She lifted her chin, casting him a withering gaze. “Goodnight, Gabriel.”
Without another word, he ducked out of her bedroom and headed into his. The only way to deal with his throbbing erection was to try to sleep it off, so he undressed and got into bed. Despite the wintery weather outside, he was feverish with lust. It took forever for him to fall asleep, and when he did his dreams were filled with Jane. His brain replayed that bone-melting kiss all night long, and only waking up to weak sunlight streaming in through the window saved him from the torment of not being able to have her.
He got out of bed, took an ice-cold shower to calm down, and started getting dressed. If he had told Jane the real reason he had kissed her, maybe she wouldn’t have thrown him out. She might even have invited him to stay the night. But he didn’t need a pity lay. If he was going to have her, he wanted Jane to be driven mad by desire the same way he was whenever she was near. Besides, the truth was too painful to share without ruining an amorous mood anyway. The hurt of reliving it would have been unbearable in the aftermath of the poor maid’s horrible death.
As he buttoned up his shirt he tried not to dwell on the past, but it was no use. Last night’s terrible events seemed to bring his memories flooding back now.
Gabriel was his parents’ second son. The spare to the heir that was his older brother, Jay. From birth his parents had put Jay on track to go to an Ivy League university and then on to an illustrious legal career. As the eldest son, Jay had been destined for greatness. Gabriel had been destined to stand in his brother’s shadow. Which had been fine by Gabriel as a kid. He hadn’t wanted the spotlight. If anything, he was happy for Jay. His older brother had been his best friend growing up, and they had been inseparable. Instead of the spotlight, what Gabriel had actually wanted was his parents to pay attention to him. To at least notice that their eldest son wasn’t actually an only child.
Then it had happened. Gabriel had gotten his wish in the most harrowing way imaginable. Like they had every summer as children, Jay and Gabriel had gone to their grandfather’s home on Long Island Sound. They had both gone out on a boat together but nearly got caught in a flash storm. In their bid to escape the rough waters they had turned back. But they hadn’t been able to outrun the storm, and with poor visibility they had crashed onto some rocks.
Jay hit his head, and even though Gabriel knew in his heart that his brother was dead he’d held on to his lifeless body. Refusing to let go even when help had arrived and the rescuers had tried to pry him off.
His parents did not take Jay’s death well. No parents would, but they took it especially hard. Plus, they took it out on Gabriel. They blamed him for Jay’s death. Told him he hadn’t done enough to save his brother. The worst of it had been at his brother’s funeral when his father had lost it and said right to Gabriel’s face that the wrong son had died.
Gabriel had been twelve years old.
After Jay’s death there came some sort of unspoken decision. Gabriel would take on the dreams his parents had wanted for their eldest son. So, with so much expectation hanging over him, Gabriel had gone to Harvard, joined the best law firm in New York, and was on track to make partner at the age of thirty. All of it done to appease his brokenhearted parents. Or maybe to appease his own guilt at losing his best friend in the world.
He put on his jacket and sighed. Nope. No way he could have told Jane any of it. No way he could tell her that his own overwhelming grief had pushed him to seek a light in the darkness. To find her.
Before Gabriel could blame himself the way he always did, the sound of a woman screaming penetrated the early-morning silence.
His blood ran cold. Jane. That must have been her screaming like that. Without hesitating, Gabriel rushed to the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Agnes the housekeeper was running up the hall, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Agnes, what’s happened?” he asked. “Are you all right?”
Her response was to hold up her arms and scream.
Gabriel’s insides churned as he glimpsed the horror. Agnes’ hands were drenched in blood.
5
Jane nearly dropped her hairbrush as a scream pierced the air. Her heart started to pound and she crept slowly towards the door.
When she reached for the doorknob, another scream sounded. This time it was closer. Like whoever was screaming was standing right outside her door. She heard footsteps and then a man’s voice. Gabriel’s voice.
Even though her instincts were begging her to stay sheltered in her room, Jane couldn’t leave him to whatever was going on outside. She had to help, even if he had tried to seduce her for his own benefit.
Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and opened the door a crack to peer out.
Gabriel was standing outside, trying to talk to a screaming Agnes.
Jane’s heart nearly froze when she saw the blood on the housekeeper’s hands. “Oh my goodness! Agnes, are you hurt?”
The housekeeper spun around and looked at her with wild eyes. Then she lifted her hand and pointed to the open door at the end of the hall. “Herr Kramer…”
“Wait, Otto is the one who’s hurt?” Jane asked as she walked out into the hall.
“That’s Otto’s room.” Gabriel looked down the hall. “You stay back, Agnes. I’ll go check it out.”
“I’m going with you,” Jane offered.
He glanced her way, concern in his eyes as
