| |
Gabriel
––––––––
Gabe looked over at Virginia, taking in her disheveled hair and worried expression. It was the first time he’d seen her look anything other than perfectly composed. Her expression was raw, one of genuine concern as she looked toward the door of the room where the vet was performing X-rays on Fred. How odd it was, seeing everything he was feeling on her face.
“Thank you,” he said into the quiet waiting room.
She turned questioning eyes to him. “What happened, Gabe?”
It was the first time she’d called him by his given name. He blamed the emotionally charged moment for the tiny frisson of pleasure it gave him.
“Someone was in my room. Fred and I gave chase.”
Her eyes widened. “Someone was in your room? Who? Why?”
Excellent questions, both. “I don’t know. I didn’t get a look at his face. He was dressed in black and wore a hoodie.”
“Oh, my God.”
He hated that look of fear he saw in her eyes. Wanted desperately to remove it. Visions of pulling her into his arms and sheltering her against him assaulted his mind’s eye, unbidden.
He pushed them away before they had a chance to settle in, redirecting his focus toward something more beneficial, like reviewing the events of the evening instead.
“Why did you come down to your office so late?”
She blinked, then sighed. “After you left, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I decided I might as well put the time to good use by going over everything again. I feel like I’m missing something, but I don’t know what.”
There was no point in asking her why she hadn’t been able to sleep; he already knew the answer. When he’d left her room, he hadn’t exactly felt tired, either.
“Perhaps it’s better if you don’t go wandering around at night, at least for the time being.”
“This is insane!” she said, shaking her head. “I live there. It’s my home.”
“Consider the circumstances, Ms. Miller.”
“The intruder wasn’t in my room,” she said irritably, then shook her head and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I know you’re just trying to help. I just . . . I want this to be over. For things to get back to normal.”
He understood her frustration. She was tired. She was worried. She was surrounded by people who treated her with disdain. Her only champion was MIA, and she was unsure of what the future held for her—yet more reasons why he needed to complete this mission and get out as soon as possible, before he started entertaining ridiculous notions of being part of that future. Besides, once she discovered how he planned to use Christos as a means to get to Darius, chances were she wouldn’t want anything to do with him.
Until then, however, he wanted—no, needed—to keep her safe.
He exhaled. “Like it or not, you are involved with some very dangerous people.”
“Gregory and the others can be rude and condescending, but I’ve never feared for my safety. And Chris is not like his father. You don’t know him.”
“No, I don’t. But I do know he’s not as clean as you think he is. And I think that deep down, you know it, too.”
She shook her head.
He clenched his jaw. “Reality check, Ms. Miller. No one simply vanishes, not without a hell of a lot of careful planning, and not without help.”
She looked up at him and blinked as the implications sank in. “You think someone in the house is responsible? But who?” Her face paled. “You don’t think I had anything to do with this mess, do you?”
Virginia stared at him, awaiting an answer. When he said nothing, she inhaled, lifting her chin and sitting taller in her seat. “I see.”
She hadn’t touched him, yet it felt like a slap across the face. “Ms. Miller, for what it’s worth, no, I don’t think you’re involved, but the cold, hard truth is, no one has been categorically eliminated.”
“Fair enough,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the door. The way she swallowed and blinked rapidly did nothing to alleviate the heavy weight on his chest. He wanted to say or do something, but offering comfort wasn’t in his wheelhouse, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to lie just to make her feel better.
They sat in a tense, awkward silence until the young technician came out and told them the vet wanted to speak with them. They followed her back to one of the rooms, the smell of antiseptic hanging heavy in the air.
Fred was lying on his side, his face partially shaved, revealing stitches. Another technician remained close to the table; the male vet was at the sink, washing his hands.
Fred’s eyes focused on Gabe first, then went to Virginia; his tail thumped sluggishly.
“He was a very good patient,” the technician reported, moving aside to make room for Virginia, who went directly over to Fred and began to stroke him gently. Fred’s eyes closed and he visibly relaxed beneath her touch.
“Is he going to be okay?” Gabe asked.
The vet turned to them, drying his hands. “He’s got a cracked rib and severe bruising along the left shoulder. We stitched up the cut over his eye. He’ll need to take it easy for a few days, but he’ll make a full recovery. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Someone came into the house,” Virginia answered. “He was trying to protect us. He’s such a brave boy.”
“Then I’d say he’s earned a rest. We’d like to keep him overnight for observation.”
Fred picked up his head and whimpered as if in protest.
“No,” Gabe said immediately.
The doc looked at Virginia, as if appealing to her. She glanced at Gabe and must have seen the determination in his eyes, because she offered a weak smile. “I think he’d be more comfortable with us. We’ll take good care of him.”
The doc nodded. “All right. Bring him back in a week for a follow-up. Until then, no excitement, no running, no jumping, and plenty of extra treats.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
The vet accepted the hand Virginia held out to him. “You’re welcome, Mrs. Michaels.”
The address incited a riot of panic in Gabe’s chest, making his adrenaline surge and his heart beat faster. Gabe had been the one to fill out the paperwork while Virginia mothered over Fred. It was perfectly reasonable on the vet’s part to assume that he and Virginia were a couple.
Gabe’s eyes sought out Virginia’s, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was looking at the vet, a rosy blush painting her cheeks, features soft with gratitude.
“Ms.,” she corrected. “Commander Michaels is staying with us temporarily,” she hastened to explain.
“I see.” The guy held on to Virginia’s hand—a little too long, in Gabe’s opinion. He didn’t much care for the interest in his eyes or the way his lips turned up at the corners, either.
The vet pulled a card out of his white pocket and wrote on the back. “This is my private number. Please don’t hesitate to call with questions or if something seems off.”
“I will, Doctor. Thank you.”
Gabe had seen enough. “Can we go now?”
“Yes, of course.”
Gabe carefully picked up Fred and carried him out to the car, laying him gently across the backseat. Instead of sitting up front as he’d hoped, Virginia sat with Fred.
They didn’t speak during the ride back to the estate. Gabe checked the rearview mirror often, but each time, Virginia was either looking down at Fred or out the window.
Dawn was still several hours away when they got back. Virginia looked worn out. Fred was sleeping peacefully. Gabe wanted answers, and the sooner, the better.
“Ms. Miller.”
“Yes?” Her voice was chilly. Detached. So different from the warmth he’d come to expect.
“Fred really should have someone looking after him today. Would you mind?”
She turned surprised eyes his way, possibly waiting for him to bring up the package deal thing again. He wouldn’t. He had things he needed to do, and he would feel much better knowing Virginia and Fred were looking out for one another. It would also give him the perfect excuse to pop in occasionally.
“Of course, he can stay with me. I doubt I’ll get much accomplished today anyway.”
Gabe carried Fred to her room, where she proceeded to use a multitude of pillows and blankets to create a comfy nest on the floor. She didn’t say much to him, but she did maintain a running monologue with Fred. She told him what she was doing, how they would get to spend the day together, even explained apologetically that while she would love to have him on her bed, she didn’t want him to exacerbate his injuries by jumping up or down.
Gabe’s heart squeezed when Virginia made up a little nest for herself on the floor right next to Fred’s.
“Get some rest,” he commanded roughly.
She nodded wearily. “We will. You probably should, too.”
He would. Eventually. “I’ll check in later. Make sure you lock the door behind me.”