Stop at Nothing (19 page)

Adrenaline was pumping hard through his system and his thoughts were racing as he replayed that day three years ago when Abby had lied to him and told him that she didn't love him. He should've seen that she wasn't being honest. He should've known that something was off. But as he pulled his shirt over his head and jogged down the steps to the first level of the cabin, he began to wonder.
Had
he sensed that something was off? Had he
wanted
her to push him away?

As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't help but wonder. The strength of his feelings for Abby had scared the shit out of him. He couldn't hide how he felt about her, couldn't bear the thought of leaving her. Had he secretly been relieved when she said she didn't feel the same way?

He shook his head as he dropped onto the couch to pull on his shoes. “No,” he said aloud to himself, shaking his head even more emphatically. It had torn him apart when he'd walked away that day, had torn him apart every day since.

So why the hell was he running away now?

This thought brought him up short.

Damn it.

He was running away because that's what he did when he was hurting. He ran away so that no one would see his pain, so that he wouldn't have to admit to anyone what he was really going through. He'd done the same fucking thing when his mom was dying. Instead of reaching out to his dad, he had pushed him away, not wanting the man he worshipped to see him as weak. Little had he known how much his dad was hurting too.

And now he was pushing Abby away.

He glanced toward the stairs, knowing he should go back up and talk to her, but he had a feeling that with the mood he was in right now, he'd end up saying things he'd regret later and jeopardize the future he wanted and hoped she wanted too.

It was better if he just left, put some distance between them for a couple days. He needed some time to sort through the jumble of emotions he was experiencing. He was going to have to leave in a few short hours anyway so he could get to the airport and book a flight to New Orleans.

He grabbed his keys and let himself out the cabin's front door, but he paused for a moment to stare up at the second floor of the palatial cabin, wondering if Abby was watching from the window.

He should go back in, at least tell her good-bye. He should tell her that he loved her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But the ache in the center of his chest and the lump of anger and sorrow that was choking him kept him rooted where he was. Kyle stubbornly set his jaw and got in his car. He'd call her on the way to the airport, after he had a chance to cool down, and assure her that they'd sort it all out when he got back. He hoped to God that was true.

* * *

Abby let the curtain fall back across the window when she could no longer see Kyle's taillights and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her body was still sensitive from their lovemaking, her lips raw and swollen from his kisses. She'd never known that kind of soul-shaking passion with anyone but Kyle.

And now he was gone.

Her fear of how he'd react to the truth she'd kept from him had come true. The look on his face when he realized why she'd pushed him away three years ago, the fury in his eyes when he briefly thought she'd given the baby up, was a look she hoped never to see again.

Of course, she might've just ensured that she'd never see any part of him again.

The heartbreaking prospect that she might never feel the warmth of his arms again chilled her down to her bones. She wrapped her arms around her torso, trying to hold in the shivers that racked her body, but they came anyway.

A single sob shook her shoulders as she turned back to the bed that was still warm from where they'd lain together. She slipped under the covers and buried her face in her pillow, which still held the masculine musky scent of his aftershave, and let the tears come.

Kyle had been so up in his own head that he wasn't even sure where he was going until he found himself parked in Joe and Sadie's driveway. Dawn was just beginning to creep over the horizon, sending out tentative tendrils of light that sparkled on the early morning dew. For a long moment, Kyle just sat in the car, staring blankly ahead, exhaustion weighing down his arms and legs and making it impossible to even open the door and get out.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there scowling when the front door opened and Joe came out of the house in nothing but what looked like hastily donned jeans. Frowning, he rubbed his arms to generate warmth as he cautiously approached Kyle's car.

Kyle met his brother's concerned gaze through the window but made no move to roll it down until Joe tapped lightly on the glass with his knuckle. With a harsh sigh, Kyle rolled down the window, then averted his gaze, too pissed to be the first one to say a word.

“Kyle?” Joe asked, his confusion at seeing his brother evident in his tone. “You okay, man? What's going on? I thought you were going up north with Abby and her sister.”

Kyle's eyes narrowed, but he continued to stare straight ahead. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

At this Kyle finally turned his head to peg his brother with a furious look. “You know what, you asshole.”

Joe straightened and took a step back as Kyle moved to get out of the car. “I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Kyle.”

Kyle slammed the car door and took an angry stride forward, but his older brother stood his ground, not intimidated in the least. “Yeah right,” Kyle snapped. “I oughta clean your fucking clock!”

Joe's gaze hardened, and Kyle saw him spread his feet a little, taking up a fighting stance. “You could try, baby brother. Or you could get your ass inside and tell me what
the hell
is going on.”

Kyle considered the options Joe had offered, his anger at them for keeping Abby's secret causing him to lean heavily toward the former when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He glanced away to see Sadie standing in the doorway, wearing a pale pink bathrobe, her hair tousled from sleep.

“Joe? What's going on?” she hissed in a loud whisper.

But Kyle was already striding angrily toward her, his finger pointed at her in accusation as he spat, “I trusted you, Sadie!”

