Chapter Four
Jake studied Gabby as she drained her Moscow mule. Apparently, she’d found her new favorite drink. Strangely, it made him happy that he’d been the one to introduce her to it. He’d bet she had a lot of things in life yet undiscovered. Gabby had a sweet wonder about her he’d never seen before in a grown woman. Especially for the daughter of a mobster. It didn’t add up. Now that she’d agreed to let him help her, her story should be an interesting one to untangle. “Still waiting for that explanation about the statue and how your father is involved, Gabs.”
Dani laid her cup down and slid to the edge of her seat. “Yeah, I’m curious about these statues now, too.”
Gabby took a deep breath and then said, “Okay. So a few months ago, a historian found some old letter and a map in a run-down estate in Europe that told the history of the statue I’m looking for. He’s a good friend of the man I work for at the museum in DC. He told my boss the Son statue had been buried on sacred tribal land here in New Mexico during World War Two to protect it from the Nazis. But apparently the owner died, and the statue is still buried here. There’s supposedly a curse if the two matching statues, the Father and Son, are ever reunited, but we think that’s all a bunch a hooey.”
Dani raised a finger. “It’s not, actually. I got a creepy vibe when I saw the two pieces side by side. But go on.”
Jake said, “Wait. How many people know about this buried statue and the letter?”
“That’s the tricky part. The historian knew how valuable the pieces would be together to an art collector, but that was never going to happen because we had the Father statue in a museum here in the US. He asked around to gauge the interest of some museums in Europe to set a price for us to buy the Son statue, too. So other people know about this so-called find. But the catch is we have the map. He brought us the original to show the Indian Tribal Council so they could see for themselves that it’s real. We’ve already presented the council with a formal request to dig, and in the meantime, we need funding to do the dig right and disturb as little as possible in deference to the sacred land.”
Jake took another drink while he mulled all that over. “Could others have already beat you to it, while you were following all the rules?”
“Maybe, but because the map was timeworn, we had to enlist an expert’s help to pinpoint where the statue is. That took weeks. And we have the top expert in the world working for us at the museum. He was sworn to secrecy.” Gabby held out her cup. “Could I please have another one?”
“Sure.” He stood and grabbed both Gabby’s and Dani’s cups and went into the kitchen. “But be careful how much you drink. The altitude here makes these go down easy and hit hard. You might lose all inhibitions and then get some big ideas about getting in my pants again tonight. But go on, I’m still listening.”
“That’s absolutely not going to happen.” Gabby’s cheeks were still red when she said, “Anyway, we were having trouble getting the funding, so I thought I’d ask my dad for the money and just tell my boss I found an anonymous private donor. So I told my father all of the details. After asking a lot of questions about how valuable these pieces were, he finally gave me the money, but then said he was ‘going dark’ for a bit, which isn’t all that uncommon. Then a few days ago the Father statue from the museum went missing, along with all the copies of the map.”
Dani said, “You think your dad figured out how valuable the statues were as a matched set and decided to steal them both?”
“Looks that way. And my boss, Dean, went on emergency leave right before our statue of the Emperor Father went missing from DC, so I worry my dad has Dean and is going to try to get him to find the Son statue for him before I do. I need to find both statues and return them to the museum in DC where they belong.”
Jake called out from the kitchen, “What if your boss took the statue and the map, and your father had nothing to do with it?”
“Dean loves to preserve history. I don’t think he would do anything like that.” Gabby blinked like a baby owl for a few moments. “But now that you mention it, I guess it could’ve happened that way. I might have jumped to an incorrect conclusion about my father.”
Jake returned to the living room and held out Gabby’s cup. “Either way, how long before your father sends someone to find you? He must know you’d come here.”
“Thanks.” She smiled at him when she accepted the drink.
Gabby had a sweet smile that made the cutest dimples appear.
After she had taken a long drink, she said, “If all went well, they won’t know I’m gone until tomorrow. I was just going to e-mail my aunt to see what’s going on. She lives in the other house on the gated property where I live. She helped me escape.”
He sat in the armchair again. “Could e-mailing your aunt alert your father to where you are?”
“No.” Gabby laid her cup on the coffee table. “We both use the same free e-mail account and write notes to each other but keep them in draft form. If you don’t send an e-mail, it can never be traced.”
