Gabriel hadn’t wanted it taken into custody as evidence—or to start any speculation about Maddox’s predilections by turning it over. “How did you know about that?”
He smiled. “It was very clever of you to find your way out of the fire.” He knew he had her, and she could practically sense his satisfaction. “Don’t look so shocked. I know a lot of things I shouldn’t. That’s why you need to listen to me.”
“Why don’t you go to the authorities yourself?”
He shook his head. “I’d be discredited and discounted. Like I said, I know what I know, but I have no tangible proof. You, Ms. Parker, have that young, earnest thing people will believe. And I have no doubt you’ll find the proof to back it up. I’ll steer you in the right direction.”
“Why me?”
“Because you were his sister,” he explained. “Because you have the talents necessary to solve his murder. Because he would want you to be safe and happy.”
She had so many questions, but she doubted he’d answer any of them. “Who are you?”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m a minor player in this game. I’ve hidden my identity to save my neck. You won’t be able to discover it. Don’t waste valuable time trying. Just know that I’m sympathetic to your brother and to you.”
“But not to Gabriel.”
His head shook slightly. “I wouldn’t say that. I admire all of Maddox’s friends. I merely don’t think it’s in your best interest to trust them. Those boys take their friendships seriously. Don’t think you’ll come between them—not for a second. If Gabe has to choose between you and his childhood brothers, he will choose them. He might regret cutting you loose, but he will.”
The garage suddenly seemed colder than before. Yes, Gabriel had powerful friends, but she wasn’t sure what her mystery man was trying to say. “Why would he have to choose?”
The man’s features turned steely, his eyes hardening. “Because they’re in deeper than even they realize, and that’s another reason I can’t simply tell you everything I know. Even if I had all the proof and everyone believed me, they’d attempt to cover it up in order to protect their own. The truth must be revealed.”
“I don’t understand.” She heard the sound of a car rumbling above her.
“I know it’s a lot now. I sent you the information you need to begin.” She heard frustration creeping into his tone. “Start there.”
The revving of the car’s engine sounded louder suddenly. She felt the ground move as someone zipped by in a white sports car. Everly frowned. Not many cars parked this far down. Even in the middle of the workday, there should be plenty of spaces above. True, some people were freaky about parking next to other cars, but she hadn’t noticed the vehicle parked on this level earlier.
She turned back to her mystery man, hoping he wouldn’t be spooked by someone else’s presence in the garage. She had more questions, but the most important one needed an answer now. “Are you talking about the e-mail and texts you sent? Because you didn’t send any information in those.”
The sound of screeching tires echoed somewhere behind her. Whoever sat behind the wheel of that vehicle was driving like a maniac.
“Not that. The information.” When she sent him a blank stare and shook her head, the man’s eyes widened. “I sent you a ton of information. It’s the only copy. Everly, if that falls into the wrong hands, we could lose everything. Shit!” He looked frantic. “You’ll never find Sergei without that data.”
Sergei, the man Mad had mentioned in his video with Gabriel right before her brother’s ill-fated flight?
“Who is Sergei and why would I need to find him?” she asked as the nearby elevator dinged. The doors began to part, and she turned to see who would come this far underground in the middle of the workday.
Before she could discern who occupied the elevator, a more ominous sound filled the garage and snagged her attention. An engine revved loudly. Tires squealed. Then she caught sight of the white car tearing back down the aisle toward her. As the car zoomed closer, Everly waited for the driver to step on the brake.
Instead, the person behind the wheel gunned the engine—and steered the vehicle directly toward her.
“Everly!” Gabriel shouted over the racing car.
She had the briefest glimpse of a woman driving. Valerie.
The accountant wasn’t stopping. Or even slowing. And she wasn’t turning to go up to the next level. No, Valerie was headed right for her, wearing a murderous look on her face.
As Everly stared at the woman, a flood of fear paralyzed her.
Suddenly, she was flying through the air before landing with a hard thud, tangled with Gabriel’s solid body on the hard cement. As she heard a male grunt, the car whizzed by her, so close she felt a cold rush of air zip across her skin. Then she heard the sounds of metal colliding with concrete slam through her brain and she whipped her head around to see that the vehicle had slammed into the wall she’d been standing in front of only moments ago.
If Gabriel hadn’t tackled her, rolling her away from the car’s path, Valerie would have killed her.
His arms tightened around her for a long moment. As he disentangled himself and rose to his knees above her, his face appeared ashen. “Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
She was a little banged up, but there was zero question in her mind that Gabriel had risked his life to save hers.
Though out of breath, she managed to sit up. “I think I’m fine. Thanks.”
Dax raced over, holding a semiautomatic in his hands, his stare glued to the car. “The Mustang hit the wall pretty hard, but I think it’s safe to say the building won that battle.” Dax looked down at her. “You need a bus?”