Her eyes went wide as she sent a confused look toward Joe. But Kyle only caught a glimpse of her confusion before Joe stepped smoothly in front of him and shoved him back. “You better think about your next move very carefully,” he warned. “You take one more step toward her, and I'll make good on my earlier threat. You think I'm joking, you try me.”

Kyle looked over Joe's shoulder to peg Sadie with his furious gaze. “All the times we talked,” he replied, forcing himself to keep his voice at a reasonable level, “all the times I listened to you crying over how much you missed Joe—and you never thought to maybe clue me in on what had happened to Abby? How could you keep that from me?”

Sadie's expression immediately went from confused to contrite. “Come inside, sweetie.”

Kyle wasn't sure if she was talking to him or his brother, but his shoulders sagged when he saw the sorrow and sympathy in Sadie's eyes and took a step forward to take her up on the offer. Joe grabbed his bicep, his grip asking a silent question. Kyle gave him a curt nod. “I'm good. I'm sorry, man.”

Joe shifted his grip to Kyle's shoulder as he ushered him in, his hold now more one of silent support than thinly veiled warning, reminding Kyle that his brother was there for him, that he had his back—just like he always had.

“I'm sorry, Joe,” Kyle mumbled again, his voice cracking under the strain of his tumultuous emotions and bone-deep exhaustion. “I just—”

“It's all good, man,” his brother told him, pulling him in for a brief sideways hug before releasing him and leading him into the kitchen where Sadie was already making coffee for the three of them. “So what the hell happened?”

“Abby told him about the baby,” Sadie supplied.

Joe's eyes went wide. “You didn't know?” He muttered a string of curses under his breath, then ran a hand down his face. “I'm
such
an asshole. When I made that comment in Mulaney's…”

Kyle waved away his brother's apology as he pulled out a bar stool at the island. “I need to know why you kept this from me, Sadie. Why didn't you tell me when I left that summer for Quantico? I would've come back to be here with her through everything. Did you guys really think I would've let her carry my kid without being around for her? Or that I'd abandon her during the miscarriage?”

“Of course we knew you'd come back,” Sadie assured him. “That's why Abby didn't want you to know—not right away anyway. She didn't want you to miss your opportunity. It wasn't an easy decision for her, Kyle.”

Kyle put his elbows on the counter and hid his face in his hands for a long moment, trying to sort through everything. When he felt Sadie's hand on his back, he looked up to see her sitting on the bar stool next to him. “I'm sorry, Sadie,” he said. “I just… It just kills me to know what she went through without me there to support her, to help her through it.”

She smoothed his hair away from his brow and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I know, sweetie. I'm sorry you just found out now. But you have to understand where Abby's coming from. She didn't want you sticking around because you felt like you had to.”

Kyle quirked an eyebrow at her and gave her a mildly chastising look. “You should know us Dawson boys better than that. No one can make us do what we don't want to.” He sent a meaningful nod toward his brother. “And you know that guy's been in love with you since we were kids, right?”

Sadie flushed prettily and sent a loving glance toward Joe. “Yeah. I kind of had my suspicions.”

Joe chuckled and took her hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“Then put him out of his misery and marry him, will ya?” Kyle said, pushing back from the bar.

A smile curved Sadie's lips, and she reached across the bar to pull Joe toward her for a kiss.

“I'm going to go crash in the guest room,” Kyle called over his shoulder as he left the room. “You kids do what you gotta do…”

He heard Sadie squeal with laughter and had to grin, figuring his brother was probably going to whisk her back to bed for a while to take Kyle's advice. He climbed the stairs and purposely headed toward a room at the back of the house—furthest from Sadie and Joe's. As happy as he was for his brother, he didn't need to hear anything going on between the two of them.

After shutting the door behind him, Kyle did a quick search on his phone and found the number for the airline. They could get him on a flight later that afternoon. It wasn't going to be cheap, but if he could get some answers, the cost would be worth it. With that taken care of, he stretched out on the bed, eager to finally get a little sleep.

But as exhausted as he was, sleep wouldn't come. The way he'd left things with Abby weighed too heavily on him. He checked the clock. It was still early, but he knew from experience that she was an early riser. Taking the chance she might already be awake, he took a deep breath and dialed her number.

When she didn't answer, his heart sank. But when the call went to voice mail, his mouth suddenly went dry, and he wasn't sure what to say. “Hey, uh, Abby, it's me,” he fumbled. “I, uh, just wanted to say I'm sorry I left like I did. I was just hurt. And pissed. And… Shit. I don't know. Anyway, I'm leaving for New Orleans this afternoon. I'll try to call again before I go. I just… I love you.”

He hung up and tapped his phone against his forehead with a groan. As apologies went, it was pretty fucking lame. He almost called her back to try to say something more eloquent, but if she was avoiding his calls on purpose, that was just going to make the situation worse.

He heaved a sigh and tossed his phone onto the bed beside him and closed his eyes. He'd wait until he'd slept a while and then call her again. Maybe then he wouldn't sound like a total moron.

