Her Best Friend's Keeper (Finley Creek Book 1)

by Calle J. Brookes

  ***

  GABBY wasn’t ashamed to admit when she was scared. Especially with her two best friends. Now that Bug had been found she was starting to breathe again. Enough for the worry for the cat to be replaced by the fear for herself.

  Her home. Someone had been in her home.

  Gabby hugged Mel when the other woman held out her free arm once she’d returned from the hall where she’d been powwowing with Elliot.

  “Do we have any idea who yet?” She needed names, faces, before she even hope to think about what to do next.

  “Elliot’s talking with the detectives on duty,” Mel said.

  The TSP was dispatched to any call involving members of their branch of law enforcement; Gabby didn’t know if it sucked to have two familiar faces in her living room or if it was a good thing. She knew the two men superficially, but that didn’t matter. They’d still seen her underwear strewn all over her bedroom floor.

  She doubted either of them had missed the tall dark-haired man who’d arrived moments after they had. Or the way he kept his hand on her back or her shoulder. How he kept her close.

  She’d worry about that later. Gabby resisted the urge to cling to her friend like a total idiot.

  Just having Mel there gave her a tiny boost of confidence. Mel was the kind of woman Gabby had always wanted to be. Strong, smart, funny...capable of just about anything. She was a few years older than Gabby, but the confidence she exuded didn’t just come from age.

  It came from ability. From the way people respected her friend. She and Brynna definitely didn’t command the same kind of treatment.

  Mel looked at the man behind Gabby. “Gabs, if you’d like, you can ride back to the house with us. Spare room is always open.”

  She’d slept over at the Beck house before. When Mel had first returned from St. Louis, Gabby and Brynna and Brynna’s younger sister Jillian—a nursing student—had rotated staying with Mel in case she needed anything.

  But this time... “Elliot’s offered me his spare room.”

  Mel stared at her for a really long time, until Gabby was ready to squirm. “Call if you need anything, ok? Dad will be right there as quickly as he can. Probably with service pistol blazing.”

  Gabby smiled. She loved Mel’s dad. He was one of those guys who adored his family and made no bones about it. And he’d made her welcome the first time she’d walked through the door.

  He’d been the first TSP detective to take her statement ten years ago, and he’d been kind and patient. Protective. It had helped that she’d known him from the times they’d been at the Marshalls together. That memory would never leave her. No matter what happened. “I will. I...” Gabby sank onto the couch. “I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.”

  Mel and Brynna sat down on either side of her again. Their arms went around her—even Brynna, who rarely hugged anyone—and she clung right back. The tears fell fast.

  It felt like her whole world had broken itself all around her again. She clung to the two people who mattered to her the most.

  ***

  IT wasn’t hard for anyone in the room to miss how close the three women were. He studied the faces of the detectives who’d answered the call. They were doing their best to be unobtrusive. He respected and appreciated their discretion. “The first moment you find something, I want to know about it.”

  “Yes, sir. Can you say for certain whether anything was taken?” the one on his left asked. Evers, Elliot thought. He spoke more often than his partner. His eyes went back to the trio on the couch.

  “I’m not sure yet. We’ll have to wait for Gabby to say one way or another and I think she’s a bit overwhelmed.” Mel was practically rocking Gabby and her younger sister. The strength of the connection between them was almost palpable. But…they all looked so damned vulnerable with the destruction of Gabby’s home the backdrop.

  “Yes, sir. We’ll wait over here until she’s ready.”

  “Thank you.”

  Elliot looked at the three women on the couch. He’d always liked and respected Melody. He’d even considered asking her out on a few occasions, but had decided against it. She was the type of woman—much like Gabby—that a man committed to. And Elliot hadn’t been ready for that. He probably never would be.

  He’d looked her up when he’d transferred to Finley Creek, but had seen where she’d left the force. He hadn’t decided if he was going to continue their friendship so hadn’t taken the next step to contact her. Making casual friends wasn’t something Elliot did much of.

  She had her free arm around Gabby’s shoulder and was reassuring her that the TSP would do everything possible, and that she was safe. Mel was calm, reassuring, and firm.

  Gabby wasn’t believing her; and who could blame her? She was panicking, frightened. Her safety had been violated, and after what she’d seen ten years ago, it was any wonder she hadn’t fallen apart yet.

  He knelt in front of the three women. Three pretty faces looked at him. “Gabby, you’re safe. I’ll see to that. You have my word. Get a bag together, we’ll go to my duplex. We’ll surround the damned building with TSP, if we have to. You’ll be safe, sweetheart. I promise.”

  He caught the approval and speculation on Mel’s face before she hid it quickly.

  Gabby started to protest, but Mel cut her off. Deliberately. “You can’t stay here. It’s either with Elliot or Jarrod. Or us.”

  “And Jarrod’s not home. He’s making an arrest in that Quincy case,” Brynna said. “You’d be alone, Gab. I say go home with the chief. You’ll be safe there. At least you should be.”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “I guess. But what about Bug?”

  “We’ll get him and take him home with us.” Elliot wasn’t fond of cats, but he’d have a dozen brought into his apartment if that’s what it took to erase the fear and panic in those big blue eyes. Anything.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN.

