Chapter 12
Liberty wished it wasn’t so early in the day so she could have a glass of bourbon. She swallowed. Hard. The last time she’d spoken to her father had been three days before he up and left. He’d been sitting in his den, drinking scotch, and playing a game of chess with Gabriel.
His father could have a fair amount of patience for Gabriel, even if he didn’t understand the child.
Their mother, on the other hand, didn’t give one shit. She couldn’t be bothered. At least their dad spent time with Gabriel and that’s what made this whole thing even worse.
Gabriel cried at night, not for his mother, but for his dad.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to do this?” Miles tapped her phone on the center of the island in her kitchen. “I’m happy to talk to him for you.”
“I know you are and I appreciate the support. I really do. But I have to do this.”
“All right.” Miles squeezed her biceps. “Do you want me to stay with you or step outside?”
“Stay.” She found her father’s contact information that Rhett had sent her and she hit the call button. It went to voicemail. She should have known her dad wouldn’t take a call from someone he didn’t know. “Hey, Dad.” God, that felt weird to say. “It’s Liberty. I need to speak with you. It’s urgent. Please call me. Thanks.” She tapped the screen.
No sooner did she open her mouth to say something than her cell vibrated.
“Looks like he’s willing to have a conversation.” Miles kissed her cheek. “If you need me to jump in, just say the word.”
She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Hi, Dad,” she said softly.
“Wow. I can’t believe I’m speaking to you.” Her father’s voice bellowed across the air like a freight train. “Are you okay? Is Gabriel okay?”
“I’m surprised you even care enough to ask,” she mumbled.
“I guess I deserve that,” he said. “Why are you calling?”
“The money.”
“After all these years you want to ask me about that now? I think my guilt money speaks for itself and you’ve been using it, so I’m grateful you accepted it.”
She squeezed her eyes, blinking out a tear. “That’s just it, Dad. Until an hour ago, I didn’t know that money existed.”
“What! That fucking son of a bitch. I told your mother that man was no better than his father and certainly not the man his grandfather was. I’ll deal with that little shit and make sure you and Gabriel get what you need. I know you left Charlie and he has no right to that money. It’s for you to take care of Gabriel.”
Miles rested his hand on her back and ran his fingers up and down her spine, giving her the strength she needed to continue.
“I don’t even know what to say about the money. And I have even more questions about why you didn’t tell me you were doing it,” she said.
“I left you a note… shit. I bet your damn mother destroyed it, making sure you didn’t get that too. I’m sorry,” her dad whispered. “You probably don’t know this, but your mom and I divorced and that money is part of the reason it happened. When she found out I was giving it to you, she lost her shit. But we were done anyway. Too much had gone down and for the last three years I have been grappling with whether or not I should reach out, but I figured you’d never forgive me and I know Gabriel. It wouldn’t be good for him.”
“You don’t know shit about your son and you lost the right to know anything the day you walked out of our lives.”
Silence on the other end of the line.
And she had no idea where to go with the conversation anymore.
Miles cleared his throat. “Excuse me, sir,” Miles said. “You don’t know me, but my name is Miles Kirby. I’m a friend of Liberty’s. I’m helping her with a situation that involves her ex-husband. We need to know where you’ve been sending that money since the divorce because she hasn’t been getting it.”
“That’s easy,” her dad said. “But I don’t understand. I got an email from Liberty with the new banking information.”
“What email? I never sent you an email, Dad. Ever. I haven’t communicated with you since three days before you left.”
“That’s not true. I have the emails from you informing me of your connection to Charlie and new routing numbers.” Her father let out a dry laugh. “When I got wind of the separation, I called Charlie’s parents and they told me that you two were working things out, but I heard through old friends that wasn’t the case. I started following it myself and I emailed you through the chain from when you first got together with that little prick. That’s when I got the new routing numbers.”
“Sir, can you tell us what email addy it came from and then forward me those emails? Because they didn’t come from Liberty,” Miles said.
“Sure, but I want to know what the fuck is going on because I get the impression this is more than that jerk stealing from my kids.”
Liberty sat up taller and tucked her hair behind her ears, holding Miles’ gaze.
