Forever Concealed

by Kathleen Brooks

  “That’s Piper Davies. She and Layne are cousins. You’ll soon learn there’re a lot of Davies cousins,” Gabe grinned. “And you can trust every single one of them.”

  “Sloane! Gabe!” Layne called out in a harsh whisper.

  She and Piper crossed the street and stopped them. “I had to warn you.”

  “What now?” Gabe asked with frustration.

  “Everyone is talking about the picture and worse, Nikki’s inside.”

  Sloane raised an eyebrow.

  Gabe shook his head. “It’s not like that,” he said after reading her look.

  “Hi. I’m Piper by the way,” the woman held out her hand and Sloane shook it. “And it’s not like that. Nikki Canter is . . . well, there are no words.” She held out her hands to imitate someone who was big-breasted and then stuck her booty out.

  “She wants to be a princess,” Gabe groaned. “And since Zain married Mila—”

  “Ah. You’re the only prince left in town,” Sloane said, nodding her understanding.

  “She’s a pit viper,” Layne hissed.

  “Anything else I should know?”

  Layne thought for a second. “Yeah. See the hot guy at the front table?” Sloane looked through the window and nodded when she saw him. “Don’t hit on him. He’s a priest. Learned that the hard way.”

  Sloane snorted out a surprised laugh. “No!”

  Piper nodded. “It’s Keeneston legend now when Sophie hit on him and then Layne thought she could turn him. But seriously, don’t look Nikki in the eyes and don’t respond. It’s easier that way. She loses interest when you don’t fight back. Besides, if you two aren’t a real couple, it doesn’t matter.”

  “We are,” Gabe answered as he put an arm around Sloane.

  Piper and Layne shared a knowing smile, and Sloane stood gaping, not knowing what to say as the cousins took off across the street to share the latest gossip.

  “We are not a couple. I’m the Princess of Heroin, and that is not the royalty you want to marry into,” she whispered as they began to walk across the street.

  “And when are you going to pay attention and realize I don’t give a damn who your parents are. You are not the Princess of Heroin. You are a good, kind, intelligent woman whose kisses make me think of long days holding hands and even longer nights in bed. And when I say days, I mean more than a week, which is something I’ve never said before.”

  Before Sloane could reply, Gabe pushed open the door to the café and the only noise was the heavy beating of her heart that had just been completely lost to the man beside her.

  “My prince!”

  Sloane was drawn away from Gabe’s profile to the throaty, seductive call.

  “Don’t look!” she heard Layne gasp as Sloane’s eyes traveled up the long lean legs on full display in a skintight mini dress, to a flat stomach, and up to big breasts stretched to their limit while somehow remaining perky without a bra.

  “She’s lost. There’s nothing we can do now,” Piper said from somewhere in the distance.

  Sloane’s eyes were riveted as they stopped on lips that looked as if they were close to exploding and up to eyes . . . Sloane sucked in a breath and acted on instinct as she cried out and slapped at the spiders clinging to the woman’s face.

  The entire café gasped, but the woman in front of her seemed to not feel the smacks to the face.

  “Get them off of her! Gabe, help her!” Sloane screamed as she started batting at the woman’s face again.

  “Are you demented?” the woman cried, spinning away from Sloane. Sloane was going to say something, but suddenly she was hit in the stomach with something hard yet squishy at the same time. She was flung back and into Gabe’s arms. His whole body was shaking as he caught her.

  “She has spiders on her face,” Sloane cried. “And you’re laughing? Help her!”

  “Sweetheart, those aren’t spiders. Those are her eyelashes. And she just took you out with her ass implants. Sloane, meet Nikki.”

  Ooh. Everything Layne and Piper said made sense now, especially about not looking at her in the eyes.

  Nikki turned back around and almost took a table of food down with her backside. She sneered, or maybe not. It was hard to tell after all the Botox. The woman looked Sloane up and down and then dismissed her as she reached for Gabe. Gabe shrank back, practically shoving Sloane in front of him.

  “Nikki, this is my girlfriend, Sloane.”

