Chapter 1 #2
Ignoring the question, he settled his weight into the comfortable chair and concentrated on the intricacies of the dating site.
Whoever had put in the safeguards and written the code was good, but not as good as him.
Time passed in a haze, and sweat tickled his forehead.
Everything around him, including the irritated energy pouring off of Mark in waves, disappeared as he crawled closer and closer to his goal.
A pulse of satisfaction beat through him. He was doing something. He was using his resources to help his sister.
Glancing behind him, a wide grin cracked the somber expression that had been his constant companion the last few days. “I’m in.”
A deep frown pulled at Mark’s lips, and wrinkles marred the tanned skin of his brow. “What did you do?”
“I pulled up Gabriel Wilson’s shut-down profile and can see every woman he’s messaged.”
“What?” The word erupted from Mark, and he crossed the room with thunderous steps.
“He knows more than he’s saying. Maybe he said something to one of these women that could lead to Monica. Maybe one of them will tell me what they know about this guy.”
“Dude, even if you find something of use, you can’t take it to the police now.” Mark shook his head and scowled.
Connor pressed his lips together and turned back to face the computer. He didn’t need to take what he found to the police. He’d already hired someone who could help without red tape tying their hands.
He scanned the list of women on Gabriel’s match list and read through line after mundane line of conversation. A pictureless profile sparked his interest, and he pulled up their conversation history. “Sonofabitch.”
“What’d you find?” Mark peered over his shoulder.
Connor shifted his gaze to the time posted in the bottom corner of the screen. “A woman, Evelyn Price, has talked with Gabriel for a few weeks. They’re meeting for coffee in five minutes.”
“You don’t have time to stop her. And even if you did, you have nothing to tell her to keep her away from him.”
“No, but she’s the only woman he seems to have made actual plans with. She might be able to help me.” He dragged the cursor through the conversation between them and tried to find her number.
Mark snorted, the sound reminding Connor of his fat pug sleeping curled up in the corner of the couch—the pug Monica begged him to bring home. “You think this guy is dangerous, and you’d ask a stranger to help you get close to him?”
Locating the number, Connor grabbed his phone and made the call.
Please, God. Let this woman pick up her damn phone.
The warm breeze skimmed across Evelyn’s cheek, and she closed her eyes and let the soft tickle of air calm her jangled nerves.
It didn’t help.
The rapid beating of her heart raced along with the million excuses rushing through her brain.
Meeting men for coffee in the middle of the day wasn’t a normal activity for her.
Usually, she ignored men like the plague, especially ones with a history of using their charms to get anything they wanted.
Get a grip. I made it clear this isn’t a date. Just a guy I kind of knew from high school catching up and hopefully landing the biggest job of my life.
Filling her lungs with the crisp spring air, she gathered her nerve and grabbed the door handle of the coffee shop she’d recommended to Gabriel.
Ring, ring, ring.
The sound of her phone sliced through her facade of courage, and she shrank back into the crowd hustling down the congested sidewalk.
She plunged her hand into her purse, and her sweat-slicked palm made grabbing her phone more difficult than it should be.
A river of people swallowed up the sidewalk, engulfing her into their current of motion.
She fought against them as she battled her way back to the front of her favorite coffee shop.
She lifted her shoulders in frustration and stopped under the small awning attached to the mom-and-pop store. She ignored the overwhelming call of coffee, the smell wafting through the open door in waves with every new customer, and finally yanked her phone from her purse.
The ringing stopped.
Evelyn huffed a breath of frustration that rustled her long bangs against her forehead.
She glanced at the screen but didn’t recognize the number of the missed call.
No voicemail registered. Pressing the lock button, she hoisted the phone in the air and squinted in an attempt to give her appearance one last check before stepping inside to see Gabriel Wilson for the first in almost ten years.
Ring, Ring, Ring.
Once again, her heart leaped into her throat.
She was too damn on edge. The same unknown number popped up on her screen, and she hesitated to answer.
Usually, she’d let her voicemail greeting pick up for a number she didn’t know, but answering her phone would buy her a few more minutes to put off coming face-to-face with the man who’d intimidated the hell out of her in high school.
A few more minutes won.
“Hello?”
“Evelyn Price?”
The obvious panic in the deep male voice had the hairs on her arms standing on end. “Yes. This is Evelyn. Who is this?”
“Detective Connor Mitchel with the computer crimes division of the NYPD. Are you currently with Gabriel Wilson?”
A beat of confusion—and fear—pulsed through her.
Why would a cop want to know if she was meeting Gabriel, and how did he know her plans?
“How did you get my number?” She couldn’t help the sharp bite in her words.
Police made her nervous. Especially when they called her out of the blue on a number they shouldn’t have.
“No time to explain. Gabriel Wilson is dangerous. You need to make an excuse to him, and then meet me wherever you feel comfortable. This is important.”
Her humorless laugh cut him off. “You can’t be serious.
If Lacey put you up to this, it isn’t funny.
” Her roommate knew how nervous she was about seeing Gabriel.
Hell, Lacey was aware of how hesitant she’d been to join the stupid dating app in the first place.
It would be so like her to pull something like this to try to make her laugh.
“I can assure you this is no joke.”
The seriousness of his voice made her furrow her brow and annoyance flare hot in her gut. “I have no way of knowing you are who you say. Trust me, I’m more afraid of whoever got my number than of a guy I knew in high school.”
She clicked off the phone and rode the rush of adrenaline into the coffee shop.
Crap, she hadn’t gotten a chance to make sure her lipstick wasn’t on her teeth or her mascara smeared.
Not like it had been when she’d left the apartment, but she didn’t want a hair out of place.
Even if meeting Gabriel was about securing a job to provide for her future and the furthest thing from a date, she still wanted to present herself well.
The idea of having her picture plastered on some stupid dating app hadn’t sat well with her, so she’d opted to leave her profile picture blank. The years had been good to her, but anxiety pitched in her stomach as her gaze scanned the crowded room. What if Gabriel didn’t recognize her?
Groups of people talking and lone New Yorkers hunched over computers filled all the tables. A line of impatient customers waited for their orders.
Standing on the tiptoes of her favorite wedges, Evelyn peered over the crowd until her eyes locked on a man with golden hair parted in a wave to the side and the same wide smile that had made all the girls fall all over themselves in high school—all the girls except her.
She’d had enough issues to deal with in high school, and harboring silly fantasies about boys had been the last thing on her mind.
She’d been more concerned about survival.
Weaving through the crowd, she lowered her gaze and counted in her head to calm herself. She wasn’t a kid anymore. She could do this.
Gabriel stood as she approached the table, and her gaze traveled the long length of him and settled on his hazel eyes. Somehow, his grin grew wider and he gestured toward the empty chair beside him. “I’m so glad we could get together, Evelyn. You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”