was all right. Not that he knew where she was at the moment, but with Revenant Films as a client, Kade had a file on her for sure. “Is Gabby in danger?”
“How much of her life did you keep up with?”
Declan clenched his jaw and averted his gaze, not wanting his friend to see the pain in his eyes he was sure he couldn’t hide. LA took two people who meant the world to him—his sister Claire, and then Gabby.
Draining his beer, he turned back to his friend. “Pretty much none of it after I left LA.”
“That bad, huh?”
Bad was an understatement. Gabby married someone else three months after the dissolution of their marriage. It showed how little he knew her, what she thought of him, how disposable and forgettable he was. From that moment on, and for his own sanity, he avoided news of her, refusing to look her up. Whatever part of his heart that was capable of love was crushed in that place, and he’d gladly exchanged it with one encased in ice.
And now it was laughable how thin that ice was because given the suspicious nature of Peter’s death, there was no doubt Declan would never be at peace until he saw for himself that Gabby was all right.
Call him a sucker.
He’d been better off in ignorant bliss, which explained his avoidance of the television. But he was ignorant no more, wasn’t he?
Damn Kade.
And damn Garrison.
Circumstances had left him with one reluctant choice.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he clipped with more conviction than he was feeling. “When do I leave?”
2
Los Angeles
The Goodman Law Office was rarely open on Saturdays, but Peter Woodward was a prominent client. Mr. Goodman had always dealt with the legal matters pertaining to Revenant Films—her father’s production company—and was now handling his estate.
Aside from the attorney, Gabby was the first to arrive. This wasn’t a surprise since her ex-stepmother loved to make a grand entrance. As for her half-brother Theo, well, he was like any other entitled teen who thought the world revolved around their time.
She sat in the waiting room, drinking the coffee she’d made from the fancy brew station in the corner. Gabby sat facing the door—a habit she’d acquired as a detective. So she fully observed the glass doors sliding open as her brother swaggered in.
Theo Woodard, more popularly known as Theo Cole, was the seventeen-year-old star of the hit streaming series Hodgetown, a show about teenagers in a small town battling monsters from another dimension. Its fandom exploded in the second season and, from what Gabby had gathered, Theo was making as much as three million dollars for the entire third season. This didn’t include all the endorsements for cereals, drinks, or even the sneakers he wore on the show. His net worth was north of ten million.
But all this was insignificant compared to Peter Woodward’s fortune.
“Hey, sis.”
Gabby ground her molars. Theo’s hazel eyes twinkled with mischief and his face bore the beginnings of a smirk. He was aware of her aversion to him and—Theo being Theo—wanted to push her buttons. He had no idea that it hurt to look at him, especially in these last three years as his baby fat melted away and he grew more and more in the likeness of … no … she wasn’t thinking of him today. She vowed Claudette’s mindfuck of the past would never affect her again.
Trailing behind her brother was a big, muscular man with bronzed skin and golden-flecked brown eyes. She recognized Levi James— the series weapons and fight consultant. What is he doing here?
Her brother must have read her mind. “Levi’s here for my security.”
Gabby felt like she’d been caught flat-footed. “Have the detectives on Peter’s case mentioned you were in danger?”
“They said something,” Theo shrugged. “Didn’t think you were interested.”
She resisted the urge to look at the ceiling for divine intervention, leveling her gaze at her brother. “And that something?” she asked. “Is someone after you, too?”
“Playing the concerned sister card now?”
“You know as a relative I can’t be involved in the investigation.”
Her brother’s reply was cut short when the doors slid open again and Theo’s mother walked in.
Now they could be one big happy family.
Yeah, right.
Gabby never knew why her father divorced Claudette or how he got full custody of Theo. The divorce happened quickly although the tabloids were full of speculations, like Claudette being caught in bed with a lover.
Nothing new there. A bitter smile formed on her lips.