He tapped the mute button. “Tell your dad whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“I don’t know if I believe him,” she whispered. “I want to. My memories of him aren’t as bad as my mother, but he still abandoned us.”
“Let’s at least find out why he controls that business.” Miles tapped the screen, not giving her a chance to respond.
But she trusted Miles, so she’d let him control this situation.
She nodded.
“Sir, before we get into some of the things going on, we have a few more questions,” Miles said. “Why did you merge with Livingston Development?”
“Jesus Christ.” Her father let out a long breath. “How do you know about that?”
“Does it matter, Daddy? Could you for once in your fucking life be honest and answer the damn question.” Fuck it. Liberty pushed from the counter and strolled to the liquor cabinet where she pulled out a bottle of bourbon and poured two fingers. She tossed back a big gulp.
“That’s the Liberty I remember.” Her father laughed. It was a hearty chuckle and one that reminded her of the good times.
That just pissed her off.
“There’s a little backstory to this tale, so you’re going to have to give me a minute,” her dad said. “When Oswald took over the company, it was booming. But he destroyed it. He took a little healthy competition that his grandfather and my old man thrived in and turned it into this cutthroat atmosphere until his company was on the brink of destruction. When I took over for my dad, Old Man Livingston and I had a great relationship. It didn’t matter that we were bidding against each other half the time; we made each other better and we loved every second of the battle. Win or lose, it was a thrilling game. But Oswald only cared about winning. At all costs. He didn’t care about the customer.”
“Oh, and you did?” Liberty’s words were laced with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
“I very much did, but your mother had different ideas and let’s just say I allowed myself to get lost in that shuffle. We had you, and then Gabriel came along and our marriage was shit, but that’s a different story,” her dad said. “Old Man Livingston came to me when he found out his company was on the verge of falling apart. Oswald had run the ship aground and he needed help. I was planning on leaving your mother and taking you kids with me.”
“Excuse me?” Liberty stared at the phone and blinked. “I don’t believe that for one second.”
“It was in the note I left that you never got, and again in these emails that you say never reached you,”’ her father said. “But your mother had an ace up her sleeve that stopped me dead in my tracks. So, instead of leaving her, I quietly absorbed Livingston Development as a favor to Old Man Livingston, but there was a caveat to it.”
“And what was that?” Miles asked.
“He was to help you get a job, find good housing, and keep a watchful eye over you and Gabriel,” her dad said. “I knew Charlie had eyes for you, but I didn’t know he was going to come after you so quickly, and never in a million years did I believe you’d marry him, especially since I was giving you that money. I figured it would be enough for you to finish college and help Gabriel with whatever he needed.” A loud thud echoed across the air. “I can’t believe he’s been stealing that money. When I agreed to the new office in Lighthouse Cove, I was told it was because you two were working on things and it was so he could be closer to you and Gabriel. I guess that’s not true.”
“No, Dad. It’s not,” Liberty said. “Charlie’s a snake. A criminal. And I want him out of my life.”
“I’ll do what I can to help you with that, starting with making sure Miles gets all the information he needs from me. I don’t want to close down that office, but I can make sure Charlie isn’t in it.”
“That would helpful, but I don’t want you to pull that trigger just yet,” Miles said.
“Why not?” her dad asked.
“Because Gabriel is missing and I’m beginning to wonder if Charlie might have something to do with that.” Miles took the glass from her hand and set it aside. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close.
He always knew exactly what she needed. He was intuitive that way and she adored him for it.
“My God, Liberty. Why didn’t you lead with that? I’ll fly down there as soon as I can,” her father said.
“That’s not going to help,” Liberty whispered. “And I’m not sure I want to see you.”
“I can’t say that I blame you. I wouldn’t want to see me either.” Her dad let out an audible sigh. “But I can’t sit here and do nothing. I’ve been wallowing in self-pity for years. You may never forgive me. I’m not sure I can forgive myself. And I get there might be no hope for me and Gabriel. You say I don’t know him, but I did—do—love him. I might have fucked up in the worst way, but I’m not as heartless as you think. We can save that one for your mother.”
