Pink rose in his cheeks, and I thought it was adorable that Gabriel was so tough in his job yet almost shy when it came to his personal life.
“Aside from the fact that I work for you? I have some questions I need answered.”
“Fair enough.” I crossed my arms. “I’m an open book. Ask away.”
I expected Gabriel to ask me work-related questions—he’d already insinuated I didn’t really need him and therefore was looking ahead to another job. And maybe he was right, although I was still freaked out by that ink bomb and refused to open another package. In my mind, I needed him. But Gabriel surprised me by leaving his seat in the kitchen and joining me on the couch.
“All along, I felt that something didn’t add up.”
Dread crept up my spine, but I kept my cool and my voice from shaking. “What do you mean?”
Gabriel’s brow puckered. “Ronan. You’re a multimillionaire. Why would you need to steal from people? In the beginning, when I heard about your case, I can admit I judged you on your appearance. I figured you were a bad boy with the tattoos and attitude, and just got greedy. But now that I know you better, I can tell that isn’t you at all.”
I grinned. “You mean I’m not a bad boy? Damn, I need to up my game. And I thought you liked my ink.”
Heat flared in Gabriel’s eyes, turning them to a fiery gold. “Yeah, well, that’s not the issue. You’re playing at being that person, but I’ve seen you with those kids in the hospital. You’d have to be made of stone not be affected what they’re going through.”
“So I like kids, sue me. Who wouldn’t feel something after spending time with those kids?” Sweat broke out all over me, and I fidgeted. No way was I going to have this conversation. “Listen. If you want to quit, fine. Go ahead. I’ll give you two months’ pay, and we’ll consider it done.”
Surprise and hurt flashed across Gabriel’s face. “You don’t want to admit it? Okay. But what I can’t figure out is why a guy like you, obviously intelligent, would agree to take the fall and go to jail for something he didn’t do.”
My stomach bottomed out, and I forced a laugh. “Are you high? Or maybe the sex was so amazing, you still can’t think straight. It’s got to be one or—”
“Ronan, shut up. Stop lying to me.” Gabriel’s quiet voice flicked over me like a deadly whip.
“I’m not. I—”
“You did. I heard you.” Stunned, I stared at him mutely. Gabriel, with a tenderness I’d yet to see, shifted beside me and took my shaking hands in his. “The night you tried to destroy everything in the apartment. You were on a phone call with your brother-in-law, weren’t you?” He squeezed my hands tightly. “I’m right, aren’t I? You went to jail to protect your family. He was the one who stole the funds from those people. He emptied out the accounts of the people who trusted him to make investments. All to keep up a lifestyle he couldn’t afford. Am I right? Am I?”
“Shut the fuck up.” I jumped up and tried to get to my room, but Gabriel stood in my way like a fucking tank and refused to move.
“Why? Because your sister let you do it? They lied to you. Why, Ronan? Why did you do it?”
“Stop it.” I swung at him, but he blocked my fist and grabbed me. At his touch, all the fight went out of me, and I sagged against him. Strong arms kept me upright and hugged me tight to his chest. “I thought she loved me,” I whispered into his neck. “She promised…”
“Come.” With his arm supporting me, he took me back to the couch, pulled me to him, and I burrowed into his embrace.
“Don’t…don’t leave. I’m sorry I tried to hit you.”
A chuckle escaped Gabriel. “I’ve had worse happen.” I thought his fingers brushed my hair, but I couldn’t be sure. “So it’s true. You went to prison, but your sister and brother-in-law were the ones who actually embezzled the funds.”
I remembered the day I discovered Marty had been skimming money from client accounts, or in some instances, completely looting the funds.
“What do you mean, the money’s gone?” I pinned him with a hard gaze.
“We were going to talk to you about it.”
“Marty, what the hell is going on?” I made little attempt to lower my voice. “That money is in a trust account for the care of Mrs. Simpson. Where the fuck did it go?”
He flinched. Did I sound menacing? Good. Because this was a potential shit show of epic proportions, and I was not only furious, but scared shitless.
“Shh. Keep your voice down. I’m about to go into a meeting with the Golden account.” He closed the door and returned to sit in front of my desk, facing me with a smile. “I can explain. But first I have some amazing news. Cassie’s pregnant.”
And despite what I’d discovered, my anger softened. Cassie and Marty had tried for years to have a baby after Nicholas. She’d had four miscarriages, and I knew they’d spent tens of thousands of dollars for IVF. Martin confessed they’d lost almost one hundred thousand dollars to an unscrupulous agency who promised to match them with a surrogate. No matter how many scrapes she’d ever gotten herself into, Cassie was my baby sister, and we were all the other had. I’d do anything for her.
“That’s wonderful. How many months?”
“Cassie just finished the first trimester, so we can finally breathe a little easier, but the doctor said she still has to take it easy.” He straightened his crisp white cuffs and adjusted the gold cuff links. “You can imagine how happy we are.”
