Page 50 of Mine to Love
“I didn’t like how he talked about you.”
“If you’re referring to him all but calling me a slut, that’s stupid and not worth getting into a fistfight over.”
Miles rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe, but let’s not forget I had to step between you and him too.”
“I wouldn’t hit him. I wouldn’t have even gotten in his face. But I did want to see his reaction to me responding differently.”
“I don’t know. I stepped in front of you when you were only five feet away.”
“Yeah,” she said. “And by that time your back was to him and he was grinning like the devil.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and shivered. “Right about then, I would have halted in my tracks. He was baiting me. He wanted me to come at him. He wanted to have to put his hands on me all in the name ofcalming me down. I wasn’t going to fall for it. But you let him get in your head. That wasn’t about me or defending my honor. That was Charlie hitting the right nerve.” She lowered her chin. “He had to have been checking into your past to learn that would have set you off. But how did he know you were here?”
“Gabriel?” Miles cocked a brow.
“It’s possible, but the only way for me to find out is to have a conversation with him. Mind opening up your garage for me?”
“I’ll make us some coffee while you two chat.” He pressed his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward his house. He punched the code on the keypad and waited patiently while the door lifted.
But Gabriel wasn’t in the garage.
“The door to the house is open. He must be inside.” Miles took her by the hand and stepped into the kitchen. “Gabriel, where are you?” Miles’ heart dropped to his stomach like a brick when he saw the back sliders were open.
Liberty raced through the open doors. “Gabriel!” She stood on the back deck and did a three-sixty. “He’s not out here.”
Miles tapped his cell. “Dammit. He turned his tracking off.”
“You’re tracking my little brother?” She glared. “He barely agreed to let me do that.”
“He said I could and for the record, he can track me too.” Miles let out a long breath as he pulled up his mother’s contact information. He put his phone on speaker. It rang once.
“Hey, Miles. This is early, even for you. What’s up?”
“Charlie showed up Liberty’s this morning. He left, but Gabriel took off out my back door. On foot. In his pajamas. He couldn’t have gone far, but with Charlie around, it’s got me worried. I’m getting in my truck now to go look, but I wouldn’t mind all hands on deck.”
“Sending a text to Nathan, Emmett, and Chris right now. I’ll be out the door in five. We’ll find him,” his mom said.
“Thanks.” He tapped the red button.
“I’ve got to go put some clothes on.” Liberty raced past him in a flash.
“I’ll meet you by my truck.” He closed the back door and snagged his keys. His boots and shirt were outside.
What a fucking nightmare.
He tried calling Gabriel, but it went straight to voicemail.
Shit.
The poor man. His entire world had been turned upside down and Miles was partly responsible for that.
Something he couldn’t deny.
For all he knew, Gabriel had known he’d spent the night and it had upset him to the point he reached out to Charlie. If anything happened to Gabriel, Miles would never forgive himself.
Liberty slipped from the passenger seat of Miles’ truck. Tears stung her eyes. It had been hours since her brother had gone missing and there was absolutely no sign of him anywhere. He hadn’t shown up at any of Miles’ brothers’ homes.
Or at the auto shop.
Or the park.