  The café was quiet no longer. Even Nikki’s shriek was lost in the uproar at that announcement. Sloane smiled but dug her heel into Gabe’s foot. Dating, boyfriend, girlfriend—those things should be discussed, not just ambushed onto a person. Even if the person wanted that more than anything.

  16

  Gabe heard the commotion, but his eyes were glued to Nikki’s long, sharp, pointed fake nails. They’d been curled into a fist, but now they were like claws and headed right for Sloane.

  Gabe spun Sloane around, ignoring that she’d dug her heel into his foot with displeasure. He wrapped his arms around her, waiting to feel the nails digging into his back. Instead, there a squeak and then the room went silent.

  Brrrrrt.

  The loud fart seemed to echo through the café. Gabe looked over his shoulder. Nikki was lying on the ground unconscious, claws outstretched, and farting. He searched the room and found Sophie Davies Dagher smiling innocently as her husband, Nash, sat wide-eyed next to her.

  “I’m your husband now. You have to let me have one,” Nash said, shaking his head as Andy stood up from his table.

  The room exploded with demands for Sophie’s fart taser—a taser she never admitted she had. Sophie was a weapons developer and was always coming up with things that were deadly, and sometimes silent but deadly.

  Andy came up to Gabe as he and Sloane stared down at Nikki. Andy was the least intimidating guy in Keeneston, and probably the nicest. His father, Dinky, was a sheriff’s deputy and his mother, Chrystal, was recently retired. Andy had inherited Dinky’s short stature, standing only five foot seven, and his mother’s shocking reddish-orange hair and freckles.

  Andy stuck out his hand and Gabe shook it. “It’s good seeing you again, Andy. I heard you’ve started taking classes at the academy to become a deputy.”

  “Just started this week,” Andy smiled before turning to face Sloane.

  “Andy, let me introduce you to Sloane.”

  Gabe led the introductions and Andy shook Sloane’s hand as Nikki lay motionless on the floor. Andy let out a sigh. “You’d think she’d learn after being tased the first time. I better take her home. It was real nice meeting the woman who got Gabe to use the G word. Thank goodness you’re not another Vegas showgirl.” He smacked Gabe on the arm.

  Gabe saw Sloane’s eyes narrow as she looked at him. “I can explain.”

  Sloane held up one finger as Andy bent down and scooped Nikki into his arms. She pulled out her cell and googled Gabe Ali Rahman. Playboy Prince naked with model. Playboy Prince and Hollywood’s Bad Girl. When will the Playboy Prince find his Princess?

  Gabe wanted to snatch the phone from her hand. “That’s not who I am when I’m with you. I know we both started off not being completely open with each other but I promise, I will answer every question you have. I’ll never hide anything from you.”

  Layne got up and opened the door for Andy. As she passed Sloane, Layne put her hand on Sloane’s arm to draw her attention away from the phone. “Gabe has never brought anyone to the café. He’s never brought anyone for us to meet. I’m not making an excuse for him having a wild past, but I also know him to be honest. He never hid who he was and what his expectations were for those women. They knew going in it wasn’t a relationship. They’d beg and they’d try to force him into marriage. But not once did he ever call one his girlfriend. If he says it’s different with you, then it is. Gabe is one of the best men I know, so I hope you give him a chance.”

  Gabe wanted to hug Layne right then. Instead he gave her the slightest nod
of his head. “Let’s sit down,” Gabe said to Sloane as he held out his hand to show her to the table.

  “Wait a minute,” Pam Gilbert, the prim soccer mom, said. Even though her kids were in college, she still wore the PTA outfit of khakis, a polo shirt, and penny loafers. “So, she’s not a spoiled brat like that heiress? Remember her?” Pam rolled her eyes as everyone groaned. “But I’ve been around long enough to know if she’s here there’s a reason. Is someone trying to blow you up? I just need to know if I need to put the steel grill guard back on the minivan.”

  “I can get the dogs,” Bridget said excitedly.

  “That’s Ahmed’s wife, Bridget. She trains military and police dogs,” Gabe whispered.

  “We’ve got these new skillets with an extra-long handle. We should be able to swing it with more force.”

