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Gia’s friend Ivy had feelings for Jarrod, which I’d noticed from the first time I met her. I’d always assumed that it was one-sided, but from Jarrod’s reaction, I’m guessing they weren’t.
“Okay, lets get our minds off the women for five minutes.” I shuffle some of the papers and ask Julian, “What’d you have?”
“Abatangelo isn’t just part of a human trafficking network.” Julian looks sick as he pauses. “He takes orders?”
I frown. “Orders? As in there’s someone higher up than him—” my words trail off when I realize what he actually means. “He takes orders for girls?”
/> “I’ve narrowed it down to sixteen girls that have suddenly gone missing over the past fourteen months. There’s probably more that I haven’t discovered over the time frame I searched. But I think there are some fuckers out there who give a description of what they want and that’s what Abatangelo sold to them.”
Sitting down hard at the table, I drop my head into my hands wondering how the hell to find this sick bastard. The first time was because he’d made a mistake up in Lexington, but now he’s going to be more careful.
“I’ve passed the new info on to Colin. He has a team working on it.” Julian shudders in revulsion before he pushes away from the table. “I need some fresh air.”
Leaving the room, I use it as my opportunity to ask Jarrod what I know I shouldn’t, “Why isn’t Ivy really here?”
My father-in-law snaps his eyes to mine and sags into the chair. “I shouted at her… I hurt her, Hunter.” His hands run through his hair and he sighs heavily. “She’s one of my daughters best friends. Same age as well. I have no right feeling what I do for her. She has no right having those same feelings for me.” He closes his pained filled eyes before he holds my gaze. “I told her she was stupid and immature if she thought that I’d ever return her feelings.” He winces. “What I really wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and tell her—”
“Tell her what?” I ask even though I have a feeling about what he was going to say.
“It doesn’t matter now,” he adds, sadly, his shoulders slump forward. “She’s happy now.”
I’m not sure about that and if she feels even a fraction of what I feel for Gia for him, then she’s not going to be happy unless she’s with Jarrod.
“Let’s have dinner…um, you won’t mention anything to Gia about what we’ve just talked about?”
I shake my head. “I’m not getting involved in any of that.” My stomach picks that moment to let out a loud grumble, followed seconds later with my sleepy looking wife walking into my arms.
“I’ll cook us all some dinner,” she mumbles against my chest, hiding a yawn.
Her father pushes away from the table. “I’ll make us some dinner. Or rather I’ll warm the large pan of chili that’s in the fridge.”
Gia swivels to face her father. “You cooked?”
He rolls his eyes. “I can cook, but on this occasion it’s thanks to Parker that we have food.”
“Oh.”
“She arrived earlier and was agitated so she cooked.” Jarrod shrugs while my wife frowns.
“I haven’t been a very good friend lately.”
“Gia, honey. You have a lot on your mind, and Parker’s here now so don’t worry about it.” Jarrod grabs a large pan from the fridge as well as a bag of salad.
“I’ll call Ivy and see if she can come over for dinner.” Gia dashes out of the room to do just that, unaware of the look of anguish on her fathers face.
18
Gia
“I’d forgotten how good your chili is.” I smile around a mouthful of food. “It’s the best.”
“I agree,” Julian says, and it’s his praise that has Parker blushing.
I give her a knowing smirk before I feel Hunter’s hand on my thigh as he leans in and whispers, “Behave.”
“I’ll try.”
He laughs.