“You’re seriously going to toss her under the bus, as if she’s the only one to blame in this fucking mess.” Liberty pushed from Miles’ embrace and picked up the phone. She glared at it as if she could shoot daggers across the cell waves.
“No. Trust me. I take full responsibility for my actions and right now, I will do whatever it takes to make sure Charlie gets what he deserves for stealing your money and for whatever else that shithead did to you. As far as your mother goes, well, once I send those emails to your friend, you can decide for yourself,” her dad said. “It’s strange. I thought you hated me because of the truth. Now I find out you simply didn’t know.”
“I hate you for abandoning us.”
“Well, there’s that,” her dad said. “I’ll be there in a few hours. I will keep a safe distance from Gabriel when you find him. I will respect that. But now that this conversation has been had, once you read that email, I’d like to talk with you about it because it matters to me.”
“Dad, I don’t want to?—”
“I’ll text you when I land.” The phone went dead.
“Fuck,” she mumbled. “He’s the last person I want to see.”
Miles raised his cell. “My mom is on her way here. Let’s hear what she has to say, and then hopefully your dad will have emailed me and you can read it to me.”
“How about you read it first.” She sighed. “And tell me what it all means.”
“I can ask my mom to do it, but this is where my learning disability bites me in the ass.” He pressed his finger over her lips. “I’m not hiding behind it or using it as an excuse. Reading is really problematic. I can do diagrams. I can do text to speech. But reading looks like a foreign language.”
She palmed the side of his face. “This is the part of you that I adore.”
“What does that mean?”
“You didn’t say you wouldn’t understand it.” She leaned in and pressed her lips over his mouth. “You’re one of the smartest men in any room. Once you allow yourself to go with your instincts, there’s nothing that you can’t do. You know who to trust and who to lean on and you do it with ease.” She tapped his temple. “When you get out of your head.”
“You’re good for a man’s ego.” He pressed his hand on the small of her back. “Come on. My mom’s here.”
Miles leaned against his mother’s patrol car and folded his arms. “So, that’s it. You’re just going to do nothing.”
“I didn’t say that, Miles, and don’t give me that sourpuss face. I hate it.” His mom glared. “We questioned Charlie and he acted as if Gabriel being missing was brand-new information. Do I personally believe him? No. I don’t. I think he’s lying through his fucking teeth. But I have no evidence to go on. I’ve got no probable cause to do anything. Following him would be harassment, which is why Rhett’s on that. Once he gives me something that I can legally move on, I will. Outside of that, everyone is turning this town upside down looking for Gabriel.”
“But you believe the same thing that I do.” Miles sighed.
“The only thing that makes sense is that Charlie has him in that big house of his.” His mom cocked a brow. “Why else wouldn’t he invite me in? Hell, he wouldn’t even let me have a glass of water when I asked. He gave me some bullshit excuse that he had a showing he needed to get to.”
“And did he leave the same time as you?” Miles asked.
“Oh, he did.” His mother laughed, shaking her head. “But according to Rhett, he didn’t go to any showing. He went and picked up a to-go order from the café. Two cheeseburgers and two fries.” She waggled her finger. “You know as well as I do that’s not enough for me to go asking for a search warrant or go back and bang on his door right away. I will, in an hour or so, under the pretense of doing another sweep.”
“That’s just fucking weird he’d pick up food. For two. And not immediately go looking for Gabriel, someone he claims to care so much about.” Miles glanced toward the house. “He did text Liberty telling her he was doing all that he could, but it’s bullshit. I’ve asked Dad to look over all the banking documents after Liberty has read them. That might give you what you need as far as a search warrant, or even an arrest warrant.”
Movement near the thick brush in the backyards caught Miles’ attention. Whatever it was, it was large enough to stir the bushes, making them rustle and snap.
And then Gabriel appeared in the clearing.
Still in his pajamas.
Still barefoot.
“Miles!” Gabriel flapped his arms wide as he raced between the houses, his body covered in dirt and mud.
“I’ll go get Liberty,” his mother whispered.
Gabriel flung himself at Miles like a toddler.