  “That’s Zinnia, and her sister is Poppy. They’re the Rose sisters’ young cousins who have taken over the café and the bed-and-breakfast.”

  “I’ve got a new gun,” Miles announced. That got everyone’s attention as the patrons started drawing their weapons to compare.

  “Wait a second, she hasn’t answered my sister’s question.”

  Gabe felt Sloane go stiff next to him. “That’s Morgan Davies. Her husband is the one with the new gun. Layne is their only child.”

  “Mom!”

  Miles narrowed his eyes at his daughter. “You know the reason she’s here?”

  Layne rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t make me pull the audio files on your phone,” Miles threatened.

  “Oh my gosh, Dad. I’m twenty-nine, and you’re still bugging my phone?” Layne yelled across the room and Gabe noticed that quite a few of the fathers were suddenly finding the food on their plates very fascinating.

  Gabe saw Reagan Davies go pale as she stared at her father. That was interesting. Her father, Cy Davies, was a retired spy and was currently lost in his fried chicken.

  “You leave my girl alone,” Aniyah said as she made her way over to them with her hands on her curvy hips. DeAndre backed her up. “It’s not like she can help it that her parents are drug lords out to kill her for stealing a recipe for a new drug that could make them billions.” The room got very quiet. “Sloane has been trying to outwit her parents and save as many people as she can. She’s good people.”

  “Your parents are drug lords?”

  “Uh-oh,” Gabe said under his breath.

  “Now it’s uh-oh?” Sloane whispered harshly back.

  “That’s Annie Davies. She’s ex-DEA.”

  “Uh-oh,” Sloane muttered and took a step closer to Gabe as Annie stalked toward her.

  “And just who is your family?” Annie demanded.

  “Shane and Lisa Malone,” Sloane barely got out. Father Ben made the sign of the cross. Annie stopped dead in her tracks. Even Bridget and Ahmed blinked.

  “Well, at least they’re not pot-smoking hippies,” Marcy Davies, the matriarch of the Davies family, said from the table in the back where she sat with her husband, Jake. “I had enough of those in the ’60s and ’70s.”

  Sloane’s mouth dropped open. The Rose sisters nodded their agreement. Layne snorted. Piper hid a laugh under a cough. All of the Davies cousins and a good number of their parents just stared at Marcy as she got up and walked slowly toward Sloane and Gabe. Marcy and Jake were having trouble keeping up with the farm so their kids and grandkids were on a schedule to help out with the chores.

  Marcy reached out and patted Gabe’s cheek with a wrinkled hand. “You’re a good boy. I love you as if you’re my own grandson. So I’ll tell you this. Give your poor parents grandbabies and no one will care if this young woman is the daughter of a drug lord.” She winked then and turned to Sloane.

  “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m so glad you’re not another belly dancer. Hips just aren’t meant to move like that. Welcome to Keeneston, dear. We’ll take care of you.”

  * * *

  Sloane thanked the women who then turned back around to face the café. “And if my grandchildren would just give me great-grandchildren, then I could finally die happy . . . or move to Florida.”

  Heads hung and a good number of people with matching hazel eyes seemed very interested in things on the ceiling, behind them, or even under the table.

  “Is this for real?” Sloane whispered. She realized she was practically hugging Gabe’s arm to her chest and let go.

  Gabe shrugged. “It’s Keeneston,” he said with a smile. “And these people will do anything to help out one of their own.”

  “But I’m not one of them.”

  “No, but I am, and that’s enough. Give it a little while and soon you’ll be sitting here gossiping with the rest of them.”

  Sloane wondered if that would ever be possible as Gabe held out her chair for her. No one seemed really surprised that someone was trying to kill her. Not for the first time that night, Sloane just couldn’t figure out what kind of town this was.

  “Dad!”

  “Who is that?” Sloane asked, as she felt a bit of déjà vu.

  “That’s Riley. She’s the state representative I told you is married to the man her father currently has by the throat. The husband’s name is Matt. He’s the sheriff,” Gabe laughed as he shook his head. Matt was tall and muscular, but Cy was scary. His hair was cropped short and his arm muscles bulged as he wrapped his fingers around the sheriff’s throat.