Dani’s face lit with surprise. “Really? I had no idea you could do that.”
Gabby nodded. “It’s how my father and I communicate, too. Technically on the grid, but not.”
So that’s how they stayed in touch. And how she’d never been seen with her father but remained a part of his life. But she’d just admitted she might have made an assumption about her dad. Maybe he wasn’t the one who stole the statue. It could be her boss who was behind the theft and was planning to sell both pieces to a private investor himself. He could’ve already beaten them to the dig site. Either way, Gabby might be in danger if she showed up at the site alone. “What happens when your father’s men come looking for you? What will they do if they find you?”
“They will find me eventually, I suppose. Then they’ll force me to go home.” Gabby sighed. “These few days of freedom without guards have been amazing.”
The forlorn expression on her face killed him. “We’ll go first thing in the morning. How far is the hike?”
“About three miles. The GPS on my phone should take us to the exact location. But I don’t have snow gear, so I might have to risk going into town to get some before we go. My father’s men, if they already know I’m gone, will be staking out the town for sure, so it’s risky. But I need to get to the statue first.”
Dani said, “I have boots and snow pants in the closet. You’re welcome to use anything you find.” Then she finished her drink. “But I’m beat, so you two need to take it into the other room now so I can go to sleep.”
He wasn’t looking forward to sharing the bed with a beautiful woman he couldn’t make love to, but at least he’d know if she tried to sneak out. He was a light sleeper. “Sounds good. Ready to hit the hay, Red?”
“Okay. But no touching, Jake. I mean it.” Gabby finished off her drink and then took all the cups to the kitchen.
While Gabby loaded the dishwasher, Dani whispered, “She’s so sweet, Jake. And she trusts you. What will you do about her father if you cross paths? He’s a dangerous, wanted man.”
He nodded. “Gabby’s problems are more urgent to me than her father’s at this point. The Feds haven’t been able to catch her father for years. He’s wanted for money laundering and racketeering. But if I come in contact with Moretti, I have to detain him. It’s my job to throw criminals with outstanding warrants in jail. You know that.” He stood and went to the bedroom to get ready and tried not to think about Gabby’s innocent Bambi eyes or her pretty smile. He didn’t want to hurt her, either. He hoped Gabby’s father kept his distance. That way he wouldn’t have to make that decision.
The door to the bedroom stood open, so Gabby took that as an all-clear sign for her to enter. She didn’t want to catch Jake undressing or anything. Well, she wouldn’t mind just an innocent peek—he was a handsome man, after all. Built like a soccer player, with muscular legs and a strong chest.
Jake was lying on his back in bed with an ice pack over his forehead. His bare chest proved just how nicely developed it was, from what she could see above the blankets. Hopefully, he didn’t sleep in the nude. That’d be too much temptation to bear.
After she got done in the bathroom, she circled to the empty side of the bed and quietly crawled under the covers. She propped herself against the headboard with her laptop and sat beside Jake. He smelled like toothpaste and temptation.
She needed to think about something else.
She logged in to the e-mail account she shared with her aunt Suzy and read the note her aunt had left for her.
Still quiet here. You okay?
Gabby replied:
Yes. Going to look for the statue in the morning. No word from dad?
She switched over to her father’s e-mail to see if he’d left any notes. The one drawback to communicating in draft e-mails was if the other person wasn’t online, the communication went slowly. Although her aunt Suzy always checked the mail before she went to bed, so Gabby was hopeful she’d log in and wait up a bit to hear from her.
Her father hadn’t written anything, so he must not know yet she was missing.
She switched back to her aunt’s account. Suzy had left her a note. Now they could talk live. Gabby smiled as she read her beloved Italian aunt’s broken English.
No a peep from your father. But tomorrow be interesting when they figure out what you done.
Gabby typed:
I know. Crossing fingers they won’t find me at the site. Hopefully, I’ll get the statue and can get right back to the museum with it.
What? For you papa to steal again? You need better plan.
Good point. Better think on that. Sweet dreams.
You too, amore. Be safe.
Will do.
Jake said, “You do need a better plan.”
“Hey.” She quickly slapped her laptop closed. “That’s private.”
“You’re sitting right next to me. If you want privacy, go somewhere else. I told you I’m the curious sort.”