Miles widened his stance, digging his heels into the ground as he braced for impact. “I got you, buddy.” He wrapped his arms around Gabriel.
“I walked the whole way.” Gabriel sniffled, nuzzling his face into Miles’ neck, holding on to him with brute force. “I snuck out when he wasn’t looking, and then I walked along the beach, staying in the bushes for as long as I could until I got to town.”
“That was real smart.” A million things went through Miles’ mind, but it was more important to make Gabriel feel safe and loved than to bombard him with a million questions about what happened. But he did need to know a few things.
Miles guided Gabriel toward the front porch. “I know you’ve been through a lot today and are just glad to be home, but I have to know. Did Charlie hurt you in anyway?”
“No,” Gabriel said with a strong voice.
“Oh my God. Gabriel. Are you okay?” Liberty came rushing through the door.
Gabriel hugged his sister and burst out crying like a little baby.
Both brother and sister crumpled to the floor, where Liberty cradled her brother’s head in her lap, stroking her fingers through his hair and kissing his temple while the man sobbed.
And sobbed.
“He should be checked out by a doctor,” Miles’ mother whispered.
“It might be a little too much to take him anywhere right now and he says he wasn’t hurt,” Miles said.
“What if we called Jameson and he and a paramedic come over?” his mother asked. “Just to be on the safe side.”
Miles glanced at Liberty.
She nodded.
“It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay,” Liberty said softly.
Miles wiped the tear that escaped his eye. He leaned against the railing and glanced between Liberty and his mother.
“I know you don’t want me to do this now, but I need some answers before I go after Charlie,” his mom said.
“Oh, trust me, I get it.” Miles nodded. “We just need to give him a moment.”
Gabriel scooted to a sitting position. He sucked in a deep breath. His lower lip quivered. “I’m so sorry I went with him.”
“Gabriel, do you remember my mom?” Miles sat on the floor. He didn’t bother to look Gabriel in the eye. He knew he wouldn’t get that in return. He did, however, motion to his mom to join them on the steps.
Which she did.
Gabriel nodded.
“I know she’s kind of scary in her uniform.” Miles chuckled. “She still frightens me sometimes when she wears it, but she’s one of the good guys and she needs to know what happened. Do you think you can tell her?”
“I was so mad.” Gabriel made his hands into tight fists and slammed them on his legs. “I could tell Charlie was lying because his story always changed. But I was also so angry at Liberty for treating me like a child. As if I wasn’t man enough to handle the truth.” He swiped at his eyes. “I wanted some time to think. I was just going to walk to the shop and maybe work on that old engine you let me tinker with in the back room. But then I saw Charlie and I wanted to confront him. I wanted to tell him I believed my sister and that he was the liar. He told me he wanted to tell me the whole truth. Everything. Not the bits and pieces and he took me to his house, but he lied again.”
“About what?” Miles’ mom asked.
“My sister.” Gabriel smacked the side of his head. “He stuck with his version of what happened, but then added that Liberty was using it to try to take his money. I knew she’d never do that. When I told him I wanted to go home, he said he’d call my sister, but then he lied again. He told me that Liberty was too busy with Miles to come get me. That she didn’t have time for me and that he would take care of me.”
“Oh, Gabriel. No one, not even Miles, would ever come between us.” Liberty cupped her brother’s face. “I love you and you’re the most important person in the world to me.”
“I know that,” Gabriel said matter-of-factly. “But Charlie knew that Miles spent that night and he tried to tell me that Miles didn’t want to be burdened with having to deal with someone like me. He said that Liberty agreed. He even tried to tell me that Liberty had begged him to take me off her hands and that’s why he moved here, to make sure I was being properly taken care of. When he saw Miles, he thought maybe it was time to take legal action.”
“Jesus, he said all that?” Miles did his best to rein in his rage. This wasn’t about him or his feelings. This was about Gabriel and what had just happened to him and how they were all going to help him through it. “How did you respond to all that?”
