“I said he’s my publicist, Gabriel. I’m not lying to you.” She didn’t care why she felt so strongly about him knowing the truth. Maybe it was because when she walked out of his life this time, she wanted him to know it was because of him and not someone else. A little voice in the back of her head tried to call her out as a liar but she managed to quash it before it could gain enough bravado to seed. “Will he be okay?”
Gabriel caught her gaze, a miscalculation on her part. Because his dark eyes still held that same sex appeal, that same power. Ignoring it, him, Blake’s words roared back to her as she stood helplessly by and watched EMTs work on his left thigh. Words like attack and terror ripped through her.
What did Blake know? She moved to his side, watching as he winced as his wounds were being cleaned with a liquid that looked like alcohol.
He pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to stem a headache.
“What’s going on, Blake?” she asked.
Her blue-eyed blonde-haired college friend blinked up at her. “This is big, Kinsley.”
She threw her hands up in frustration. “I can see that. Why?”
“Your book.”
“For what? My book is about hot spots in the European economy [MEGAN—do you have any thoughts on how to tie her book into The Russian?].” Granted, there were ties to bigger terror cells.
“I should’ve gotten to you sooner. There was a threat early on to stop the book from going out to reviewers. I didn’t take it seriously at first and I should’ve.” He raked his fingers through his hair to straighten it. Every strand was perfect despite everything they’d been through. “I wish you would’ve turned on your cell notifications.”
“You know I don’t.” She didn’t like where this was going, and she could hear the defensiveness in her own voice.
He must’ve realized it, too, because he looked at her. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean it like that. This isn’t your fault.”
“If I’m understanding you correctly, an obscure terrorist has just targeted me because of a reference in my book to the fact that they exist at all.” Her book was mostly about the change in European culture in the past century. “There have always been terrorist attacks in Europe. Why now? Why go after a college professor?”
“Well, these are linked to threats in the U.S. and The Russian is involved somehow.” Gabriel’s voice made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and her body warm. Kinsley cursed. Her reaction to him was unwanted and unwelcomed.
“The who?”
Her body must’ve tensed and she must’ve shot him a look because he’d had no problem calling her out. “What? Not happy to see me?”
Gabriel Cooper. She was happy that he was alive. But how did he know about anything connected to her?
“Why are you here, Gabriel?”
Chapter 4
“No hug? No tears? No welcome home, Gabriel?” Gabriel hadn’t been sure what kind of reaction to expect when he saw Kinsley again. Her hair was different than when he last saw her, but she was even more beautiful. It was still the color of wheat on a sunshiny day that looked silky as spun gold, shorter than it had been years ago.
Those cobalt blue eyes pierced him even though they’d barely made contact with his. An uninvited reaction stirred in his chest at for a split-second it felt like the wind knocked out of him. Since those thoughts would get him about as far as a handful of change at one of those frou-frou coffee shops, he shoved them aside.
Kinsley barely made eye contact when she turned to open her circle but the effect on his heart was the same—a blast.
She said, “Blake Henderson meet Gabriel Cooper, the man who saved your life.” She accented the introduction by placing her palm up like she was presenting Gabriel to Blake.
A stab of jealousy he had no right to allow crushed his ribs and made taking a breath difficult. He reminded himself that they hadn’t been more than kids when they knew each other before. His reaction was over the top.
Besides, she was most likely trying to distract her friend from noticing just how much blood he’d lost.
Gabriel offered a handshake to the guy who was probably considered good looking to most women in that prep school way. Gabriel wanted to ask how Blake knew Kinsley, but it wasn’t his business anymore and hadn’t been for a long time.
And, hey, she hadn’t punched him which was probably what he deserved after the way he’d left things. But he didn’t have time to chew on that, either. He had a question to ask and bad news to deliver. He didn’t see a point in dragging it out.
Before he could ask, she thanked him for saving her and Blake and then pointed a finger in his chest.
“How did you know this was going to happen? Who do you work for? What are you doing here?” It was her stress response kicking in and he figured she was still in shock, which was the reason she hadn’t really connected those dots earlier.
“I have a better question. How’d your name become associated with The Russian?” he asked her point blank.
“I’ve never heard of him.” She had a lost quality to her eyes that he didn’t want to have hit him square in the chest even though seeing it there did just that.
Gabriel looked to Blake, who shrugged.
There was no easy way to say this so Gabriel came out with it, “The Russian is a well-known money launderer and heads up a group of hitmen. What on earth would put you on his radar?” He didn’t remotely believe she was associated in illegal activity.
“Why do you know this and how the hell did you get here?” A little spark returned to her blue eyes and Gabriel saw that as a good thing. Maybe some of the