  ***

  BENNY felt like a total asshole. He hadn’t meant to let all of his rage out on her apartment. He’d just been looking for some signs of what she’d been doing the night before. He’d overheard her and Brynna discussing journals and notes and the Marshall family. He’d only wanted to search her apartment, and maybe mess it up a little to frighten her. To remind Gabby of how vulnerable she still was.

  Gabby really was a vulnerable little mix of anxiety, wasn’t she? He spent half his work hours on some days keeping her from panicking over something inconsequential.

  He knew how she felt about her home; how could he not?

  It had been the situation he was angry with, not her. He’d needed to frighten her; he understood why. Gabby frightened meant Gabby retreating, hiding herself away, and not confronting anything.

  That would buy him some time to think about what he was supposed to do now.

  All of this was his brother’s fault. If his brother hadn’t pulled him in to this shit twenty-four years ago, the events of ten years ago would not have happened.

  The events of a few hours ago wouldn’t have happened either.

  It was all his brother’s fault.

  One choice twenty-four years ago had led to this.

  And he didn’t know what to do about it.

  He just needed time to think.

  Benny sat in his car, watching Evers and Callum as they talked to a few of Gabby’s neighbors. No doubt they’d be checking security cameras soon. But Benny had thought about that.

  It had been a simple matter for him to hack into the security companies digital files and blank out the system in Gabby’s building for half an hour. Nothing he hadn’t seen done before. One benefit of his position was access to the latest technology. He’d used that for personal means before.

  Gabby came outside, carrying her cat against her chest, with the Beck sisters on either side of her.

  No surprise. He’d expected them to show up and they had.

  He ducked down farther in his seat when the older sister looked around the parking lot.
>
  Mel was sharp as a tack and always had been. She’d been a damned fine police officer before the shooting. She’d been good, but Benny had been on the job since before Mel was born. He wasn’t stupid.

  He knew how to go undetected.

  What concerned him most, though, was the tall dark-haired man walking behind them.

  The idea that Elliot Marshall was taking an interest in Gabby—and Benny understood why the man would—had Benny’s ulcer burning.

  If the two started working together on what happened all those years ago, every layer of deception Benny had put into place to protect those he loved would be rubbed away.

  Exposed.

  Benny would lose everything. He had five children and a beautiful wife who loved him.

  He had so much to protect. To love. To cherish.

  He couldn’t let one bad choice all those years ago destroy everything he had now.

  He waited until Marshall’s car pulled out, then he followed, keeping a believable distance between them.

  Benny wanted to know where the new chief was taking Gabby—just in case.

  He parked his car in the apartment complex across the street from the chief’s townhome, where he could have a clear vantage point of the place if they decided to leave.

  Benny didn’t know why he did it; he was certainly not planning on doing anything else he shouldn’t that night.

  He just wasn’t ready to go home and face the bright smiles and pretty eyes of his daughters right then. Their faith and trust in him, their belief that he was right and good and working to make their world a safer place was more than he could deal with right then.

  Gabby reminded him so much of his daughters.

  If some bastard ever did something to deliberately terrify one of his girls the way Benny had set out to hurt Gabby, he’d rip them apart, wouldn’t he?

  What he’d done that afternoon was wrong, and Benny knew it.

  He sat out in that parking lot for another four hours, until long after his girls were in bed.

  What kind of bastard had he become?

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  ***

  EVERY pair of panties and every bra she had had been sliced into ribbons. Just her undergarments.

  A definite and deliberate personal threat. It sickened him.

  As long as he lived, Elliot knew he would never forget how terrified she had been. How she had looked at him with pain and real fear in her blue eyes.

  He could have a security detail assigned to watch her, if he chose. Elliot knew he may be overreacting because of the emails she’d mentioned, but he’d rather overreact than have something happen to her.

  Still, there were only a few pairs of eyes he absolutely trusted. He made a quick phone call when Gabby took a few minutes in his bathroom to freshen up. He got as satisfactory of an answer as he possibly could. When he disconnected she was just stepping out of the bathroom, wearing a soft t-shirt and cotton pajama pants with cats all over them. “Chance will be coming in tomorrow morning. He’s going to look into this privately for me.”

  “Is that such a good idea? We don’t know who did this to my apartment. It could have been random. You’re the chief. People are going to talk about us. About this.”

  “Honey, someone did it deliberately. It wasn’t random. And we both know that. I’d rather my brother be here to take a look into things, off the TSP books. In the meantime, you and I have to go about business as usual. Until we know more.”

  “I can’t stay at your side forever, Elliot. You’d lose your job, I’d be in serious trouble for mine. And not to mention the rumors that are already flying since someone mentioned that I was alone in your office. I’m sure you don’t want your name associated with me romantically, so that’s something else we need to consider. It has to be embarrassing for you. Awkward for me. And some of the women at the TSP can be seriously catty where attractive men are concerned.”

