by Lori Ryan
His next call was to Chad to let him know about the photo. Gabe had a feeling the picture belonged to PJ. He’d ask her about it as soon as she woke up, but in the meantime, he wanted to see what Chad had found.
“Let me know as soon as you talk to PJ about the picture. We need to know if it’s hers—and if it is, where she kept it. This asshole’s close to her,” Chad said, and Gabe could tell from his voice Chad was taking this personally…. If Gabe cared for PJ, then Chad would, too. It was that simple with his friends.
“Listen, Gabe,” Chad went on. “Did you know Ellis White was adopted? His family adopted him when he was twelve, after he was passed around to a lot of different foster homes. Apparently, his biological mother left him at a mall when he was eight years old.”
“Pru never mentioned that. I wonder if she knows. I remember her saying Ellis and Lydia are siblings, and she didn’t always like the way Lydia treated Ellis. I don’t remember her mentioning adoption, though.”
“Whoever’s doing this sounds angry, Gabe. Angry and vindictive. And, they’ve had a lot of access to PJ,” Chad said.
“You think it might be Ellis?” Gabe asked, knowing the answer, but dreading the idea of going to Pru with that theory. It would tear her up to think one of her team could be behind this.
Gabe spun at the sound of Pru’s small voice behind him. “It’s not Ellis.”
She shook her head at Gabe, one hand over her stomach as if he’d just physically cut into her with his accusation. “It’s not Ellis. Our families have been friends for years. And you don’t know Ellis like I do. He’s kind and gentle. There’s no way he’d do something like this.”
“I’ll call you back,” Gabe said, and set his phone on the counter before crossing to Pru. He pulled her in close for a hug, her small frame fitting snugly against him.
She pulled back, but not as if to pull away. She leaned back and looked up at him. “It’s not Ellis,” she repeated.
“I want to believe that too, Pru,” he said, “but we need to look at the facts and not dismiss anyone without considering everything carefully. Whoever is doing this is close to you. It’s most likely going to be someone you trust. It may even be someone you love. But, it’s almost certainly someone close, Pru.”
She bowed her head a minute and took a deep breath, before lacing her hand behind Gabe’s neck and pulling him down into a heated kiss that threw Gabe completely off balance and curdled his brains.
On some level, he knew it was wrong. Everything in him was screaming to stop, to not allow her to do this when she was in such emotional turmoil. But, his body utterly overrode anything his head knew.
He was instantly hard as a rock, his cock pressing against his pants for release as his hands wrapped around her waist, lifting her to the counter.
He knew she was probably just trying to forget, just trying to slip away from reality for a short time before her world came crashing down, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.
He felt her tremble as his mouth devoured her, her moans driving his mouth down her jaw to the small spot behind her neck that seemed to cause her body to bow, arching into him. He’d never felt a hotter, faster burn in his body than the fire Pru set loose in him.
He pulled open the sheer white blouse that had been tempting him for hours, exposing her incredibly perfect breasts. They weren’t large by any means, but to him, they were everything he’d ever wanted. One hand traced the outer edge of her breast softly, almost reverently, as he dipped his head to suck the nipple on her other breast, drinking her in.
She rewarded him with a quick intake of breath as her nipples pearled and a moan began deep in her throat.
PJ’s head reeled as Gabe assaulted her with more feeling, more sensation than she’d ever felt. She had wanted to forget, to think of something other than fear and betrayal and loss for just a short time. He was giving her that and so much more.
She was wet and swollen and ready for him when he slipped his hand beneath her skirt and roughly pulled her panties to the side, sinking his fingers into her. Her whole body tightened around him as his thumb circled her clit, and she was lost in an instant. Utterly lost to the feeling of him touching her, of his mouth on her breasts, of all of him devouring her with such complete––
A small part of her heard the buzzer of the front gate, but Gabe’s mouth sucked hard on her nipple at the same time that he added just slightly more pressure with his thumb…at the same time that he found the precise spot inside her and set off a cascading orgasm, drenching her in pleasure she’d never felt before.
She was weak and spinning when he pulled back and lowered her dress. His voice was gravelly and low when he spoke.
“Go to my bedroom,” he said, slipping her off the counter. “If I don’t let Zach in soon, he’s going to let himself in.”
It took PJ a minute to grasp what he’d said as he gave her a gentle push toward his bedroom door. Zach. Zach was coming over. “I’ll be there in a minute, Pru.”
Why was Zach coming here?
PJ didn’t know why Gabe had called Zach here. Worse, she didn’t know what Gabe thought about what they’d just done. She could feel the heat burning her cheeks as she remembered the way she’d cried out his name as she’d orgasmed in his arms moments before. One minute they’d been talking and the next, she’d jumped on him. And, he’d brought her to orgasm in seconds flat.
Oh, god. He must think she was such a whore. In the last few days, he’d learned more than she’d ever wanted him to about her sex life with Kurt Tolleson, and he’d heard about her losing her virginity to a man who was twenty years her senior.
And now, she’d spread her legs for him and come in an astonishingly fast fashion for him. Would he think she was a complete slut? It was almost laughable, given her lack of experience with men, but she still felt embarrassed at how forward she’d been.
