She dropped her arms to her sides.
Instinctively, as a child, she had always known Gabriel was evil. When she had told her mother and father, they had told her she was being absurd. The only one who had listened to her and who had taken her seriously had been Julia.
The horror of what he was telling her was shocking, but any plan on leaving this office, and Desmond, to catching the first plane out of Queens City died a quick death. She hadn’t believed Desmond when he had expressed an interest in her, but this she did believe. Gabriel was capable of anything, and he had the money to reach his goal.
“You don’t believe they’re dead?”
“No, and I’m not the only one. Gabriel makes a habit of hiding his victims in the ocean, and there is no proof that can be found there.”
“Nothing you, or anyone else, can do will be able to find them. Gabriel doesn’t make mistakes.”
“I can find them with your help.”
Haley couldn’t hold back an ironic laugh. “If you’re only looking in the ocean for his victims, that’s your first mistake. He isn’t above digging holes if it suits his purpose.”
“Gabriel wouldn’t have killed them if they serve a higher purpose.”
Her heart sank. Desmond was right there. Money always held the upper hand with Gabriel.
“Regardless of any efforts made, we won’t be able to figure out what he did with them. He’s truly …” Her childhood fears started swarming her.
“Evil?”
Haley shuddered. “Yes!”
“If he finds out you’re searching for them, he’ll have them killed. He can’t be beaten. Just because he’s in prison doesn’t make him defenseless.”
Desmond’s expression turned harsh as he gripped her upper arms tightly. “I can beat him. Gabriel isn’t the only one who knows how to fight dirty.”
“Are you ready to jeopardize everything and everyone to win?”
The last of Desmond’s façade dropped, showing the cruel, merciless part of himself that he had been hiding. “Gabriel already destroyed the only thing I could ever care about. It’ll be a fight that I intend to win.”
Haley tore herself away from his hands to stare at him, seeing the fierce resolve that had her taking another step back.
Could Desmond win? For him to win, she would have to open the gate to her family’s secrets and let him step inside, exposing everything she had kept hidden. Was she capable of doing that? Of putting another target on her back? She had barely survived the first time; could she do it again?
She clenched her teeth to keep a scream from escaping. If lives were really at stake, she had no choice. She was going to have to face the monster again.
Nine
“How do I know that this isn’t a setup for Gabriel’s benefit?” she probed, moving around him to retake the chair on shaking legs. “You could be acting on Gabriel’s behalf to find out what knowledge I have.”
The man who had investigated Haley’s troubled past with her family felt saddened to the extent she was so wary of Gabriel’s power. In their pursuit of money, the Clarks weren’t above using anyone, not even an innocent child, who their first priority should have been protecting her.
“You know that doesn’t make sense,” he contradicted. “I can understand your fear; just don’t let it get the better of you. Gabriel spent his life being cut-throat and hiding the fact. Believe me; I know him for the vicious bastard he is. I will make certain you’re protected from any ramifications, from either Gabriel or your family.”
He couldn’t blame her for being afraid. How she had managed to escape the plans they’d had for her boggled his mind. The explanation came to his mind a second later.
Nadia. Nadia must have taught the little mouse to roar.
“I’m supposed to trust you when not less than half an hour ago, you were stooping to seducing me,” Haley said sarcastically.
She had him there.
“You said there are others trying to discover their whereabouts?”
Unless he could get past her skepticism, he was never going to make any headway.
“There are,” he confirmed, choosing to remain vague.
“I doubt the government is providing any assistance.” Raising a stubborn chin challengingly, she showed she wasn’t going a step further until she was convinced of his sincerity to do the right thing. “They were content to let him get away with the crimes he was committing until the group that brought him down managed to find the proof needed to prosecute him and gave it to the FBI.”
“You are incredibly well-informed. Do you know who it was that gave the FBI the proof?”
“No. They say it was someone who was undercover.”
“It was a couple, and their group of friends. Gabriel fucked with the one person in the whole world he shouldn’t have.”
“Who are they?”
Desmond shook his head at her. “That, I can’t tell you. The married couple deserves their privacy, especially the husband. If it made the headlines, his past could come out, and I wouldn’t want to do more damage to him than what’s already been done. What I can say is, you have something in common with him—videos that he didn’t want taken of him, and his wasn’t as family-friendly as yours.”