Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,71

seemed to know everything about me already. Why bother? “She died a long time ago. A heart attack at only thirty-seven years old. Her death was a crushing blow for my father, but we survived. The sad truth is that I thought we’d flourished. I guess I was wrong.” I loathed the dead silence. “I know that doesn’t mean anything to you.”

“Don’t play that game with me. For years, all I wanted was my father’s forgiveness, to be able to go back home. Then I realized that pipe dreams weren’t worth wasting time on.”

“How sad,” I managed.

“Reality. It’s obvious your father loved you. That’s something for you to remember for the rest of your life.”

“Who killed him?” I threw out, shaking after I asked the question.

After a few seconds, he inched closer, leaning against the fence as he faced me. “I told you not to ask questions if you didn’t want to learn the truth.”

“I need to know.”

He studied me for a few seconds before nodding. “I don’t know for certain, but I will try and find out. If you want to know my gut instinct, I’d say Bobby Rivers was hired to kill him.”

“Why? Did he also do something against the Rivers family?”

“I don’t have all the answers, Alessandra. I wish I did.”

“I keep asking myself why my father would betray you. Everything changed two years ago, this last year even worse. I just don’t know why. I wasn’t a good enough daughter to figure it out. I had my life, far too busy to bother with talking to him. Bobby Rivers was a part of that. I was such a fool.” I heard the glitch in his breathing and as I turned to face him, his jaw was clenched. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No. Not at all. There’s another location I want to show you.” For the first time, he held out his hand in a way that dared me to accept.

When I accepted, he yanked me close. “Trust me, Alessandra. No one will ever try and take you away from me. If they do... They. Will. Die.”

Chapter Thirteen

Alessandra

Death.

There was no doubt he meant what he said, but it was also another moment where I knew he was holding something back from me, as if telling me his thoughts would make them real. My emotions boiled once again, longing to lash out. There was no point. None at all.

But I knew there was much more to the story.

He had the picnic basket in his hand, leading me past the fence to a clearing, a beautiful knoll that was encased by a group of trees. The sight of trickling water cascading over a series of rocks, the sound like a whispering kiss gave me an unexpected smile. The way the sun illuminated the stream was a dazzling water show, allowing me to see scores of fish as they swam through the rush of water. Even the few wildflowers dotting the other side created a picturesque view of the perfect landscape. Beautiful. Bountiful.

Full of life.

“This is amazing,” I said as I walked toward the water. He was right behind me, his hulking presence creating tingles dancing down the course of my body.

Gabriel flanked my side, easing the basket to the ground. “This is the very reason I purchased the land. It reminded me of home.” He chuckled slightly as he sat on the grass, folding his arms over his knees. “You truly have no idea how beautiful Ireland is on a bright spring morning, especially with the clouds hanging low and the threat of rain in the distance. The scent of grass and flowers, musty earth and the rushing water simply trickling over the banks is the most incredible smell in the entire world. There is nothing like it.”

I stood where I was, enjoying the way the light breeze floated over me, inhaling the same intoxicating fragrance he’d mentioned. I wanted to be able to enjoy the moment but there were too many issues crowding into my mind, enough heartache to last a lifetime. “Who threatened you?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Nothing gets past you.”

“That’s because you tell me very little. Who is threatening you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me.”

He lifted his head as if studying the water, the look on his face pensive. “I have enough enemies. It could be almost anyone of them.”

“Bobby Rivers?”

“That is a possibility, although threats aren’t his style.”

“Maybe you don’t know him as well as you think you do. What does he want?”

“Did your