As she entered his room, she wanted to be anywhere but there. She wanted to run and hide, to pack her bags and hide out where no one could find her. To be alone again.
But even as she thought it, she knew she was tired of being alone, of only having her parents and the closest members of her team as friends. There hadn’t really been anyone else in a long time.
Her high school friends had all gone on to lead such different lives than the one she’d led. They had tried to stay close to her, but honestly, after her spiral with alcohol and the baby and the fight to get herself on track, she’d felt alienated and removed from them. Not by them.
It was something internal. Something she felt had created a wall between her and her friends. It was as though they were no longer able to connect.
She had no friends who would do what Jill and Andrew’s friends had done: rally around when she needed them. Well, except for Gabe. He had rallied for her the second he found out she was in trouble. He’d been there for her, and he was still here for her.
And then it dawned on PJ. that Gabe had seemed to be expecting Zach, even though Gabe had told Zach earlier they wouldn’t need him to come tonight. Something had changed Gabe’s mind about Zach coming to the house.
PJ stood and straightened her skirt, buttoned her shirt and pulled her hair up in a knot, then pushed the door to the room open. Both men were bent over the kitchen island looking at papers.
“What happened, Gabe?” she asked, but it came out more as an accusation. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He tried a halfhearted ‘it’s nothing’ kind of response, but she put her hands on her hips and waited him out.
He picked up the envelope and handed her the sheets of paper. “These came to me by courier while you were sleeping,” he said as she read the sheaf of papers. It’s almost time, Pretty Pru. It’s almost time, Pretty Pru. It’s almost time, Pretty Pru.
She looked up at Gabe and Zach. “He knows where I am.”
Gabe’s face was grave as he nodded. “Yes, he knows.”
She looked at him and knew he wasn’t telling her everything. “Wh
at are you hiding?”
“This came, too,” he said quietly. She knew what it was the minute she saw it. Matthew’s baby picture. The one she’d carried with her until it was lost a month ago. The photo of him the day he was born.
PJ didn’t hesitate. She dropped the photo back on the counter as though it had bit her, and ran to her room and began haphazardly shoving her things into her bag. She needed to get to Matthew.
Gabe and Zach followed her. She felt Gabe’s arms come around her, stilling her hands and stopping her frantic packing.
Zach came around in front of her. “PJ, I’ve got guys headed that way now. They’ll have Matthew and his family on the road within the hour, and they’ll get them to a safe place. Somewhere we can control.”
Gabe kept talking to her, his breath warm and reassuring as her heart raced in her chest. “They’ll get to them, Pru. I promise. We’ll keep Matthew safe. I’ll keep you both safe.”
But PJ didn’t care about her own safety anymore. In a heartbeat, she’d give herself to whoever it was that was doing all of this in exchange for Matthew’s safety.
Her whole body was weak and shaking. She walked to the couch and sat, Gabe following. She let him, but as she sat and looked at him, she felt angry. Angry at how helpless and powerless this person made her feel. Angry at how she let this blackmailer make her hide, make her run and curl up in a ball.
She was done with that. She sat up and looked at Gabe.
“Show me the picture again,” she said. She expected them to argue, but neither man did.
Zach sat across from them as she studied the picture. Matthew was only hours old in the picture. Looking at the photo, no one would be able to make out who was holding him, but she knew it was one of a handful of times she’d held him when he was that young. After she left the hospital, she hadn’t let herself visit him for almost two years.
She had known she wouldn’t be able to handle the pain of seeing him and having to say good-bye afterwards. When he was two, it was harder than she’d expected, but by then he’d truly been Brian and Susan’s baby. She was able to see him in that light instead of as the son she’d given up.
“This was in my wallet until about a month ago,” she said. “I lost it when we were in Indianapolis at the Kulsich Music Center. I had it out in my dressing room, and then I forgot to put it back when I closed up my purse before the show. I just figured one of the team tossed it by mistake when they were clearing my dressing room in a rush to move on. I planned to get another copy of it when I saw Brian and Sue again. They have a few pictures from that day.”
Zach picked up his phone and sent a text. “Indianapolis was one of the cities where Kurt’s band was there a day after yours. I’ll see if Samantha found any footage showing Erika hanging around.”
PJ looked up. “She texted me a lot after Kurt left me for her. She was obsessed, always telling me I had to stay away from him. I changed my phone number and the messages stopped.”
She lifted the picture again and stared at the image of Matthew, so small and vulnerable. He was still vulnerable, even though he was older now.
Zach spoke up as Gabe rubbed her back, the hand that had set her on fire only a short while before now soothing her—adding his strength to hers.
“PJ, I don’t think this picture means the person actually knows who Matthew is or where he is. If they had identified him and his family, they would have sent a current picture of him. We’ll take precautions as though he’s in danger to be on the safe side, but I think this is just your blackmailer’s way of trying to get to you.”
Gabe nodded. “Everything he’s done shows he’s angry with you, Pru, not with Matthew.”
“Okay, but don’t blackmailers usually ask for something? Money? This guy still hasn’t made any actual demands,” she said, taking a deep breath. “What did Chad find in the background checks of my team?”
