Page 52 of Mine to Love
“Gabriel has never been on my side. Not when it came to me losing the baby. That one he has always blamed on me. And I let him.” She swiped at her cheeks and stood. “I can’t sit here and do nothing. I need to go back out there and look for him.”
“We’re going to wait right here until after someone in my family has questioned Charlie. If that turns up nothing, then we can talk about going back out, but we should consider being here in case he comes home. I’d hate for him to return and no one be here.”
“We could take turns.”
“My only worry about that would be if Charlie showed up and leaving you alone to deal with him. I wouldn’t want that for you.”
She opened her mouth but it was cut short by a ringtone.
“It’s my mom.” Miles tapped the screen. “Hey, Mom. What happened at Charlie’s place?”
“He says he didn’t know anything about Gabriel being missing and that he was on the way to a listing. Not much elseI can do without probable cause, which I don’t have, but I’m working on it and we’ll keep an eye on him. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks, Ma. I appreciate it.” Miles scooted his chair closer. “I know it feels like we’re not doing anything by sitting here and waiting. But if Gabriel does come home, I think you should be here when he does and I don’t feel right about leaving you.”
Tentatively, she reached her hand out and palmed his unshaven cheek. She wanted to lean on him for support. God knew she needed someone right now. Charlie had never really been there for her, even when things between them had been decent. He only cared about himself and how he looked.
“I need to tell you something, but I’m afraid it will piss you off.” He kissed the inside of her palm.
She cocked her head. “Whatever it is, better to lay it on me than beat around the bush or lie to me.”
“I would never do the latter,” he said. “My brother Rhett is on his way over. I was supposed to meet with him this morning about something he found regarding Charlie.”
“What did he find? Is it bad and why was he digging?”
“I asked him to and I can’t imagine it’s good,” Miles said. “He wanted to meet with me alone, but under the circumstances, I’ve told him that whatever he has, you need to know.”
“Thank you for not keeping it from me.” She stared out across the street. A few neighbors strolled by with their flyers in their hands, holding them, nodding. No words were spoken, nor were they needed. The fact that everyone on her street kept wandering the town in search of Gabriel made all the difference in the world.
But it didn’t change the fact that it was approaching ten in the morning and her brother was still missing.
“But why would you dig into Charlie’s background?” she asked.
“I don’t trust him and there are a couple of things that don’t add up in my mixed-up brain.”
“I’m going to make you start paying me a dollar every time you put yourself down.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “There’s nothing wrong with the way your mind works. Only with how it processes words on the page.”
He blinked. “Trust me. There’s a lot wrong with how I handle information, but that’s not the point. I’ve heard you say you don’t understand why Charlie wants you back after everything you’ve been through. Him cheating. The baby. Even the differences in financial situations. It got me thinking that there’s always a reason for this shit and it’s often never what it appears to be on the surface.” He lowered his chin. “Like him telling everyone he loves you and Gabriel because we both know that’s bullshit.”
“You got that right, but if I wasn’t so interested in what your brother dug up, I’d be pissed.”
A very large, fancy dark SUV rolled to a stop in front of her house. Rhett, with his man bun, eased from the driver’s seat. He and Miles looked a lot alike. If Miles let his hair grow, they’d look like twins. Rhett tucked a folder under his arm and strolled across the front lawn. “Any news?”
“Not yet.” Miles stood and gave his brother a manly hug.
“I’m so sorry, Liberty.” Rhett leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We’ve got everyone combing the streets. Some friends of mine are walking the campsites and local parks, even out by where I live. We’re not going to leave any stone unturned.”
“I appreciate that.” She did her best to compose herself. “Miles tells me you have some kind of dirt on my ex-husband.”
“Dirt is one way of describing it and something tells me you’re not going to like any of it.” Rhett pulled up a chair and set the folder on the table, flipping it open. “I learned a lot about Charlie, but three disturbing facts stick out. The first oneis his grandparents placed a contingency on his trust and his inheritance. As in he doesn’t get it unless he’s married. There’s also a timeline on having an heir and that caps out at forty.” He handed her a couple sheets of paper. She glanced at one before waving it at Miles.
Miles took it but didn’t even glance at it. He tucked it back in the folder, keeping his gaze focused on his brother.
“He’ll be forty next year,” she whispered. “Is something like that even legal?”
“It’s called conditional gifting and rich people do it all the time,” Miles said. “Trixi’s father has threatened her with that her entire life. When we were dating, he cut her off completely and told her if she stayed with me, she’d be cut out of the will. But even now, she has to do certain things to get her money when that crazy bastard dies. One of them is never marry a grease monkey like me. Not even if he’s rich.”
Liberty smacked her head. “What the hell is wrong with being a mechanic? It’s an honest profession and everyone needs a good one. Jesus, I don’t even know where that dip thingy is to check my oil.”
