She Can Hide (She Can #4)(72)

Ethan stopped. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you and Derek about social services.”

“I know you had to call them.” Fear ate through the scotch. Was Derek OK? Where was Krista? “Besides identifying Torres, is there any other news?”

Ethan glanced at his phone and shook his head. “The chief will message me if anything happens.”

Their eyes met, and Abby wanted nothing more than to hurl herself into his arms. But more than a few feet of carpet separated them now. Would he forgive her for her outburst about Derek? For not telling him about her father? For running to Atlantic City? For a man like Ethan, her lack of trust would hurt the most. As it should. When she’d left, Abby hadn’t seen any other choice. But now that he’d followed her, she realized she’d been wrong.

Horribly, nauseatingly wrong.

Ryland walked briskly back into the room. “Torres is a local lowlife, much like Faulkner. Given their proximity, it’s possible they were both hired by the same party.”

“Do you have any idea who that could be?” Abby asked.

“No,” Ryland lied. His body language had shifted from casual to take-charge. He had a plan and wasn’t including Abby or Ethan in it. Not a surprise. “What will you do now?”

“Go back to Westbury and try to find Torres and Krista.” Ethan nodded toward his badge and gun, still lying on the table. “May I?”

“Of course,” Ryland said. “You are both exhausted. You should grab a few hours of sleep and a meal before you drive back.” He turned to Abby. “And you shouldn’t drive back alone. It isn’t safe.” Dark eyes flickered to Ethan for a second. “I’ll put a car and driver at your disposal or have your rental car driven to your house. Your choice.”

Abby was too damned tired to be annoyed with Ryland’s orders. She put a hand to the dull throb in her forehead. She should have opted for another espresso instead of scotch. The effect of the single shot had been amplified by her empty belly. “Maybe some food would help wake me up.”

“I could eat,” Ethan admitted, pressing a hand to his stomach.

“A suite is at your disposal.” Ryland walked to Abby. He held out a hand. She took it and allowed him to help her to her feet. He wrapped her in a one-armed hug. “I’m glad you came to me.”

“Thank you.” She leaned into him for a second. When she was a child, she would have given anything to have received this affection from him. Why was he offering it now? What had changed?

The suite was on the same floor. The huge living room and dining room combination was decorated in the same contemporary style as Ryland’s office. Multiple bedrooms and a kitchenette opened off the main space.

“The kitchen is stocked with beverages and snacks. Room service will bring you whatever you like.” The guard exited.

And they were alone.

Abby dropped her coat and purse on a chair and walked across the room. She stared out the wall of glass at the turbulent ocean that stretched into the darkness.

“Ryland is up to something,” Ethan said.

“I know,” Abby agreed. “Whatever it is, there isn’t anything we can do to stop him, and he won’t do anything to hurt me.”

“You trust him?”

“To tell the truth? No. But I don’t think he’d deliberately hurt me.” Abby put a hand on the window. The glass was cold under her palm. “My experiences with Ryland were mostly full of disappointment and neglect, but no fear.”

“You should have told me you were his daughter.”

“I didn’t want anyone to know,” she said. “Everyone knows what he is.”

Possible indictments used to make the news every few years. Though lately, Ryland had kept a low profile.

“How old were you when you found out?” he asked.

“I’ve always known he was my father, but I was never allowed to say. Plus, it wasn’t until I was older that I realized the full implications of what it meant.” The pain welled up as fresh as when she was a child. “He and my mother always claimed it was for my own safety, but that was only part of it. He has a wife and two sons, and he didn’t want to destroy his perfect family by admitting he had an illegitimate child.” Abby paused for a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry,” Ethan said.

“When I was a child, he’d visit us a few times a year. He gave her money, always cash. I’d get a small present, but he kept his distance. He’d spend the night, and she would stay in bed for days afterward.”

“She loved him?”

“Until the kidnapping.” Abby choked on her next breath. She swallowed her bitterness. “When I was kidnapped, my mother went to him and asked him to find me. He refused to intervene, and the police botched the case. Mom never spoke to him again. She overdosed a month after the trial. The stress was too much.”

“I’m sorry.” Ethan’s voice was hoarse.

Abby shrugged. “Maybe he was right. Maybe I’d have been a target all my life if my paternity was public knowledge. Maybe someone found out I’m his daughter and is trying to kill me because of something to do with his business.” How much could she share? “Ryland is shedding the illegal portions of his portfolio. He implied his business partners in those ventures are unhappy with him.”