Ellena’s footing stalled but she recovered quickly. She knew he was kidding.
Of course, he was kidding.
What if he’s not?
A car turned into the parking lot, its headlights causing her to squint. It drove slowly along the aisle on their right, as if the driver was searching for a place to park.
Mumbling a curse, Gabe pulled her to a stop. “I shouldn’t have said that, Elle. I’m sorry.”
Ellena tilted her head back to look at him. “We’re adults, Gabe. Adults who used to be married.”
His expression intensified. “We’re still married.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I do.”
“We’ve been through a lot together.” She gave him a ghost of a smile. “Too much to have to walk on eggshells, don’t you think?”
Gabe stared down at her, his lips parting sightly as if he wanted to say more. Instead, he continued walking. Half a beat later, he asked, “What if I wasn’t joking?”
“What?”
“Like you said, we’re both adults. Not like we’d be doing anything wrong.”
Her feet stopped moving. Her heart stopped beating. “That’s probably not a good idea.” She wanted to be with him again. God, did she want to.
“Why?” He glanced at her from over his shoulder as he rounded the rear of his car.
Ellena frowned, unable to come up with an appropriate response.
It was a crazy idea.
A crazy, wonderful idea.
“Just something to think about.” Gabe opened the passenger door for her and waited.
Thoughts and enticing possibilities whirled around inside her needy brain. Hugging her computer even closer to her chest, she began moving again.
Her eyes stayed glued to his as she approached the vehicle. And the way he was looking back at her…
He still wants you.
The thought had barely entered her brain when she heard Gabe yell for her to get down.
A heartbeat later, something slammed into her with the force of a rocket, throwing her backward and onto the cold, hard ground.
Pain filled her chest making it impossible to breathe. Several loud explosions mixed with the sound of shattering glass and squealing tires. Silence filled the air, and then suddenly, he was there.
Gabe fell to his knees beside her, terror filling his eyes. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t quite make out was he was saying.
As the world began to fade around her, Ellena finally heard him. He was begging her. Just like that day three years ago, her strong, fearless Gabe was begging her not to leave.
Chapter 8
“That’s enough.” Standing next to Ellena’s bed—anotherfuckinghospital bed—Gabe stared at the other man in the room. “You’ve asked, she’s answered. We both have.”
Sgt. Puett, the man in charge of San Diego’s Major Crimes division, slid a glance from Elle to him. “Your wife was shot at tonight, Mr. Dawson. I’m asking questions because I’m trying to figure out who pulled the trigger and why. I’d think you’d want to do everything you could to help us find them.”
