Surprising enough, I didn’t react like I thought I would. “It’s fine. I’m angry.”
He put his arm around me and rubbed my back. “Angry? What did he say?”
My head shook back and forth as I thought about the whys. “I’m twenty-six, and he treats me like a child. I’m old enough to make a mistake, especially considering I’ve made very few of them in life. I’ve worked so hard to do right by him, and here I am like a silly little girl, calling my daddy and hoping I don’t hurt his feelings or disappoint him.
“What about my feelings? What about what I want?”
Gabriel brought his hand around and placed it on mine. “I agree. Maybe it’s time you tell him how you feel.” He pulled me close, and as I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed in his cologne, I knew I should do the same with him. Before I could muster up the courage, Mason called for him.
Chapter Fourteen
Gabriel
A few days had passed since Luna told her father about the marriage, and since then, her mood had changed drastically. I wasn’t sure if it was our talk, but she’d been a lot more upbeat and had even gotten a bit more daring when it came to flirting.
With Mason on his way, I sat at my coffee table desk and checked emails while she took the chair by the window and stared at her phone. The noises coming from the corner grabbed my attention. “What are you doing?”
“The same thing I normally do on Mondays when the work day is slow.” She met my eyes and gave me a wink.
“Careful. You wouldn’t want your boss to know.” I turned off my phone and eased back. The small room was growing tiresome, and I couldn’t wait to see other walls.
“You’re right, he’s such a blowhard.” The decorative pillow that usually had a home in the chair with her sailed across the room and missed me by inches.
“That’s a vicious rumor. I hear he’s a nice guy – very humble and reasonable.”
“Lies, all lies.” She giggled, with her phone finally silent.
Mason pounded on the door. “Let me in.” His voice was muffled from the other side. Before I could get up, Luna crossed the room, already on it.
He barged in when she swung the door wide. Without any witty hellos, he got right down to business. “I wish I had better news, but I wanted to prepare you for what’s coming. More than that, I’m glad I’m staying in town.”
When his glare met mine, my blood turned cold. There was a shift in the case, and I had a feeling it wasn’t in my favor.
“Tell me.” It was all I could think to say and I felt numbness spread through me. Luna came to sit with me. The warmth of her hand on mine registered, and I gripped it tight.
“There’s trouble back home.” Mason’s lips pressed into a tight line.
I got a sinking feeling in my bones. Sandra hadn’t heard from Harbor and the kid was always getting into trouble with his bad attitude. “Is it Harbor? Sandra? Has something happened to them?”
“No, but you might want to check on them. I got a call from Detective Hatcher. He’s going to call you back down as soon as Detective Warren of the LAPD arrives. It seems there was a third victim.” The world stopped suddenly as all the air was sucked out of the room.
Another victim? I shook my head; this couldn’t be happening. “Who? What’s the name?”
“Tammy Stapleton.”
Luna squeezed my hand as I shrugged. “I don’t know who that is.” I hadn’t dated anyone by that name, and relief hit me as I realized there was no connection. “You had
me scared to death. What does this have to do with me?”
Mason’s eyes widened and he leaned back in his seat, as if confused and relieved. Then he sat forward. “Are you certain you don’t know her? Could she have been a one-night stand or maybe someone from long ago?” I searched my memory and came up short.
“No, I’ve never dated a Tammy.”
“Her family came forward in LA after reading about how you’re the focus of this investigation. They claim that you dated Tammy for a few months.” He searched my eyes, pegging me with a hard glare. “You have to be absolutely sure, Gabe.”
Mason had never pulled this aggressive bullshit on me and his sharp tone had my back up. “I’m fucking telling you I don’t know who she is.”
“Gabriel.” Luna stroked my hand, but I pulled it away.