He held out his hands toward his bumbling captor. “Now that you’re busted, will you please get rid of this tape? I really have to go to the little boys’ room. Oh, and Dani Botelli, meet Gabby with no last name.”
Gabby said, “It’s Knight. Gabby Knight.”
Dani nodded. “Nice to meet you, Gabby Knight.”
Jake glanced at Dani, who was trying not to laugh. By the amused expression on her face, Dani must’ve known Gabby wasn’t a criminal, either. She’d had a dream or a hunch, or she wouldn’t have shown up. His ex had random prophetic dreams and hunches that were right 98 percent of the time, and he’d used them to help solve crimes in the past. Her famous movie-star mother, Annalisa Botelli, had them, too, but they both kept their abilities on the lowdown to protect Dani’s mother’s ticket sales.
“Lovely to meet you, too, Dani.” Gabby’s English accent was back, so she had to be nervous. Then she added, “I saw some scissors in the drawer over there. I’m sorry that it’ll hurt when we rip it off, Jake.”
He hadn’t thought about that. He’d probably have bald forearms for a bit. “That’s okay. Just hurry, please.”
Gabby returned with the scissors. While she lowered her red head and concentrated on freeing his hands, he said to Dani, “Keep an eye on this one while I’m gone. She likes to bonk people over the head with frying pans.”
“I can see that.” Dani smirked. “But that was your mistake, Gabby. Jake is the most hardheaded man I know.”
Gabby whispered, “I didn’t enjoy hitting you, Jake. I regret hurting you more than I can say. And I won’t be any more trouble. I promise.”
The sadness in her voice pierced his heart. She probably thought she’d go to jail. But he didn’t care about what she’d done so far, just about keeping her out of any more trouble in the future. “I’m going to help you, Gabby. Just as soon as I get back, we can sit down, and you can tell me what’s really going on.”
She slowly shook her head as she laid the scissors down. “Thanks for the offer. But I can handle it on my own from here.” Then she ripped off the tape.
All the air whooshed from his lungs, and he saw stars for a good five seconds until he could breathe normally again. That hurt almost as badly as the frying pan had. He was proud of himself for not crying out like a baby.
Dani put her gun in her purse. “Gabby, why don’t you have a seat on the couch for a minute while I talk to Jake. And don’t go anywhere, okay? The roads are like an ice-skating rink out there.”
Dani grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the bedroom. He glanced over his shoulder to be sure Gabby had complied with Dani’s instructions. Gabby sat on the couch with her eyes cast downward and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Because he really did have to go, he went into the bathroom but left the door open a crack. If Dani looked, she wouldn’t see anything she hadn’t seen before. He called out, “Thanks for the save, but I had it under control.”
“Sure looked like it when I walked in, you all taped up like that.” Dani flopped on the edge of the bed. “You’re calling her Gabby, but the person in my vision was Sophia Moretti. I googled her while I was driving here.”
Why did she change her name? “You googled while driving? We’ve talked about that, Dani.”
“For argument’s sake, let’s pretend I was at a red light. Anyway, she supposedly died years ago. And she’s the daughter of Luca Moretti. That name ring any of your cop bells?”
The mobster? How could a sweet woman like Gabby be his daughter?
Jake washed his hands. “Is she for sure the same person? Was there a picture?”
Dani appeared by his side with her phone tilted in his direction. “What do you think?”
He dried his hands and then scooped up the phone from Dani. It was of a little kid. “Yeah. That’s her. Not that I would’ve necessarily seen the connection if I wasn’t looking for it, though. I’m disappointed she’s not really a redhead, but those adorable dimples are the same.” Seemed Gabby was dealing with some dangerous people. She might need help if she wanted to outwit her father.
Dani grinned. “You like her, don’t you?”
It felt weird to discuss another woman with his ex-wife. Especially because he’d always love Dani, even if they weren’t ever meant to be married.
He said, “She’s in over her head, that’s all. But don’t mention I’m a cop until I figure it all out.”
