“CAISEY.” GABE SHOOK his head. “Does Jenna even know about this?”
Caisey rolled her eyes. “You think I told her that her boyfriend was a spineless jerk who left her high and dry? She had enough of that from her own dad. She didn’t need it from Nic.”
“What happened with her dad?”
Caisey folded her arms. “Seriously, Nic? Now you decide to care?”
“Tell me what happened.”
“Her mom kicked her out. Her dad didn’t stick up for her; he just let her walk, like being homeless and pregnant at seventeen was no sweat.”
Nic ran a hand down his face. “What happened to her?”
“My dad brought her to my house. She’s been living with us ever since.”
“And J-Jake?” Nic’s voice broke, like just saying the name of his son broke his heart.
“Smart, so smart. For some reason he actually wants to study. It’s like everything he reads sticks in his head. It’s so full I’m surprised it doesn’t explode.”
Nic closed his eyes. Gabe laughed and clapped his cousin on the shoulder. “Sounds like genius runs in the family.”
Nic shook his head. “It’s not genius, just eidetic memory.”
“Yeah, that’s what the doctor said.” Caisey glanced between them and then settled on Nic. “You have it?”
“Yeah, I have it, though it’s not common knowledge.”
“I’m sure it isn’t.” Caisey’s chin lifted. “No doubt your dad would find some way to exploit a son who could do that. Or a grandson.”
Nic ran a hand down his face. “I want to know, but asking would make not seeing them worse. But, I need to…Are they okay? Is Jenna doing okay?”
**
Caisey studied him and Gabe prayed with every bit of faith he had that she would answer the question. “She’s busy, she loves her work. She loves Jake.”
“But…”
“Do you really want to know this?”
Nic was silent, so Gabe said, “Life is way too short. You know that, I know that. We don’t want Holden finding out about Jake, but if we do it right he won’t ever have to.”
Caisey shook her head. “I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”
“Case, I get that something horrible happened to you, but that doesn’t mean it will happen to Jake.”
“It happened to you.” Her lips pressed into a fine line. “And what about Jenna, or my Grams?”
“What’s the alternative? What if you’re hindering something that could be perfect for her?”
Caisey shook her head. “I don’t want Jenna anywhere near him.”
“Nic or his dad?”
Her face got red. “Either of them.”
Nic shook his head. “My dad really did a number on you, didn’t he?”
Her head whipped around and her eyes narrowed on Nic. “You don’t get to talk about that. And it wasn’t just me, he tried to kill Gabe just days ago. Why do you think he looks like that?”
Nic blew out a breath. “I wanted to tell him about Jenna and he dragged me into that room with you. I’m just glad the least of what he made me do was carrying you to the car so they could take you home.”
“Take me home?” Caisey laughed, but the sound held no humor. “They pushed me out at an intersection downtown in broad daylight, for everyone to see. Do you have any idea how much it hurt when I hit the pavement?”
Nic flinched. “I didn’t know that part.”
Gabe wanted to touch her, but she looked like she’d snap. “You need to tell Jenna what you did.”
“What I did?” Her eyes were wide, her breath coming fast. “I kept my family safe from him.”
Nic’s head whipped from side to side. “I’m not the bad guy here.”
“Maybe not, but you have a direct line to the one who is.”
“What am I supposed to do about that, huh?”
“Oh I don’t know.” Caisey put her forefinger on her chin. “How about, take your family somewhere else where he won’t find you? Live your life. Make them happy. Protect them so I don’t have to spend every second of every day and night figuring out ways someone might get to them so I can keep them safe.”
“All of a sudden you want to quit?”
“No, Nic. It’s my job and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But it’s supposed to be you doing this. Sucks for them you’re too scared.”
Nic’s hands were fisted by his sides. “My sister Gloria left six months before I met Jenna. She was a few years older than me. You remember her, Gabe?”
He nodded. Gloria had been all smiles and laughter. She made Christmas at their house worth it.
“Gloria disappeared, rumor was she took off with her college boyfriend and got married in Vegas. One day she was having dinner with us and the next day her closet was cleaned out and she was gone.”
Caisey huffed. “And you’re telling us this fun story because…?”
