Flee, page 15
He laughed and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side.
She wrapped an arm around his back. His skin was warm and soft. He smelled like the soap in his shower. The desire to drag him back to bed and forget about the day was strong. Stronger than she thought was safe.
“Dawn?” he groaned.
She looked down. Her fingers were stroking the hair just below his bellybutton. His dick grew beneath his boxer briefs. She yelped and pulled back.
“Not the reaction I was expecting,” Gage said somberly.
Dawn jumped up and paced in front of him. “This is what I’m talking about. Instead of stomping my way into the FBI office and demanding someone tell me what the fuck is going on, I’m thinking about how good you smell and how good you feel.”
“We need balance. Good and bad. Simple and not. Sexy and chaste.”
“You’re telling me this is perfectly normal?”
He shook his head. “Nothing is normal. Nothing about any of this is normal. If things were normal, you wouldn’t be here because someone left a body outside your door. If a billionaire hadn’t left you his entire estate to keep his son from getting his money, we might not have met. None of this is normal.”
“All the more reason for me to go back to my apartment. Give you space and let you go on with your life.”
“I don’t want that, Dawn. Just because how we met isn’t normal doesn’t mean I want it to end. I had a lot of fun last night. And I wouldn’t sleep if I was worrying about you.”
“Ah, so, this is purely selfish. You want me to stay here so you can sleep.”
He laughed and nodded. “Absolutely. Will you take pity on me and stay here until we know Trevor is in custody?”
She fought her grin and failed. “I guess. I wouldn’t want you too tired to help others.”
He smiled wryly. “You’re so generous.”
She smiled. “Speaking of generous, can you help me set up a way to donate money to charities?”
Gage nodded. “Of course. Or you can set up your own charity.”
“I can do that?”
Gage shrugged. “Sure. If there’s something you think needs to be done. You have the means to do it.”
“Wow. I’m still getting used to all this. I… I have to think about that.”
“Until then, let’s go find out why you were so vulnerable last night.”
Dawn nodded, then sighed when Gage pulled on a button-down shirt. He chuckled and finished dressing before leading her outside to his fancy SUV. Maybe she should think about one of those.
When Gage reached out to Marcus, Marcus gave Gage an address and said to meet him there at ten. Gage wasn’t sure what to expect, but a strip mall in the middle of the city on a Saturday morning was not it. And the door? There was a rose on it.
“Where are we?” Dawn asked, holding Gage’s arm with a grip that said she was just as confused and scared.
“I’m not entirely sure.” Gage looked back and forth down the walkway, wondering if they were in the wrong place. He reached for his phone when the door with the rose opened in front of them.
“Mr. Stevens,” a man said.
“Zeke. Is this you guys?”
Zeke nodded. “Yes, sir. Rose Protection Agency. My boss thinks he’s funny not having a sign out front, but clearly it’s just confusing.”
Gage let his hand rest on Dawn’s lower back as she went ahead of him toward the muscled man who could snap Gage in half if he wanted to.
Dawn’s gaze slid down the large man before she nodded and walked inside.
Zeke let the door close behind them and locked it. “I’m Zeke Donovan, Ms. Patterson. I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances.”
“You, too,” Dawn said.
“Do I want to know how you know who she is?” Gage asked. Zeke seemed like a good guy when he installed the security system at Gage’s office and home, but Dawn wasn’t there.
“Marcus let us know about the situation last night. Montgomery, my boss, insisted on a meeting today.” Zeke nodded toward a door to the right of a large desk that was unoccupied. “Our assistant isn’t here right now, but everyone else is in the back.”
Gage let Dawn go ahead of him, led by Zeke. Voices rose as soon as they were through the first door. The space was bigger than Gage expected. They were in a hallway with conference rooms on either side. Both rooms were empty, with glass walls separating them from the hallway. Beyond those rooms was another door that was propped open.