“I knew Charlie was lying. I just didn’t know why. I still don’t.” Gabriel sniffled. “I was scared. My heart hurt and all I could do was sit in the chair and rock. I tried to sort through my thoughts, but it was hard. Then the doorbell rang and Charlie made me go into the den. But I heard what you said.” Gabriel pointed to Miles’ mother. “That I was missing. That everyone was out looking for me. I tried to get out of that room to tell you I was right there. But Charlie had locked the door.”
“That fucking asshole,” Liberty muttered.
“What happened next?” his mother asked with her cell in her hands.
“When I heard him drive away, I climbed out the window and came home.” Gabriel rested his head on Liberty’s shoulder.
Jameson’s SUV rolled to a stop in front of Liberty’s house. A buddy of his, Riley, a paramedic from the firehouse, slipped from the passenger seat carrying a bag and strolled toward the house.
“Gabriel, I’m sorry this happened to you,” his mother said. “Thank you for telling me what happened. I know it wasn’t easy and that you had considered Charlie your friend. But what he did was wrong and now I need to handle that.” His mother tapped her fingers on her cell. “Do you understand that?”
“Yes, ma’am. I do.” Gabriel nodded. “Will he go to jail?”
“I want you to know I don’t enjoy arresting anyone,” his mother said in a soft tone. “But yes, mostly likely he will and not just for what he did to you.”
“I’m tired. Can I go play some video games?” Gabriel lifted his chin and looked at Liberty.
“Sweetheart, Jameson and his friend here would like to check you over. Just to make sure you’re really okay.” Liberty palmed her brother’s cheek. “Let them listen to your heart. Check your blood pressure. All those things. Do it for me so I will feel better.”
“Okay.” Gabriel nodded.
“How about we go inside to the family room,” Jameson said. “Gabriel, this is my good friend Riley. He’s what we call an EMT and he’s one of the best.”
Gabriel stood. “Do you drive the ambulance?”
Riley chuckled. “I do.”
“Saving people is a cool and important job.” Gabriel glanced over his shoulder as he stood by the front door. “Is Miles going to spend the night? Because maybe he should until Charlie is caught.” Gabriel shrugged. “And I’d be okay if he did even after that happened.” He turned and shuffled his dirty feet into the house.
“I’d say out of the mouths of babes, but that is a grown-ass man.” His mother laughed. “I’ve got all I need to go back and make an arrest for kidnapping. But it’s a weak case. And as far as what I know about Charlie pushing Liberty down the stairs when she lost her baby, well, that’s a case of he said-she said. I don’t know if the DA will touch that one without more proof. I’d like to nail him for it because that’s about one of the cruelest things I’ve ever heard and I’ve seen a lot during my time as a cop.” She held up her hand. “Find me a smoking gun in that paperwork Liberty’s father sent over.” His mother wrapped her arms around Liberty. “I’m going to nail your ex-husband to the wall. It’s going to be my last case, and then I’m going to retire. I’m too old for this shit. But I want you to know that I’m not resting until Charlie’s behind bars for a very long fucking time. I don’t want that man to ever hurt you or Gabriel again.”
“I don’t know how to thank you and all of your family.”
His mother smiled. “Just keep reminding my son he’s good enough.”
Miles shook his head and watched his mom climb into her patrol car and drive away.
“She’s an interesting character.” Liberty leaned into his body and rested her head on his shoulder. “I can’t believe Gabriel walked all the way home. That’s like six miles.”
“It won’t be too long before the news of his return hits Charlie’s ears.” Miles wrapped his arm around Liberty. “He’s either going to come straight here or make a beeline for Palm Beach, or worse, the airport.”
She groaned. “And my father will be here in a couple of hours.”
“Come on. Let’s go check on Gabriel and then read those emails. My mom will need that information and I’d rather pawn it off on my dad before he even gets here. You’re as exhausted as Gabriel. I want you to nap before you see your dad.”
“That actually sounds amazing.”
Miles helped her to her feet and yanked her to his chest. “I want you to know that I care about you. A lot. It’s not a fleeting moment. Or a fling that will burn out in a few weeks. Whatever this is, I’ve never felt it before and I have no intention of going anywhere.”
“I know. But one thing at a time. Let’s deal with Charlie. Then my dad.” She sighed. “And then maybe we can finally go out on that date.”