Dani’s right brow spiked. “I didn’t have just one dream, Jake. I saw—”
“Stop!” He held up a hand. “Don’t tell me. I hate when you ruin endings for me. I’m going to do this, so don’t try to talk me out of it.” He’d prove to his boss and to himself that he could be a good detective without his ex-wife’s help. “And were you telling the truth about the roads? Is it safe for you to drive home?”
Dani rolled her eyes. “Typical. First you tell me what your stubborn ass is going to do despite what I think, and then you act all concerned about me.”
He smiled. She still had his number. “You should stay. It’ll just be a side benefit that it’ll drive Michael crazy thinking about us together in this cabin all night.”
“I’ve already talked to him about how dangerous the roads are. And at another of those imaginary red lights, he said he’d rather I not drive home tonight, either. He trusts me.”
“Uh-huh.” He walked back into the living room with Dani on his heels. “You guys had a fight about it, didn’t you?”
“Yes. So you have to sleep on the couch. Gabby and I will share.”
Dammit. He had a major headache and didn’t want to sleep on the couch. “We can talk about that in a minute. We reheated some lasagna. Help yourself.”
“Help myself? To my own lasagna? I made that for the next time Michael and I come up, thank you very much. Now I’ll have to make more.” She headed for the kitchen.
He planted himself on the coffee table in front of Gabby. “Okay, Red. What’s the real deal?”
Gabby blinked at him. “Is Dani Annalisa Botelli’s daughter? Annalisa is one of my favorite actresses.”
“Yep.” He nodded. “Dani is my ex-wife. This is her cabin, and she gets pissy when I eat the food she makes for her fiancé for when they come here for their romantic getaways. Now we’re all acquainted. Start talking.”
“Wow. You were married to her?” Gabby glanced over her shoulder and watched Dani move about the kitchen while making herself a plate. “She’s gorgeous.”
He was starting to get a little offended. “What? Dumb cowboys can’t have pretty wives whose mothers are major movie stars?”
“No.” She reached out and gave his tender forearm a squeeze. “I don’t think you’re a dumb cowboy, Jake. Please stop saying that. And although I’m pretty sure you’re lying to me about being a cowboy, I don’t care. Not after the way I treated you.”
That took him aback. Not many people could read him that well. “Enough about me. Tell me what’s really going on. So far, I know your father has men he sends after you. That’s why you hit me over the head. You thought I was one of them. And you want to get some artifact before a bad guy does. That about right?” Now that he knew who her father was, it made more sense.
“Yes. But the bad guys won’t hurt me. You, I can’t guarantee the same for. I should just go. I’ve done enough damage here—that I’m paying you back for, by the way.” She pointed to the bedroom. “You can have as much money as you think you’ll need to make any repairs. Help yourself. I have plenty. It’s in the blue bag beside the bed.”
He ran a hand down his face, searching for patience. “Gabby. You don’t know me. The last thing you should tell a stranger is that you have a bag of money and to help themselves! How have you gotten along this far in life and not known that?” Jeez, the poor woman would get robbed or worse left on her own.
“I know that, Jake. I’m just trying to make up for hitting you over the head.” She shrugged. “But the truth is I don’t deal with money often. I usually have d
rivers and bodyguards who pay for everything. It’s pretty annoying, actually.”
Dani sat beside him on the coffee table with her plate in her hands. “I had them, too, growing up. You’re right. They’re so annoying.”
Jake shook his head. “Your sheltered life tells me you can’t be trusted on your own. You could be in real danger, Red. You either let me help you, or I’ll call the police, and you can do jail time for assault, kidnapping, and B and E for starters. Do we have a deal?”
Gabby looked at him, then at Dani, who was nodding her head up and down as she ate, and then back to him. “Can I please sleep on it tonight? It’s a very big decision. Bigger than you could ever guess, actually.”
She was buying herself time. “Sure. But you’re going to be sleeping with me tonight while you ponder. In the nice, soft bed, because Dani’s fiancé wants her to sleep on the couch. As far away from me as possible.” He wasn’t going to let Gabby slip out during the night. Who knew what kind of people could be out to hurt her? He might have been relieved of his duties for a month, but any decent person would help her out.
