Freeing Her (37 page)

They held each other for a while longer.
“Kiss me. Long and hard. Like you mean it. Like you’ll never walk
out that door and do what you did to me today ever again. I never
want to get another one of those phone calls, because my heart
wouldn’t survive it.”

Crawling on top of him, she started out
slow, exploring every bit of his beautiful mouth, inside and out.
It was a kiss that was meant to be savored, a kiss meant to convey
what was in her heart.

“
I didn’t do it to scare
you. I did it to protect you. Because each and every day I worry
that he’ll not only hurt me, but you too. And if that were to
happen, I know I wouldn’t make it. I’ve persevered through a lot,
but that would be my undoing. Kolson Hart, I love every single inch
of you, even the parts that ripped my favorite pants to shreds and
that tied me to your bed just now. I don’t ever want to leave you
or be away from you.”

And for the first time since she was fifteen
years old, Dr. Gabriella Martinelli broke down and cried.

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Kolson wasn’t quite
sure what to do. Gabby’s tears kept flowing. That
proverbial dam had ruptured and the force of the water behind it
was unprecedented. To make matters worse, he was inexperienced at
comforting people. He’d gotten so little of it in his formative
years that he wasn’t sure what words to use or how best to soothe
her.

So he did the only thing he knew and held
her close, murmuring a whole lot of nothing because he doubted she
was processing anything anyway.

The tears continued for hours, soaking the
skin of his chest, running down his sides and on to the bed sheets.
He never knew human beings could produce that much fluid from their
eyes. When her sobs began to ebb, he reached over to the nightstand
and grabbed tissues for her. She blew her nose and shuddered.

“
Can I get you anything?
Water?” he asked.

“
No. I … I haven’t cried
…”

“
I know, kea. You never
cry. But you needed to. And I’m glad you did with me. This is about
healing. And maybe you’re finally shaking free of the hold he had
on you.”

Her hands balled up and she rubbed her eyes
with them. “I feel so yucky.”

“
You look beautiful. You
always look beautiful.”

“
You’re just saying that.”
She sniffed; he handed her more tissues.

“
No, I’m not.” He brushed
her tangled hair away from her face. “Did I hurt you? When we had
sex?”

“
No.”

“
I want to make sure it
wasn’t my actions that brought this on.”

She didn’t say anything.

“
Your silence is making me
uncomfortable.”

“
It wasn’t what you did in
the bedroom. It’s how you acted when we got home that upset me. You
were scary, Kolson.”

“
Gabriella, I
…”

“
Let me finish,
please.”

He nodded.

“
I was shaken. Maybe my
plan wasn’t so good, but this has to end. Some way, Kolson. I
decided that I could flush him out. And either I would have to kill
him or he would kill me.”

Kolson squeezed his eyes shut. The muscles
in his jaw twitched.

“
One way or another, I
decided it was going to end. He’s controlled my life for too long
and I’ve allowed it. And then there was your safety I was worried
about. So that’s how I ended up meeting him. And when I didn’t
shoot him, it crushed me. I wanted so badly to kill him, I could
taste the victory. Do you understand me? You said I would have to
live with the guilt. There would’ve been none. The things he’s done
to me, and how long he’s played me, it would’ve been nothing for me
to pull that trigger. Danny said I didn’t have the nerve. He was
wrong. The reason I didn’t pull the trigger was because of what it
would’ve done to you and what you would’ve thought about me
afterward. I was afraid of what I would see in your eyes every time
you looked at me.

“
Then when we got back
here, you were so livid and all I wanted was for you to …” She
tried to force back the tears but couldn’t. “All I wanted was to
feel your arms around me, comforting me. But instead I got the
brunt of your anger.”

His arms tightened and he showered her hair
with kisses. In a husky voice, he said, “I should apologize, but I
can’t. I was angry because I almost lost you. I didn’t give a shit
about Danny. If you had shot and killed him, I wouldn’t love you
any less. I was terrified that you would end up in prison, but I
would still love you with everything I have. You need to understand
something. I don’t only love you for the good. I love you for the
bad, the beautiful, the ugly, but most of all, I love you for the
in-between. Because that’s where most of our lives will be spent.
Not all our times together are going to be stunning or monumental
or magnificent. Most of our days will be just so-so, and in those
times I will still love every bit of you.”

She grinned at him, then sighed.

“
And that smile was worth
a whole helluva a lot to me, Dr. Martinelli.”

“
I love every bit of you
too, Kolson Hart.” Then she made a screwed up face. “Try not to get
freaky on me, please.”

“
I’m sorry my behavior
upset you. I’ll do my best to rein in my temper on occasions such
as those.”

“
I hope we don’t have any
more like today.”

His expression turned grim. “Same.”

# # #

That evening, Kolson called Case.

“
Do you know anyone who’s
good enough to track Danny Martinelli?”

“
Yeah. One guy. Name’s
Drexel Wolfe. He’s pricey, though,” Case said.

“
Tell me more.”

“
He’s a PI, but the rumor
is he used to be Special Forces. Some even say he ran Black Ops
missions. He’s good. The FBI uses him. Rumors also say he’s
connected to the CIA.”

“
How hard is he to
get?”

Case laughed. “Depends on how much money you
have.”

“
Come on, Case. This isn’t
a laughing matter. Gabriella is walking on shattered glass right
now.”

“
I didn’t mean to make
light of this, Kolson. What I meant was Drex Wolfe can be had for
the right dollar at any time. He’s in your class. Look him up.
Company name is DWI Inc.”