On the other side of that door was a large open space full of people. Some Gage recognized and some he’d never seen before. All of them were talking. The walls were lined with whiteboards, some full and others empty.
Beyond the open space was a row of offices that all sat empty, once again with glass walls separating them from the bullpen.
Zeke whistled loudly, getting the attention of everyone in the room. They all looked up and fell silent, their gazes locked on Dawn.
Gage looked at her, seeing the blush climb her cheeks. She shuffled her feet and avoided the curious gazes of everyone in the room.
“Everyone, this is Dawn Patterson and Gage Stevens. No pretending you don’t know who they are, but fuck, don’t treat her like a zoo animal.” Zeke glared at the others in the room, earning all of Gage’s respect.
One man stepped forward. Another large man, covered in tattoos like Zeke was. He moved through the desks and chairs with ease, as though none of them were even there. When he made it to them, he extended his hand to Dawn first. “Montgomery Rose. Thank you for meeting with us today, Ms. Patterson.”
“Call me Dawn,” she said. “Do you… Are you…?”
“This is my company, Dawn. We run private security and offer protection when needed.”
“Were you the one who was supposed to be watching me last night?” Dawn asked, letting her displeasure show.
Montgomery shook his head. “No. We refuse to follow people without telling them. Unless it’s a special situation. Our protection is a little more in your face.”
Dawn chuckled. “Then I wish I’d met you before now.”
“Unfortunately, I’m to blame for what you went through last night,” Lorelei Sloane said, stepping next to Montgomery. “Lorelei Sloane, FBI. My team was supposed to be watching you, but signals were crossed last night.”
Dawn sneered at Lorelei. “A dead woman was left on my doorstep. A woman I knew well.”
Lorelei nodded in acknowledgement of the epic fuck-up. “I apologize for that. It never should have happened. That’s why we’re all here.”
Dawn looked at the others in the room. Gage stood to the side, knowing he was only there as an accessory. He didn’t mind at all. He wasn’t nearly as important as Dawn, and he was happy to let her be the one they were all worried about. She needed to be.
“Okay, let’s circle up,” Marcus said, grabbing the attention of everyone. “Dawn, there are a lot of people in the room. Instead of going around the room and expecting you to have any idea of who’s who, I’m going to say there’s local police.” Marcus paused for his officers, Detective Foster and Officer Murphy, to raise their hands. “FBI.” He stopped for Lorelei Sloane and her partner to wave. “Rose Protection Agency, who’s kind enough to let us all convene here.” Montgomery, Zeke, and a dozen other men raised their hands. “F-BOMB, who usually works on border issues, but has been involved with this from the beginning.” Another group of men raised their hands. “And the group who calls themselves Curvy Vigilantes.” Marcus turned to the women Gage met the other night.
Dawn looked around the room, her eyes getting bigger with each group that was introduced. One woman stepped forward. Gage thought she was the nine-one-one operator, but he wasn’t positive.
“I’m Mackenzie. We haven’t met, but we spoke last night.”
“You’re the nine-one-one operator,” Dawn gasped.
Mackenzie nodded. “I am. And I believe we have another connection. Through Savannah.”
Dawn’s eyes went wide again before her cheeks reddened. “That was you?”
Mackenzie smiled at Dawn. “Your daughter is very strong. I don’t usually hear how things go after a call, but it’s so nice to meet you.”
“I’m not sure things are going so well. That night was the lowest point of my life.”
Mackenzie wrapped her arm around Dawn’s shoulders and hugged her. “Let’s keep it that way. Rock bottom hurts, but the farther you climb, the easier it is to keep from falling back there.”
“Thank you,” Dawn whispered.
Mackenzie led Dawn into the middle of the room and sat with her. Gage watched the whole thing unfold, impressed and amazed by the group assembled and the work they’d done so far. They did a recap of things for Dawn’s benefit, then jumped into the current situation.
