Chapter 21 #2
“Gabriel Risk is famous, or infamous depending on how you look at it, for helping that oil company CEO, Aiden Thomas, escape after he was kidnapped in Iraq.”
Dylan blinked. “Yeah, that’s right. That’s the sort of thing he specializes in.”
They got out of Dylan’s truck and went to the front door.
He opened it for Raleigh and followed her in.
The lobby was very posh. From the polished concrete floors to the stone waterfall behind the reception desk, the place was somehow both very businesslike and welcoming.
The walls were painted a pale grayish blue, almost the color of Raleigh’s skirt and the chairs in the waiting area were in a shade of brown that matched the stones of the waterfall.
The reception desk was all glass and chrome.
A woman sat by herself, with her back to the wall.
It wasn’t a large lobby and there were two doors, one on either side of her that presumably led to the rest of the space.
The doors were opaque and although the frames appeared to be wood, Dylan thought they were probably metal and very thick.
“Hi,” Dylan said.
“You must be Dylan.” The receptionist smiled. “Gabriel said you would be stopping by to drop something off. Let me just see if he’s free.”
“Don’t disturb him on my account.”
Brianna smiled. “He insisted he be notified when you’re here.”
Raleigh and Dylan went over to stand by the windows overlooking the water.
“You’re not paying for this are you? Like I can’t afford to pay to have this done.” Raleigh’s eyes darted all over the lobby and then back to Dylan.
“No. Gabe offered. He’s a friend and I guess you could say a mentor as well. He’s been keeping an eye on me through my whole suspension. He also offered me a job here if I wanted it.”
“Are you going to take the job?”
Dylan shrugged. “Up until now, I’ve been saying no because I thought I wanted to go back to ESU. This weekend…It’s changed a lot of things. I don’t—”
“Dylan.”
Dylan turned around at the sound of his name. Gabriel Risk came across the lobby.
“Gabe.” He shook Gabe’s hand. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. This is Raleigh Ross.”
“Ms.Ross,” Gabe said as he nodded to Raleigh. “It’s not a problem Dylan. I wanted to see you. If you have a moment, why don’t you two come back to the conference room.”
Dylan glanced at Raleigh, and she gave a slight nod.
They followed Gabriel back though the door on the left which led to short hallway with several conference rooms on either side.
“Let’s take a seat in here.” They followed Gabe into a small windowless conference room. It was very similar to the lobby. A sleek table with a conference phone in the middle and mini-fridge in the corner that had water and beer from what Dylan could see through the glass door.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No, we’re good.” Dylan said as he glanced at Raleigh for confirmation. She nodded.
“So, what do you have for me?”
Dylan dug out the baggie with the letter and handed it over to Gabe. “You’ll need our prints for exclusion purposes.”
Gabe nodded. “I already have yours, Dylan but I will need Raleigh’s, if that’s okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
A door to the hallway opened and a guy dressed in a lab coat entered. He was shorter than Dylan but wider in the shoulders. He had on jeans and a t-shirt under his lab coat and he wore a pair of dark rimmed glasses.
“This is Peter.” Gabe introduced both Dylan and Raleigh. “He’ll take your fingerprints, Raleigh, if you’ll just follow him.”
“Sure.” Raleigh got up and followed Peter back through the door at the end of the hallway.
“How are you doing?” Gabe asked.
“Fine.” Dylan tipped up his chin.
Gabe raised an eyebrow.
“It’s a bit stressful. The whole stalker thing is really taking its toll on Raleigh. I hate to see her suffer like this.”
“And being at your ex-fiancée’s wedding to a guy from your squad which you are currently suspended from, that’s gotta be a walk in the park.”
Dylan chuckled and raised his hands. “Okay so maybe it’s very stressful but I’m managing. It’s certainly providing me with a lot to think about. I missed the guys more than I thought I did. It’s kind of cool to see them again.”
He didn’t bother to add that he still wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing but knowing that Rowdy and Matt thought he did was a big relief. Now, if only he was sure.
“How’s the ex-fiancée?”
“I dodged a bullet there. We weren’t really compatible. I’m over her.”
Gabe nodded. “Then this is all worth it.”
Raleigh re-entered the room, wiping her hands with a wet wipe. Dylan smiled at her as she sat down next to him, scooting her chair a bit closer to his.
Gabriel Risk had quite the set up if this experience was anything to go by.
He had his own freakin’ lab. A million questions ran through her head, but he was helping her out as a favor to Dylan.
She didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.
Plus, she was exhausted. Not too tired to notice how handsome Gabriel Risk was though.
He, like Dylan, stood out in any crowd. Leaning back in his chair wearing faded jeans and a white shirt, he looked just as much in command as he would if he was wearing a three-piece suit.
He was slightly taller than Dylan and leaner.
All hard muscle. His black hair was graying at the temples and had a slight curl to it.
His gray eyes were warm and welcoming, but she’d be willing to wager they missed nothing.
Those eyes were warm now but if she was on the wrong side of him, they would turn to stone, she had no doubts. No wonder he was one of NYC’s most eligible bachelors.
“Thank you for helping me, Mr. Risk.”
“Gabe, please. And it’s my pleasure. No one should ever have to feel unsafe.
I was just about to tell Dylan we’re working on your security system.
I can confirm it’s been tampered with and now we’re just trying to figure out exactly what your stalker has been doing and how he’s been doing it. We should have more soon.”
“That’s great. Well, not great that it’s been tampered with, but great that we know. I really appreciate it, Gabe.”
Dylan glanced at Raleigh. She took that as her cue that they should go. She was tired and pissed off and as much as she wanted to quiz Gabriel Risk about his life’s adventures, she was just to wound up to deal with anything else. They stood up and Gabe led them back through the door to the lobby.
A man was leaning on the counter, chatting with Brianna. He straightened as they entered.
“Connor, I’d like you to meet Dylan Black and Raleigh Ross.” The three shook hands in turn. “Connor is our tech guy. He’s the one working on your video.”
“Thank you,” Raleigh said. Connor was about the same height as Dylan but slightly older.
His dark hair was cut short almost in military style but his eyes were an odd shade—maybe green.
It was hard to tell in this light. She would bet they changed color according to what he was wearing and the lighting.
Interesting. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it,”
Connor smiled. “Glad to help.”
He handed a small case to Gabe and Gabe handed it off to Dylan. “I thought you might need this.”
Dylan’s eyebrows rose slightly and then he smiled. “Yes. I was missing mine earlier this evening.”
Gabe stilled. “What happened?”
“I thought I spotted someone watching us but I didn’t catch them”
Gabe nodded and offered his hand again. “Just be careful, and call if you need anything. I mean it.”
Dylan nodded and shook Gabe’s hand.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Raleigh. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances.”
Raleigh smiled at Gabe and Connor and then she and Dylan left. They settled into the truck and Dylan put the case under his seat.
Raleigh twisted her fingers together. “That’s a gun, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Like I said I don’t have mine because of the suspension. I don’t like being without one. It’s just a precaution though, Ral. It’s not that I think I’ll need it. Just better to be safe, that’s all.”
Raleigh leaned back into the seat and closed her eyes. Bullshit, he was just being safe. Gabe and Dylan both thought he might need it. She whole-heartedly agreed. This entire situation was getting so far out of control, she had no clue what to do next.
They left the city and headed upstate to the resort.
She stayed silent the whole time. Dylan was watching her out of the corner of his eye.
He’d kept trying to chat but she’d shut down.
She was tired and sad. All she really wanted was to feel safe and free again.
Free to live a normal life. Free to not have to constantly look over her shoulder. Her stalker…Calvin Clark was winning.
Now what was she going to do about it?