Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
GABE
I took one last look around my new place before answering the knock on my front door. I knew I’d have a lot of explaining to do to Marco, my friend and brother-in-arms. We usually told each other everything, but I’d never shared this secret with anyone outside my family.
I opened the door to a confused-looking Marco D’Angelo on the wrap-around front porch. Even after five years of being separated from the Navy SEALs, he still looked like he could break someone in half. I was only about a year out of the SEALs, and he and I were about the same size, but I knew for a fact he could kick my ass. “Come on in,” I said.
Marco walked into the empty living room, no doubt noting the gleaming hardwood floors and the fresh paint on the walls. “Why are we here?” he asked. “Is this for a security job or something?”
“Not exactly,” I replied. Marco’s brother Tony owned Angel Security, a private security firm, and we both worked there, along with several other veterans from different military branches.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Marco asked, impatient as ever.
I blew out a breath. “It’s not a security gig. It’s mine.”
A frown furrowed his brow. “Yours? As in, this is your house?” He looked around the large living room with its fireplace and crown molding and peered into the dining room beyond. He walked over to the polished oak staircase and looked up. “This place has three floors. How many bedrooms?”
“Four,” I replied. “On the second floor. The third floor has three rooms. I’m going to have a library and gaming room up there.”
He crossed his arms and glared at me. “I know Tony pays well, but not a three-story Victorian four blocks from the beach well. What the fuck is going on?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “So, I might have a trust fund.”
Marco stared at me for a long moment with narrowed eyes. “Is there a reason you’re just now telling me this?”
I turned toward the back of the house. “Come on. The electricity is on, and I have beer in the fridge.”
Marco followed me into the large, newly updated kitchen. I’d kept the hardwood floors but updated the cabinets, countertops, and appliances. It was bright and airy, with lots of counter space and a center island for food prep or to sit and grab a bite. I’d brought in two barstools for this occasion. Marco took a seat while I got the beers. I sat across from him, and we tapped our bottles.
“So why the big secret?” Marco asked.
I blew out a breath. “It’s kind of a long story.”
He crossed his arms. “I’ve got no plans for today.”
I took a long swig of my beer. “My family comes from money. You know, the kind of money that’s all about image and status. Growing up, it was drilled into us that we had to get good grades so we could get into the best universities. I played football, not because I enjoyed it but because it increased my chances of getting into a good university. I’m the youngest of four. I have two brothers and a sister. One brother is a doctor, the other is a lawyer. My sister is also a doctor—a neurosurgeon at Columbia Presbyterian.”
“And then there’s you,” Marco added.
I nodded. “And then there’s me. I was a surprise baby. My sister is the next youngest, and she’s eight years older than me. I was always different. I always challenged the status quo. And I was good at hiding my activities. Sure, I played football and got good grades. I applied to all the right universities and got accepted.”
I finished my beer and got us both another. When I handed Marco his, he asked, “So what happened?”
I opened my beer and took a long pull. “The day I turned eighteen, I walked into the Navy recruiter’s office and enlisted.”
“Oh shit,” he breathed. “Even though you got into all those universities?”
“Yep,” I replied, popping the P . “I couldn’t stand the thought of spending another four years stuck in a classroom. And I wanted to serve my country.”
“What did your parents do?”
“They lost their minds. There was a lot of yelling that day. They even tried to get me out of it.”
Marco snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that. You were eighteen.”
“That’s exactly why I did it that way,” I said. “In the end, there was nothing they could do. Except disown me.”
His jaw clenched. “Fuck, Gabe. I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “I’ve gotten used to it. My sister Celia still talks to me, obviously, since she let me live with her for a bit. She told my parents to fuck off when they complained. Said they were free to disown her if they wanted. She makes plenty of money on her own and her husband’s a programmer who sold an app for millions. I was never close to my brothers, and they won’t go against Mommy and Daddy, so I haven’t spoken to them in years.” My heart twisted. “I do miss my niece and nephews. I haven’t seen them in sixteen years.”
“That’s why you never talked about your family,” Marco mused. “I figured it was because they’d thrown you out for being gay.”
I snorted. “Nah. They couldn’t care less about that as long as I followed the script.”
“If they disowned you, where did the trust fund come from?” Marco asked.
“My grandfather on my mother’s side. He was a veteran and was proud of me when I told him I’d enlisted. He was really upset with my parents when he found out they’d disowned me. But he wasn’t the kind of guy who shouted to get his way. Instead, he left the bulk of his estate to me in an irrevocable trust. My mother was not happy, but there was nothing she could do.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t try to say you had undue influence. Isn’t that what people do?”
“I guess,” I replied. “But I was in the Navy, and then I got into the SEALs. I was overseas more than I was home. He died while we were in Afghanistan.”