Ah, the comfort of a man who knew the lingo. She moved her arms and limbs experimentally, relieved that all felt well. Everly was pretty sure she wouldn’t need an ambulance. “No, but if Valerie is still alive, she’ll need one.”
Dax nodded.
“Get out of the vehicle and put your hands up.” A strong masculine voice rang out through the now-quiet garage.
Everly saw one of the guards drawing down on the car. From what she could tell, the vehicle’s front end had been crushed. Smoke billowed from the hood. The airbag had deployed and, given its movement, she’d bet Valerie was behind it trying to breathe or find a way out from under it.
After a glance around, she didn’t, however, see her mystery man. He’d gone, probably deciding that the turn of events was either a reason or a smokescreen to get the hell out. He was hiding. Hell, he’d probably find some other conspiracy to run down for kicks.
But how had he known about the lockbox?
“Come out slowly,” the guard repeated, attention directed at the car.
Very slowly, the woman opened the door and stepped out on shaky feet, holding her hands in the air. “I wish I hadn’t missed, you bitch. You took everything from me.”
She was still in her designer clothes and her five-inch heels, but mascara smudged her face and blood stained her blouse. She looked somehow polished and vicious at once.
Everly had to ask. “What did I ever take from you?”
“Maddox. He was supposed to love me. He swore that he wanted me, but in the end, he went to you. Always to you. Why did you steal him? I hate you.”
Apparently, Valerie hadn’t seen her morning press conference. And Everly was tired of explaining herself. “Maddox wasn’t my lover. He was my brother. You tried to mow me down to avenge the romantic loss of a man I never once touched.”
Her eyes flared. “That’s not possible. You’re a liar. A corrupt whore trying to destroy me because you wanted Maddox to yourself. That’s why you planted documents to frame me, but I’ll prove that you’re the guilty one or I’ll take you down with me if it’s the last thing I do.”
Everly heard the sirens from above. She was about to see the NYPD for the third incident in less than forty-eight hours. She winced. How terrible was her afternoon about to get?
&nb
sp; • • •
Gabe watched as Everly shook the officer’s hand. His soft, curvaceous female had handled the situation with strength and grace. Most women would be crying and shaking and looking for someone to comfort them. Even Valerie had been hauled off, hysterically screaming her intent to get even. But Everly had merely moved on to the next task. She’d been perfectly calm as she talked to the officers, even laughing and joking at one point. Seeing this side of her was a bit of a revelation. She was so competent, so in her element.
She’d ignored him for the most part except to ask if he needed anything.
At the moment, he’d said no, but he’d lied. Gabe needed to get her naked and underneath him. He needed to get his hands on her so he could assure himself that she was alive. Damn, he was the one who needed some comfort.
“You all right?” Dax crossed his arms over his chest as he looked over the mess of the parking garage.
Absently, Gabe thought they’d have to bring in a structural engineer to ensure that batshit crazy bitch hadn’t made the entire building unstable.
“Not really. I want to know everything about that woman.”
Dax nodded. “After the questionable catering receipts, Connor started working on it. He pulled Valerie’s records and found that she failed to disclose some time she spent institutionalized for emotional issues.”
“Are you kidding me? How the hell did she get hired?”
“C’mon, Gabe. You know that, by law, HR departments can’t ask about certain personal issues. She apparently tried to have that period sealed off, but Connor found it easily enough. Rumor is, she was also known around the office for being very willing to accommodate her male bosses.”
So she slept around. “I still don’t understand what she meant about Everly planting evidence against her.”
Dax’s brows rose as he thought. “I suppose she’s trying to persuade everyone that she didn’t embezzle any funds. It should be easy enough to prove. It’s a lot of money. If Valerie is guilty, I doubt she buried it in coffee cans in her backyard. We’ll figure it out, but I think it’s safe to say that attempting to murder Everly will likely carry a longer sentence.”
His heart rate ticked up again. “That’s not funny.”
“Too soon to joke. Got it. Sorry, man.” Dax patted him on the back. “Why was Everly down here?”
Gabe hadn’t thought about her reason for coming down here, only about getting to her so he could ensure her safety.
Luckily, one of the guards had seen her striding toward the parking garage. It had been simple enough to check her progress through security cameras and discover she was on the bottom level. What—or who—the hell was down here? Not her car. According to her, she usually rode the subway into work, and Dax had brought them here this morning in the limo.
“When the elevator doors first opened, she was talking to someone,” Gabe observed. “A man, I think. I thought he was just someone she knew. The asshole didn’t stick around to make sure Everly was all right. He might have been scared, but now I wonder. Most people would assume Valerie had simply had a car accident. They would make sure no one needed medical attention and give a statement to the police. Not this guy.”
“You thinking he knew otherwise and ran?”
“Something like that. Except he didn’t run away, he walked. Now that I think about it, he was surprisingly calm.”
“Sounds like Everly arranged to meet clandestinely with this guy. Gabe, have you stopped to think that she might have been meeting a reporter?”