“More like the bossy and nosy sort. How’s the head?” She reached out and lifted the ice pack. “It’s all kinds of icky colors. But the swelling doesn’t look too bad now.”
After she had replaced the ice pack, he said, “Thank you, Doctor. So how exactly did you slip away from all your bodyguards?”
She reached out and turned off the lamp beside her. Soft moonlight streaked in through the small openings in the blinds as she snuggled into her pillow and faced Jake. “Did you ever do that thing when you were a kid where you’d tell your mom you were spending the night at a friend’s and then your friend would say she’s spending the night at your house, and then you both stay out all night?” She hadn’t been old enough to do that with her mom before she’d died, but she’d done similar things at boarding school.
Jake grunted. “I didn’t have parents who gave a crap where I was at night, but I get the concept.”
That tugged at her heart. “Why didn’t they care?”
“They were out committing crimes themselves, most likely. Go on.”
She hated the sadness in his eyes. “Well, my dad doesn’t trust many people, but he trusts me. Maybe not so much after this, but then that’s his own fault for stealing the statue. Anyway, he’s terrible with computers. I often have to fix his for him.”
“Wait.” Jake held up a finger. “Earlier you said you and your father are never seen together.”
“We aren’t. My aunt and I are my father’s only living relatives. To keep us both safe, we changed our names and live in a gated, guarded property that my dad owns through one of his corporations. He has a bunch of companies that look like other people own them. Anyway, his driver parks in the garage at my aunt’s house when he comes to dinner on Sundays so no one ever sees my father. I sneak through our connecting backyards and join them for dinner.”
“Really?” Jake’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Every Sunday?”
“Yeah. If he’s in town. Why does that surprise you? A lot of families do that.”
“Huh. I just wouldn’t think a guy like—”
“I know. My dad has a bad reputation, but he loves me. And I love him.”
“Why?” Jake rolled over and faced her. “How can you love someone like that? Your mom and your brother died in retaliation for things he did, and you have to live with guards and a huge secret, and yet you can still love him?” Jake’s voice had gotten louder by the second. “That makes no sense, Red!”
“Shhhh. You’ll wake Dani.” She laid a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it to calm him. “I understand how you feel. I had some of those same thoughts, too, of course. But as I got older, I came to terms with what my father is. He swears he’s on the up-and-up now. And while I don’t like what he used to do for a living—I know it was wrong—hating him isn’t going to make anything better. Now, my mom, she was a good and kind person. I think that’s why my father married her. He told me it was love at first sight for him. I think deep down he doesn’t want to be like he is. But his grandfather and his father brought him into the business as a child, and by the time I was born he was in so deep, there was no turning back.”
“But . . .”
She forged forward with her point. “Remember the Stockholm syndrome thing you mentioned earlier? It’s probably not so different. My father treats me like a princess. He and my mom sent me to boarding school when I was young so I wouldn’t be like my brother, who saw the money and decided it was easier to steal than go to college. My dad is so proud of me for earning my degrees and that I’ll never be like him. I think I represent the only thing that’s good about him. Honest, Jake, I’ve never done anything like I did today, and I’ll never do it again.”
Jake blinked at her for a moment. “I can’t decide if you’re the most forgiving person I’ve ever met or the most naive, Gabby. I could never love a parent who committed crimes on a regular basis. That type deserves to be in jail, doing hard time, not given love.”
“Are you talking about your parents now or my dad?” He was seriously upset. She was still rubbing his shoulder to soothe him. Interesting he hadn’t seemed to mind, but she wasn’t going to poke the angry bear any more than was necessary, so she slowly moved her hand and tucked it under her chin.
His jaw clenched. “My parents lost jobs, partied too much, and died when I was fourteen. During a bank robbery. They were too stupid to think about what would happen to my younger brother and me if they were both caught. Or killed. I’ll never forgive them for abandoning us. I had to lie about my age and work on a ranch to support us.”
So he had been a cowboy at one time anyway. Her gut had been right, there.
She scooted closer and whispered, “They were flawed people like my father is. And that’s their problem, Jake. Not yours or mine. You can carry around hate for your imperfect parents that eats at you and makes you angry like this for the rest of your life, or you can decide they were just two losers who happened to be your parents. Your ultimate revenge is to be better than they could ever be. And look. We both are.”