  That hadn’t even occurred to him, though it probably should have. Him being the boss and her a beautiful available woman? If she’d been a man they wouldn’t have the gossip, but the fact that she was a beautiful woman? Rumors were a definite possibility. Speculation could kill someone’s career real fast. “You’ve not got a boyfriend waiting in the wings who will be upset with you staying with me tonight?” A boyfriend who should be there, keeping her protected? If Gabby was his, he wouldn’t leave her safety to some other man. No way in hell.

  More blushing when she looked at him. Elliot wondered just how deep the flush went. How much of her skin was pink now? “No. Hardly. I don’t date. At least, I haven’t in about three years. Just didn’t work out. He wanted someone a little less…panicky…over certain things. I don’t know if you noticed but I tend to have a few obsessive compulsive behaviors. I didn’t used to. I mean not as bad. I had it as a kid, mildly. But after Sara and Slade…well, I tend to have an anxious…and rambling…personality. I’m sorry. I’m babbling again, aren’t I? Just tell me ‘Shut up, Gabby.’ next time, okay?”

  “I’m not going to tell you to shut up.” Elliot grabbed her bag off the couch and put it next to the chair. He hadn’t unpacked the spare room completely, but there was a bed in there. For the rare times his brother would visit. If Chance ever did. “I have a spare bedroom.”

  “Can’t I sleep with you?”

  His head jerked toward her. Her cheeks turned red and her eyes widened.

  “I’m super sorry. That came out totally wrong. You probably really don’t want to sleep with me. Oh, wow. It keeps going, doesn’t it? I…am shutting up now. Totally shutting up now.” Her embarrassment hung on the air between them. The pink in her cheeks deepened.

  He couldn’t help it. Elliot laughed. She was too damned cute not to. Cute, definitely. There wasn’t anything else that would describe her. Physically, she was stunning but her personality made her cute.

  Perhaps sweet was a better word. Loveable.

  He’d never thought adorable was attractive before, but as he stared at her standing there with her hands over her cheeks, and her eyes wide and embarrassed, something clicked in his head.

  Sleep with her? Curl around her body, press up against her through the night.

  Hell yes, that was exactly what his body was telling him he wanted.

  He’d just have to be an adult and not a horny teenager. That was all. The reasons ran through his head right after another. He was her boss, and she’d had a frightening evening, he was too old for her, she’d been his sister’s best friend, and she was far too vulnerable, etc., etc. He told himself all of those things. It didn’t matter.

  Elliot had no business even thinking about what she’d look like under her clothes. Or under him.

  No business at all.

  “I’ll be right next door. It has a connecting door between the two rooms. We can leave it open if that will make you feel safer.” He stepped over toward her and pulled her hands down from her cheeks. “Hey, listen. Nothing is going to happen to you here. I promise. And you don’t have to be embarrassed for being scared.”

  “Yeah. I’m going to hold you to that, Elliot. And if you mess up and I get killed, I’m going to haunt you. Every night. Probably at seven o’clock. Just as you’re trying to eat dinner, I’ll do something to remind you of me.” The humor was her way, wasn’t it, of dealing with the inevitable tension and nerves?

  And she was nervous in his home.

  Why? He took her hand and led her down the hall. Not toward his bed like he wanted, but toward the guest room.

  “We can get something to eat as soon as you’re settled in. The top two drawers are empty. There should be room for your stuff.”

  “Thank you. I really can’t thank you enough.” She sank down on the foot of his guest bed, and looked up at him. He valiantly ignored the sight of her with a soft bed just waiting behind her. “If you hadn’t been with me I’d still be at my apartment a blathering mess. Mel and Bryn would have found me in a puddle of blather, I swear. They were in my home. My h
ome. They’re coming for me, aren’t they?”

  Wet blue eyes blinked rapidly.

  But what broke him was the tear that slid down her cheek.

  Elliot scooped her up into his arms and held her while she cried.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

  ***

  ELLIOT opened the door to the man knocking just after midnight. The guy on his porch was one he almost didn’t recognize. His brother had changed in the ten years since their family’s deaths. He’d hardened, and he’d turned toward hunting. Toward fighting. Toward tracking the lowest of men.

  Elliot understood. The demons that drove him, drove his brother, too. Only it had been because of an argument with Slade that had kept Chance from being there that night.

  Chance had never told him exactly what it was they’d argued about. And Elliot had never asked. Just accepted that they both had their demons.

  “I’m here. What the hell is going on?” Chance had a black bag thrown over his shoulder. It was all his brother carried.

  “Someone has targeted Gabby Kendall. I need you to find the man responsible for me. Privately.”

  His brother stared at him then started into the duplex Elliot rented about a mile from the post. “You think it’s the same people as before? I figured someone would come after her, eventually. They always promised they would. Kid’s been living on borrowed time.”

  His brother’s words were cold.

  Uncaring.

  “You knew she could be targeted and you’ve done nothing about it? She’s terrified and vulnerable.” A thought occurred to him and had him shifting to block his brother’s entrance into the house. “Or is that what you’re planning on?” He trusted his brother, didn’t he? To always have his back—to do the right thing. Protecting Gabby was the right thing. He had no doubt about that. Did Chance? How far had his brother’s demons driven him? Chance wasn’t planning to eventually use Gabby as bait, was he?