“Because Gloria’s new husband was killed in a random drive-by, gunned down outside his office building and suddenly Gloria was home again. She stayed in her room all the time, crying, while Dad strode around like he was king of the world. She killed herself two weeks later. She didn’t want to bring a baby into our family.”
Caisey’s eyes flashed. “So you went out, armed with this precious knowledge, and got Jenna pregnant?”
“It wasn’t supposed to—I didn’t even know that happened. She should have told me.”
“You broke up with her and she was devastated.” Caisey sighed. “I’m so sorry about your sister, that shouldn’t have happened. But my only concern is my family.” She turned to Gabe. “Nic cannot have contact with them. They either disappear like you did, or he never sees them. And since I doubt Jenna would agree to give up their whole lives that leaves us one option. No contact.”
“But he found us.” Gabe blew out a breath. “He sent those two guys dressed as cops.
It’s not like they’ll be safe anywhere else.”
“They’ll never be safe from Holden, period. And neither will you.”
Gabe winced. “But Nic is Jake’s father. If it’s what he wants, shouldn’t Nic have the chance to see what can be between him and Jenna?”
Caisey shook her head. “It’s too risky. You shouldn’t have come here.”
Nic clapped his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “I’d like to say it was good to see you, but— ” He tipped his head in Caisey’s direction. “As much as I hate to say it, she’s right.”
**
Caisey walked to her car, aware Gabe was right behind her.
“You’re just going to walk away? You’re not going to do anything?”
She spun around. “You already tried to run, and I’m sorry it was my fault he found you in Buckshot. But if my dad couldn’t get enough for your uncle to finally be convicted of something, who can?”
“There has to be something we can do.”
“There isn’t.”
“I don’t buy that.” Gabe’s face was flushed.
She understood his anger, she just processed hers differently. Which was why her hand hurt like she’d hit a brick wall. Why did Nic’s jaw have to be so hard?
“We have to take him down. We can’t live with this over our heads.”
Caisey shook her head. “How do you propose we do that? I’m not a miracle worker.”
“You’re an FBI agent. You can’t do anything about this?”
“I can see if anyone has an open investigation. I can put out some feelers and see what I can dig up that might get what we need. But prison won’t take away his power.”
“Then what’s the point of it?”
She folded her arms. “It’s justice. That’s the point.”
“Like condemning my dad?”
Caisey studied him. Did he regret what he did? His dad was a bad guy too, but nowhere near the scale of Gabe’s uncle. Which gave her an idea. “What about your dad?”
“My dad?”
“Would he help us solve the problem of your uncle?”
“Like testify?”
Caisey shrugged. “It’s been a lot of years. Maybe he really did find God in prison and now that he’s dying, maybe he’ll be willing to tell us what he knows. Give us something on your uncle’s operation that we can corroborate.”
Gabe frowned. “Are you always this calculating?”
“I call it problem solving. Some people think it’s a good thing.” She sighed. “But we’ll still have to take steps to stay safe.”
“Like warning away your best friend’s boyfriend? Maybe you were just freaked out because of what happened to you that you wanted to keep her safe all on your own and wouldn’t trust it to anyone else.”
Caisey’s stomach knotted. “That’s not what it was. You make it sound selfish. I loved having them with me and I wouldn’t have it any other way, and there is no way on earth I could have known Jenna’s family would kick her out. But we made it work.”
Gabe’s mouth thinned. “Well, now you need to make this work.”
“Why is everything my responsibility?”
“Because you’re the one who’s kept them both safe all these years. Now it’s time to give them a future, and in the process give yourself one.”
“I can’t even think about that now.”
“You deserve more than the limbo you’ve been living in, hiding just like me. You don’t think I don’t see it? You guard your heart so fiercely I wonder that it even works at all.”
Caisey flinched. He really thought that? Like somehow she was defective because she’d chosen to be an agent and all these years later she was still single? She strode to her car door and opened it, staring at him across the roof. “Thank you very much for your insight, Gabe. I’ll take it under advisement.”
His face softened. “Case—”
“No. It’s fine. You’re right. It’s time I got on with my life. Clearly the one I’m living isn’t good enough for you.”