Finally, Trent responded, “We’re going to keep investigating Jack De Luca and see where that leads.”
Jack De Luca was involved in the Alex saga in some way. We believed Alex was part of the reason De Luca had been arrested for murder. De Luca was rumored to be more mobster and less loan shark, but that was simply a guess. Apparently, the case against De Luca had been dropped because all the witnesses ended up dead. Burned. Like Alex and Commander Taylor.
“Anything else?”
Trent shook his head. “Not really. Gabe and I have similar notes. The biggest difference is Gabe was able to make some headway on the cryptic notes Alex left on the papers you gave me.”
Until now, the papers my housekeeper, Mildred, found hadn’t been of much use. I’d given a copy to Gabe and the originals to Trent to decipher. These same papers confirmed Alex had been the one to steal Dad’s Botticelli.
I blurted, “Do you have fingerprints?” I’d never noticed that Alex’s fingerprints had been removed. Because of the PTSD, we rarely touched. The only time I remembered holding hands was when we said our vows in Vegas. Otherwise, I might have noticed they had been burned off. It had been hard to isolate the match.
If Gabe wasn’t Alex, he would have fingerprints. I raised my eyebrow.
Gabe smiled. “I do. Does anyone have a pen?”
Trent handed him a pen he had with his files and shifted toward Gabe.
With ease, Gabe snapped the pen and rubbed some of the ink on his thumb before rolling it on the notepad. Meticulously, he went through all of his fingers before sliding the notepad back. “Run them. Do whatever you need to do to make Willow feel more at ease.”
Damn him. I wanted to be furious with everything that had happened. Hell, I was furious. No doubt Trent had run them already, otherwise he wouldn’t be so at ease with him.
My stomach growled. The sound of the plate scooting toward me brought me to look into the watchful emerald eyes of Gabe.
“Here. They’re your favorite, banana nut.”
I knew it. “Thanks.” Another wave of warmth spread through me as I grabbed the plate and applied a liberal amount of syrup.
He gave me a beautiful smile. “You’re welcome.”
This was getting off track. At some point, I turned my attention back to Trent, not wanting to lengthen my conversation with Gabe. “What does the cryptic text mean on the papers?”
“It was a meeting location and time on the day Alex died. It was in an old abandoned warehouse. Essentially, a dead end. Gabe visited there.”
Nonno kept switching his gaze between Gabe and me.
Before I could blurt out something else out, I took a bite of the pancakes. Flavors burst across my tongue. “These are delicious.”
Everyone agreed as they tasted their pancakes.
I kept my focus on my pancakes, aware of Gabe’s stare. Having a gulf between us was uncharted territory. My heart longed to be in the protective arms I remembered. Suddenly feeling a little nauseous, I pushed a piece of pancake around my plate.
“Why do you think Alex faked his death when you were young?” Thinking of everything had my appetite abating. I chanced to look up.
Running his fingers through his hair, Gabe took a deep breath. “I’m not sure. But I plan on paying my mother a not so pleasant visit soon.” There was venom in his voice.
My eyes grew wide. I’d delve deeper into the mother situation later. With Nonno being here, the last thing I wanted was him on edge. So, I asked a different question, “Are you going to go back into hiding so people don’t know you’re a twin?” I wasn’t sure what I wanted the answer to be and that scared me insurmountably.
“No.”
It was the same as always. I was drawn to Gabe and talking to him was as natural as breathing. “Then, what are you going to do?”
“Protect the woman I love.”
Love.
That wasn’t past tense. This was too much. Way too much. Too fast. Abruptly, I stood not knowing how to respond to his statement. It was like a grenade tossed into my camp without any warning.
“I need to get to the hospital. I’m up first this morning to see Carson.” Quickly, I kissed Nonno on the cheek.
“Willow, you should try to eat a little more,” he said.
“I will, Nonno, at the hospital. I don’t want to be late. Francesca’s turn is after mine.” My heart still hurt because of what had been ruined the night of the accident. Carson had planned to propose to Francesca. It was such a mess.
Nonno squeezed my hand. “Okay, baby girl, I’ll see you later. Chris and Mildred called to check on you. I told them you were sleeping and would phone them later.” Chris, our gardener, and Mildred, our housekeeper were like family.
“Promise me you’ll eat something.”
“I promise, Nonno.”
Trent stood as did Gabe. My eyes grew big. “Are you coming, too?”
Gabe watched me wearily before he answered. “Yes. I need to make sure you’re safe after that accident. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. I’m not making the same mistake again. If it takes us longer to figure this mess with me out in the open, so be it.”
There it was again—the no holding back. Gabe was always raw and honest with his emotions like Tack had been. Even in front of Nonno and Trent, Gabe confessed his love.
“What about the police? They think you’re dead. There are no records of Alex being born.” I knew it was a lame excuse to keep some distance between us.
As expected, Gabe had an answer. “We’ll cross that bridge when it’s time.”
I half expected Nonno to say something, but he gav
e me an encouraging smile. Even Trent was at ease with it. This was maddening and puzzling at the same time.
“What changed your attitude? Last night you were ready to take Gabe out. This morning you’re sipping coffee and going along with all this.” I said to Trent in front of Gabe.
“We talked.”
My voice rose. “That’s it? You talked?”
“Yes, we talked. I understand his reasoning, though I don’t agree with it.” Trent remained calm and collected.
A headache loomed in the back of my head. “Which was?”
Nonno’s hand touched my shoulder and I jumped. “I think that’s something you and Gabe need to discuss when you’re ready, baby girl. Right now, go see Carson. I get that you’re mad. I would be, too.”
I was stunned. “Do Bennett, Marie, and Francesca know about this mess?”
I could only imagine what Carson’s parents thought about this situation.
Gabe winced at the tone of my voice. Good, he needed to be affected.
“They do. Gabe met Bennett and Marie last night. They’re going to tell Francesca when she wakes up,” Trent replied,
Turning back to Gabe, he stood there with a little hurt in his eyes. I was torn, not able to close the gap between us. Instinct made me want to walk into his arms, but he’d slept with me without protection and hadn’t disclosed the truth. Yeah, I was pissed. Though, I would never regret the baby. A child was never something I would view as a mistake.
A wave of nausea hit. My stomach lurched. This wasn’t good. Morning sickness. As fast as I could go, I ran to my bathroom, barely making it. Footsteps approached as I emptied my stomach contents.
“Is it morning sickness?” Gabe was here and he rubbed soothing circles on my back.
My body craved him. Don’t think like that, Willow.
“Please stop.” I managed between heaving.
Immediately, the hand retracted and he sighed. “What can I get you?”
Remaining silent, I waited to see if I was done. Nothing else came up. I flushed the toilet and wiped my mouth. With jerky movements, I yanked out my toothbrush and vigorously scrubbed my teeth.
After spitting, I rinsed before I responded. “Nothing. I think you’ve done enough.”