Page 32 of Missing Marcus

The clerk stared at him with his mouth tightly shut. Then, a grin slid across his face. “I might’ve seen her. It’s slow here. It might jog my memory if I ordered some food.”

Saint growled behind him, making the clerk jump from the stool and retreat farther back.

Desperate to get to Gabby, he emptied his wallet. “Here. It’s two hundred. Plenty enough for food and extra. Tell me where she is,” he demanded.

The clerk jerked his chin down the long hallway toward the end. “She’s in the last room on the left. The lady didn’t look so good.”

Knight took off at a run. He knocked on the door, but no one responded. Pounding louder, he glanced worriedly at Saint, who took out a pick from his pocket and jimmied the cheap lock. In seconds, the door opened and he noticed the figure in the bed.

“Gabby?” Knight called as he reached her. He turned her over and gently patted her cheek. “Gabby, open your eyes,” he demanded.

Gabrielle’s eyes fluttered open as if she struggled to stay awake. A shudder went through her as she met his gaze.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” he whispered.

She glanced down toward Saint at the end of the bed, who ordered the team to the hotel. Her gaze slowly met his. The pain Knight caused flashed in her eyes.

“You lied,” she whispered. “I don’t love you anymore.”

“I don’t blame you,” he murmured.

19

Knight pulled back the covers and noticed the soaked clothes. “Saint, turn around, please.” He gently sat Gabby up and began to tug at her shirt.

She shook her head and gripped the bottom with all her strength. “No.”

“You’re soaked, and shivering. Let’s get you warm,” he coaxed. When she gave a slight nod, he removed her arms from the material and then over her head. Taking astep back, he removed his sweatshirt and placed it over her, helping get her limbs through the sleeves. Gabby whimpered as his fingers touched her cold skin.

“Turn the heat on high. I’ll bring her out in a second,” he ordered as he gently lifted her and removed the sodden pants from her hips. “Gabby, I’m wrapping you in a blanket.” Setting her on the bed, he tugged the material the rest of the way down and off her ice-cold feet. Muttering a curse, he removed his boots and socks and rolled them on her. Slipping back into his boots, he jerked a blanket from the bed and wrapped her from the waist down. He leaned down and picked her up into his arms. Instead of relaxing into his hold, she felt stiff.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“It’s almost 1830,” he informed her.

“I need to go to Peggy’s Diner. Jackie’s waiting for me. Where’s my phone?”

“It’s sitting on the floor with your purse.”

Saint walked in.

“Can you please gather her purse and phone?” Knight asked as heheaded toward the vehicle. Taco held the door open as Knight placed her in the back seat, covering her with another blanket Shadow passed him.

Saint slid into the front seat while Shadow stepped back. “One of Victoria’s men will pick me up. I’ll meet you at home.”

“I need to get to Peggy’s Diner. Jackie’s there. I need the files,” Gabby pleaded to Saint as she ignored Knight beside her.

Saint glanced at Knight before he asked, “Does this have anything to do with why someone’s trying to hurt you?”

Gabby shakily nodded. “I asked my assistant to bring my files. Then I can contact the FBI,” she admitted. “I need to call and tell her I’m on my way. She’ll arrive any minute.”

Taco drove them across the city as Gabby frantically called Jackie. Her assistant’s phone went straight to voicemail. “I don’t understand. She always answers when I call.”

“I thought you waited tables,” Knight spoke quietly.

“You’ve thought wrong about many things,” she snapped.

Knight leaned back in his seat, realizing he didn’t know the woman beside him. His fun-loving, easy-to-forgive wife seemed hostile and cold. He knew he deserved every bit of her anger. Knight didn’t know where he lost himself, but in the process, he destroyed them. The one thing he desired the most he had wrecked.

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