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Abbie’s stare rockets to mine, and it’s her inspection now that feels dark. Abbie now knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that the same kind of evil that’s in her ex’s blood is in mine. “He’s that bad?”
“Worse,” I say, seeing no point in holding back now. My father’s a prick worthy of a public announcement.
“Can we talk a minute alone?” Abbie asks, and since we just talked alone in the bathroom, I assume my father, the prick, has her attention.
“We’re all done!”
It’s Abbie’s mother, who enters the hallway, and suddenly it’s a family fucking meeting in the hallway. That alone talk between me and Abbie isn’t happening, which means whatever she is thinking right now is going to simmer and brew. Especially since her mother is now standing in front of her. “Let’s step outside a minute,” her mother suggests, her body now between me and Abbie, blocking any chance I have to see Abbie’s expression. And then, fuck, they’re walking away. I do the same. To the damn kitchen.
I find Reese and Cat standing on the opposite side of the island and I join them, taking advantage of my first chance to talk to Reese alone since this happened. “What are you thinking?”
I’m talking to Reese, but Cat answers. “That we have the worst father on planet earth. That I still want to go see him and just deal with this.”
“And you know why that isn’t an option.” I change the subject with a forceful push in another direction. I look at Reese. “What areyouthinking?”
“That your father is the biggest bastard I’ve ever known and I’ve known some bastardly people. As for Abbie and her mother, they’re good people. I’ll get them through the interviews and we’ll hope they need nothing more.” He leans closer, lowering his voice. “Is there anything I need to know?”
“I talked with her ex this weekend. We fought.”
“About what?”
“He was harassing Abbie. I didn’t let that continue.”
“What did you do to stop that from happening?”
“Gabe told him that he’d fuck him without Vaseline,” Abbie says from the door. “I may or may not have gotten those words one hundred percent right. I think there was something about bending him over, as well.”
“Bending over was definitely suggested,” I confirm, “but no one actually bent over.”
“He could have recorded your call,” Cat says. “You can’t assume this isn’t a problem.”
Abbie steps to my side. “He took the phone because Kenneth was harassing me.”
“Harassing you how?” Reese asks.
“He told me to get rid of Gabe or he’d make my life hell. He was all but stalking me. He even broke into my apartment and left my wedding ring on the bed.”
“Wait,” Cat says. “When?”
Abbie replays the entire incident, and eyes Reese. “You don’t look happy.”
“This all complicates our interview responses,” he says. “It’s good you told me but I need to think about how I’m going to guide you to answer, or not answer, certain questions. We’ll prep tomorrow. Everyone needs to get some rest tonight.”
“And food,” Cat says. “No one ordered me and my baby pizza.”
I round the island and hug her. “Pizza and ice cream next time.” I lean in and whisper, “Don’t let dad work you up. He’s not worth it.”
“But you and Reid are,” she says, her voice cracking. “Be careful.”
I nod, wishing I could have kept her out of this, and knowing it’s time to give her space. I catch Abbie’s eye and motion toward the door. “Where’s your mother? Does she need a ride?”
“Would you believe that billionaire rancher from the Hamptons is here with her? She left. They have dinner plans.”
She left Abbie during this mess? That hits me ten shades of wrong I don’t voice. “We do, too,” I say, thinking I might try to convince her to eat pizza naked in bed. It’ll give new meaning to pizza for me.
We say our goodbyes, grab our coats, and once we’re in the hallway, I turn Abbie to face me. “You had something you wanted to say to me?”
“Yes. I did. I do.”