He shook his head. “She wouldn’t do that, at least not knowingly.”
“A lot of women would enjoy the attention.”
“Believe me, not Everly.” Gabe wouldn’t believe that unless he caught her sitting in a newsroom and wired with a microphone, ready to go national.
He stopped. He trusted her. The realization stunned him. He really trusted her. He would believe whatever she told him because he knew this woman deep down to her soul. Oh, he might not know every detail about her—how she liked her eggs or her favorite things to do on a lazy Sunday—but he damn well knew her character.
“You’re sure?” Dax quizzed, but his smile made Gabe think his friend trusted her, too, and just wanted him to admit it.
“I’m sure. If she met with someone, then she thought that person could help. I’ll ask her about it.” He raked his hand through his hair, aware that he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. “It’s past five-o’clock for her, as far as I’m concerned. She’s been through enough today. Why don’t you bring the limo around? I think the police are finishing up here, and the last thing I want to do is remain at the office.”
He needed to be alone with her. Seeing her almost die today, knowing he could have lost her irrevocably, had changed something inside him. Yes, last night had been harrowing, but he’d been a part of it, with her every step of the way. Today, he’d barely been able to do more than watch Valerie try to mow her down. He was furious Everly had put herself in a position to be the crazy woman’s target, but he knew damn well his girl hadn’t come here for selfish reasons.
Gabe knew he’d screwed up. He should have believed her when she’d sworn she and Mad hadn’t been lovers, but he’d been so sure she’d been lying because he hadn’t believed someone like Everly Parker existed. His cynicism might cost him the one woman he could love.
Shit, he’d thought about love again. He could definitely love Everly if he could break past her walls and earn her trust. She’d had them before he’d come along, Gabe was sure, but his idiotic comments to his sister and that damn report had turned her little garden partitions into a mighty fortress around her heart. And his lifestyle. He couldn’t discount that.
Goddamn it, he really needed to be alone with her, find out what she’d been doing here, who she’d been talking to, and how sweet she’d taste now that he knew his feelings.
Then he had to figure out a way to earn her trust again.
After a nod at the policeman she’d been talking to, she turned and walked back in Gabe’s direction, her fully restocked purse hanging at her side. The new dress she wore had a tear in the skirt and a giant smudge of dirt on the shoulder. She still looked so gorgeous he could barely stand not touching her. Even in the gloom, she practically glowed.
“The EMT cleared me. I don’t have any signs of concussion, so I won’t need any tests at the hospital. I think they’re done with the paperwork for the evening. I’ll have to go down tomorrow and they’ll need witness statements, but the security cameras should pick up most of the incident. I think it will be very hard for Valerie to say she missed that turn.” She put a hand on one hip, and her eyes narrowed. “I’m going to assume you found me using the security cams. You didn’t LoJack me in the middle of the night, did you?”
No, but Gabe was thinking he might try that next. He hadn’t liked not knowing Everly’s whereabouts. The damn woman so rarely stayed where he put her.
Was it wishful thinking to hope that he wouldn’t need measures that drastic? That the danger would finally stop? It looked as if Valerie was the bad guy in this mystery Mad had left behind . . . but Gabe wasn’t totally convinced. “The guards helped me track you.”
“All right. I’ll roll with it because I really am happy not to be a corpse. Any particular reason you decided to track me down in the middle of the afternoon?”
How did she manage to make him feel slightly guilty for invading her privacy instead of like a hero for saving her life? “We found proof that Valerie was the one who broke into your office. Then I . . .” How could he explain this without sounding like a loon? “I got a feeling you were in danger and that I should find you.”
“It didn’t help that no one could find Valerie, either,” Dax added.
“That makes sense. She clearly had it in for me—for all the wrong reasons.” She sighed. “I think the cops are assuming Valerie was the one who hired the Brighton Beach boys to torch Maddox’s house because he was obviously investigating
her.”
“It’s logical,” Gabe admitted. “I’ll feel better once we find the money she embezzled.”
At least it would prove that she was guilty, not merely unhinged.
“Yeah.” Everly sent him a contemplative stare. “I’ll look into her financials as soon as I can, but I’m still not sure she’d know how to blow up a plane.”
Dax cleared his throat. “Um, that’s not an issue anymore. While Everly was talking to the police, I got a call from Roman. The FAA has reversed its position on the crash. They say the chemicals found at the site were the result of cross contamination and not actually on board the plane. Apparently, there’s a chemical plant in the area that’s being investigated by the EPA for illegal dumping into the area’s waterways.” He swallowed. “They’re ruling the crash pilot error.”
Though he no longer apparently had the threat of a murder charge hanging over his head, a cold chill swept over Gabe’s skin. “Bullshit. Mad couldn’t possibly have erred so badly that his plane crashed.”
Everly looked frozen as well. “Are you sure? There was a storm