“We don’t have proof Trevor was the one who killed Dr. Walden, but we have no reason to believe it was anyone else. Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve picked up Mandy, the nurse who signed the will with Dr. Walden. We don’t believe Trevor is going to go after her since he has the information he needs, but we don’t want to risk anything happening to her,” Montgomery said.
“I’ve turned protection for you, Dawn, over to Rose. Because we believe you’re a target, there’s only so much we can do. You’re not a witness, and putting you in official protection isn’t something I’ve managed to get authorized yet,” Lorelei explained.
“Is that why she was left exposed?” Gage asked.
Lorelei nodded. “The team was pulled off for another job, and no one was reassigned. I am so sorry that happened, but with Rose, it won’t. You’ll be under surveillance twenty-four-seven.”
“Someone’s going to be with me around the clock?” Dawn asked.
Everyone in the room looked at someone else. Dawn’s tone said that wasn’t what she wanted, and they all knew it.
Montgomery stepped forward. “We can talk through the logistics, but that’s our plan right now.”
“Don’t I get a say in this? In my own life?” Dawn asked.
Montgomery slid a look to Marcus, who drew Dawn’s attention. “We know this is an inconvenience, but—”
“Inconvenience? That’s when the pizza guy forgets your appetizer and you have to go back to the store. This is an intrusion in my life. A big one. Does this mean I can’t go to work? I can’t see my kid? I can’t go to dinner or the grocery store?”
“We can’t force this on you, Dawn. This is for your protection,” Marcus said.
“What about just catching Trevor Davis? Putting him in jail and throwing away the key. I mean, he killed Dr. Walden. Gage said he kidnapped other women. He’s been siphoning money from his dad’s company. For all I know, he killed his father, too.”
The room erupted with Dawn’s accusation against Trevor. Not that any of them were going to argue with her, but the news was a shock.
Gage watched the people in the room. A lot of groups. A lot of people who could be jockeying for power. Instead, none of them were stepping up in his opinion. It looked like they were all waiting for someone else to take control.
“Who’s in charge?” Gage asked over all the noise.
They quieted down and looked around, just like he assumed they would.
“Who’s calling the shots? Because until someone is willing to say I am, this chaos is a waste of time. For all of us. A woman is dead. Others have been hurt and killed by Trevor. All I’m hearing is no one’s willing to take control over this situation. Dawn’s already been left vulnerable. Too many things have been kept from her. Why in the hell should she trust any of you?”
“I’m in charge,” Lorelei said, stepping forward. “You’re right. We’re all waiting for someone else, but at the end of the day, this is an FBI case. If it’s not now, it will be once we have solid evidence.”
“A dead body isn’t enough evidence?” Dawn asked.
Lorelei shook her head. “No. But we know that’s the least of what Trevor Davis has done. We’ve been chasing this for months. Years, in some cases. This organization has riddled this city with pain and devastation for too long. We can’t let it continue.”
“Then don’t. Find him,” Dawn said.
Lorelei shook her head. “We’re looking. Trust me. He has to have places to go that we don’t know about.”
Gage crossed the room to Lorelei and held out a folder. One he’d been unsure about handing over until now. “This is proof that I’m violating my attorney client privilege. This is proof that I’m helping you with an investigation. Every single person in this room is a witness to what I’m doing. I could lose my license for giving you this, but I’d rather lose my license than let him get away with anything else.”
Lorelei held the folder but didn’t take it. “What is it?”
“It’s a list of properties Mr. Robert Davis owned before his death. Not all of them were in his name. Some were in his company’s name. Some were in his son’s names,” Gage admitted.
“Your client is dead. It’s not a violation,” Lorelei said.
“That’s a very fine line. One I’m not sure would hold up if someone pressed me,” Gage said.
“Do all of these now belong to Dawn?” Marcus asked.
Gage nodded. “Which is why I’m handing this over. I’m hoping Dawn will give you permission to search her properties. And maybe not press charges.”
