Flee, page 16
Gage tucked her hair behind her ear. “Are you regretting the decision to stay with me? I’m sure we can call Rose Protection Agency and ask someone to—”
“No,” Dawn interrupted. “That’s not what I want.” She shrugged. “I don’t want any of this. I want us to be able to get to know each other like a normal couple. I want to learn over time how you like your coffee and what your favorite treat at the end of the day is. I want time to figure out if you wear slippers inside or go barefoot. I want a chance to learn about your family and your past and why you became a lawyer.”
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” he said.
She nodded. “I know you will. And I’m grateful for it. But it’s still strange. I sleep in your bed every night, and I use your shower every morning. I know the code for your alarm system. I know where your breaker box is. But I don’t know your middle name or your mom’s name.”
“Anthony. And Sharon.”
Dawn chuckled and shook her head.
“I know. I’ll pull back. If you want to go home, I won’t stand in your way. I’ll let you drive yourself to work if you want. I just want to know you’re safe.”
“I know you do. And thank you. We’ll talk tonight about everything.”
Gage nodded and backed out of the spot. He pulled up to the crosswalk and stopped. “Have a good day.”
She leaned across the console and kissed him. “You, too.” She grabbed her bag and walked into the building like she owned the place. Because she did.
Keith was at the desk again, like he’d been every other time Dawn had walked in to Davis Developments. “Good morning, Ms. Patterson.”
“Good morning, Keith. How are you today?”
“Well, thank you. Is there anything I can get for you today?”
“I’ll need lunch again. If you don’t mind ordering.”
“Of course not. Do you have a place in mind?”
“I’m open to your suggestions. Everything you’ve gotten has been amazing. And please make sure you get yourself something. And Tabitha, since I’ll be working with her all day again today. Do you still have my card saved?”
“I do, Ms. Patterson. And thank you.”
“Thank you, Keith. I appreciate your help. I know all of this going on isn’t easy on anyone here, and you’re the first line of defense. That can’t be easy.”
Keith smiled. “I have a secret button under my desk. If I see Trevor coming, I can lock the doors. And if someone gets in, Tabitha has already told me to sound an alarm and hide.”
“Good advice. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“If you don’t mind me saying…”
“Yes?” Dawn braced herself for whatever Keith was going to say.
“Mr. Davis made the right decision when he gave you everything. People have been worried about Trevor taking over, but since you showed up, it’s been a whole different place.”
“Thank you, Keith. That means a lot.”
“Thank you for keeping this place running, Ms. Patterson.”
Dawn nodded, thinking about his words. If everyone thought Trevor was going to shut the place down, why did he need access? The general thought process from the police was he was planning to use it to run money through. So why was he stealing? Why was he pulling money out of the company?
Unless he was also putting money in. Running it through the company investments.
Dawn walked down the hall toward Tabitha’s office with the thought in her head. They’d spent a lot of time looking at the money leaving, but they hadn’t looked at anything that could have been going in. Was it possible?
Dawn knocked on Tabitha’s door and hurried in before the other woman had a chance to say anything. “I think he’s funneling money through the company. Could he be doing that? Pushing money in and pulling it out again, but we’re only seeing it come out?”
Tabitha’s eyes went wide, and she nodded slowly. “Yep. That’s definitely possible. I hate when the criminals are smart.”
Dawn chuckled and sat in what had become her chair while Tabitha started digging.
Gage unlocked his office door and locked it right behind him. He stepped over to the beeping alarm panel and put in his code before it alerted Rose Protection Agency that he wasn’t fast enough.
It had been less than two weeks since Betsy took her leave, and Gage was already tired of the silence. In the three weeks since the break-in, he’d been working with clients by phone only, telling them he wasn’t available for in-person meetings for the time being. A few of them questioned him about it, but most went with it.
But Gage hated it. He liked being around people, more than he realized before his self-imposed isolation.
He powered up his computer and started his work. He didn’t bother with coffee anymore since Betsy wasn’t there to help him drink a pot every day. She was doing well and was safe, but he hated that she had a scare at all.
And he hated that no one had caught Trevor Davis yet. When Gage supplied the list of properties to Marcus, Gage assumed it would end the whole nightmare. Instead, it only added to Gage’s anxiety. If the police searched the places they thought Trevor could be and didn’t find him, it was likely he knew they’d been there. And that they were looking for him.
Which only made Trevor more dangerous. As if that was possible.
Gage pushed away thoughts of Trevor and focused. He had calls with two new clients that afternoon and a call in the morning with one existing client who wanted to make a change to his will.
After his morning call, Gage decided to get some fresh air. He unlocked the office and walked outside, taking the long way around the block before returning to his office. He locked himself inside and knew if he was feeling the way he was, Dawn had to be losing her mind.
“No more,” Gage said to himself. He couldn’t do it. They had to be free to live their lives. When they got home, he was going to tell Dawn she could drive herself to work. That he was backing off. He wasn’t ready for her to go back to her place and be alone while she slept, but Gage admitted hovering over her wasn’t sustainable for either of them.
