Chapter 6
The cab pulled up to the curb of the up-and-coming restaurant Gabriel recommended for dinner.
Evelyn stepped out of the vehicle and sucked in a lungful of night air.
The wind whipped the cold breeze off the river and chased away the leftover warmth from the sun.
She backed away from the car and studied her surroundings.
The opposite side of the street boasted scarred brick buildings splattered with colorful street art, while sleek glass lined the walls of the restaurant beside her.
“Of all the great restaurants in Brooklyn, I can’t believe Gabriel wanted to come to Williamsburg.
” Lacey scooted out of the cab and stepped onto the curb beside her.
“A man with money should be willing to spring for a fancier place. This neighborhood might be on the upswing, but it’s definitely not there yet. ”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you insisted on coming with me like I’m a child. You’re wasting a kid-free night babysitting me.”
“After what you told me last night, no way I’d let you meet him alone. I’ll sit at the bar and neither one of you will even realize I’m here.” Lacey lifted her huge tote high on her shoulder.
Evelyn smoothed the wrinkles from her red dress and readjusted her black-framed glasses. She’d opted to leave her contacts at home. “Just make sure Gabriel doesn’t see you. And if he does, make up some lame excuse for being here so I don’t look like an idiot.”
Lacey shifted her weight and fisted her hands on her hips. “Me wanting to make sure you aren’t taken by a crazy person doesn’t make you an idiot.”
“I’m sorry.” Evelyn grabbed Lacey’s hand and squeezed. She curved her lips and lightened her tone, unable to keep a straight face. “Thank you. But if you mess this up for me, I’ll have to kick you out.”
Lacey drew back her hand and pressed it to her heart. “You’d throw Abbie and me out on the street?”
“Not Abbie, just you. Now go inside and wait at the bar. I’ll text if I need you.”
Lacey made her way into the trendy restaurant.
Some weird jazz-techno blend boomed from the open door, and Evelyn had to fight not to flee in the opposite direction.
Anxiety pitched in her stomach. Fusion food restaurants weren’t her thing.
Especially the one every hipster in Brooklyn seemed to have flocked to.
As soon as the crowd inside swallowed the last view of Lacey, Evelyn searched for a glimpse of Gabriel. She’d made sure to be early so he wouldn’t see her arrive with Lacey, and now every nerve in her body sparked with anxiety as she waited for him.
Her gaze darted up and down the congested street.
She leaned forward on her peep-toe heels, and a hard shove to her shoulder pushed her forward.
She stumbled off the edge of the curb. Cars flew by, and Evelyn threw her arms to the side for balance, but forward momentum kept her moving toward the headlights whizzing by.
Shouts of concern erupted behind her, and fear froze Evelyn’s muscles even as her mind raced.
Roaring engines grew closer, the circle of the headlights grew bigger. Screeching brakes ate up the street, but the motion of the cars continued toward her. Panic exploded in her chest, and her breath hitched. She didn’t want to end up in the hospital...not again.
Strong arms wrapped her torso, stopping her fall and pulling her back. “Whoa there. I got you.”
The smooth-as-velvet voice slid down her bare arms. Evelyn spun and the warm hands fell away.
She glanced up into hazel eyes and a Playboy smile, and the panic faded.
Gabriel’s smile morphed into a smirk, and the glint in his eyes put her on edge.
She stepped to his side and tried to stomp out the stupid flame of suspicion that had been ignited.
The tinkle of a bell sounded, and Gabriel’s smirk faded. A frown pulled down his lips, and he grabbed his phone from his jacket pocket. Curiosity got the best of her, and she peered around his shoulder to glance at the screen.
Feed M before kitty’s too hungry.
Odd. She’d never pictured Gabriel as a cat person, or someone who would refer to a cat as Kitty. Maybe it was his cat’s name.
Or the M could stand for Monica.
A shiver puckered her skin, and she chased the chill away with a rub of her hand.
The warnings from Detective Mitchel, as well as Lacey, played on full blast in her mind.
One was insistent Gabriel was a psychopath and the other wary enough to follow her to a business dinner.
Maybe she was being na?ve to believe in the innocence of a man she hadn’t spoken with in a decade.
The spot between her shoulders where she’d been shoved throbbed, and a memory shook loose. Lacey believed Gabriel was responsible for the boy in high school being hit by a car. Could he have been the one who pushed her on the street?
