“I know you wouldn’t,” she says. “I miss you. I really miss you. How could they still be holding you so long when I know you wouldn’t have attacked that cop? There’s no way. They’re just trying to pin it on someone.”
They continue to utter lovey-dovey words to each other, all while Richard does his best to play the role of an innocent man.
“I’m sorry, but the time you have is up,” I say when I feel like he’s buried himself deep enough into this persona of being a loving and wonderful man who would do anything for the love of his life.
“No, please, just a little longer,” he begs.
“I…” I tap the paper. “There are circumstances that would allow you to speak a little longer and give you more freedom.”
He looks down at the paper, absolutely fixated on it.
Whitaker… it is easiest to manipulate those who are at the absolute brink… but they’re also the easiest to sway when they finally see something good in their lives.
He should have learned that with Jesse.
It’s fascinating to watch what true love does as Richard picks up the pencil and writes down an address.
“Thank you,” I say, quickly putting my hand over it the very instant he’s done writing and sliding it over to me. The desire to bolt out of the room is racing through me. I have the address. I need to go. I need to run. I want him to shut the fuck up with all of his cooing and bullshit?—
The door opens and Donna comes in. “I’ll take over here,” she offers, and I’m confident it’s the first decent thing that’s come out of her mouth.
I stand up, and as I do, I draw a simple line over the paper that Richard handed me. If anyone watches the security feed, it ought to look like the pencil merely slipped, but it should be hidden by my body. Then I hurry out the door and pass the paper to Michaels.
“We got something,” I say.
He smiles at me. “I didn’t know you had it in you to pretend to be nice, Paige.”
“Right? I… I have to check on Gabriel. I’ll be right behind you. I’ll be right there. I just…”
“Go,” Michaels says. “We have this, Paige. You are extremely essential to this team, but we’re not going to fall to dust if you step away for an emergency.”
That’s good because I’m done after this. I’m done. I’ll go back to that fucking diner. I’ll rot there and keep Gabriel safe by staying out of his life.
As I step out, I gather my personal phone and see that I have a message from Jesse telling me that Gabriel is out of surgery and doing well. Relief washes through me. So much relief. But he won’t truly be okay until Whitaker is dead.
I get into my car and quickly head toward the real address. It’s about forty minutes from here, and I know that it’ll take them longer to get assembled and reach the wrong address. Really… turning that 9 into an 8 will send them heading to a completely different road.
There’s nothing now keeping me away from this man.
My phone rings, and I see that it’s Jesse. For a moment, I debate not answering it, but he might have something about Gabriel.
“Hello.”
“Don’t you dare go alone,” Jesse says.
“Go where? I just got the address from Richard. We need to get everything sorted out?—”
“You’re blaming yourself for all of this. You talk about how weak these people are who were manipulated by Whitaker, and yet you let him manipulate you as well?”
“Manipulation is not what has happened here,” I snap. “He hurt Gabriel and he’s going to be arrested because of it.”
“Yeah? So you’re just going to destroy what you have because of what happened? Gabriel’s awake, begging me to find you. What are you going to do, Liam? Because I was just talking to Michaels and he said you’re not at the department and Matthew said you’re not at the hospital.”
“Feel free to tell them that I ran off alone. I don’t give a fuck,” I say.
“Well, I do.” And then he hangs up the phone.
I toss my phone on the passenger seat as my mind flashes back to Gabriel who is lying in that bed, and the second I do, everything hurts. I don’t know what to do with these emotions,so I shove them down and try my hardest to lock them away. I bring the rage to the forefront, but when my phone starts ringing again and I see that it’s Gabriel, my stomach squeezes. Is it really him? Is it his mom?