Her team had all been vetted heavily when they applied to work for her, so she couldn’t imagine finding anything she didn’t already know about.
“So far the biggest red flag is Ellis’s background. Did you know he’s adopted?”
“Yes. Our parents were friends when we were little, although both Lydia and he were younger than me. He doesn’t talk about it, and neither does his sister, Lydia. He was adopted by her parents when he was about twelve, I believe. It was awful, really. Lydia’s dad died in a car accident shortly after Ellis was adopted. He only had the chance to have a father for a few months, I think. As far as I know, he has no contact with his biological family.”
“Do you know anything about his background before he came to her family?” Gabe asked.
“A little. He was in foster homes a lot. And his mom had left him in the mall before that. You wouldn’t know it, though. He’s so sweet.”
“How did they come to work for you?” Gabe asked.
“My mom thought of Lydia when I needed a tour manager several years ago. She’d been working in project management, I think. My mom still talks to her mom and she mentioned Lydia was looking for something new. She was perfect for the job. She runs everything and is on top of every detail. Ellis came to work for me about six months ago. She got him the interview and I was happy to hire him.”
Zach spoke. “Chad’s sending guys down to meet with your team, interview them and search your luggage. Whoever did this had to find your journal somehow. They had to have seen you or heard you at times you thought you were alone.”
PJ flinched. The idea of someone spying on her made her very uncomfortable, as was the idea that Chad’s people would have to put her team through this interrogation and scrutiny to find answers.
She couldn’t help but think her team would feel they were being accused of something, not just being interviewed. She worried about how Ellis, in particular, would take that. She could picture how hurt he’d look, and the sense of betrayal that would show clearly on his gentle face.
“Chad also ran checks on your background singers and your band. A couple of little things popped here and there. A few with some minor criminal backgrounds. Jaqueline has lost several babies, so he’s looking a little harder at her.”
PJ flinched again. She hadn’t known Jackie had lost any babies, and that invasion of the guitarist’s privacy bit into her. What an awful thing to go through, but to have that bit of your life on record somewhere, a record that an investigator could find, made it all the worse. And, how would Jackie feel when the investigators raised that?
“I can’t even call them and let them know Chad’s people are coming, can I?” she asked, knowing they’d say no.
“No,” said Zach, but then he surprised her. “We can arrange for you to talk to them as soon as the investigators get there. We’ll get everyone into a conference room while we search luggage, the tour bus, everything. You can talk to them by phone and let them know a little about what’s going on. It’s not much, but it’s the best we can do, PJ.” Zach’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it before looking back up at her.
“My guys have Matthew and his parents. They’re safe.”
Her heart felt like it would collapse inside her chest with relief when she heard those words. From the moment she’d decided to give birth to him when she was fifteen years old, that’s all she’d ever wanted for Matthew. For him to be safe and loved.
Gabe stood and held out his hand to her. “Let’s go to bed, Pru.”
She stood and turned toward her room, but he tugged her hand and pulled her toward his, bringing a hot flush to her cheeks.
Zach called out a good night from his place on the couch, and she wondered if he thought anything of the fact that Gabe was leading her to his bedroom.
Probably not. It’s not like they lived in the eighteenth century. But still, the idea of Zach knowing she’d be sleeping in Gabe’s bed was embarrassing. And yet, she wanted Gabe to hold her.
She still felt raw from having so easily slipped into a sexual relationship with Gabe, and they hadn’t had a chance to talk ab
out what had happened earlier. She had no idea what he was thinking or what he expected from her. Tonight or in the future. What would Gabe want from her? Was this a quick screw because he found out how easy she was? How she’d spread her legs so readily at fifteen?
Would he want to continue this beyond the end of the week? Or was she just another one of the stars she always saw on his arm at fundraisers? That thought bothered her. A lot. She wanted to be special to him. Just like she’d wanted to be special to Jimmy Mondo so many years ago.
She’d thought sex brought intimacy, but it didn’t mean that at all. She had learned that lesson early, and she’d learned it well. And she’d remembered it until, apparently, this afternoon with Gabe. She’d forgotten everything she’d ever learned the moment his mouth had touched her.
That needed to stop.
Gabe shut the door behind them, and PJ was suddenly very aware of how alone they were, how close he stood.
“We can’t do this,” she said hurriedly, before she chickened out. “We can’t sleep together.”
His dark eyes studied her, but he didn’t argue. “Sleep together or make love?”
Her heart leapt at his description of it as love not sex, but she knew better than to be fooled by sweet words. She cleared her throat to answer, but he moved before she could get anything out. He just turned and walked to his dresser on the other side of the room.
As she watched, he undid the button fly on his jeans in what seemed like one all-too-smooth move. He stripped down to his boxers and tossed his jeans over the arm of a wing-backed chair, then drew low-slung sweatpants up over his lean hips. He turned and watched her, those heated eyes never leaving hers, as he pulled his shirt over his head and replaced it with a T-shirt. He watched her as he reached back in the dresser and pulled out another pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt and crossed the room to where she stood, frozen, her heart pounding.
He didn’t say a word as he placed the clothes in her hands, then pushed her toward the door of the bathroom and shut it behind her.