Gabriel shoved his phone in his pocket and faced her with a tight smile. “Shall we?”
Trying to shake away her apprehension like a too-tight second skin, she allowed him to press his hand to the small of her back and usher her into the crowded restaurant.
He approached the bleach-blond hostess in a tight white shirt and black skirt, and Evelyn fought the urge to seek out her friend at the bar.
She took a deep breath, ran a hand through her hair, and followed the hostess as they were led to a table at the far end of the restaurant.
Gabriel took off his sports jacket and rolled his blue- striped shirt up to the elbows as he sat down. “I don’t know why I wore this thing. I’m always warm at restaurants.”
Evelyn offered a weak smile and swallowed her nervousness as she sat across from him. She needed to show him a confident, capable woman he had to hire. “I’m afraid I don’t have that problem. More often than not I’m freezing.”
His hand stilled over the linen napkin and he glanced down, hesitation making his movements slow, before locking his gaze with her. “Do you want my jacket?”
Wariness narrowed his eyes, and his brisk tone warned her against accepting his offer.
“No thank you. I wouldn’t want to get cat hair all over it.
I swear. It doesn’t matter if I change right before I leave the apartment, my cat always manages to get her fur all over me,” she said with a laugh that came out way too loud.
A shudder ripped through him, and he curled his upper lip. “I’ve never been a fan of cats.”
She drew her brows together, confusion clashing like wrecking balls in her brain.
A deep laugh rumbled from Gabriel, and he patted her hand. “I didn’t mean to offend you. We all have our things, I guess.”
The waiter grabbed their drink orders, but she was too flustered already.
Alcohol was the last thing she needed in her system.
She’d stick to the water already on the table.
She reached for the crystal pitcher in the middle of the table, and her hand collided with the handle with far too much strength.
The pitcher lurched forward, landing on its side with a thud.
Water splashed from the top and rushed toward Gabriel. Evelyn shot to her feet and righted the pitcher before all the water ended up in his lap.
“Sonofabitch.” He stood and grabbed the napkin from the table, but water had seeped through the material.
Evelyn covered her mouth with her hands, and embarrassment flamed her face. “I’m so sorry.”
Gabriel took a deep breath, and his cheeks sunk in as if he bit the inside of his mouth. “It’s fine. Excuse me. I need to run to the bathroom.”
As he hurried to the opposite side of the restaurant, she closed her eyes and willed her heart to stop beating so damn fast. Opening them again, the crisp linen of his jacket caught her attention.
Her heartbeat picked up even more speed, and sweat dampened the back of her neck.
She needed to look at his phone and figure out who Kitty was.
If he didn’t have a cat, what—or who—did he have to feed?
This could be her only shot to either give herself reassurance she had nothing to fear from Gabriel or could leave no doubt about who he really was.
Evelyn crouched beside Gabriel’s empty chair and grabbed his phone from his pocket. Pressing the home button on the bottom of the phone, she prayed it wasn’t password protected. She had to see the other reminders he’d written in his phone.
The screen blinked to life, but only to show the date and time. Dammit. She put the phone back and peered up from her position beside the chair to the area where Gabriel had disappeared, and then quickly back to his jacket. She shoved her hand into the other pocket and pulled out a fistful of keys.
Who needs so many keys?
She pulled them into the dim light. Not one, but two sets of keys. One set held a round, gold keychain with the initials LN engraved in the center and three silver keys. She turned them over in her hand and studied the engraving. What did LN stand for?
Locking the initials in her memory bank, she shoved the first set of keys back in the pocket and focused on the second set.
This ring held more keys than the first, and a large plastic M&M filled her palm.
The fake yellow candy with big white eyes was whimsical and cute and the very last thing she’d ever imagine Gabriel would own.
“No way! Gabriel Wilson, is that you?” Lacey’s loud cry of enthusiasm had Evelyn popping up her head. Gabriel stood ten feet away with his back to her, and Lacey’s hands firmly on each of his shoulders. She flicked her gaze to Evelyn for a second, a warning clear in her raised brows.
With her heart lodged in her throat, Evelyn turned the keychain around. In small print were the words To my favorite M&M.
Reality crashed around her, and the keys slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. M&M didn’t just stand for a piece of candy, it stood for Monica Mitchel.