“Yes,” Dawn breathed. “Yes. Go get him.”
16
After the meeting with Rose Protection Agency, a meeting that left Dawn more unsettled and less willing to count on the law enforcement agencies she believed would help, she refused any authorized protection. Trevor was after her, but he also needed her.
At least, that was the resounding thought. She was an asset. One he would exploit every chance he got.
Dawn returned to work at Angel’s Grove the day after the meeting and was met with stares and glares. News of Dr. Walden’s death had made the rounds, as did news of where her body was found and the reason why. Mandy mouthed off any chance she got, refusing protection and telling everyone it was Dawn’s fault that Dr. Walden was dead and that Mandy was sure she was next.
Dawn kept her commentary to herself, but she had a feeling if Mandy showed up dead, there would be more than one suspect.
On her three days off, Dawn considered her options. She’d already thought about leaving Angel’s Grove, but after Dr. Walden’s death and Mandy’s insistence that they were all in danger, Dawn didn’t feel she could be effective in the job any longer.
She didn’t want to leave them shorthanded, so she waited until the end of her next scheduled shift. A full week had passed since Dr. Walden’s body was found, and Dawn was sick of the looks and fear from her coworkers. When she approached management about leaving Angel’s Grove, they didn’t argue and accepted her resignation effective immediately.
It hurt to feel like she was so easily replaceable. To have them treat her like she wasn’t all that valuable to Angel’s Grove. Dawn enjoyed working there, and she gave everything she had to the place. And they were quick to toss her aside.
It didn’t matter that there were extenuating circumstances. It still bugged her. And hurt, if she was honest.
Gage didn’t give her a minute alone to dwell on it, which was nice in some ways, but it also meant processing that truth was a challenge. He was worried about her, and he was distracting her with his body.
That was a damn good trade that Dawn could not complain about. At. All.
“Are you ready?” Gage asked the Monday after Dawn quit her job. He’d refused to let her be alone since their meeting at Rose Protection Agency and drove Dawn to and from work every day.
Dawn nodded and grabbed her new leather messenger bag. She wasn’t ready to upgrade everything about her life, but she wanted to start investing in herself and her future. Assuming she had a future.
Gage reached for her hand in his SUV. He held it tight in his as he drove to Davis Developments. “I know you don’t like this.”
She looked at him. “Being stalked by a psycho?”
Gage breathed a laugh. “That, and me not letting you go anywhere alone.”
She shrugged. “I worked really hard to be independent. To count on myself and trust myself.”
“I’m not trying to take that away from you,” Gage said quickly.
“I know.” Dawn was quiet another minute, trying to collect her thoughts in a way that made sense. “I know you want me to be safe. I don’t want anything to happen to me either, but it’s not easy to turn my entire life over to someone else. No matter how much I like you.”
She smiled his direction, and he returned her grin. “If I make you really crazy, let me know, and we can talk about it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Well, there was this one thing you did last night…”
He squeezed her hand tight, telling her he remembered, too. “I’m going to turn this vehicle around if you keep teasing me.”
Dawn laughed and shook her head. “We have tonight.”
Gage nodded, his smile fading.
“What are you thinking?”
He glanced at her. “It’s strange to me how well you can read me already.”
“We are basically living together. Talk about jumping in with both feet.”
He exhaled at her teasing tone. “That’s pretty much what I was thinking about. We’re in this bubble. This altered reality where we’re living together and you’re in danger and things have completely changed for you recently. At some point, you’ll go back to your life. Or back to a life. I was just thinking how quickly I’ve gotten used to you being at my house, even though it’s only been a little more than a week.”
“I’ve gotten used to it, too,” Dawn admitted softly. “We said we were going to go slow, and we blew right past slow.”
“The situation changed.”
Dawn nodded. “It sure did.”
Gage pulled into the Davis Developments lot. He drove around to one side and parked instead of pulling up to the front to drop her off. He turned in his seat to face her, and she did the same.
