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“Yes. I know.”
“Gabe doesn’t. He’s going to tell him. Objectively, do you think I should try to make contact with the wife?”
“I’m pleading the fifth because my wife is an ex-FBI agent and I’d still be worried about her. He loves you. He won’t survive you getting hurt. That’s clear.”
The idea that losing me would destroy Reid isn’t a good one. Being loved that much is special, but I love him back too much to want him to ever feel such pain. My cellphone rings and I walk to my purse where I set it with my coat and grab it to find Cat’s number on the caller ID. “Oh God. This is Cat. What if Elijah went after her, too?”
Chapter one hundred one
Reid
The minute Gabe and I are in his office, I round on him. “Do not fucking make a suggestion that puts my woman at risk,” I snap. “Do you understand me?”
He shuts the door. “I’m trying to help, brother. I’m trying to end this.”
“By ending her? Because I swear to you, Gabe, I will end you.”
“We both know you don’t mean that and you’re obviously out of your fucking mind right now, so I’ll let it go. Carrie influences you. Cat influences Reese. A conversation with Elijah’s wife, a plea to her for help could end this. But that can’t come from any of us. That has to come from Carrie, who’s likable, smart, and the right person to do this.”
“That woman, his wife, tricked me, used me, and created this situation. She’s a bitch who could turn on Carrie and make this worse.”
“You need to step back, brother, and take a deep breath. Take a night. Whatever works, but we both know why. We both know you’re letting your past fuck with you.”
I go still, my eyes narrowing on him. “What past?”
“I know about the shooting. I always knew. I figure you knew I knew. You just didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Cat didn’t know.”
“She was young and protected when it happened. I wasn’t and I knew damn well that’s why you pulled back from everyone. I get it. I understand it.”
I breathe out and walk to the window in the corner, staring out of it without really seeing the brilliant view of the water and the Statue of Liberty before me. I see that night. I see the blood. Gabe steps to my side but he doesn’t speak. He gives me space. He’s good at space, the way I’m good at space. “I didn’t love her. She sacrificed herself for me and I didn’t even love her.”
“I don’t know this part of the story,” he says. “Sacrificed how?”
“Threw herself in front of the bullet. I tried to save her. I gave her mouth to mouth. I tried to stop the bleeding. Fuck, Gabe, I was going to break up with her that night.”
“Ouch, man. I had no idea or I wouldn’t have stayed silent.”
“Dad wanted me to leave immediately. He didn’t even want me there for the funeral. He was afraid I’d dirty our name. The asshole that let his girlfriend take a bullet for him.”
“He’s the one who dirties our name.” He studies me a moment. “You’re afraid if Carrie goes to the wife, it’s equivalent to her stepping in front of a bullet.”
“It pulls the attention to her. It needs to be on me.”
“I’ll go talk to her.”
“No. I don’t need you ending up worse off in this.”
“I can handle myself and talking to the wife is smart,” he argues.
“Let’s let one of Blake’s people do this.” My cellphone rings and I pull it from my pocket. “Connie,” I say, answering on speakerphone. “I’m here with Gabe.”
“He offered me a job that includes a fifty-thousand-dollar sign-on bonus. And don’t ask me if I’m going to take it. Just buy me a Chanel purse and we’re good, but I told him I’d think about it. He wants me to go to an interview. What do you want me to do?”
Gabe and I share a look and nod. “No,” I say. “As much as having you get an inside look at this would help, we’re concerned about his stability. I don’t want you to become a target.”
“Declining him could do that, too, don’t you think?” she asks.
