Dark Ties (Made Men 9)

Her rationale didn’t ease the hurt feelings, but it did bring something else into perspective. The emotions she was feeling revealed how close she was to losing her heart, if she hadn’t already. The late-night conversations they had shared had formed an attachment she had been unaware of until he had stayed away last night.

Since she had never been in this position before, her acknowledgment of the feelings gave her time to pull her emotions back before more harm could be done when their pretend relationship was over. She hoped.

Leaving the elevator, Haley approached Lucas’ desk. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Lucas replied without stopping his typing.

“Desmond in this morning? I have a quick question, if he has time.”

The typing stopped. “Mr. Beck won’t be in today, nor tomorrow. Perhaps I can answer your question?”

“No need. It wasn’t important. Thanks, anyway.”

Going into her office, Haley put down her briefcase and began working on Moonbeam’s account. The light work could have been done from the apartment, if not for her becoming stir-crazy.

Within an hour, she found herself at a loose end after finishing the work. She stood to move to the window and saw the biker who had followed her yesterday was there. Why was Desmond having her followed?

Last night, after she had gone back to the apartment, she had decided to go to the grocery store to stock up on supplies and saw a biker sitting at the end of the parking garage. If she hadn’t been looking for him, she would have missed him parked behind the massive stone pillar.

He was there when she had come out of the store, too, and she heard the sound of the motorcycle as she carried her groceries inside.

Should she ask Desmond if he was having her followed? What if she was placing herself in danger by the presumption that he was?

Haley shook her head at herself. Deep down, she knew who was having her followed. The question was why, and she planned to get her answer at the first opportunity.

Sitting down at the desk, Haley used the computer to search what was going on with the case against Gabriel Allerton. That Gabriel was in prison gave her a sense of joy she hadn’t shared with anyone else, except Nadia.

Even as a little girl, she had sensed the cruel intensity behind his gaze every time he had come to visit George. She was sure Julia had sensed it, also, which was why her aunt had monitored her closely during his stays.

Regardless of how careful Julia had been, George had undermined her.

She gave a disgusted shudder at some of the memories bombarding her. One memory in particular would live in her head until the day she died.

Gabriel had shown up unexpectedly one day when Julia had gone to a doctor’s appointment. And Amelia had gone to a sleepover with a friend and hadn’t returned yet.

Unaware that Gabriel was there, she had left her bedroom to take advantage of the pool. She had swum laps around the pool. Then, growing tired, she had climbed out of the pool to find Gabriel holding her towel.

In her innocent mind, it had never occurred to her to be frightened of him. He was a family friend and, as much as she disliked him, Haley never in a million years thought to be wary of him. Now, after therapy and years at working with troubled children, she knew that men like Gabriel Allerton used that family connection to scout for their victims, and to use it to their advantage.

Sadly, back then, she hadn’t been aware of the sick ploys.

Naively, she had reached out for the towel offered, only to find herself enveloped within the folds as Gabriel started to dry her off. Stunned at the gesture, she had stood there, not knowing what to do. Then, when she had tried to pull away, the towel had been wound tight around her, used to press her body against Gabriel’s. Pressing her hands against his chest had been ineffective.

“I can dry myself off,” she had protested.

“Can’t have you getting sick.”

He was three times her size, but that wasn’t what held her back. It was her background, how she had been taught to always be polite, that had been her undoing. Rather than try to struggle hard out of his grip, she had remained courteous.

To do it over again, she would have clawed ten fingernail marks across his debonair face.

However, she couldn’t do it over, which was why the memory would stay with her for a lifetime.

Stupefied at Gabriel’s behavior, it had only been when she had felt the repulsive feel of his lips against her shoulder that a primitive instinct she had been unaware she possessed kicked in. That was what had saved her from the encounter becoming much worse.

“Thanks. That’s good enough. I need to hurry. My dad is on his way to drive me home. I promised to babysit my niece so my sister and her husband can go out. He should be here any minute.” She had immediately gained her release.