His lower lip quivered, the familiar dread welling inside the pit of his stomach. “I’ve been in and out, but that’s not why.” He’d already sealed his fate.
“I had a feeling it was something else. If you don’t tell me, I can’t protect you.”
Hot tears burned the backs of his eyes, but he blinked them away. “I’m scared. He’s a powerful man, and I wouldn’t put anything past him. What if he does to me what he’s done to everyone else? He could order someone else to do it, and I wouldn’t even know it was coming. How do I prepare for that?”
“You can’t.” The steady gaze in Ellie’s eyes told him she knew from experience.
“I don’t want to end up like that man he bought. The one who looked exactly like me. The things he put that man through, and all because of our similarities.” He couldn’t rid himself of the memory. He thought of the other man, the one he’d purchased on the doctor’s computer, who could have suffered a fate even worse by now. Guilt cut through him, nearly shattering his resolve. “It makes me physically ill. I can’t bear the thought, and then I feel like an absolute coward for putting my own safety above everyone else. Is that wrong of me? I don’t want to be a hero, Ellie. I just want to live my life.”
“I understand how you feel, and you’re right to be scared. No one blames you for being human, but keeping his secrets isn’t going to help you. People like him aren’t reasonable. They have no sense of loyalty. Until we catch him, no one is safe.”
His jaw went slack. “You haven’t caught him?”
Ellie shook her head. “He got away.”
Panic stabbed at him, making his pulse leap, and he sat up, pain lancing through his chest. “He’s going to kill me.”
“You’ll be offered protection for the information you have. You’re the only one who knows who he really is.”
Heart racing, Gabe’s gaze darted around the room, and to the window. If he could’ve gotten out of the hospital bed, he would’ve jumped up then and closed the blinds, just in case. The view that he’d admired minutes before was ominous now. Could he be out there, watching Gabe right now? Waiting.
“I need you to tell me who he is, Gabe. It’s the only leverage you have.” Ellie produced a pen and a small notepad that she balanced on her crossed legs.
“I thought you already knew.”
Detective Kline frowned. “You can trust me.” Holding up the pad so that Constantino’s face stared out at him, she said, “Do it for him.”
Tears streaked down his cheeks. He straightened his shoulders as best he could, grateful that his mind was starting to clear as the painkiller faded a bit. “I thought they would have…it doesn’t matter.” He took a deep breath, preparing himself to speak his name again. “His name is Dr. Kingsley.”
The pen clattered to the floor.
Ellie scooped it up, wrote the name down, and met Gabe’s curious gaze. “Lawrence Kingsley?” Gabe nodded. “I know him. I mean, I met him. Recently.”
“You did?”
“My boyfriend, Nick, hosted a fundraiser for mental health awareness, and both he and Dr. Powell were there.” She shuddered. “He greeted me. He was within reach of my family.”
“It’s good to see you, Detective Kline.” Dr. Powell took her hand and shook it warmly.
“Please, call me Ellie. This is Nick Connors. Nick, this is my colleague, Dr. Powell.”
“It’s a pleasure. Thank you for coming.”
Dr. Powell gave a half nod. “I appreciate the invite. Have you met Dr. Kingsley, Nick?”
At the mention of his name, a man around fifty with a distinguished feathering of gray at the temples of his dark hair turned and smiled.
“I’m not surprised. He is arrogant and bold.”
“But he wasn’t worried I would recognize him or his voice?” She scoffed and shook her head.
“It was incredibly bold. But that’s the way he is. At no point when he told me about his plan did he act like I might balk at what he was suggesting, he was so sure of himself and my loyalty.”
“That’s how men like him think. They never consider that people will defy them because they are so sure they’re right.”
“He was shocked when I hesitated at kidnapping Jillian. Not mad, just disappointed, I guess. I’d been playing the part of the willing participant since he caught me looking through his things. When I questioned him, he behaved like I’d betrayed him.” Gabe let out a shuddering breath, feeling better just letting loose of his secrets. “That’s why he sent me away once he had Jillian in the warehouse.”
Ellie offered him a tender, reassuring smile. “But you came back.”
“I went home and got my gun. I bought it after I found the pictures. I was going to kill him and Ernest. I mean, Dr. Powell.”
“I didn’t think anything could surprise me, but so much of this is completely unexpected. Dr. Powell was so kind to me, and Dr. Kingsley rubbing elbows with people I know. It’s all too much.”
A knock at the door interrupted them.
Their eyes met, and he saw his own uncertainty mirrored in her expression. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
“Neither am I.”
30
Ellie was on her feet before the door opened, reaching for her gun. But they were in a hospital, and Chief Johnson had placed three Charleston police officers on protective detail twenty-four-hours a day, despite her trying to hire her own security team once again. Gabe was as safe as he was going to be, and there was nothing else that could be done short of sitting in this room with him.
The door opened, and a lean, muscular man with a dazzling smile stepped into the room. Dark curly hair was cut so close to his scalp that it was little more than a gentle wave. He was right at six feet tall, making him just a