He felt better after making the decision. He didn’t unlock the door or turn off the alarm, but he was ready to start meeting with clients again and scheduled one to come in a few days later.
When Gage was done with his day, he drove to Davis Developments. Dawn walked out with a smile on her face. She and Tabitha had hit it off and bonded over being single moms. Dawn had shared her history with Tabitha and was surprised when the other woman was so positive about who Dawn was. All of it told Gage that Robert Davis knew exactly what he was doing the whole time.
If only the man had found a way to stop his son and the terror of his ways before he died.
“How was your day?” Gage asked when Dawn got in the SUV.
“It was good. We figured out that Trevor is putting money into the business and taking other money out. More these days than he’s putting in, but it’s new information.”
“He’s using it as a front? How?”
Dawn shook her head, frustration showing on her face as Gage pulled away. “We’re not sure yet. He’s smart. A lot smarter than we expected. I’m sort of guessing he’s been doing this for a while and no one noticed, or Mr. Davis didn’t want anyone to know.”
“You think Robert was helping him?” Gage asked. He couldn’t bridge the gap between the man he knew and his son.
“I don’t know. Whenever he would talk about his sons, he always told me he made a lot of mistakes. That he wanted to make things right with his younger son before it was too late. I got the feeling he would do anything for Trevor, even if it wasn’t legal.”
“Why give you everything if he was willing to look the other way for Trevor?”
“I wish I could answer that question. That’s what I’ve been asking myself all day.”
Gage was quiet for the rest of the drive home. He tried to make sense of the idea that Robert could have been okay with Trevor’s business dealings, or the kind of business he appeared to be in. Robert was a good man.
But there was a small safe in his belongings. One Gage had delivered to Robert’s house when he moved his personal belongings out of Angel’s Grove. Gage never thought to check if the safe had anything in it. It wasn’t his, but what if Robert was giving Trevor cash? What if that was why Trevor visited his father the day he died?
“I think Trevor killed Robert,” Gage said.
“Yeah, but we don’t have proof.”
“There was a safe. In Robert’s things. If he told Trevor he couldn’t have more money, maybe Trevor got angry and killed his father.”
“It’s possible. But I don’t think you’re ever going to prove something like that.”
Gage shook his head. “It’s sad. To hate someone so much that you’d rather kill them than love them.”
“Trevor Davis is not a normal person.”
“That’s for sure.” Gage parked behind Dawn’s car and put his SUV in park but didn’t turn it off. “What do you think about buying a new car?”
“I need to.”
“How about now?”
“Now?” she gasped.
Gage shrugged. “You have the money. And you need to get rid of that thing. If you have a car, you can drive to work, and you don’t have to have me treating you like a prisoner.”
“I—” Dawn’s phone rang, interrupting the rest of her sentence.
She pulled her phone out. Her shoulders slumped. It kept ringing.
“It’s Owen,” she said before swiping the screen to answer. “Hey.”
Gage sat quietly while Dawn’s ex-husband spoke. He watched her body language closely, resisting the urge to grab the phone and tell Owen off when Dawn tensed.
“It’s fine. I can take care of it.”
She smiled. That was curious.
“All good. Yep. Four o’clock. I won’t forget, Owen. I promise. And thanks for calling me.”
Dawn hung up and stared at her phone for a long few minutes. Gage wanted to shake her and find out what Owen said, but he didn’t interrupt whatever was going on with Dawn.
“I guess we should go get me a new car,” Dawn said eventually.
“Yeah? Why is that?”
“Owen has a meeting at work tomorrow that he can’t get out of, and Savannah needs a ride home. She’s staying after to make up a test and asked if I could pick her up.”
“She asked for you?” Gage asked. That was a really good sign from the little he knew about their relationship.
Dawn nodded, her smile nearly splitting her face in half. “She did. She told Owen she wants me to pick her up since he can’t.”
“That’s a great sign, Dawn.”
She nodded, but her smile faded a little. “I hope so. I know Owen told her about the money and about her trust. I want her to want to be around me because I’m her mother and not because I’m rich, but—”
“Nope, don’t think that. Be positive. This is a good thing. Maybe we should get dinner out after we buy you a new car. What do you think?”
“Sounds good. My treat.”
Gage laughed. “I can agree to that. What do you want to do with your car?”
“Know any local scrap yards?”
17
Dawn felt like nothing could stop her in her new vehicle. She told the guy at the dealership she’d never bought anything brand new, after she haggled with him on the price and got a few extras thrown in. He was impressed with her negotiating skills, and he upgraded her floor mats for the heck of it.
Dawn was not going to say no to that.
She smiled the entire drive back to Gage’s house, insisting on dropping off his fancy SUV so they could drive hers to dinner. When he climbed up in the passenger seat, he whistled.
“You picked a good vehicle,” he said.
She inhaled deep and smooth her hand over the soft-as-butter leather seat. “It’s so pretty. I’ve never owned anything this nice in my life.”
