“Oh. Well, thank you. It was very kind of you to drive me home.” Gabby ducked her head and got out of the car. Mr. H. must be Skippy. That’s why his apartment had been so richly decorated. She didn’t let herself think any more of him. She had a day’s worth of patients and had to see them with a hangover. And all this was Danny’s fault. For once in her life, Gabby wished she had the heart of a murderer, because she’d like to kill Danny Martinelli for the way he had ripped her life apart.
Chapter Three
Sam kept an eye on Gabby and watched which building she entered. Once he had her address, he called Mr. Hart.
“Got it, Mr. H. 333 East 86th Street.”
“Thank you, Sam.” Kolson thought for a moment and realized that address was a piece of property he had recently acquired.
“Um, Mr. H., she tried to pay me and I had to tell her it was your company.”
“That’s fine, Sam.”
Sam breathed a little easier. He didn’t like it when his boss was displeased with him. Mr. H. was fair in everything, but you didn’t want to piss him off. Ever since he left his father’s business and started up his own, he was his own man, ruled by no one. But Mr. H. was not to be trifled with. And if you fucked him over in business, you might as well hand him your head on a platter.
“You still want me to follow her?”
“Yeah. I want to know where she works.”
“Got it, boss.”
“And Sam. If you see anything unusual, like someone harassing her, take care of it or let me know.”
“Sure thing, Mr. H.”
Kolson hung up and was about to leave for the office when he remembered to check the guest room. He wanted to make sure the bed was unmade so his housekeeper would change the sheets. That’s when he discovered that Gabby had left her wallet behind. It must’ve fallen out of her purse. He opened it to see if he could find a contact number. Instead he found a few dollars, a couple of credit cards, and her driver’s license.
He quickly called Sam.
“Mr. H.”
“Sam, Gabby left her wallet behind. Do you think you have time to get back here before she’s ready for work?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I’ll meet you out front.”
Gabby dashed inside and got ready for work in record time, opting to catch a cab to work. She didn’t notice Sam following her.
The cab dropped her off on East 68th and she sprinted up the steps of a small brownstone that held a sign reading, Gabriella Martinelli, M.D., alongside two other names. But when she got to the door, she extracted a folded-up piece of paper. It wasn’t difficult for Sam to notice how shaken she was as she looked at it.
Sam double-parked and was on Gabby’s heels. He walked through the entrance and inside found three doors, each leading to separate offices. One was a marriage counselor, one a massage therapist and the third was Gabby’s. He opened the one with Gabby’s name on it. When he walked in, Gabby nearly screamed.
“Oh God! You frightened me!”
“I’m sorry, miss. That wasn’t my intention. Are you all right?”
Her hand was at her throat and Sam couldn’t help but notice how deathly pale her face was.
Gabby’s breath rasped through her lips as she nodded. “Yes, I’m okay.” In her other hand, she clutched the note from the door.
“Mr. H. wanted me to give this to you. He found it in his penthouse and he would’ve called, but he didn’t have your number.”
As she reached for the wallet, her posture relaxed slightly. “Oh, my goodness. Thank you. I was worried when I went to pay the cab fare and couldn’t find my wallet. I was lucky that I had some spare cash in my briefcase. What did you say your name was?”
“It’s Sam, miss.”
“Thank you, Sam.” She attempted a smile but it came off more like a grimace.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Yes. Please tell Mr. H. thank you.”
“I will.”
Sam turned and walked out. As soon as he was in his car, he picked up his phone and called Mr. Hart. “Found her. Gabriella Martinelli, M.D., on East 68th Street. But she found a note on her door and she appears to be real upset. When I went inside to give her the wallet, she was pretty shaken up.”
Kolson hid his displeasure. But he was a master at hiding his emotions. “But she was okay? There wasn’t anyone with her?”
“No, sir. She was alone.”
“Good. Nicely done, Sam. At finding her office, I mean, and returning her wallet.”
