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“Yes, please,” Abbie says, glancing around. “Where’s Cole? Is he here? What about Gabe’s prep?”
“Cole and I talked this afternoon,” I say. “I’m fine. I’m ready.”
She rotates to face me, fixing concerned eyes on me. “You need to prep. More than me. I’m not letting you go down for me.”
She’s protecting me. No woman has ever cared about me beyond my money and my tongue. Cat’s eyes meet mine, warm and worried. She knows what I’m thinking. She knows I can’t lose Abbie. My father will not be the reason. “I’m used to this kind of thing,” I say refocusing on Abbie. “It’s what I do.” I stroke her hair. “And you know the law. You’re an attorney. Use that during the interview.”
“Knowing it and using it are two different things,” she says. “I haven’t been practicing.”
“Good thing I have,” Reese offers, loosening the tie around his neck. “Come on. Let’s go get busy.”
“I ordered pizza,” Cat says. “The baby needs pizza. And ice cream.” She smiles at Reese. “Right, baby?”
“Right, sweetheart.” He laughs and kisses her. “We’ll get a pint or ten on the way home.” He glances at us. “We’re set up at the dining room table. Join us when you’re ready, Abbie.” He and Cat walk away.
I kiss Abbie. “Go, baby. Do this.”
“Go? Where will you be?” She glances at Blake and then me and understanding fills her gaze. “You want to talk to him alone.”
“Don’t read into this, Abbie,” I say. “We’re just talking.”
“I know it’s about your father. I hate that you don’t trust me with that information. That makes me sad.” She pushes to her toes, her hand on my chest, her lips to my ear. “I hate KM and I don’t even know who she is. I just know that she made you this way.” She settles back on her feet. “When you’re done I’d really like it if you would join us. I need you, Gabe.” And with that, she turns away and starts walking, twisting me in ten different directions as she does. She doesn’t want me to let her walk away. She wants me to pull her back but I can’t. Not now. Not until I talk to Blake.
Because I do trust her. I trust her to be a good person. I trust that I’m not. I look at Blake and motion to a small office off the hallway. We enter the room, huddling up by the door he pulls shut
“Tell me,” I say. “What sins hath my father committed now?”
“He’s brokering the deal for Jean Claude now that her ex is dead. He stands to make millions off the deal.”
I absorb that with hard understanding. “My father benefited from her ex-husband’s death.”
“Yes,” Blake confirms. “He stood to benefit by a sum somewhere around ten million if not more.”
In other words, my father may well have killed Abbie’s ex-husband and framed her for it. How does a man come back from that with a woman?
Chapter eighty-one
Gabe
I’m still standing in my apartment office with Blake when Reid sends me a text:Where are you? I’m stuck outside in the zoo of the press at Cat and Reese’s building.
I curse. “I forgot to tell Reid we changed locations,” I say, texting him back:We diverted to avoid the press. We’re at my place.
He calls me. “We need to talk alone,” he says. “Meet me at Mac’s bar down the road. Fifteen minutes?”
“I’m bringing Blake. He has something you need to hear.”
“Of course he does. Bring him and his load of crap to share. I have my own.” He disconnects and I shove my phone into my pocket. “Reid met with Jean Claude. Now we’re meeting Reid. He wants to talk. Alone.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
I don’t comment. My brother has a way of getting things done, much like my own way—and it’s not always gentle. “We’re meeting Reid to do interview prep, the end. Leave it at that. I don’t want to lie to Abbie, but I need her to focus on being ready for that interview, not what we have going on.”
“I get it, man,” Blake confirms. “I’m married. I love my wife. Prep work isn’t a lie. We’re trying to solve the murder. That’s the best prep work that exists.”
It’s not a lie, I repeat in my head, because I don’t need lies adding to the shit she will eventually find out about me. It’s inevitable. I know it. “I need to let Abbie know I’m leaving.”
“I’ll head to the door and wait for you downstairs.”
