were busy,” Abby realized she was rambling. “I’ll call and tell him to forget it. Thank you for your help. I guess the only thing to do now is to quit. Mr. Saxe will simply have to find another person to do his laundry,” her attempt at humor a complete fail.
They ordered their food and as they ate, Abby wished she’d kept her hire to herself. Lori was still acting a little offended, more so than Abby thought she’d be. But then… Lori did think she was one of the best in her field. She probably felt the hire was a hit to her capability.
When they finished their meals, Abby apologized if she had hurt Lori’s feelings and Lori waved her off. “I don’t know why it bothered me so much, it’s not that big of a deal anyway. Lunch was nice. We should do this more often. I enjoy spending time with you.”
“Me too.” Abby agreed.
They grabbed their things and Lori offered the papers to Abby if she wanted them for any reason. Abby declined, there was nothing she could do with them. And if Gavin saw them, that would further add insult to injury. She would simply quit on good terms, and after his strange outburst at the beginning of the week, he could hardly blame her.
Lori told her to be careful and they would talk again soon. Abby fervently agreed. They each went their separate ways. Lori had more work to do on her article and Abby needed to get home to let Gavin know she was resigning. She’d start packing today and arrange to move out by the weekend. Lori had offered to let her stay with her, but she could also stay with her mother or her brother until she got another apartment. The options weren’t sparse. As she left the restaurant, she thought she saw Oliver a little way down the street. After a double-take, she realized she must have been mistaken.
Abby walked down the street and became distinctly aware of someone staying a few yards behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she was able to decipher that the figure was male. He was tall, strong, and rough looking. He was staring at her and when she glanced back at him, he didn’t look away. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen him before. Though he kept pace with her, he didn’t get closer. It felt like he was following her. She sped up, attempting to put more distance between the two of them. Had something happened while she was at lunch with Lori? Did Gavin know that she was looking into him? Had he finally lost his patience or mind and wanted to be rid of Abby and the evidence she knew? The lone figure continued to stay with her, and she slipped into a busy store. He followed her inside! There weren’t many places to hide so she entered the bathroom. Her breathing had increased, and her heart pounded in her ears. She gulped in air and attempted to calm herself.
Waiting for about 15 minutes, Abby peeked out the bathroom door and found the store all but empty. The man who’d been following her was gone. Relief and anxiety muddled together twisting her insides into more tangles.
Not a stealthy kind of person, Abby did her best to remain aware of her surroundings. The parking garage was only a block or so away and if this person didn’t follow her here, he probably didn’t know where she parked. Abby briskly walked down the street, glancing over her shoulder every few steps to make sure no one started following her again. She didn’t have any means to protect herself, and she internally berated herself for not getting some kind of weapon when she got this job. What was worse, was hearing her brother lecture her in her head, insisting she needed to be better prepared.
Abby made her way into the parking garage and towards the elevator. Someone had put cones around it, and a sign that said maintenance in progress… sorry for the inconvenience. Abby’s pulse quickened. Was this a means to get her alone in the stairwell? Did she want to risk going up to the top level on foot? She looked around the garage and realized the stairs were on the other side. That meant her car would be a good distance away when she reached her level.
Abby chose the stairs and practically ran all the way to her car. She cautiously opened the door and poked her head inside. The absence of sound was deafening. Taking the stairs two at a time, she started to regret being on the highest level. Not only was it a trek to get up there, she was being followed, and at midday on a Thursday there would be few people on the upper level. Even if there were cars parked up there, no one would be coming or going at this hour on a weekday.
Abby again peeked out of the doorway to see if the man had figured out where she was headed. As suspected, there was no one on the upper level. Even the sounds from the street seemed to be muted. Thoughts of horror films filled Abby’s head and she imagined the audience screaming at her do not go in there! She quieted her paranoid thoughts and focused on staying alert. Keeping a steady pace, Abby’s stride held no sign of faltering… until a dark sedan with tinted windows careened around the corner. Abby’s head whipped around at the sound of the vehicle. It was coming right for her. She located her car again and started running – her life literally depending on her speed. Abby realized she wasn’t going to make it. Ducking between two cars, she crouched and hid in front of the vehicles, praying the assailant would leave. But her hopes shattered the moment she heard the car’s tires peeling when it was put into reverse.