Sam smiled. “It was nothing, Mr. H. Want me to do anything else?”
“Yeah. I do. Tail her for a couple days. But get a different car. I don’t want her to see you. I want to know if anyone is bothering her. In other words, look out for her, Sam.”
“I’m on it.”
Sam headed over to HTS to exchange cars. In the meantime, Kolson Googled Gabby and discovered she was a psychiatrist.
A psychiatrist with some serious issues. Maybe he should make an appointment with her and they could try to one up each other. He let out a mirthless laugh. What was going on in her life that had her so upset?
Kolson continued to dig for more on the sweet doctor. Her credentials were damn good. Did her undergrad at Princeton. Went to med school at Columbia in New York and residency at NYU School of Medicine, mainly at Bellevue and finished a year ago. Worked with sexual abuse victims and drug addicts. And this is where Kolson perked up. He discovered she donated a lot of her time and effort to Narcotics Anonymous and other organizations that helped people with addictive disorders. Still was on staff at the drug rehab program at Bellevue. And she also volunteered at a women’s shelter.
It took a huge amount to impress Kolson, but Dr. Martinelli had done just that—only she didn’t know it.
Gabby. Gabriella Martinelli. He suddenly needed to know more.
Picking up the phone, he dialed a number.
“Tom Barrett.”
“Tom, Kolson Hart here.”
“Mr. Hart. What can I do for you?”
“Tom, I need you to gather some information for me.”
“On a potential client?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
Tom Barrett ran the security division of Hart Transportation Service. Every employee had to be screened and drug tested before they were hired. HTS had high-profile clients and they had to ensure the safety of them, so only the most reliable drivers where hired. Employees also signed nondisclosure agreements so they couldn’t discuss their clientele.
Kolson said, “I need some information on a Dr. Gabriella Martinelli.”
“Certainly, sir. How soon do you need it?”
“Whenever you can collect it.”
Tom Barrett knew better. That meant as soon as possible.
“No problem, sir. I can get right on it.”
“Very good, Tom. Oh, and whatever information you find, send it directly to me. This is not to be shared with anyone. Dr. Martinelli does not have an account established yet. Are we clear?”
“Absolutely, Mr. Hart. Shall I send the file to you via courier, or would an electronic one be okay?”
“You can email it all to me.”
“Very good, sir.”
“Thanks, Tom.”
Kolson tossed his phone down and knew he would have his information in a few days at the most. He decided to have Sam stay on her and if everything seemed fine, then that would be the end of it. That is, unless something showed up in her file, or if Sam found someone harassing her. Things didn’t add up. Why would she be so upset by a note and why did she get so damn loaded last night? Some of the things she’d said indicated she was frightened of someone. Kolson didn’t like that one bit. He usually didn’t butt in, but for some reason, this situation had him worried and he couldn’t put his finger on why.
Gabby barely made it through the door of her office, her hands were shaking so badly. He had been by earlier that morning
and taped a note to her door.
* * *
Where are you, you little cunt? I’m waiting for you.
* * *
What did he want with her and why was he back now? Jesus, what was she going to do? She couldn’t live through that hell again.
She managed to make it through her morning by pushing all thoughts of the note to the back of her mind. All she really wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep away the afternoon. However, that wasn’t an option. She was meeting her friends, Sky and Ryder, for lunch. This date had been set weeks ago. Their schedules were so busy, she never saw her friends anymore.
Ryder was a former patient and Gabby had seen Sky a couple of times as a favor to Ryder after her mother’s death. The two of them were working things out as a couple. Sky had been forced into prostitution as a teenager by her drug-addicted mother who needed money to support her habit. Her mother eventually died from complications of drug use. Ryder was a recovering addict himself. It made for an interesting relationship, to say the least.
At one o’clock, Gabby walked into the restaurant. Sky hopped to her feet and ran to hug her. Ryder at least waited for her to get to the table.
