“Is that possible these days? Do hotels even rent rooms without ID and a credit card?”
Oh, God, I was going to have to stay at a rent-by-the-hour, no-tell motel.
Um, gross.
I knew what went on in those rooms. I’d written a piece about prostitution. A side note, hookers were extremely forthcoming about their activities. I was shocked to find that some of them enjoyed their profession as they called it. Others did it as a means to an end to get themselves through school. Okay, so, I was interviewing high-paid escorts, not streetwalkers but still.
“Babe, hey, look at me.”
I must’ve completely zoned out because when I blinked Gabe was in a crouch right next to me. His hand was on my knee. Again, his hand placement was friendly but that didn’t stop the thrill from tingling up my leg straight to my—nope, not gonna go there.
No way.
No how.
“I’m out of cash,” I repeated.
“No, babe, you misunderstood. You’re coming with me.”
I wasn’t sure I misunderstood as much as Gabe hadn’t properly explained.
“Where are we going?”
“To a safehouse.”
Okay, a safehouse sounded good. A safehouse sounded safe. I could seriously use a safehouse right now.
“I can pay for it,” I quickly told him, remembering the way Zane complained about people not paying their bills. “I have money—”
“Family doesn’t pay.”
“But I’m not family.”
“Yeah, Evette, you are. You’re Anaya’s best friend.”
That was really nice but still.
“I feel like I should pay. Zane was pretty vocal about clients paying their invoices. And he doesn’t look like a man who sends his past dues to a collection agency.”
Gabe’s face broke out into a wide smile and that thrill raced straight to my girly parts. Again.
“You’re right about that,” Gabe confirmed.
“Puh-leeze,” Ivy huffed. “As if my husband knows which accounts are past due. And anyway, don’t scare Evette. Zane’s all bark.”
My gaze went to Ivy and I gave her my best “are you crazy” look.
“Fine. He bites. He also growls and hisses. But with women, he’s all bark. Unless you’re a rogue CIA agent, then he’ll shoot you.”
Eek.
I was happy to report I was not a rogue CIA agent. Though there seemed to be a story behind that comment and I loved a juicy story.
“CIA?” I prompted.
Ivy leaned forward and whispered, “I’ll tell you later when Owen’s not around. But for the record, Zane didn’t actually shoot her, he just threatened to. Though the bitch is dead.”
Double eek!
“I think you should hold off telling her about Ashaki,” Gabe said and pulled himself from his squat. “Or maybe not tell her at all.”
“Why? I wanna know about Ashaki.”
“Yeah, Evette, and you’re not hiding it. I’m waiting for you to pull out a notebook and pen.”
Damn.
“I would never write about something a friend told me.”
“I didn’t think you would. But let's get you through this trauma before you go digging up dirt on a dead CIA agent, a sex trafficking ring, a crime boss, and Owen’s woman.”
“Owen’s woman?”
Gabe’s expression became guarded and I immediately regretted my question.
“Owen’s woman,” he confirmed.
Alrighty, that conversation was closed.
“Before we leave may I speak to Kyle?”
“Yeah, he’s waiting for us in the conference room.”
Gabe helped me out of my chair which was totally unnecessary but gentlemanly and I followed Ivy out of the breakroom. Which wasn’t like any breakroom I’d ever seen. It looked more like a kitchen you’d find in a really nice house. Top-of-the-line appliances, black marble countertops, a large dark-wood table in the middle of the space with nice, padded chairs. Even the walls were painted a calming gray.
As a matter of fact, the whole office was done in grays varying from cool bluish undertones to a deep stormy color. All of the accents were chrome. The whole space looked masculine and sterile. Professional, if you were in the business of putting satellites into space. But what caught my attention was the large glass enclosure that took up a large portion of the cavernous space. The first time I’d walked past and saw the glass was clear, now it was smoked out.
“What’s in there?” I asked.
“Garrett calls it command central,” Ivy told me.
“It’s Garrett’s office,” Gabe corrected.
“It’s cool the way the glass changes,” I noted.
“When he needs privacy he tints the windows,” Ivy said. “Or when Zane’s having a baby fit, then Garrett closes himself in and so Zane forgets he works here.”
I couldn’t imagine Zane having a baby fit. A man fit, sure. A behemoth fit, absolutely.
I decided to leave that alone and focus on what I was going to say to Kyle. I needed to apologize for showing up unannounced and bringing my troubles to his work.
Unfortunately, the stroll through the office wasn’t that long and Kyle was standing outside the conference room waiting for me.
Damn.
I wasn’t ready.
But this was Kyle, I shouldn’t have been scared. He’d proven time and time again he was a good guy. No, he was the best. And he proved it once again when he pulled me into a bear hug and squeezed the breath out of me.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I do. I brought this mess to you. And put Anaya in danger.”
Kyle separated from me but kept his hands on my shoulders and dipped his chin so he could maintain eye contact.
“Listen to me, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’d be seriously fucking pissed if you found yourself in trouble and didn’t come to me for help. You did the right thing and now we’re gonna get you safe.”
“I shouldn’t’ve been poking around,” I admitted.
“No, you shouldn’t’ve. But you’re Evette. You love your friends. You stand up for what’s right. We all should’ve known you were going to get to the bottom of what happened to Kalee, Piper, and Anaya. It’s what you do. I just wish that when you started this you would’ve reached out and asked for help. We could’ve kept you safe while you were looking.”
His offer shocked me. So much so I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “You wouldn’t have stopped me?”
“Fuck no. I would’ve flown to California and driven you here myself so you could have access to Garrett. You could’ve gone anywhere on the web and done it in a way that wouldn’t trace back to you.”
“But I want them to die,” I whispered my horrible secret. “I want them all to pay for what they did.”
“Yeah?”
I jerked in surprise and stared at him in stupefied silence.
“Do you really think you’re the only one? There was a time when it was all I thought about, every day, several times a day I wished I could go back to Timor-Leste and kill every fucking rebel I could find. Over time that nonstop need faded, but you don’t think there are times when I look at my baby girl and my gut doesn’t clench? If Anaya had made the smallest of missteps they would’ve killed her. I wouldn’t have my wife or my daughter. One wrinkle and I wouldn’t have them. Some days it eats at me, then I hear Anaya laugh or watch her with Maxine and the knot loosens and I remind myself that didn’t happen. She’s alive, she married me, and we created a beautiful little girl. I’ve never asked but I reckon Ace and Phantom feel the same. No one blames you for wanting justice. But hear this, Evette, none of us wants you putting your life on the line for it.”