Gabriel Read Online Free PDF Page B

more dwelled in her eyes—determination.
    God . That unsettled him more than the grief.
    “It stated Richard is dead.” At her words, foreboding crept across his soul like an
     insidious shadow. “The letter asked me to bring him justice.”
    There went that other shoe.

Chapter Three
    Gabriel fell back against the back of the couch.
    Richard…dead…justice.
    Nausea bathed his gut in a shower of acid and fear.
    “Gabe?” Leah leaned forward, frowning. She settled a hand on his thigh, her elegant
     fingers with their no-nonsense, blunt nails squeezed his leg. This time he didn’t
     shift away from her touch. Hell, it was the only thing anchoring him to a world suddenly
     shifting on its axis.
    “I’m sorry.” He tried for a smile. And failed miserably. “I’m just…surprised.”
    “I know the feeling. All these years…” She tapped the envelope, her frown still in
     place. “Seeing the flyer”—she shook her head—“it brought back memories of his disappearance.
     The confusion, grief. God. I remember being so scared. I had nightmares for months
     about him dying like Mom. There one minute, gone the next.” She paused, and in the
     breath of time, Gabriel’s heart lurched. After a moment, she shrugged. “Anyway, once
     the shock from the flyer and letter wore off, I wondered why now? Why, after twenty
     years of silence, does this person decide to come forward?”
    “And who is it?” Of all the questions swarming his brain, who droned the loudest.
    “Yes,” she agreed. “Who? And…”
    She stared out the floor-to-ceiling window. The sun had already set below the horizon.
     Thousands of tiny lights twinkled from the surrounding buildings and the nearby HarborWalk
     like fireflies on a summer’s night. As beautiful as the view was, Gabriel doubted
     she was admiring the sight. The pensive slant of her eyebrows telegraphed deep thought.
     For the second time, he reached for her. Gently, he took her chin between his finger
     and thumb, turning her head toward him.
    The impact of her face seared him. Branded him.
    “What are you thinking?” he asked. She emitted a noncommittal sound and batted his
     hand away, but he refused to be dissuaded. He wanted in her head. “What secrets are
     you keeping, Leah?”
    “None, Gabe,” she scoffed. “I—” Her fingers flitted as if trying to conjure the words
     seeming to elude her. “Can I be honest?”
    “Always,” he said quickly. “With me, always.”
    Her eyes widened slightly, surprise briefly flaring in their depths. She hesitated,
     but he didn’t rescind the offer…or his touch.
    “I can’t help but wonder if this,” she waved a hand toward the floor, “was somehow
     meant to be.” She huffed out a short laugh. But he would have had to be deaf, blind,
     and dumb to miss the pain straining her lovely features and trembling in her low voice.
     “Ever since the shooting, the hip surgery, and ultimately leaving the force a year
     ago, I’ve wondered why my one dream had been ripped away. Why, when all I’ve ever
     wanted was to be a cop? And now—” Hurt and the faint echo of hope in her expression
     clutched him by the throat, reverberated in his chest. “I’m not naive. This person
     obviously has no concrete evidence of a crime, so they can’t go to the police. But what if my injury led up to this day when I could freely investigate
     Richard’s disappearance? Something I would not have been able to do if I was still
     a police officer. I know it sounds like a load of woo-woo.” She chuckled, the sound
     brief and humorless. “And maybe I’m just trying too hard to make sense of something
     that is senseless.”
    “Oh, sweetheart,” Gabriel whispered.
    When had he become such a self-absorbed ass? Here she’d been struggling, and he’d
     been so wrapped up in himself he’d taken her carefree attitude at face value. He hadn’t
     delved beneath the surface to see the sorrow and pain that obviously continued to
     haunt