“God, you look like shiz. What the hell have you been doing?” Sky asked.
“Yeah, thanks, honey. Love you too,” Gabby said.
Ryder looked at Gabby. “I’d have to agree with Sky. You don’t look so good, my friend. What’s happening?”
“Aw, it’s nothing. I had a bad day yesterday, went out last night, and drank one too many.”
“One?” Ryder said. “And what brought that on? You never do that.”
“Okay, more than one. And can we please not talk about this?”
“Gabby, is everything’s okay?” Ryder watched her with concern.
“Fine. All’s fine.”
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Ryder said.
“What’s with the interrogation? I’m just a little tired, okay?”
Ryder cocked his head to the side and said, “Only a friend concerned about a friend. That’s all.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“You need food. Lots of starchy stuff,” Sky said. “That’s what I used to feed my mom after one of her binges.” Sky knew what she was talking about. She had a ton of experience in that area when her mom was still alive.
“Cheeseburger and fries. That’s what I’m ordering. And a real Coke,” Gabby said.
“Oh, I’m so jelly. If I didn’t have to keep my girlish figure, I’d get the same thing.”
Ryder and Gabby flashed Sky a look that told her she was full of it.
“You never for one minute watch what you eat. I’ve seen you devour half a pizza before,” Gabby said.
The three friends caught up on everything from Ryder’s college courses to Sky’s latest audition for a dance role on Broadway to Gabby’s boring life. Ryder and Sky laughed because Gabby was so busy with her work, she couldn’t possibly have time to be bored.
“Ok, so spill,” Ryder said. “You walk in here looking like a zombie that just saw a ghost. It’s more than a hangover. What gives? And we’ll stay here all day. Do you want me to call Case and have him come over here?” Case was another mutual friend of theirs that Gabby was especially close to.
“No!” Gabby’s hands knotted her napkin then looked up. “Okay. I have this cousin who used to harass me as a kid and he sort of showed back up last night. Then this morning there was a note stuck to my office door.”
Ryder’s jaw snapped shut as he stared at Gabby. “What exactly do you mean by harass?”
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Gabby. You tie a major one on last night and right now I can see how upset you are. I’m calling BS on that. Tell us. Or I will call Case.”
“He did some stuff that I really don’t want to talk about. And I’m serious, Ryder. Okay?”
Ryder leaned forward and asked, “Have you called the police?”
“What will they do?”
“They’ll put a restraining order on him?”
“Why? He hasn’t done anything and this is the first time I’ve heard from him in three and a half years. It’s fine. I’ll be extra careful. I’m just a little upset by this and shocked.”
“You need to tell Case.” Ryder glared at her.
“Ryder, if I tell Case, he’ll keep me homebound. I’m not telling him and neither will you. Promise me you won’t say a word.”
Ryder leaned back in his chair and stretched his neck. Then he ran his hand through his hair. “If Case finds out about this, he’s going to be pissed off at me and I don’t like it when he’s pissed at me. It doesn’t make for a good situation. He’s one of my best friends.”
“I know and I’m sorry, but you have to promise me.” Gabby turned to Sky and said, “And you too. Promise me you won’t say a word to Case. I know how you are Sky.”
“Okay. I promise. Just be careful.”
Ryder shook his head and said, “I don’t like this one bit. If you think there’s any possibility of him around, you call me. Got it?”
“Yeah. And thanks.”
Noticing Ryder’s displeasure, Sky changed the subject. “So, Gabby, have you met tall, dark, and dangerous yet?”
The question startled Gabby so much she choked on her Coke. Ryder patted her back. “Damn, Sky. That was random. And why do you have to be so nosy?”
“Well, I only want her to find someone to make her happy.”
“She’ll find him when she least expects it. Now let her be.”
Gabby finally stopped coughing and smiled.
They finished lunch and promised to catch up soon. Gabby said she wanted to have a girl’s night with Sky and Cara, another mutual friend.
