But she seemed to be her normal self with Tessa and Faith. They chatted about the stuff they had purchased for her, and Gil gathered they’d raided a clothing store and a pharmacy. He made himself scarce in the kitchen, but he heard Ivy exclaim over a cute dress and some leggings and a T-shirt.
“If we can’t get permission for you to go into your bedroom, we’ll get Morris to let someone in there tomorrow.” Tessa soundedlike she was ready to take Morris on if he didn’t come around to her way of thinking. “We’ll make sure you can get your own things, so we didn’t go crazy at the store. Just the necessities for tonight.”
Gil bit back a chuckle. If the number of bags they brought was them not going crazy, he’d hate to see what would happen if they let loose.
“Thanks, y’all. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” There was a tremor in Ivy’s voice, and Gil forced his feet to stay planted in the kitchen.
“You’re going to be fine.” Faith spoke like she was taking the oath of office. “I know it’s been a long, confusing day. Don’t let Gil keep you up late. Take a shower, put on these comfy jammies, and go to sleep. Luke and I will be back in an hour, and we’ll keep watch.”
“Thank you.”
“What is it?” Tessa must have seen something from Ivy that Gil couldn’t see from his position in the kitchen.
“I’m worried about him.” Ivy had pitched her voice low, but he could still hear her. “Gil needs more than four hours of sleep. It’s been almost a week since he’s had a full night’s sleep.”
“He’s tough, and he’s used to running on inadequate sleep. If it makes you feel better, I’ll mention it to Luke, and Tessa can tell Marty.”
“Marty?”
“Leslie Martin. She’s their office manager/den mother.”
Tessa laughed at that. “True. If I tell Leslie that Gil needs sleep, she’ll nag him until he takes a nap.”
“Would he be able to take a nap?” Ivy asked the question with a mixture of skepticism and hope.
“Oh yeah. We keep weird hours.” Tessa wasn’t wrong about that. “If we’re busy, it’s not unusual for us to catch an hour or twoof shut-eye in the middle of the day on a sofa in the office. Takes less time than going home. And, weirdly, we can sometimes rest better in the office because we know we’re right there and can be back in the game immediately if we’re needed.”
“Thanks.”
“Is something else bothering you? We don’t have to hurry away. If you need to talk...”
“There’s a dead man in my bedroom, Faith. A lot of other things are bothering me. I haven’t been this overwhelmed since my dad died. If someone had told me one week ago that I would be held against my will, have a man snap my fingers with his bare hands, then burn me repeatedly, that I would be rescued by my childhood best friend, shoot the man who tortured me only for him to have a heart attack later and die . . .”
She paused for a breath but kept going immediately. “That I would be reunited with Gil and Emily, something I’ve both wanted and been terrified of, only to have someone try to snatch me in broad daylight out of a restaurant. Oh, and let’s not forget I’ve now spent time in a jail and a US Secret Service office, neither of which I’d ever stepped foot in before, so that’s not weird at all. Not to mention my new, er, um, well ... that Gil would be ready to have a throw down with Ab, and my family is being investigated as possibly being behind these attacks, all of which has driven Gil into what I can only hope is not typical, overly possessive behavior, leading me to have a fight with him. A fight! Over him trying to keep me safe. Seriously? How ridiculous is that anyway?”
No one responded to her obviously rhetorical question, not that she gave them time to. “And I made him so mad, he stayed away all day until the moment a lunatic decided to open fire in a hotel lobby in an effort to kidnap me, again. All of which ledto you”—at this point, she must have been indicating Tessa and Faith—“throwing me into a car with your men, who whisked me away to your apartment where they kept me safe while you sorted out the mess at the hotel. Then, when we finally agree I can go home, I can’t because there’s a dead man in my bedroom!”
Ivy’s voice had gotten higher and higher as she spoke. She reined it in enough to modulate her pitch before she carried on. “And let’s not forget the whole reason Gil and Zane walked into my house in the first place was because somehow my company deposited counterfeit money, and no one is even talking about that. If someone walked in and told me Martians had made contact and wanted me to help them design prosthetics for their alien army, I wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, I would be relieved, because at least that might make some kind of weird sense. And sense is something currently in very short supply.”
No one spoke. Gil eased toward the end of the counter and peeked around the corner. From his position, Ivy’s back was to him. Faith and Tessa were sitting across from her, and he could see their faces. They were staring at Ivy with identical worried expressions.
Ivy’s shoulders slumped, and her face fell forward into her hands. “I’m sorry. That was—”
Faith and Tessa moved fast, and they huddled around Ivy. “That was brilliant.” Tessa patted Ivy’s back.
“It was,” Faith agreed. “We’re all idiots for not being more sensitive to how much you’ve been through in the past few days. It’s more than anyone should have to handle.”
The three women sat in a huddle for a solid minute before Tessa spoke. “Are you sure you’re okay here with Gil? If you’ve been fighting—”
“I want to be here.” Ivy’s words were garbled, probably becauseshe was still leaning forward with her face in her hands. “There’s nowhere else I want to be. Gil...”
Faith lifted her head, and her gaze locked onto Gil’s. She frowned but didn’t give away his presence.
“Gil’s the only good thing...” Ivy sat up. “Not that I’m not thrilled to have gotten to know you and Luke and Zane. And of course I’m ecstatic to have reconnected with Emily. But Gil...”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, and Gil couldn’t hear what she said next. Whatever it was, both Tessa and Faith leaned closer and gave her a hug.
Faith took charge. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to leave you with Gil. Luke and I will be back in an hour, and when we get back, I expect you to be in bed. I promise I’ll send Gil to bed immediately after we arrive. Luke and I will stay until five. That will give Gil a little bit more time to sleep. Sound good?”
