damn dramatic and I was acting like a bear with a thorn in his ass. A thorn that dug deep and was a good reminder that Evette wasn’t mine. Not in the sense that I had any claim to her. Not the way Owen did with Natasha. Nat wouldn’t be bossed around by Owen but she sure as shit would value his opinion.
I had no control over this situation.
No right to ask her not to call Delilah.
I had nothing.
Which was just the way I liked it.
Until Evette London waltzed into my life and screwed with my head.
Now I was pissed right the hell off.
Chapter 16
My feelings shouldn’t be hurt. What the hell does ‘laid claim’ mean anyway? And why would I want Gabe to ‘claim’ me? That sounded like some macho bullshit if I’d heard any. So why did Gabe’s dismissal upset me so much?
And why was Gabe now looking at me like I’d wounded him?
He was the one who rejected me. Not that I would’ve gone along with it but he at least could’ve argued.
And besides, even if I were totally wrong about Delilah, Gabe would protect me.
Shit.
Was I being selfish putting him in danger because I wanted to feel like I had something to contribute? What if Gabe or one of the guys got hurt?
“Right, so now that you’ve made a total mess mind if I take over?” Garrett was looking at Zane.
Zane was looking at Gabe and didn’t take his eyes off of him when he answered Garrett, “I wouldn’t call it a mess. More like a shove.”
“Come again?” Gabe sat up in his chair and I found the expression on his face alarming. Zane however did not.
Though, I didn’t think Zane Lewis found a lot alarming.
“A shove,” Zane repeated. “You’re taking too fucking long.”
“Too long?”
“For Christ’s sake. Can we please shelve Gabe’s love life and get to work?” Garrett groused.
I had to admit I thought Garrett’s suggestion was smart. But when a wave of hostility rolled off Gabe and crashed over the room I thought Garrett was a genius.
“What the fuck?” Gabe growled.
Yes, it was a growl. He snarled each word and it surprised me that Gabe wasn’t frothing at the mouth.
“Delilah’s email also included a name,” Garrett went on like Gabe hadn’t spoken. “She also provided information on Forrest Lawson—that’s the guy’s name who held Evette at gunpoint—he’s dead. His body was found—not by Delilah—in a landfill outside of Palmdale. A garbageman found the body when he dumped his load. That’s one hundred and seventy miles from Riverton. According to Antelope Valley Waste district, that particular truck route includes the Palmdale Regional Airport and all of the hangars. We’ve sent Delilah an email offering her protection if she needs it. It’s doubtful she’ll answer me but it’s done. A follow-up from Evette might be helpful but I seriously don’t think Delilah’s gonna respond to her either. Myles and Kevin are headed to California.”
It could be said Gabe was displeased this information had been withheld. That would be an understatement of course, but I had no words to explain how displeased he was. Unhappy vibes swirled around Gabe like a hurricane waiting to touchdown and demolish everyone in his path.
“Wait,” Gabe said in a deceptively calm voice. “You mean to tell me not only did Delilah Watts send video footage of the man who broke into Evette’s, but she also provided a name and intel on his death, and instead of leading with that, you decided to fuck with me?”
“Not fuck with you,” Zane denied. “Give you a push in the right direction.”
The air around me crackled, then Gabe’s chair scraped on the floor and he was suddenly on his feet. That was when I got scared. Gabe looked like he was ready to choke the life out of Zane. And Zane was big. As in really big. A fight between the two Goliaths would be horrific. They’d tear each other apart. I wanted to close my eyes so I didn’t have to watch. But Gabe didn’t go for Zane. He jerked the chair I was sitting in away from the table, nabbed my hand, yanked me up, and when I was on my feet he used his other hand to pick up my purse and shove it in my direction. Throughout this, he never took his eyes off Zane. I couldn’t see them full-on but that didn’t mean I didn’t know they were blazing mad.