Page 41 of Missing Marcus

“Oh, good. Jackie has keys to the office. I need to call Mr. Wilkinson today about my time off. I’m not sure what to say to him.” Gabby shrugged as she bit her lip.

“I’ll call him. You won’t return until we know what’s going on,” he stated firmly.

“I can’t miss work. Maybe Mr. Landsford kept this a secret from the other group, and they don’t know anything,” she suggested as she pulled the covers over her legs and he raised the railing.

“You met with two people the morning after discovering everything. Don’t you find it odd your boss called you in and Jackie didn’t return your call? It tells me at least one person there knows you found something,” he laid out the facts.

“I can’t afford to miss work. I can’t even act like I’m working from home without the ledgers,” she said panicked. “Plus, I need the money. I budgeted for six weeks off and four days personal days to care for the baby should it get sick.”

“Good morning,” Dr. Beecham greeted them. “I checked your vitals and the baby and you both seem recovered. If I send you home, I expect no lifting, rest, and you can work since you hold a desk job. Avoid stress and I’ve ordered a nurse to check your vitals daily. I prefer you not stay alone since you passed out last time. As soon as we know you have someone covering you at the cabin, I’ll start the discharge papers.”

“I’m Knight, her husband, and I’ll stay with her. What about her diet?”

“Avoid things high in sodium and drink water. As long as her BP stays stable, I won’t need to add restrictions,” she informed him. “I’ll start your discharge then.”

When the doctor left, Gabby turned to him. “I don’t feel comfortable staying in the cabin with you. Ask the spaghetti man to come up.”

She saw the hurt expression cross his face before he masked it.

“Saint’s team plans on working this case’s leads, including Ragu. It’ll be easier if I stay with you. I’ll sleep in the extra room and when you need privacy, you’ve got it,” he practically pleaded.

“Fine. It’ll give us time to work through the custody agreement and set up ground rules,” she said firmly.

A scowl crossed his face before he nodded.

An hour later, he pushed her wheelchair to the emergency entrance while an aide held it as he helped her up and into the truck. They remained silent on the short drive to the cabin, where he helped her out of the truck and inside the cabin.

“Do you feel hungry? I can make us a sandwich or heat up some soup,” he offered as he turned her legs on the couch, handed her the TV remote and covered her with a blanket. “Do you want a fire? Milk?”

Gabby sighed. Five minutes in the cabin and he was smothering her. “It’s only nine in the morning. I ate breakfast at the hospital,” she reminded him. “I need to call the office. Maybe we can call Saint and ask him what they want me to say.”

Knight pulled out his phoneand dialed Saint’s number.

“Saint,” he answered.

“It’s Knight. Gabby says she needs to call into the office. Do you want her to say anything specifically?”

“Hold on,” Saint ordered while he spoke with someone in the background. “We want Gabby to use the car accident as an excuse. Since you’re her husband, we want you to go in and pick up a few of her belongings. Do they know you and Gabby plan to divorce?”

Knight turned to Gabby, who seemed focused on the floor. “I accepted the position to start fresh. They knew of the divorce as I asked for the day off in my negotiations to return to court.”

Knight swallowed hard. “They know,” he repeated back to Saint.

“You’re on speakerphone,” Leo’s voice came over the line. “After learning about the accident, you rushed to your wife’s side and experienced a change of heart. Gabby will gush about you rushing to her side. Can you handle this, Gabrielle?”

She leaned toward the phone. “Yes. I’ll call as soon as we finish.”

“Since they don’t know the extent of your injuries, you can say you’re staying with friends close to the hospital. They won’t allow Knight to leave without putting a tail on him. We’ll follow them. It may allow us to discover who they are,” Leo explained.

Gabby glanced fearfully at Knight. “What if they try running him off the road?”

Leo chuckled. “He’ll take one of our vehicles. It’s bulletproof and we’ll follow. If he’s in danger, we’re there to protect him. Knight already proved he knows evasive maneuvers.”

Gabby nodded while gazing at her soon-to-be ex.

“I’ll let you know what they say.” Knight disconnected the call. He handed her his phone. “Use mine. Saint’s checking yours for trackers and bugs. It’ll reinforce your story.” He refused to meet her eyes.

She dialed the number and waited until the receptionist answered.

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