He ran a hand down his face. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Finish your story. How’d you fool the guards?”
“You have a lot of things you don’t want to talk about, don’t you? Maybe if you talked about them more often, they wouldn’t upset you so much.”
“Thanks, Pollyanna. Still waiting.”
“Fine. I don’t know why my escaping fascinates you so much in the first place, but because I help my dad with his computers, I know all of his passwords. When he goes dark, he uses a particular e-mail account, so I just sent a message to the head of my security on his account, telling them that I was at his house in Florida. And that I’d be back Monday.”
Jake’s brow furrowed. “Where do you think your dad is right now?”
She shrugged. “No idea. But I’m sure he’ll be screaming at me tomorrow loud enough to figure that out. He might even be here in New Mexico if he’s the one who stole the statue.” She flopped onto her back. “I hope he wasn’t behind the theft and it was Dean, but that’s not likely.”
“It’s tough to have to doubt your parents.” Jake was quiet for a few minutes, then he whispered, “Are you afraid to have kids? Because of your father? Bad blood and all that? Worried they’d turn out like him?”
He clearly was. “No. I really want kids. I’d never let them turn out like my father. I’d also like a normal life. I’d give anything for it. Being free these past few days makes me want it even more. Maybe if I moved to a smaller town and changed my name again, I could pull it off. I’m seriously considering it.”
“But your father would probably just find you again, right?”
“Probably. And dating to find a husband to have those kids with wouldn’t be easy with bodyguards around. I couldn’t even get loud in bed, or they’d come rushing in to make sure I’m not being strangled or something. So embarrassing.”
Jake chuckled. “You’re loud in bed as a rule, are you?”
“No. I just want the option to be loud.” She turned in his direction again. His deep-blue eyes danced with amusement and lust. Talking about being loud in bed wasn’t helping her stop thinking about his being half-naked beside her. “I haven’t been with many guys since college because of my situation. How about you? Do you have a girlfriend?” If he said yes, it’d be so much easier to sleep beside him and keep her hands to herself. She’d never poach.
He shook his head. “Just ran the last one off a month ago. Evidently I’m not the best spouse or boyfriend.”
“Maybe it’s all that bottled-up anger? That and the flirting at every opportunity to cover it up.” She’d bet it wasn’t because he was lousy in the sack.
He rolled over and gave her his back. “Good night, Dr. Phil.”
She laughed. “Good night, Jake. Sweet dreams.”
“You don’t say ‘sweet dreams’ to a full-grown man, Gabby.” He mumbled, “Freakin’ Pollyanna, I’m telling you.”
“Fine. Happy nightmares.”
She closed her eyes, puzzled that Jake hadn’t flirted with her once since they’d been in bed. Dani had been right about Jake respecting her wishes, but Jake hadn’t seemed to mind when she’d rubbed his shoulder. Or maybe he was so angry about his parents that he hadn’t noticed.
Her first impression of Jake had been of someone fun, sexy, and flirty. But beneath all of that, despite being all those things, there was a pit of anger and pain. She’d always had a soft spot for wounded animals, and that’s what Jake was.
He whispered, “Hey, Red? Since neither of us has had much sex lately, we could put the other out of their misery. You could be as loud as you want. Dani’s a sound sleeper.”
There it was. He couldn’t go twenty minutes without flirting. “How sound?”
Jake turned over quickly, and it shook the whole bed. “Very. So was that a yes?”
“No.” She moved closer, testing his boundaries. “I’m just asking because when I get really tired and have had a little too much to drink, I sometimes snore. And cuddle in my sleep.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “Dani told you about the touching thing, didn’t she? That’s how come you gave in so easily to sleeping with me. I knew something was up with that.”
She moved a few inches closer and reached for his hand. “Yes. And I know you don’t want to talk about it. So I won’t ask.” She gave his hand a squeeze and was just about to let it go when his grip tightened on hers.
“Maybe if I told you why I don’t like to be touched, it’d make you understand why I can’t love a criminal. And why you shouldn’t, either.” He sat up and laid her palm on the deep ridges and raised scars on his back.