When she got back to her office, she felt somewhat better. The burger and fries felt like lead in her belly, but her headache was gone and she had more energy for her afternoon patients. Though Danny still rattled her nerves, she was more focused on her work and the afternoon sailed on by.
When six rolled around, his curiosity could no longer be contained. Kolson joined Sam when he went to check up on Gabby. They parked about a half a block away, near the subway entrance, and watched her leave her office. Kolson couldn’t get the dark-haired psychiatrist off his mind. Something about her had reached inside him, which troubled him for more than one reason. He wasn’t the kind of guy who usually gave a shit about strangers and he never got involved in other people’s lives, particularly those with issues. Why he was tracking her made absolutely no sense at all. He needed to have his head examined.
He laughed to himself. What a fucking joke. Here he was, the most screwed-up individual he knew, following a psychiatrist who apparently had her own issues and he was telling himself he needed to have his damn cerebral matter examined.
After she locked the office door, she trudged toward the subway station. She had taken a cab that morning and since she was on a barely existent budget, she couldn’t afford another one. She carried her briefcase in one hand and held her purse next to her body with the other. About twenty yards from the stairway to the train, a shadow crossed in front of her and she looked right up into his face. The briefcase hit the sidewalk with a thud.
“Didn’t think you’d see me so soon, did you, cuz?”
Her heart hammered her ribs so hard, she was sure he could hear it.
“H-how did you find me?”
Danny laughed. “For such a bright girl, you sure are stupid. You’re in the fucking phonebook, you idiot.”
Gabby tried to inhale, but the steel band that had tightened around her trachea made it impossible. He’d found her office. God, she prayed he hadn’t discovered where she lived too. What would she do if he had?
“What? Aren’t you happy to see your cousin Danny?” He spread his arms out wide, like he was going to hug her. If he touched her, she would scream. He laughed again, the sound like fingernails on a chalkboard. She cringed.
She
bent down to retrieve her briefcase, never taking her eyes off him. Her mind raced—what should she do? If she had to, she would check into a hotel. There was no way he could find out where she lived. She shook with fear, and it pissed her off because he knew it. He saw the effect he had on her. His menacing laugh confirmed it.
His hand stretched out as if to touch her cheek and she stepped backward. The sidewalk dipped slightly, and she lost her footing and started to fall.
But she didn’t. A pair of sturdy arms wrapped around her and pulled her back to her feet, steadying her. “There you are, precious. I was wondering what happened to you.”
Skippy! Or Mr. H. or whoever he was.
She spun around in his arms, latched onto his coat, and held on to him like a lifeline, pressing her cheek against his chest. She knew he felt her trembling. He held her close while his eyes narrowed and targeted cousin Danny, who didn’t look as threatening as he liked to think he was. Slightly paunchy in the middle, Danny appeared to have lived hard, though he may have been attractive at one point in his life.
“You must be the cousin Danny I’ve heard so much about.” There was no disguising the menace layering Kolson’s voice.
“Yeah, I am. What’s it to you?” Danny stood facing Kolson, dark orbs flashing dangerously as though he owned the world.
But Danny couldn’t miss the hostility on Kolson’s visage. “I’ll tell you exactly what it is to me. It’s quite obvious Gabby doesn’t want a thing to do with you. And besides, she’s mine now. So get the fuck out of here and don’t come back. Or you’ll have me to contend with. And I can assure you of one thing: I don’t play nice. Got that, Danny Boy?”
Danny stared hard at Kolson. “We’ll just see about that. See you around, Gabs.”
And Danny melted into the crowd.
Kolson stood holding her until he felt her trembling ease. He let her be the one to decide when she was ready to release him. When she looked up, he gently asked, “May I offer you a ride home?”
The Hart Brothers Series Box Set (Including the bonus book Sabin: A Seven Novel): Freeing Her, Freeing Him, Kestrel, The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart, Sabin: A Seven Novel Page 3
