Between the Lines (18 page)

Gabe – 28

I take
her hand and we start to stroll with no particular destination in mind. It’s
easy to forgive the lies and the slap, knowing what I know now. Though, I may
not be so forgiving if Ellen strikes me again. I’ll have to see if she has a
tendency to strike. That is one thing I most definitely do not want to
experience again. But, I get why she did it, kind of. I was an ass, she was
upset, Scott had just turned her world upside down and put her in a state of
fear. Under normal circumstances or a regular argument, I’m pretty sure she
isn’t the type to strike out.

But, how
can I really know for sure?

I glance
down at her. “Do you make it a habit of slapping guys who piss you off?”

Her face
turns beet red. “I’ve never struck anyone in my life. I have no idea what came
over me.”

I give
her hand a squeeze. “I forgive you.” Leaning in, I kiss her on the cheek.

“Shouldn’t
I be the one who should be kissing you?” Ellen turns and puts her fingers
against my cheek, caressing gently. “It was here, right?”

“Yeah.”
My voice is gruff and my cock gets hard. I want her, but not here. A public
park isn’t exactly private and I don’t need an arrest for indecent exposure on
my record. Not that I’ve ever been arrested, but I’m not ready to start a rap
sheet either.

Ellen
goes up on her toes slightly, and places her warm lips against the spot she had
slapped less than a week ago. I turn my head, catching her lips with mine. She
leans in, wrapping her arms around my neck. I deepen the kiss, our tongues
tangling. Grabbing her about the waist, I lift Ellen and she wraps her legs
around my hips. She’s rocking her pussy against my hard cock.

A car
pulls into the park and she jumps away from me, her cheeks turning pink. I grab
her hand and we continue walking.

What is
it about Ellen that I can’t keep my hands off of her?

I blow
out a breath, trying to relax. “In light of how quickly things moved before,
perhaps we should take this slow.” I can’t believe I’m suggesting this, but I
don’t want a repeat of a great night only to crash when I find out other
secrets that are equally destructive. Maybe there aren’t any secrets, but I
can’t afford to risk it. Especially since she’s still set on nosing around
Baxter.

I’m
confident that even if she did learn the truth, it would never be reported in
her blog. But, that isn’t my call. I signed a confidentiality agreement and my
job is already on the line.

But, what
do I tell Mag?

If it was
up to me, I’d make sure Ellen’s secrets were locked up tight. It’s because she
was allowed on campus in the first place, Mag needs to know that somebody has
fucked up in the main office, and that could be very dangerous. Of course, Mag
already figured that out with Isaac, but she needs to know that the people
coming on the campus are not being vetted as they should. Hell, anyone could
walk on. It wouldn’t be the first time a parent, other relation, gang leader or
even a pimp hadn’t tried to get a kid back and that cannot happen under any
circumstance.

I can’t
tell Ellen why I need to talk to Mag, or what I need to tell her. She’ll just
question me further, of that I have no doubt. And, I’m still not sure how much
I’m going to tell Mag about Ellen.

I’ve been
put in a fucking impossible situation. I know both their secrets and if I could
tell the other, the mess would be cleared up. But, I can’t. They are not my
secrets to tell.

But
what’s more important are the students. They far outweigh losing Ellen’s trust
and ruining what could be a fantastic relationship. I just hope she doesn’t
hate me when she finds out.

I glance
back down at her. We’re just strolling through the park, hand in hand, and not
really saying anything. I like it. A lot. Being with Ellen is so damn easy. I
connected with her the moment we met, as if something in me recognized what I
needed in her. Maybe that’s why I was so out of character with jealousy in New
York. Sure, she lied, which is something I hate more than anything, but she has
good reason.

At least
she’s forgiven me. I have nothing to forgive her for. I get her secrets and
feel kind of special that she told me. It couldn’t have been easy. I just hope
this isn’t the last pleasant day we spend together, and why we won’t sleep
together again. At least not until after I talk to Mag, after I determine what
exactly to tell her, and Ellen forgives me. If she ever does.

“So, you
were in witness protection without it being actually official?”

“Kind
of,” she shrugs. “I did agree to change my name, and I moved to the other side
of the country. I was to have burner phones in case Scott ever needed to reach
me. He did a few years ago, to work out the estate details. And then last week
to tell me about the motions.”

“Is that
why you suddenly decided to go to New York on Thursday? Were you already going
to meet him?”

“No. He
called me the night before. I needed to lose that phone in case his was being
tracked.”

“What did
you do with it?”

“Shoved
it between the seats in the taxi on the way to Central Park.”

I can’t
help but laugh. If anything Ellen is resourceful.

“I wasn’t
expecting him to show up in New York. I really wasn’t.”

I give
her hand a squeeze. It doesn’t matter now. None of it does.

Ellen

This is
so nice. I don’t want this day to end. Even though I’ve talked about things I
never thought I would, it feels good to finally tell someone. He also asked the
how, which I never answered.

“I
discovered it on my dad’s computer,” I blurt out.

“What?”

“My
computer had fried and I had a paper due so I went to his office to use his.
Not his work one on his desk because I was told never to touch it, but the one
he kept in a drawer in his desk. He always said that it was in case he needed
it, like if he had problems with his work computer.” I shrug. “So, I didn’t
think it’d be a problem. I finally got in, after I guessed his password, which
was way too easy for what he was hiding on that laptop, and that’s when I saw
it.”

“What?”

Shipping
orders, emails, and pictures of girls. For a long time I was in shock, then
denial, and then, I still didn’t want to believe what I’d seen and read.”

Gabe lets
go of my hand and puts his arm around my waist so we can be closer. I need
that.

“Dad was
gone for the weekend, so I took pictures of the screen with my camera, because
I was afraid to use a printer or a flash drive.”