Abby squeezed between a few cars and the wall. But there was one that was too close to allow her passage. She darted out from the cars, her own only a couple yards away. She scrambled to stay balanced while maintaining speed and just as the car caught up to her, she dove to the ground between her car and another. Having unlocked the door moments earlier, she scrambled inside and locked the doors. Not willing to stay a moment longer in the garage, she pulled out and exited the garage quickly, the attacker nowhere in sight.
Abby was on edge. She was struggling with the realization someone wanted to do her harm. No one hated her, why was this happening!? As she pulled the car out of the garage, the sunlight on her face had a calming effect. She still needed to be on alert for anyone she didn’t recognize following her home. And due to her current experiences, she chose to take a very long way home. No one in their right mind would take the strange turns. Nor would they backtrack to get to where Abby was destined to go.
Once Abby was at the property, she typed in the code and drove up to the front door. Abby tore the keys from the ignition and stumbled into the house, noticing her skinned knee for the first time. There was a gaping hole in her jeans, and her skin was angry and raw. Even the touch of the cool air made it sting.
Clenching her teeth, she sucked in a breath as she gingerly made her way to the kitchen. Gently pressing a damp cloth to the abrasion, she made a mental list of essentials she’d need to gather before escaping the mess she now found herself in. There was no way she would be spending another night in this place.
“Where on earth have you been!?”
Abby screamed. Gavin’s unexpected appearance in the kitchen and her near-death experience contributing to her reaction. She was so anxious that her fight or flight response was in overdrive. “You stay away from me!” Her petrified voice came out as more of a squeak than a threat.
Gavin was unreadable, or maybe he was and she was unable to think straight and couldn’t trust herself to predict his next move. She grabbed a knife from the counter and held it out to him. “I’m serious, Gavin. I want you to stay away from me. I’ve had enough of all of this – this crime drama you’ve pulled
me into.”
He raised his eyebrows. He crossed the room, stalking her like a lion would its wounded prey.
Abby backed away, limping now that her adrenaline had run its course. Still breathing heavily, she continued to brandish the knife. Her heart throbbed from being overworked, her hands shook, and she could scarcely catch her breath. “I’m quitting. My friend knows I’m quitting, and she knows where I am. So, it would be unwise to do anything to me. Just let me go and I’ll leave you alone.”
Gavin’s gaze focused on her knee. It was then she saw him give her a more comprehensive look. “Abby,” his voice full of concern. “What happened to you?” He made a move to rush over to her, but she jerked the knife back at him. “Abby…” he tried again. “put the knife down. You’re obviously not feeling like yourself today. Let’s sit down and talk about this like adults.” His hands were up, but his eyes had shifted to something behind her.
Before Abby could turn around to see what had stolen his attention, the knife was swiped out of her hands. Windsor had taken it from her and held her wrist in a way behind her back immobilizing her.
“Windsor! What are you doing?! Let. Me. Go!”
Windsor handed Gavin the knife and motioned to the others in the wooden block. “Best to lock those up for now.”
Gavin nodded in agreement and took the knives out of the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Windsor let her go. Abby whirled around and spat at him, “How could you?!”
“It’s not what you think, Abby. Let Gavin explain himself.”
“There’s nothing to explain. I think I can piece together what’s going on.”
Windsor gazed at her with pain in his eyes. “You might be surprised at how wrong you are.”
“But you have no idea what I’ve found out!” Abby blurted.
Windsor guided her to a chair and pushed her down to a seated position. She resisted his touch and jerked out of his reach. He seemed satisfied that she stayed in the chair and walked to the far end of the kitchen. Leaning up against the wall, he folded his arms and continued to watch her. She glared back.