Page 14 of Girl Long Gone

Gabriel took a deep breath, and his cheeks sunk in as if he bit the inside of his mouth. “It’s fine. Excuse me. I need to run to the bathroom.”

As he hurried to the opposite side of the restaurant, she closed her eyes and willed her heart to stop beating so damn fast. Opening them again, the crisp linen of his jacket caught her attention. Her heartbeat picked up even more speed, and sweat dampened the back of her neck. She needed to look at his phone and figure out who Kitty was. If he didn’t have a cat, what—or who—did he have to feed? This could be her only shot to either give herself reassurance she had nothing to fear from Gabriel or could leave no doubt about who he really was.

Evelyn crouched beside Gabriel’s empty chair and grabbed his phone from his pocket. Pressing the home button on the bottom of the phone, she prayed it wasn’t password protected. She had to see the other reminders he’d written in his phone.

The screen blinked to life, but only to show the date and time. Dammit. She put the phone back and peered up from her position beside the chair to the area where Gabriel had disappeared, and then quickly back to his jacket. She shoved her hand into the other pocket and pulled out a fistful of keys.

Who needs so many keys?

She pulled them into the dim light. Not one, but two sets of keys. One set held a round, gold keychain with the initials LN engraved in the center and three silver keys. She turned them over in her hand and studied the engraving. What did LN stand for?

Locking the initials in her memory bank, she shoved the first set of keys back in the pocket and focused on the second set. This ring held more keys than the first, and a large plastic M&M filled her palm. The fake yellow candy with big white eyes was whimsical and cute and the very last thing she’d ever imagine Gabriel would own.

“No way! Gabriel Wilson, is that you?” Lacey’s loud cry of enthusiasm had Evelyn popping up her head. Gabriel stood ten feet away with his back to her, and Lacey’s hands firmly on each of his shoulders. She flicked her gaze to Evelyn for a second, a warning clear in her raised brows.

With her heart lodged in her throat, Evelyn turned the keychain around. In small print were the words To my favorite M&M.

Reality crashed around her, and the keys slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. M&M didn’t just stand for a piece of candy, it stood for Monica Mitchel.

If these were Monica’s keys, it would explain how Gabriel got into Connor’s apartment. But would he be stupid enough to carry such damaging evidence around with him? She needed to find out, but the wave of nausea rolling around her gut wouldn’t make it possible.

“What are you doing?”

Evelyn’s head snapped up and her heart stalled. The hard lines around Gabriel’s mouth betrayed his amused tone.

Lacey stood behind him, her wide eyes and pained expression mirroring Evelyn’s emotions. But she couldn’t let Gabriel see her sweat, especially if what she suspected about the key ring was true.

Bending at the waist, she gripped the back of Gabriel’s chair, and the coarse fabric of his jacket bent the ends of her French-tipped nails. Swallowing hard, she said, “I’m so sorry. I got really lightheaded all of a sudden and needed to rush to the restroom. As soon as I stood, my knees buckled and I grabbed your chair to steady myself. Your jacket slipped off, and your keys fell from your pocket. I was about to pick them up but was hit again by this dizziness. I hope I haven’t caught a bug.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, she did feel sick. But it wasn’t a virus affecting her, but the brutal truth smacking her in the face.

Concern etched fine lines in the thin skin around Gabriel eyes, even as his pupils dilated. “Do you want me to take you home? My car’s not far. It would be much faster than grabbing a cab or taking the train all the way back to Queens.”

Alarm tightened her muscles. How could she refuse his offer without alerting him to her reservations...if he wasn’t already aware?

“Evelyn, how weird to see you and Gabriel both here. It’s been years.” Lacey oozed excitement and rushed over to grip her in a fierce hug. “I’m sorry you don’t feel well, but I’d love to catch up. What if I get you home, and we can chat a little on the way? A little girl talk for old time’s sake would be amazing.”

Relief lifted the corners of Evelyn’s lips. “That would be wonderful. I’m sorry to ruin the evening, Gabriel, but I wouldn’t be able to discuss our business tonight. Can I get a rain check?”

The waiter strode by with a short, clear glass filled to the top with amber liquid. He shifted his puzzled gaze from one face to the other. “Sir, did you still want your scotch?”

Gabriel tucked in his lips and nodded. “Sure.” He waited for the waiter to set down his drink then continued, “Certainly, we can get together another time. I hope you feel better soon. I’ll call you later.”

Evelyn reached for the purse on the side of her chair, and Gabriel leaned forward to place his lips on her cheek. His hot breath slid against her face, and she shuddered. He skimmed his hand over her bare shoulder, pressing his long fingers against her bicep just enough to become uncomfortable.

She fumbled with her purse strap and sidestepped to keep from meeting his gaze. She’d always been a horrible poker player, and this was one lie she couldn’t be caught telling. “Good night.”

With her gaze on the cherry-red polish of her big toe, she started for the door with Lacey at her side. “I have to call Detective Mitchel. He needs to know what I saw.” She spoke in a whisper, even though Gabriel couldn’t possibly hear her.

But his presence clung to her like a burr. She glanced over her shoulder just as the crowd shifted. He stood beside the table with the keychain dangling from his fist and his gaze locked on her. The edges of his mouth tipped up at the corners, but his eyes were narrowed. Fear grabbed hold of her throat.

Gabriel Wilson was a bad man, but there’s no way she could walk away now. She needed to help find Monica.

Gabriel tightened his fist around the stupid plastic keychain until the cheap material splintered. Sharp shards pierced his skin, but he relished the pain.

Pain was good.

Pain brought pleasure.