He wasn't sure when he drifted off but when his phone rang, jolting him awake, he was still in a sleep fog and didn't quite realize he'd answered the phone until he heard his brother Tom's voice in his ear.

“Kyle? You there?”

Kyle scrubbed his face with his hand, trying to rid himself of the last vestiges of sleep. “Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. What's up, Tommy?”

“Where are you?”

Kyle shook his head a little, trying to remember. “Uh… Joe and Sadie's. What time is it?”

“Noon,” Tom said, his tone clipped. “I've been trying to reach Abby.”

This brought Kyle completely awake. “Why? What's going on?”

Tom's voice held an edge of frustration when he said, “I called Detroit PD to see about bringing in Whitmore and his father for questioning. Turns out Donovan Whitmore, Preston's father, was admitted to the ER around two a.m. after suffering a massive heart attack. Two guesses who was with him when the ambulance arrived.”

Kyle cursed under his breath. “Patrick Hamilton. He broke the news to dear old dad about his son's activities, I'm guessing.”

“Odds are.”

“Is the old man going to pull through?” Kyle asked.

Tom sighed. “Not looking good. Apparently, he's on life support.”

“What about Preston Whitmore?”

“Missing.”

Kyle's blood went cold. “Missing? Missing how?”

“Hell, I don't know,” Tom snapped. “Missing like everyone else goes missing, Kyle.”

“Jesus, Tom, what's your problem?” Kyle retorted. “I'm just asking, man. It's kind of an important detail.”

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Sorry. I'm just in a shitty mood.”

Kyle waited, ready to listen if Tom needed him to, but when his brother didn't go on, Kyle prompted, “So, what did you find out about Preston Whitmore? Was he officially reported missing by someone or just didn't show up for work?”

Tom cleared his throat a couple of times, and Kyle could almost picture his eldest brother giving himself a figurative smack upside the head to get his act together. “Whitmore was reported missing by his personal assistant when he didn't show for a meeting. And get this—that meeting? It was supposed to take place the same day Emma Maxwell went missing. Detroit PD searched his apartment. Nothing was missing from what anyone could tell. There were no signs of a struggle.”

Kyle was struck mute for a moment as his mind rapidly strung together what the man's disappearance could indicate. It certainly didn't do anything to make him look less guilty, but another possibility began formulate. “Who was he supposed to meet?”

“His assistant didn't know. Whitmore had put it on his calendar himself and didn't indicate who he was meeting, just where he was going. And you ready for this? The meeting was in New Orleans.”

A chill crept over Kyle's skin as the possibility he'd been considering became more concrete. “You're shitting me.”

“Nope,” Tom assured him. “According to his company jet's flight records, he got on the plane that morning as planned. But then there's no trace of what happened to him after he landed. He was just
gone
.”

Kyle cursed under his breath. “You thinking what I'm thinking?”

“He's been offed as well?”

“Maybe,” Kyle hedged, raking a hand through his hair. “Or maybe he's been offed
instead
.”

“You think it's him in the photo Abby received and not Curtis Maxwell?” Tom asked.

Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to recall the photo Abby had shown him. “We couldn't tell for certain that the dead man was Maxwell. He was beat all to hell. All Abby had to go on were his hair color and his clothes. What's Whitmore look like? Does he have the same hair color and build as Maxwell?”

“Got me. Hang on a minute.” Kyle could hear the clacking of Tom's keyboard as he typed. “Shit.”

“That's not what I was hoping to hear, Tom,” Kyle drawled.

“Sorry, man,” Tom said. “But they could be brothers.”

Kyle's scowl deepened. “I gotta know who Whitmore and Maxwell were supposed to be meeting with in New Orleans.”

“I talked to the detective looking into Whitmore's disappearance,” Tom told him. “He's going to keep me in the loop as a favor to Dad.”

“Dad?” Kyle echoed. “Christ, is there anyone in the Midwest who doesn't owe the Old Man a favor?”

Tom chuckled. “Nope. And lucky for us. I'll let you know if anything else turns up. You want to try to get in touch with Abby and let her know?”

Kyle ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I'll give Abby a call on my way to the airport.”

“Airport? Where the hell are you going?”

“As luck would have it, I've already booked a flight to New Orleans to question a suspect in another case.”

“That's an awful lot of too much coincidence,” Tom mused. “I don't like you heading down there alone, Kyle.”

“Don't worry,” he assured his big brother. “My former partner is helping me out.”

“I thought he hated you.”

Kyle laughed. “Yeah, well, I guess my charm finally won him over.”

The minute he hung up with his brother, Kyle tried Abby's number again—and again got her voice mail. He had a moment of intense panic and was ready to hop in his Mustang and race back to the cabin when he remembered what Abby had said about the cell phone service in the area.

Damn it.

He'd thought maybe she'd been screening his calls when he'd tried earlier. Now it occurred to him that she might not even know that he'd called at all.
Great.
So much for his big apology. For all she knew, he was still furious with her.