  “Wait, then who’s that?”

  Gabe looked to where Sloane nodded. “That’s her twin, Reagan. Everyone knows she’s doing something secretive. We just don’t know what. My guess is that’s why she freaked out earlier.”

  “Why is Cy choking his son-in-law?”

  Gabe shrugged. “Cy can be a little overprotective of his daughters.”

  “Dad!” Riley said, sounding more and more pissed. “Let go of my husband.”

  “The woman standing behind Cy is his wife, Gemma,” Gabe filled in as he placed a drink order for special tea. No one seemed concerned that the sheriff was about to be murdered.

  “The Rose sisters said someone is pregnant and it better not be you!” Cy yelled.

  Riley rolled her eyes and her mother clasped her hands in excitement before giving Matt the thumbs-up sign from behind Cy’s shoulder.

  “I’ll have Sophie fart taser you if you don’t put him down,” Riley threatened.

  “And you didn’t answer my question.”

  “Since you didn’t ask nicely, I guess you’ll have to wait nine months to find out,” Riley said, crossing her arms.

  “That’s harsh,” Sloane said with a laugh.

  Riley’s mother, Gemma, was torn between delight and frustration. Cy lowered Matt who didn’t seem at all concerned for his safety.

  “And just for that,” Riley said still annoyed, “Poppy, I’ll be having water with dinner tonight.”

  Gemma threw up her hands and smacked her husband. “I will paint all your guns pink if you cost me a grandchild!”

  “Aw, now come on, baby,” Cy called after his wife.

  “Keeneston is different,” Gabe said, reaching for her hand. “But I hope you like it here. I loved growing up here. Even though I moved to Lexington, I’ve always seen myself coming back.”

  “It’s certainly different from where I grew up,” Sloane said as she looked around. People were talking across tables with their friends. Anyone who walked in got waved to or smiled to by the whole crowd. The waitress seemed to know everyone by name. The young couples laughed together, along with their parents sitting nearby. Slowly, Sloane was introduced to most of the people there and not a single one asked about her parents, or thought it was strange someone was trying to kill her, or that she had a shady past. Instead, they talked about Billy’s and her upcoming graduation.

  “So you’re the one I put in a good word for.”

  Sloane squeezed Gabe’s hand as Annie sat down. She should have looked matronly, but she didn’t. Instead, she looked like she enjoyed shooting people. H
er red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore tan cargo pants and a black V-neck T-shirt with a sheriff’s star embroidered in gold on the left breast.

  “Yes. I really appreciate that.”

  “I’m certain the school will appreciate the irony, too. I know all about your parents. And you. We all thought you died. You sold drugs to your prep school. But every time they were confiscated, they were found to contain nothing illegal. Did your parents know that?”

  Sloane shook her head. “The DEA knew about me selling to my classmates? Why wasn’t I busted?”

  “Because selling caffeine pills isn’t illegal. We couldn’t arrest you. I had a friend working in Chicago, and he complained about it constantly. They thought you were the weak link and wanted you to turn on your parents. But they never had probable cause to bring you in. Then, one day you committed suicide and the DEA forgot about you. What we’ve always wondered was why you were selling caffeine pills and not heroin.” Annie crossed her arms over her chest and stared Sloane down.

  “Just be honest. They’ll find out anyway,” Miss Lily called from her reserved table up front.

  “It hasn’t been the same since they got hearing aids.” Gabe winked as Poppy set down two glasses of iced tea.

  Sloane took a sip and immediately sucked in air. “This isn’t iced tea!” It burned. Oh goodness, that first sip burned.

  “It’s the bourbon,” Miss Daisy called out with a chuckle.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Sienna called out from her table.

  “I notice you’re not drinking it,” Sloane gasped out.

  “Solidarity,” Sienna smiled with a nod to the rest of the table. All of the married women had water.”

  “Take another sip and tell me about school,” Annie said as if it were a suggestion, but Sloane heard the order in it and took another sip.

  “I was given heroin by my parents to sell. I dumped it down the toilet every day and replaced it with the caffeine pills.”