Chapter 12
Asoft knock had Evelyn opening the door to a grim-faced Connor. He lifted his gaze from his soggy sneakers and offered her a weak half smile that raised the hairs at the back of her neck.
“Hi. Are you okay?”
Pain darkened the blue of his eyes to the color of a stormy sky. “No. Sorry to drop in like this. I needed to see you.”
Her spirits lifted at his words, even as her heart sank. She opened the door wide. “You don’t need to apologize. Come in.”
Evelyn followed him inside and locked the door behind her. Her stomach muscles knotted into a pretzel. How could one simple touch transform her into a puddle of goo?
She glanced around the apartment. Abbie was watching a show, which meant making her leave the room would result in an epic meltdown.
Even if she took Connor into the kitchen, the close proximity to the living room meant Abbie could easily overhear them.
The options of where to talk to Connor dwindled, and she bit her bottom lip to keep calm.
“Do you want to talk in my room? I’d rather little ears don’t listen. ”
He swiveled to face her, and the intensity in his eyes made her weak. “Okay.”
She blew out a long breath and forced a tight smile to her lips.
She’d never had a man in her bedroom, at least not here, and the idea of Connor being the first brought a blazing heat to her cheeks.
She turned to make her way down the hall and tried not to let the heavy footsteps behind her make her heart sputter in her chest. Connor was upset and needed to tell her what had happened with Gabriel. That’s all this was.
Or at least that was the lie she told herself as she led him down the hall.
Evelyn gave her bedroom a quick survey and for once gave thanks to her OCD tendencies that kept her space spotless. She spun in a semicircle and kept her gaze fixed on Connor as he filled her doorway.
Connor paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Do you want me to keep this open?”
Warmth spread in her chest and flooded her entire body.
How he could keep her comfort in the forefront of his mind at a time like this was beyond her.
She’d only ever known men who were rough and selfish and demanding.
Connor was none of those things. He was kind and compassionate, and dammit, she wanted to know every part of him. “You can leave it open a crack.”
With the door almost closed, he sank down on the mattress and rested his elbows on his knees. “It’s been a hell of a day. I don’t mean to dump it all on you, but I figured you’d want to know what’s happened.”
Anxiety zipped through her. She waffled between sitting beside him as a source of comfort and retreating to the far corner of the room where she’d tucked away a plush chair. She’d just stand. “Did you find anything at Gabriel’s last night? Any sign of your sister?”
“No. Not a damn thing. Officers will comb through the limited evidence we took in—mostly electronics—but they won’t find anything.
” Moisture clouded the blue of his eyes, and one short sniff was enough to move Evelyn toward him.
“The sonofabitch laughed, like it was all a sick game where I can’t figure out the rules. ”
Evelyn sat beside him and rubbed her palm in a circle against his still-wet shirt. She wished she could take away his pain, but at least she could show him she’d be by his side. “I’m sorry. But they might still find something.”
Connor leaned against her, his thigh touching hers.
“That’s not all of it. Ben and I talked to Simon Thompson this afternoon.
Turns out he’d discovered some pretty disturbing shit about Gabriel the day before he was pushed into traffic.
Chances are Gabriel pushed him, but they couldn’t prove it.
Gabriel’s parents might have helped make sure Gabriel couldn’t be blamed. ”
Evelyn drew her brows together. “How so?”
“Simon found a bunch of dead birds in these birdhouses Gabriel made. After the accident, all the houses disappeared. Either Gabriel got them out without anyone noticing, or his parents covered for him.”
“Who would hide something like that for their child?”
He shrugged. “Parents will do a lot of stupid things to protect their kids.”
A shiver ran down her spine. Not her parents.
Protection wasn’t a word in their vocabulary, unless it was to protect themselves from getting caught.
The only thing they’d cared about was how much money they could make.
If Connor knew what she’d been forced to do as a child, he’d never be sitting on her bed with her.
Some things left marks too horrible for others to witness.
