Would they still be living in the city, or would they have moved to the peaceful quiet of the country like the two of them had talked about? Would they have had another child by now?
Would the son we lost have had Elle’s eyes?
“Dawson? You still there?”
Shit.“Yeah.” Gabe shook his head to clear the cobwebs from his past. “Sorry.”
“You know, there’s a chance Walker’s just screwing with you for the fun of it.”
“That’s not what’s happening here, Jake.”
His boss paused a moment. “You seem very sure of that.”
“I am.”
“Because?”
“Because a few weeks ago, she told a friend of hers she thought she was being followed. Since then, someone’s taken a shot at her while she was riding her bike and now the car wreck. That’s two so-called accidents in as many weeks. Plus you and I both know that asshole isn’t the type of guy to waste his time on some bullshit prank.”Not to mention my gut is screaming like a fucking banshee.“Someone’s after her, Jake. I just need to figure out who.”
“We also need to figure out why a man like Adrian Walker would give you a heads up about it,” Jake added with a curious tone. “Do yourself a favor and call your team. Tell them everything you know up to this point.”
“So we’re going forward with this?”
Understanding what Gabe was asking, his boss said, “I’ve officially assigned this as Bravo’s priority. Until you figure out what the hell’s going on with your wife, it’s the team’sonlyjob. Be sure to update them with any pertinent intel as the situation changes and keep me in the loop.”
“Yes, sir.”
“In the meantime, sit down with Ellena. Have her tell you everything she can remember about the two accidents, as well as why she thought she was being followed.”
“Copy that.” Gabe thanked his boss one last time and ended the call. Then he thought about his team.
They already knew about his fucked-up marriage, but they didn’t understand just how much Elle truly meant to him.
Gabe knew the only way for that to happen was to tell them the truth. Thewholetruth.
The pressure in his chest increased.
Get the fuck over yourself and focus on what’s important.
Goddamnit. The voice in his head was right. This wasn’t about him. It was about keeping Ellena safe.
Glancing toward the stairs, Gabe thought about the stubborn woman who’d just stormed her way up them. She’d made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want him here. Although that shouldn’t come as a surprise, it still hurt like a motherfucker.
It didn’t matter. Her safety still trumped everything, including his own pride.
With that in mind, he tapped in Nate’s number and put the phone back to his ear. The other man answered on the first ring.
“Hey, Dawson. I was wondering when you were gonna call.”
“Find anything?”
A loud sigh hit Gabe’s ear. “You’re always such a peach when you call, you know that?”
Gabe bit his tongue and indulged the prick. “Hello, Nate. How are you?”
“I’m great, actually,” Nate responded cheerfully. “It was so sweet of you to ask.”
“Nathan…”