“I remember that,” Marco said. “You got bereavement leave.”
“Yeah. The funeral was fine, although my parents made it clear they didn’t want me there. The reading of the will was a mess. The lawyer had to tell my parents to let me into the room.”
“I don’t get it,” Marco said with a shake of his head. “You’ve served your country honorably. What do they have against that?”
“At this point, I think it’s the principle of it. I defied them and got away with it. They couldn’t control me, and I embarrassed them after they’d been bragging about me getting into Princeton.”
Marco’s brows rose to his hairline. “You got into Princeton?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. I hadn’t meant to tell him that. “Yeah.”
“Dude, what the fuck? Why was that such a big secret?”
“Because people treat you differently when you tell them you got accepted to one of the most prestigious universities in the country. And on the other side were people who told me I was stupid to give up an opportunity like that. I’ll never get it back. Blah, blah, blah.” I clenched my jaw. “If I’d wanted it, I would have gone. I liked serving with the SEALs, and I like what we do now. It matters.”
“Yeah, it does.” He reached over and gripped my forearm. “I wasn’t trying to give you a hard time. I was just trying to understand.”
I finished the last of my beer and put my bottles on the counter by the sink to recycle later. “Well, I appreciate you not giving me too much shit about it.”
Marco snorted. “It’s not going to be me who gives you shit. Wait until everyone else hears about it.”
I rolled my eyes. “They’ll get over it when I throw my first party.”
Marco put his empty bottles next to mine. “Is that why you bought such a big place?”
“Kind of. I like the idea of having the team over and just hanging out. My apartment was too small for that, and sometimes I want to host. I even like the idea of waking up to people sprawled in my living room and in the spare bedrooms.”
His eyes narrowed, and he held my gaze for a long moment. “Are you okay?”
For all that we joked around and needled each other, I could always trust Marco with my pain. “Yesterday was Benji’s birthday.” Dammit. Now my eyes were burning.
He pulled me into a hug. “Oh man, I’m so sorry. I forgot.”
I held him tight, just so I wouldn’t fly apart. “It’s okay. This month sucks for you too.”
He nodded. “It does. But it’s a little less intense this year. Liam’s going to go with me to visit Terry’s grave.”
I just stared at my friend. “Wow, that’s…wow. And Liam doesn’t mind?”
“No. He asks me about Terry all the time. Liam wants to make sure I know I can talk about him. He knows Terry will always be part of me.”
I stepped back and shoved his shoulder. “He’s a keeper. You better put a ring on that before he gets away.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m working on it. What I have in mind is going to take some planning.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re serious. You’re going to ask Liam to marry you?”
He rolled his eyes. “Not for a while. I’m working out my plan.”
“Well damn,” I said with a chuckle. “That little nurse took you down.”
He shoved me. “Shut up. Just wait. You’ll meet the right guy, and it’ll be all over for you.”
I shook my head. “Nah. Not happening with me. I had that once, and losing him tore me apart. I’m good with hookups.”
Marco snorted. “If you say so.”
I knew so. Marco and I had been on the same SEAL team. Marco and six other men from our team were on a mission and got ambushed. Benji, the guy I’d been in love with, had been killed. Marco’s boyfriend Terry had been injured badly enough to get medically discharged. Terry had taken his own life two years later. Marco was lucky to have found Liam. I didn’t have that kind of luck.
Marco turned to leave. “Oh hey, I almost forgot. Cody’s dad was released today.”
“Wow. Santino works fast.”
He gave me a proud smile. “My brother takes shit from no one. He found so many irregularities in Nico’s case he threatened to file a complaint with the Bar Association.”
I hooted with laughter. “Damn. He’s a shark.”
“That he is.”
It occurred to me that Nico wouldn’t have much after being in prison for four years. “Where’s he staying?”
“He’s staying with Zach, Miguel, and Cody until he can find a place of his own.”
“Huh. I mean, their place is nice, but it’s not that big. Where’s he going to sleep if Cody has the second bedroom?”
Marco shrugged. “No idea. You can find out the next time we all get together.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Speaking of that,” Marco added. “It looks like we’ve got something coming up in Ohio soon, maybe even tonight. Michael connected with someone looking for their missing daughter. He got a hit on a place just outside Cincinnati. Just giving you a heads-up.”
“Got it. I’ll be ready.”
I walked Marco to the door. “Hey, speaking of finding people, has Michael gotten anything on the guy who killed Allie?”
“Nothing yet,” he answered with a shake of his head. “He’s smart, and his parents have the money to bankroll him wherever he is.”
I clenched my fists. “That motherfucking coward.”
Marco squeezed my shoulder. “We’ll get him. He can’t hide forever. There are too many cameras in the world.”
“He better hope I’m not the one who finds him first.”