“Gabriel might have someone helping him. He has an alibi for the night Monica went missing. I figured it was bullshit, but maybe there’s someone doing his dirty work. Someone we haven’t considered.”
“An accomplice? Why would someone help him?” “You’d be surprised what people are capable of.” Nothing could surprise her anymore. “Do you have any idea who would help him?”
“No, but I want to talk to his parents. Did you ever meet them?”
Evelyn shook her head. “I remember seeing his mom at school events from time to time, but I never spoke with her. I think his dad owned a construction company. They worked on commercial properties.”
“Yeah, Gabriel started with that same company. He now owns several companies under his real estate development umbrella. His dad still runs the construction end of things.” Connor stood and began a small path around the room.
“Do you remember anything else about him that could help? Did he date anyone? I saw a picture at his house of him with a girl. Looked like they had been to a formal dance together.”
“I have no idea. We weren’t really friends or anything. I don’t think he even knew I was alive back then.”
Connor stopped pacing and faced her. “I don’t see how that’s possible, and that’s definitely not the case now.”
Something flashed in his eyes, and her heart fluttered. Could he be jealous? “The only thing Gabriel wants from me is to build him a website.” At least that’s what she’d thought he wanted until things had taken a sinister turn.
Connor snorted. “I’m not exactly sure what Gabriel’s plans for you are, but it’s clear from the way he looked at you the other day that he wants more than a new employee.”
An idea clicked in her mind, and Evelyn straightened. “So why don’t we take advantage of that? I want to have dinner with Gabriel.”
She may have been a victim in her youth, unable to help herself, but she wasn’t the only person she’d let down.
She’d never forgive herself for what happened in the past, but maybe she could at least make things right for Monica.
She could finally find salvation for another lost soul.
She could finally have a slim shred of redemption.
Connor took a deep breath before he said something he’d regret. Was Evelyn crazy? She couldn’t have dinner with someone as dangerous as Gabriel. Of course, he hadn’t told her about Hayley Teller. But he couldn’t protect her if she tried to rush to the rescue and do something reckless.
“Gabriel and I said we’d get together another time.
Why don’t I set up another dinner and pick his brain?
I can ask him about his life since high school.
Try to get him to open up a little. Maybe a name or two will slip in the conversation, or if we’re really lucky, he’ll tell me something that could lead us to Monica. ”
“You can’t be serious.”
Evelyn pushed to her feet and fisted her hands on her hips. “And why’s that?”
How in the hell could she go from a nervous bird twittering around the room to a woman with a steel spine and fire in her eyes so damn fast?
She’d done the same thing at the police station.
Transformed from a panicked mess to a strong survivor ready to make a stand.
She fascinated him, and he’d do whatever it took to peel away her layers and figure out what made her tick.
But first, he needed to talk her out of her harebrained idea.
“Because it’s not safe. I’m going out of my damn mind worrying about Monica.
Instead of staying focused on the facts and following a trail I know has to lead to Gabriel, I keep picturing a million different things that sonofabitch could do to her.
If something happened to you because of me...
” He clenched his jaw. She’d become too damn important to him over the last few days.
He couldn’t risk her safety—not now, not ever.
A soft touch on his hand had him opening his eyes. He stared into her soft brown eyes, so clear and big behind the black frames she wore again today. “Nothing would happen. I’d be careful. And you’d be close.”
Connor laced his fingers between hers, and she widened her eyes. “He’s a murderer, Evelyn. I can’t let you get that close.”
Her gaze locked on his. “We know he’s dangerous, but we don’t know he’s killer.”
Shit. He had to tell her the whole truth now. “When someone broke into my house the other night, they left a severed hand in my bathroom. I thought it was my sister’s, but it belonged to a woman named Hayley Teller. Her body was found last night.”
Evelyn swayed, and the pallor of her skin lightened a few shades. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against him. Her body fit so damn perfectly against his. She buried her face in his chest and ragged breaths tore through her.