“You own a lot of nice things. You just haven’t moved into your house or driven your cars.”
Dawn wrinkled her nose. “None of those feel like mine.”
“You’re okay stepping in to help with Davis Developments. What’s the difference?”
Dawn made a right turn and tried to think of a way that made sense. “I can walk in to Davis Developments and do something. Not that I’m very helpful right now, but I can try. I can learn and do something to make the company better. With his house and cars and whatever else he owned, it feels like it’s more than I deserve.”
Gage was quiet while Dawn drove, making her wonder if she upset him somehow. When she parked in front of the restaurant, she looked over at him and found him watching her with a strange expression on his face.
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s—”
“No, it makes sense. I get it. I’ve seen a lot of people go through the same. Sometimes it’s because it’s a house they never wanted or because they’re having a hard time accepting the person they loved is gone. I haven’t really stopped to think about how all of this feels for you. All of the other stuff.”
Dawn nodded, grateful he understood. “Maybe I am struggling to accept he’s dead, but it’s more than that. It’s all the secrets, all the things I never knew. And then the magnitude of it. I’ve don’t know how to be rich. I don’t want to end up throwing away his money or wasting it. I want him to be proud and to believe he made the right decision.”
“He’s not going to come back and tell you whoops, I made a mistake.”
Dawn chuckled. “I know, but I believe in an afterlife. I believe he’s watching or has the option to. He trusted me with something huge, and I know his properties are being maintained by his staff for now. Eventually, I’ll have to decide what makes sense, but for right now, I’m just trying to stay alive.”
Gage sucked in a sharp breath, like he’d forgotten that reality. He nodded slowly, then leaned across the console. He caught her gaze and held it as he moved closer, pausing for Dawn to meet him, letting her choose if she wanted to.
Dawn surged toward him, their lips smashing together. She was doing what she always did and falling fast and hard, but for the first time, she didn’t feel like it was a huge mistake. Which was terrifying.
And exciting.
Gage pulled back before Dawn, putting much needed head-clearing space between them. He smiled at her, his lips wet from hers and his breath just as ragged as hers.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” she said. “I didn’t know how much I needed someone I could count on until you came along.”
“Right place, right time,” he said.
She shook her head. “It’s more than that to me. You didn’t have to offer to help me or let me stay with you. You didn’t have to take me to work every day or take me to buy this new beautiful machine. You have gone above and beyond. I can see why you’re so well-respected as a lawyer.” She smirked.
Gage laughed, as she hoped he would. “Most of my clients don’t get quite such personalized experience.”
“I should hope not,” she teased him.
Gage shook his head at her and laughed. “Let’s get dinner before I give in to a very different kind of hunger.”
“Such a tease.”
Gage chuckled as he got out of the vehicle and met her on the sidewalk. He reached for her hand as they walked in, then rested his hand on her back as she went ahead of him to the table.
Dawn liked the casual way he touched her. The level of comfort she felt with him. It was never the same with Owen, or anyone else. Owen was always more concerned about Savannah, both when Dawn was pregnant and once their daughter was born. He doted on Savannah, but never did the same for Dawn. There were times she was almost jealous of her daughter and the way Owen treated her.
But time and distance, and Gage, if she was being honest, showed her that she was never meant to be with Owen forever. He was an amazing father, a kind husband, but he was never the right one for Dawn. She wasn’t right for him, either.
She wasn’t sure she was right for Gage, but everything was easier with him, in spite of all the hell surrounding Dawn.
“What looks good?” Gage asked, picking up his menu to make a choice.
Dawn followed suit. “I’ve never been here before, so I’m not sure.”
“You’re never been here?”
Dawn shook her head. “I’ve always wanted to, but the prices were outside what I could justify.”
“And now they’re not.”
She shrugged. “They’re not outside what I can afford, but justifying them is a bit of a stretch. I mean, I can get a steak at a dozen other places.”
“Yeah, but none are as good as here. It’ll melt in your mouth. Everything is good. If you don’t want steak, you can get seafood, pasta, chicken. And you could have told me if you didn’t want to come here.”
She shook her head. “It’s a good night. A little celebration is good.”
Gage held her gaze for another minute. It was something she realized he did a lot. Sit and watch her, like he was making sure she was real.
She felt the same about him. He was kind and funny and gorgeous. She considered herself lucky that he was willing to spend time with her.
“You’re pretty amazing, you know that?” Gage said.
Dawn shook her head. “I don’t. I think you should tell me exactly how amazing I am.”
Gage laughed with her and shook his head. Then whispered all the things he found so amazing about her.
Dawn shifted in her seat the entire drive home. Gage talked her into a glass of wine before either of them remembered she was driving. She didn’t hesitate to let him drive, saying she wanted to see what the passenger seat was like.
“Are you uncomfortable?” he asked.
“Incredibly,” she replied.
“What’s wrong?”
She chuckled. “I’m extremely turned on right now.”
“You what?” Gage nearly drove off the road at her admission.
She laughed again. “Are you really surprised by that?”
