In the chair across from him, Ellena swallowed a bite of chocolate pie before speaking.
“This is really good.” She licked some whipped cream from her lips. “Thank you.”
“I’d say you’re welcome, but Kole’s the one to thank for the pie.” Gabe wiped his mouth and smirked. “Actually, I’m pretty sure Lexi Matthews is the one to thank.”
“Lexi?”
“She’s married to one of the guys on R.I.S.C.’s Alpha Team. Lex owns The Gardens. It’s a pretty popular restaurant in the city.”
“Oh.” Elle took another bite of the heavenly goodness. “I bet she keeps you guys fed pretty well then, huh?”
He chuckled. “We don’t often go hungry, that’s for sure.”
A few seconds of awkward silence passed before they both started talking at the same time.
“So I talked to—”
“Have you heard from—”
They both chuckled as Gabe gave her a nod. “You first.”
Smiling, Ellena sat her fork down. “I was just going to ask if you’d heard anything from Nate about my computer.”
“As a matter of fact, I did. He texted right after you fell asleep. He’s pretty confident he’ll be able to recover all of your files.”
“Really?”
He swallowed his drink of water. “Said he’d bring it by later.”
“Wow. I assumed it was a lost cause.”
“With anyone else, it probably would be. But Nate’s a…”
“A computer genius?” She finished for him with a smirk.
Gabe’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “Exactly.”
“I’ll go through those folders again after we’re done eating, and then when Nate gets here, I’ll start going through all of my electronic files. See if anything stands out.”
Ellena took another bite of the pie, her mind wandering with the insanity of it all.
Here she was, hiding away in the middle of nowhere with a man she’d intended to divorce, all because someone wanted her dead. She had no idea who it was or why, and now she was tasked with trying to decide if one of her patients was the culprit.
Could it really be someone she knew? Someone she’d tried tohelp?
“I’m sorry.” Gabe’s tender voice broke through her thoughts.
“For what?”
His dark eyes softened with compassion. “I know this is hard, and I hate that you’re going through it.” He looked away, smiling sadly and shaking his head before locking eyes with her again. “I’m sure my being here doesn’t help.”
An emotion she couldn’t quite pinpoint filled her tightening chest. “I told you before I’m glad you’re here, Gabe. Besides…” She offered him a smile. “Who could protect me better than a badass former SEAL, right?”
A ghost of a smile formed on his lips as he stood and went to her. He cupped her cheek. “I’ll protect you with my life, Ellena. Always.”
“I don’t want that, Gabriel.” She stood, covering his hand with hers. “I never wanted that.”
His fingers skimmed across her skin, their soft touch leaving a shivering wake in their path. Tracing her collarbone, he let his hand linger there a moment.