Connor lowered his mouth to her ear. “It’s okay. You’re safe. I won’t let him hurt you.”
“Everything keeps getting worse. Now someone is dead? This is why I need to help. I need to do something. If Gabriel will take another dinner meeting with me, I can get some answers. I can make sure he’s caught.
I can’t let another woman get hurt because I refuse to stand up for what’s right.
I couldn’t live with myself if I let that happen again. ”
Connor raised a brow. “Again?”
Evelyn tensed and waved a hand in the air. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t stand back and continue to be useless.”
Connor cradled Evelyn’s jawline in his hand and grazed the pad of his thumb against her delicate skin. “You are anything but useless. You are amazing and mean too damn much for me to do anything that would put you in danger.”
She swiped her pretty pink lips with her tongue.
Connor stared at her mouth—lips so full and inviting.
He needed just one little taste. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers.
She melted against him and looped her arms around his neck.
The rapid hammer of her heart pounded against his chest. He increased the pressure of his mouth then pulled away, sucking in a shuddering breath.
He didn’t want to push too hard, too fast.
A shy grin lingered on Evelyn’s mouth. “That was nice, but your kiss won’t make me forget what we were discussing. I want to do more to help. Let me have dinner with Gabriel. We’ll take precautions. You can still keep me safe.”
“We can’t risk it.” Keeping one arm around her, he pulled out his phone with his free hand and brought up Ben’s number.
He shot off a text and then pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.
“You’re right, though. Everything we know about Gabriel has to do with Brooklyn—where he lives, where he works, hell, even where he asked you to have dinner.
His townhouse is only a few blocks away from the apartment he grew up in.
I’m convinced the only reason Hayley was found in Manhattan was because Gabriel wanted my friend Mark on the case to mess with me.
Brooklyn is his comfort zone, and chances are he won’t venture out of the that zone for something so important to him.
We need to zero in on these places. Dig below the surface and find out where he likes to spend his time. ”
“But you already went to his home.”
“A guy like that has enough money for more than one house. Chances are they all won’t be under the same name.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket and returned his other arm around Evelyn.
She relaxed against him. “I can’t just sit here and wait for Gabriel to strike again.”
He tried to keep his impatience from showing. He liked this side of Evelyn. The side that melted against him and held his hand. He didn’t want to scare her or force back the timid woman who cowered away from him. “You’re good with computers, right?”
“Yeah, I build websites.”
“How are you with research?”
“Excellent, why?”
“I have Ben digging into some things, but there’s a ton to wade through and only two of us.
Mark is starting to believe me, but he needs to focus on what he finds along Hayley Teller’s trail.
” He brought his hands up to her shoulders and cupped his palms against her warm sweatshirt.
“Help by looking into Gabriel’s past. Try to find anything related to him that strikes the wrong chord and gives off bad vibes. ”
“I can do that. Lacey can help. She’s on every social media site.”
“Perfect. But what we’re looking for might go back further than what Lacey could find on those sites.
Can you dig up information from before every little thing was posted on social media?
” He studied the gleam in her eyes and hoped like hell it meant she was on board with his plan and not still considering meeting Gabriel again.
Her eyebrows dipped, causing her glasses to slide down the bridge of her nose, and she pressed her lips together in an are-you-kidding-me smirk of disapproval. “Yeah. I can do that.”
He chuckled and mentally slapped himself for questioning her abilities.
She was smart, sexy, and when this was all over, he’d find a way to make her his.
“Good. Try to stay inside. Ben and I have some things to do, and then we’re going to keep a set of eyes on Gabriel.
If we can trail him, he might lead us where we need to go. ”
“Why don’t you do that first?”
“I need to do the work and follow the trail. Get the evidence. When I’ve done all that and have nowhere else to go, I’ll follow him. He’s a slippery sonofabitch. If I bank on him taking me to my sister, he’ll lead me to the last place on Earth I want to be.”