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“Especially not one as hot as yours,” Morris grinned.
“Yes, Gabby certainly knows how to wear a dress.”
“And I’m sure she looks even better in less.”
If you only knew, Wyatt thought grabbing his coat.
Four months of living with Gabby, seeing her, wanting her, and despising her all in the same breath was wearing on him. He really hadn’t thought the plan out when he forced her into marriage. Sure it had secured the funds from his grandfather’s will, allowing him to replace the missing ones before the company went public but he hadn’t grasped what it would be like to see Gabby every day, mere feet from him, and not be able to do what he truly wanted to do.
He hadn’t touched her since their wedding night unless they were in public and the first few times she had visibly flinched, thankfully no one had picked up on it, but even now he could tell when she was preparing herself for battle, and what a battle it’d turned into. She was sweetness and light in public, playing the loving wife to perfection, but once they were alone the gloves came off and without a single word she conveyed her displeasure of the situation.
Her eyes could speak volumes with a little glare and he sometimes wished they weren’t aimed his way. Every now and then, he wished he’d been able to convince Gabby to go out with him before the embezzlement had started and shown her how itcould have been. It was too late for that though. She was now his prisoner as she reminded him, and until he had an answer that was precisely how it would stay. No matter how much he wanted things to be different, they simply weren’t.
***
Gabby reached for the phone, not her normal everyday cell but the backup she carried, the one that only one other person in the world knew about. It was a cheap disposable one that took loadable air minutes, air minutes she could purchase at any store with cash that Wyatt and his cyber sleuth Morris couldn’t trace. If they honestly thought she wasn’t aware of their constant surveillance they were idiots. She’d spotted the Barney following her within ten minutes, and she regularly lost him, much to his dismay, especially the time she’d doubled back and came up beside him inquiring about the time.
“Haley?” she asked quietly stepping out onto the balcony of their townhouse. “What’s wrong sweetie?”
“You tell me Sis,” she replied. “I found a three month old magazine in the waiting room at Jess’ appointment and inside it was pictures of a wedding between corporate giant Wyatt Isaacs and Gabrielle Simmons. What is going on?”
“I’d covered the tracks once but apparently they weren’t quite as clueless as I’d thought, before I could get the trail away from me and out into cyberspace, they caught me.”
“I’m coming home,” Haley said, panicking.
“No Haley. Look things are under control. Yes, I married him but it’s better than being in jail or having to worry about you and my niece. Look, no one knows outside of me, Wyatt and his whiz tech guy Morris.”
“And me…god Gabby I can’t let you do this.”
“You don’t have a choice alright. I made mine the day Wyatt confronted me in the conference room and demanded his money back. No one can place you as my sister. They don’t know thatI know Dad isn’t really my dad and that yours is. As long as you and Jessica are safe and she’s getting the care she needs I don’t care where the money came from. I can deal with Wyatt. No one’s going to uncover what happened. Stay where you are sweetie, please. I love you and as much as I love Jessica I’m not ready to be a mother and you can’t be one behind bars.”
“Gabby I can’t let you sacrifice yourself for me. You’ve done too much already. Getting us new identities, finding a doctor who can help Jess…maybe he’ll understand. I can return the money I haven’t used yet.”
“No, Haley. I know you’re feeling guilty right now but coming back won’t change anything. Even if you go to the police, the only thing they’ll find is my trail, and if you tell them anything, I’ll say you’re just feeling guilty because I got onto the system using your pass codes. Let me be the big sister for a bit Hales. Please.”
Haley sighed knowing that was Gabrielle’s ‘don’t argue’ voice. “Alright, Jess sends her love.”
“Tell my niece I love her and miss her to pieces and her mommy too. Stay safe Hales,” she whispered seeing Wyatt’s car pull in. “Hubby’s home gotta go.”
“Okay, but if anything changes call me Sis.”
“I will,” she promised crossing her fingers as she hung up. She wouldn’t let Haley go down for this. She had been through too much already; she’d protect her sister and niece, even if it meant staying married to Wyatt for the rest of her life. Her happiness didn’t matter right now, Jessica’s did and her happiness would only be revealed through a risky and expensive operation, one scheduled for next week.
“Who were you on the phone with?” Wyatt asked coming into the kitchen.
“Oh that was the caterers, they’re running a few minutes late,” she lied.
“Really?”
“Don’t believe me Wyatt? Check for yourself…or better yet, why don’t you have your little cyber geek check and see the last call made. If you’re going to bug my phone, you might want to get something that doesn’t cause so much interference that I’m forced to take it in to have it checked on. Now, you should hurry, our guests will be arriving soon, and who knows what I’ll say to them if you’re not there to act as referee.”
“Do we have to do this every night Gabby? Can’t we for once have a normal conversation?”
“Like what? Oh, let me guess, something along the lines of, ‘Gabby where’s my money? I’m sorry Wyatt it’s gone. Gabby, there’s no proof of you using it. Ah Wyatt, so sorry you couldn’t figure it out’…how’s that for a conversation? Or we could go with this one,” she said moodily. “‘Gabby, just tell me what you did, and you’ll be free to go. Wyatt, I’ll never be free because you’re a pig. I’m not a pig Gabby. Yes, you are Wyatt, because only a pig would force a woman into a situation like this.’”
“I…” he huffed.
“Let me guess, you could strangle me right now? Yeah that’s your threat every time I do something that you don’t like. What’s the next one going to be? Send me to jail? No you won’t pull that one out because then you’d have to admit that you married the woman who embezzled millions from your company while you were drooling after her. Even if the company survived that shocker, you wouldn’t, not as CEO at least. You’re just as screwed as I am Wyatt, so go be a good boy and change so this damned evening can get over that much sooner and I can get the hell out of your pathetic, miserable, disgusting company.”