“Wait a minute.” Dani lifted a finger. “This is my house, remember? I get to—”
“Be reasonable, Dani. You on the couch makes the most sense. You’re the shortest one here. Gabs or I won’t fit.”
“I’m shorter by, what, three inches?” Dani laid her plate down beside her. “Gabby, could you move please so I can make a point to stubborn, bossy Jake here?”
Gabby slowly stood and stepped aside, then Dani lay on the couch.
He smiled. She and the couch were the exact same length. “So who was stubborn and right, Botelli?”
Dani sat up and frowned. “Oh, all right. I’ll sleep here, then.”
Gabby’s eyes widened. “No. I can’t sleep with him.” She threw a thumb his way. “He’s the flirtiest man I’ve ever met.”
He plastered on his best smile. “Why, thank you. Now, where are my gun and knife please?”
She reached into a pocket in her flannel pants and pulled out his keys. “I put them in your glove box when I was bringing in the groceries.” She tossed his keys to him. “But we’re not sleeping in the same bed. Right, Dani? You know how he is.”
Jake shook his head and walked toward the front door. Gabby wasn’t going anywhere, and she was going to sleep with him even if he had to duct-tape her to the bed. Luca Moretti’s men were dangerous. He still had a duty to protect her. Badge or not.
Gabby panicked as Jake walked out the door. “Dani, seriously. I can’t sleep with him.”
“Who are you afraid is going to misbehave? You or Jake?” Dani smiled and then finished her lasagna.
Gabby’s cheeks were suddenly on fire. How could Dani know? “Jake, of course.”
“Hmmmm.” Dani stood and took her plate to the kitchen sink.
“Okay, I’ll admit I’m a little attracted to him.” She followed behind Dani. “You were, too, at one time, so you must know how impossible it is not to want to kiss him. Just to shut him up sometimes, if nothing else.”
Dani laughed as she loaded her plate in the dishwasher. “I like you, Gabby.” She turned and leaned back against the counter. “Here’s a little truth about Jake that he’d kill me for sharing. Something happened when he was a kid, so he doesn’t like to be touched.”
“Ever? Like not even a hug?”
“He likes to do the touching just fine when he’s in bed with a woman he’s going to sleep with, but that’s the only time.” Dani held up a finger. “Oh, and only he can initiate the touching. He doesn’t like to hold hands, cuddle, or engage in any displays of affection. At least he didn’t with me at first.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”
Dani sighed. “I used to get so hurt by what I thought was his lack of affection until he finally confessed after we’d been together for almost a year. I’m only telling you this because I think it’ll make it easier for you to understand him. All you have to do is ask him not to touch you, and he’ll respect that because it’s what he’ll ask of you.”
Her heart ached for the little boy who’d been Jake. “Who hurt him?”
Dani shook her head. “That’s a story for only him to tell. But I’ll make him sleep on the couch if you’re still worried.”
Gabby didn’t know what to do. But now she felt really sorry for Jake. “He’d be more comfortable in the bed, especially with his head injury. And I am a little worried about him. It’d probably be good if someone were with him in case his injury gets worse in the night. Brains can sometimes swell hours later.”
Dani nodded. “Yes, there’s that. And you’d be doing me a huge favor, actually. My fiancé and Jake don’t care for each other. Michael would feel better knowing I’m on the couch and you’re with Jake to keep an eye on him.”
“Okay.” She hoped she wouldn’t regret that decision. But she’d still leave at first light, before Jake and Dani awoke.
Jake came through the door along with a rush of cool air. “Gabby, you forgot to check the bed of my truck, under the lid. There was more liquor. I make a mean Moscow mule, if you ladies would like one. Oh, and I disabled your Jeep and my truck, so you can forget running away without me.”
Crap! Now what am I going to do?
Jake chuckled. “Gabby, your escape plan in the night was written all over your face. You need to work on that.”
She did. She was terrible at lying. She just wanted to get her statue and go home.