“Then
what? You went to the feds?’

No.” I
give a dry laugh. “I went to my grandfather. Spring break was going to start,
so after school on Friday, I asked my mom if I could visit my grandparents for
the week. It wasn’t unusual. I went there a lot.” I’d been so afraid that week
that my parents, or at least my dad, would find out what I’d done. “My mother
said it would actually be good for me since I’d been acting strange.”

“How?”

“I was
terrified of my father, that he’d find out what I’d done, jumping every time he
wanted to talk to me and things like that. I couldn’t say anything and assumed
he’d deny it anyway. And, if mom didn’t know. It would destroy her. I didn’t
know what to do, but if I said anything, I was afraid he’d destroy everything.
All I could think of was to talk to my grandfather, because I knew he would
know what to do. I didn’t sleep and was pretty much sick to my stomach most of
the time. Luckily a flu bug was going around so that was Mom’s explanation for
what was wrong with me and why it was a good idea to get out of Las Vegas for a
bit.”

We stop
by the swings. I sit in one and Gabe the other. Our hands are linked between
the chains. I’m glad he hasn’t stopped touching me. I need to feel him.

“After I
got there I transferred everything to my grandfather’s computer so they were
easy to read and see. I was still hoping I was wrong. My grandfather was livid.
He contacted the FBI, but instead of taking me there, they should up at the
house. A few days later I met Scott. He investigates crimes involving
children.”

Gabe
jerks, looking at me.

“Father
wasn’t smuggling adult women, but young girls. He and Uncle Victor, among
others.”

He closes
his eyes for a minute and his mouth tightens as if angry or from disgust. It
could be both and I can’t really blame him. “How old were you?”

“Sixteen.
It was my junior year of high school.”

Gabe
squeezes my fingers and I appreciate his support and patience with me.

“They’d
been working for years trying to link Krestyanov to human trafficking. They
needed the money link and hard evidence, and a sixteen-year-old girl found it.”

“What
happened then?”

“It was
enough to get a warrant. They raided my parents’ house before break was even
over.”

“Did you
go back?”

“I had
to. I had to pretend I had no clue what was going on. Which I did, until the
indictments started and I had to testify.”

It feels
so good to finally tell someone everything. Someone that I know, deep in my
heart I can trust completely.

Funny,
I’ve known people my entire life but knew never to trust them with even the
slightest secret, except Paige, but in my gut I know I can trust Gabe with
everything. Even my heart.

I’ve kept
myself closed up for so long. So afraid to get close to any guy for fear I’d
slip up and reveal the truth. That they’d be disgusted with me and I’d lose
them. I’ve never had an honest relationship with a guy until now.

Gabe – 29

Ellen
looks up at me, a gentle smile on her lips. Her face and body are more relaxed
than I’ve seen it before. Even after incredible sex. It’s like she’s relieved
of a burden that’s she’s been carrying around for far too long.

I also
know it’s only temporary. She’ll be waiting for Scott to call. Then what? I
don’t ask because I’m not certain she even knows. Regardless, I’ll find a way
to support her no matter what. Hell, I’ll probably be out of a job anyway. If
she has to go back to Nevada I’ll go with her.

“What are
your plans tonight?” she asks.

I can’t
tell her I need to speak with Mag, especially since I’m not exactly sure what
I’m going to her yet. “I’ve got a meeting, but it shouldn’t take long.”

Ellen
frowns. “Okay.”

“Let me
check what time.” I pull the phone out of my pocket. “I’ll be back in a
second.”

She looks
at me suspiciously.

“It’s
about work.” I wink at her and walk away.

“Hey,
Gabe,” Mag answers after I punch in her number. “No decision has been made
yet.”

“I know.
That’s not why I’m calling.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t
think the security in the main office is as good as you think it is.”

She
sighs. “Someone should have caught your connection to Isaac. We are looking
into it.”

“Not just
that. What did they find on Ellen West?”

“The
reporter?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not
sure. They don’t give me everything. Just who can and shouldn’t be on campus.”

“We need
to talk.”

“Why?”

I don’t
want to talk about this on the phone. “Can you meet me in a couple of hours?”

“Sure.”
There’s concern in her voice. “Where?”

“The
picnic tables by the lake.” There were once picnic and camping grounds when
Baxter opened as a historical reenactment plantation and later used for the
campers, but walls were built, blocking access to that part of the estate. It’s
still owned by Baxter, and sometimes in the summer, in June when the kids are
off school, they take them there.

“I’ll see
you there.”

“And,
read her blog if you get a chance. It’s called Looking West.”

Ellen

I thought
there weren’t going to be any more secrets between us, but Gabe makes certain I
can’t overhear is conversation. Is he already telling someone my secrets?

No. He
wouldn’t. Would he?

Shit!
Can’t I trust anyone? My stomach churns. The more people who know, the more
likely I’ll be discovered. Nobody can kill me or make me do anything if they
can’t find me.

Stop
! This paranoia is getting ridiculous.
Just because I’m a bit anxious, for good reason, doesn’t mean I can’t trust
Gabe. His phone call could have everything to do with work and nothing about
me.

He clicks
off the phone and comes back. “How about dinner tonight?”

“I
thought you had a meeting,” I remind him.

“I’ll be
done by six. Want to go somewhere?”

“Not
really.” It’s the truth. I’m fine right now, in the park, with hardly anyone
around, but restaurants and places like that make me nervous, especially in a
new town where I would recognize only a handful of people. I wouldn’t be able
to relax. “Stay in and watch a movie?”

“Takeout?”

“I’ll
cook.” I haven’t cooked in a really long time. It’s too much of a pain for just
myself. But cooking for Gabe is an entirely different story.