“The fuck she isn’t, you hulking excuse of a…” he sputters as Gabe gives him a look that could bend steel.
My father interrupts. “Marty, she needs a rest. All of that can be rescheduled. Go get some sleep, Gem.”
Marty’s face is bright red. “John, do you know how much work it took to…”
I can hear him fussing at my dad as Gabe leads me away, but right now I don’t care.
“I should be furious at you,” I murmur as I step into the elevator.
“Feel free to get as mad as you want.” He smirks and I feel a tingle run through my body.
This man. This fucking beautiful, infuriating man.
Chapter Twelve
Gabe
One thing that I learned in the military is that there is always more to the story…always. Someone’s hiding something. -Gabe
It takes every bit of self-control I have to leave Gemma in her bed alone. Her blue eyes had beckoned me to stay as I quietly tucked her in, but I could see she was clearly exhausted. The lastthing I need is for us to do something she’ll regret later. I want her to be clear with exactly what she wants when we finally make love. And we will. There’s no doubt in my mind now.
I stand at the door to her bedroom with my forehead pressed against the door. The vulnerability she showed to me on the plane…I’ve never felt so much for another person before. I’m starting to realize that she could be worth losing this job over. She could be worth everything.
“Got it bad, uh?” A deep voice asks from the couch in the living room of the suite.
Fuck.Now that we’re here in Cupid City, some of the other guys have come from Heartline headquarters to help out.
I slowly lift my head and turn around. King Wilder sits with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as he watches me.
I pretend to straighten my suit jacket. “Nothing going on here, King. Just making sure everything is secure in the bedroom.”
He snorts. “Yep, sure, and that’s why you looked like you were about to pound your head against the door in frustration.”
I sigh and run my hand through my hair. “It’s complicated.”
He cocks his mouth up in a smirk. “Isn’t it always?” He grabs a magazine off the coffee table and leans back. “I’ve got it from here. You go do what you need to do.”
What I need is Gemma and some rest in that order, but I’ll settle for getting some answers to questions I have.
A few minutes later, I stand in front of Gemma’s father who paces back and forth. Marty, the asshole, stands in a corner with his arms folded.
“You know who the guy was?” John Sparks asks in a frustrated voice. “Why don’t the cops have him in custody yet? You know the note we received today.”
I can hear the anxiety in his voice, and I sympathize. Gemma’s father looks as exhausted as I feel, and he bunches his fists by his side as he walks around his small suite. His suit is rumpled, andhis grey hair stands up in spikes. Usually, the man is completely put together. It would be unnerving for Gemma to see him like this, so I hope he can get his shit together. The note that arrived in her suite before we got here simply saidCan’t wait to see you soon. Always, yours.We knew immediately it was from her stalker so he’s obviously nearby. Where is the mystery.
“We know who he is, but he’s gone underground. His name is Brian Ackerman. He has a history of stalking, reaching back to his high school days. Even went to jail for a little while and once to an institution when he pled guilty by reason of insanity.”Fuck, I want to get him more than anyone. Unfortunately, not even Highline’s intelligence has been able to find him. There’s got to be a reason for that. Someone has to be helping him.
“He never hurt anyone though, right?” Marty asks in a high-pitched voice. “Just followed some women around, right?”
My gaze snaps to him. “Yeah, just fuckin’ scared some women to death, Marty. Isn’t that lovely?”
The scummy red-headed man rolls his eyes. I haven’t liked this guy since the beginning and now my radar is going off. Something is weird with him. I looked up his history and couldn’t find anything damning, but I never ignore my spidey senses and right now they’re going off like crazy.
John Sparks sends Marty a nasty look. “What kind of question is that, Marty? I don’t want my girl scared or hurt.” He cocks his head to the side. “Why don’t you go check on the concert venue? Maybe do your job?”
Marty sends him a slimy grin. “Sure thing, boss. You got it.” He gives him a mock salute and I watch the sleazebag leave the room with narrowed eyes.
“I’ve never liked that guy,” John says when Marty is finally gone. “But Gemma feels some sense of loyalty to him because he started out with her when she was just playing local stuff.” He shrugs. “I suppose he’s harmless, but he’s still a fuckin’ nitwit.”