Dani whispered, “Just let him help you, Sophia. We’ll keep your secret so you can get your statue guy before Luca can. You’ll need Jake’s help to do it.”
Sophia? And my father? How could you possibly know?
“My name is Gabby. I can show you my license.” Her knees went weak. No one could know her true identity. Her life depended on staying hidden from her father’s enemies. If anyone found out, she’d have to move in the middle of the night and have no interactions with anyone except her father’s men. “And who’s Luca?” She backed away from Dani and ran into Jake’s chest. She spun around. “Don’t believe her, Jake.”
He laid his boxes on the counter and then held up his hands in a “calm down” gesture. “Look. We both know she’s not lying, but I get why you need to tell me she is. You have to trust us here, Red.”
“You’re the one who just said I shouldn’t trust strangers. Who else knows?” Tears slipped down her cheeks as overbearing sadness crept into her heart. “Now I’m going to have to disappear for good. And my father won’t ever let me have a real job. I’ll be a prisoner in my own home.”
Dani wrapped her arms around Gabby. “Stop. We aren’t going to tell anyone. We promise. But you need some help. You’ll never outrun your father without Jake’s help. Believe me, I know.”
She shook her head. “But if you figured it out, then so can someone else. My father was so careful. And we’re never in public together. I don’t understand how you could possibly know.”
Jake took her by the upper arms and placed his face in front of hers. “You said you were never wrong about people, so look into my eyes while I promise you that I’ll never reveal your secret.”
She blinked at him through her tears. Then she shook her head. “I can’t trust myself anymore. I meet so few new people—”
“Okay. Wait.” Dani took her arm and pulled her to the couch. Then she sat beside her and held her hand. “Do you know who I am?”
She nodded. “You’re Annalisa’s daughter. You were kidnapped as a kid. And I saw the gambling thing in Vegas on the Internet recently. You were being chased by a man out for revenge and were almost killed in front of the casino. It was all over the news.”
“Right. So if I told you a secret about myself, will you promise me you’ll keep it in return for me keeping yours? Then we’ll both have a secret on the other. Deal?”
Gabby could barely think straight with all the fear about being discovered running through her veins, but she nodded. “Okay.�
�� She wanted to trust Dani so badly. Dani had kind eyes. Just as nice as Jake’s. Gabby had never been wrong in the past. She was usually surrounded by horrible people who worked for her father. She’d always known how to gauge the bad side in people. But now, she wasn’t so sure.
Dani leaned closer. “If no one has figured out your secret in all these years, then you’re safe. The only reason I know is that I have these prophetic dreams and sometimes just know things. And I saw your statue. Go ahead. Ask me something about it. Anything.”
What? Dani wasn’t making any sense. “Your dreams told you who I am?”
She nodded. “And that Jake was going to be taped up. That’s why I came. I thought he was hurt.”
Jake added, “You broke my cell, Gabby, if you’ll remember. I had no way to call her. Here. Drink this.” He handed her and Dani Moscow mules in copper cups.
Dani whispered, “You need to let Jake help you get what you want. Everything you want, Gabby.”
It was all too much to take in.
She took a deep drink. The combination of ginger and lime was really good. She’d never had a Moscow mule before. “Okay, wait. If your dreams or whatever are real, then what is the artifact made of?”
Dani took a sip and then put her cup down. “It’s a guy who might be a king or something and is made of gold. It’s about yea big.” She held her hands about ten inches apart. “And it has this cool pattern on the tunic that I can’t describe. But maybe I could draw it for you.” Dani rose and found some paper and a pen.
Gabby took another drink as she tried to wrap her head around what Dani was telling her. She could’ve seen the statue’s match, the Emperor Father, on TV. It had been on the news when it had been stolen. But if that were true, she’d draw it wrong, because the Father and his Son had different patterns on their tunics.
Her scientific brain wanted to fight what Dani was saying about the visions, but there was real research on the subject that proved some people were more sensitive than others. It didn’t sit well with her, though. She needed proof.
Dani finished and held up the paper. “It looks like this, right?”
Dealing Double (A Heartbreaker Novel Book 2) Page 5