In an eerily calm voice, he said, “Do you feel those? The guy my brother and I worked for after my parents died knew we weren’t old enough to work. And he hated our father. He took advantage of our desperation by making me work harder and longer than anyone else. Luckily, Ben was much younger than me and mostly stayed out of the way by helping with the animals. I’d often have so much work I’d miss dinner and just land flat on my face into bed and fall sound asleep in the bunkhouse. But after my boss had his evening fifth of whiskey, sometimes he’d decide that maybe I hadn’t worked hard enough, so he’d drag me out of my bunk, tie me to a pole, and whip me just because he was a sick bastard. I only put up with it because of my brother. I think that guy knew if he ever touched Ben, I’d kill him.”
Tears stung her eyes. “Jake, I’m so sor—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. It wasn’t your fault. It was his. That’s why to this day I don’t sleep soundly, either. But my brother and I had nowhere else to go, Gabby. No one else would hire me in the small town I grew up in because I had despicable parents. It was assumed my brother and I must’ve been the same way, too. I saved all the money I could for a decent car and got my brother out of there the day I turned eighteen and could legally be his guardian. We moved to Albuquerque where no one knew us, and we started fresh. So, your little pep talk earlier about how carrying around hate for my parents will just eat at me doesn’t help. They scarred me for life. And please stop crying. That just makes me feel like an even bigger shit for telling you this.”
Tears dripped slowly down her cheeks. Jake had suffered from trauma like a soldier coming home from war. He’d had to fight to survive. She’d been given only the best in life. And had at least one good parent to emulate. Jake had figured out how to be good all on his own. “I shouldn’t have teased you. I’m sorry, Jake.” She wiped her cheeks dry with the back of her hand. He needed her to man up.
“I don’t know what made me tell you that. Maybe it’s because you love your criminal dad, and I hate mine.” He closed his eyes and pulled her against his chest. “I’d never upset you on purpose, Gabby.”
He held her close as he settled them back under the covers. He gave her comfort when he was the one who deserved it the most.
She sucked up all her sad feelings for a good kid like Jake, who took care of his brother, and said, “I know you’d never upset me on purpose. It’s in your eyes, remember? And I’m fine, Jake. Do you think that’s the worst story I’ve ever heard? My guards are asses. They often brag about the horrible things they’ve done to people.”
“Still. I know it’s upsetting. We’ll just agree to disagree on this one, okay?”
“Sure. But you don’t have to hold me if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“No. If you’re going to snuggle in your sleep, I’d rather start out that way. Then I can fall asleep without anticipating it happening later.”
“No thanks.” She didn’t want the temptation of being plastered against his hard body all night. She gave him a hug before she wiggled out of his embrace. “I was just teasing you about the snuggling. I’ve never spent the whole night with a man. It was never allowed.”
Jake blinked at her. “But you’ve had sex before, right?
“Of course. I’m just not supposed to get attached, because what’s the point? Would you ever marry me knowing who my father is?”
“No.” He tilted his head. “Would you ever marry a guy like me knowing what I just told you? I didn’t tell Dani until after we were already married. I was afraid she wouldn’t be with me if she knew the truth.”
It was sad that Jake felt he had to hide his past. None of it was his fault.
She tapped fingers over her yawning lips. “How did you explain the scars on your back, then?”
“Motorcycle accident.” He punched his pillow up and then laid his head down again.
“Yeah, that’d work, I guess.” She got comfy on her side of the bed as she thought about his marriage question. “I can’t say from a typical woman’s perspective, but someone like me would be lucky to be able to marry a guy like you, Jake. I hope you meet the right girl soon. Night.”
“Night.”
Jake was quiet for a few minutes before he said, “If your father was in jail, getting his due, I might consider marrying a woman like you, Gabby.”
She smiled. That was a kind thing to say to a person with a father like hers. “Happy nightmares, Jake.”
“Sweet dreams, Polly.”
She rolled away from him and sighed at the sadness that filled her for Jake. He’d had a childhood no one deserved. Hers had been a difficult one, but not even in the same realm as his. She loved her father, though, despite everything. And she wanted the chance to love a man the way her mother had loved her father, flaws and all. But she’d pick an honest man, never a criminal.
Maybe after she found the Son statue, she’d put her new identity plan into place. The odds it’d work were low, but she had to try. Even though it’d most likely mean never seeing her father or aunt again, it was time she had a life of her own.