“
You’re shitting me. As in
Driving While Intoxicated?”

“
No, but that is kind of
funny, now that you mention it. Stands for Drexel Wolfe
Investigations.”

“
Hang on.” Kolson Googled
DWI Inc. and a load of information popped up on his screen. “Damn,
how have I never heard of this guy?”

“
Beats me. Let me know
what you want me to do. I know him from a couple of past cases so I
can put you in touch.”

“
Make the call. I want him
in New York yesterday.”

An hour later Kolson’s phone rang. It was
Drexel Wolfe. He would be arriving in New York in the morning. Case
passed all the information along. Wolfe and one of his men would be
personally tracking Danny. Once they found him, they would call
Kolson with a location.

“
Don’t involve the police.
I have something else in mind for him,” Kolson said.

“
Whatever you wish. I
don’t get involved in that end. And I prefer to be kept in the dark
regarding those details.”

“
Mr. Wolfe, I’m only
hiring you to find Danny Martinelli and then to let me know where
he is.”

“
Fine. You can deposit
half my fee in my account and the rest of it when the job is
finished. I’ll text you the account number and bank information
you’ll need.”

“
Sounds fine. And thank
you for taking this on such short notice.”

“
Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be
well compensated.”

“
I’m sure you will. And
what’s your time estimation on finding him?”

“
I’ll have a location in
two days at the most after I get there.”

“
Excellent.”

Kolson ended the call and stared at his
phone. What he was going to do next was so abhorrent to him,
needles pricked him everywhere and caused him to shudder. Soon, his
gut would be burning like he’d swallowed a gallon of hydrochloric
acid. It didn’t matter. Gabriella was more important than anything
… more important than his feelings toward his father.

Tapping the numbers with much more force
than necessary, he cringed when the phone started to ring.

“
Langston
Hart.”

“
Dad. It’s
Kolson.”

Stunned silence greeted him momentarily.
“Well, well, well. What a surprise. To what do I owe this honor? A
phone call from the great Kolson Hart?”

Kolson didn’t respond to his father’s
goading.

“
I need a
favor.”

Another moment of stunned silence ensued.
“Son, you’re about to give this old man a coronary.”

“
Dad, stop trying to fool
everyone. You’re far from old.”

“
You are fully aware of my
policy on favors?”

“
Oh, am I ever. I know it
well. Too well, in fact.”

“
Then it must be important
for you and I to be having this conversation.”

“
It is.”

“
Talk.”

“
Before I begin, I need
your oath that this conversation never goes beyond you and me. No
matter what happens. Are we in agreement?”

“
I can do
that.”

“
I also need your oath on
something else.”

“
My, aren’t you needy
tonight?”

“
Yes, sir, I am. This
involves something very important to me.”

“
I should hope so or you
would never have called. In fact, I would go so far as to say
you’re desperate.”

“
The parties involved
shall remain innocent and outside of your reach.”

“
Hmm. Now I’m intrigued,”
Langston said.

“
Of course you
are.”

“
Agreed.”

“
I need to have someone,
for lack of a better term, disposed of.”

“
Go on.”

“
The man’s name is Danny
Martinelli and he’s been threatening Gabriella for
years.”

“
Ah, I see.”

“
No, you can’t possibly
see.”

Langston said, “Be nice, Kolson. I hold the
power in this conversation. Now, I want you to think long and hard
about something. When I do a favor for someone, I always expect
something in return. That means you’ll owe me.”

“
Understood. One favor,
one debt in return.”

“
Yes, but it will be a
debt of my choosing.”

“
It cannot involve
Gabriella.”

“
Why, Kolson, I believe
you’re in love with the good doctor.”

“
That is none of your
business.”

“
You asked for my oath.
Now I need yours in return. You’ll pay your debt or there is no
favor.”

“
The debt must be
reasonable.”

“
Kolson, you’re asking me
to murder someone for you. The debt will match the
favor.”

Kolson winced. “This cannot have any
negative ramifications on Gabriella or any of my employees.”

“
You’re not listening,
son. You’re not in a position to make demands. Now, do you want me
to take this person out or not?”

“
Yes,” Kolson gritted
out.

“
Then, what’s it going to
be? A debt for a favor or is the deal off?”

“
The deal is
on.”

“
Oh, and Kolson, I can
call in this debt whenever I see fit. So, where is this Danny
Martinelli?”

“
I’ll have a location for
you in a couple days.”

“
Good. And one other
thing. Since summer is winding down, your mother wanted to have
some people up next weekend. I’ll expect to see you and Gabriella
there as well. Saturday to Sunday. Plan to spend the night. It will
be an intimate group. Kestrel will be there. And four other
couples. Your mother will be thrilled you’re coming.”

The call ended and Kolson had a burning pain
in the pit of his stomach.

# # #

The next day, Kolson made a call to his
attorneys. He discussed important business matters and legal issues
that needed attending, to the shock of his legal team. Then he told
Gabby about the weekend at his parents’.

“
What? An
overnighter?”

“
I’m sorry. It was
unavoidable. I hope you’re okay with it.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Well,
yeah, if you are. But after last time, I’m totally surprised.”

“
I want my mom to get to
know you,” he said, his tone curt.

Gabby put her arms around his waist. “Babe,
are you okay?”

His body relaxed. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“
Okay.” She held him for a
bit before she released him.

“
Kestrel will be there
too, and I think he’s bringing a date. So you’ll have someone to
hang out with.”

Gabby found that to be an odd thing to say.
“Won’t I be hanging out with you?”