Page 9 of Bait and Switch
“Honestly, I don’t see how it could have.” Gabe sagged back into the comfort of the Ford’s passenger seat. “I ditched my cell phone and my car—the Honda was Heidi’s— and I haven’t used any credit cards, just my stash of go money. I didn’t even know Heartstone Island existed. If I didn’t know where I was going, how would they?”
“Hmm.” Elton tapped the steering wheel with his thumb as they eased into the spot in front of his house. “You know, Casey ran a check on you. Maybe the search triggered something?”
Yes, Gabe did know Ranger Man had checked his background, but he’d put it out of his mind because he still had to pay that fucking trespassing citation and thinking about the ticket pissed him off. Opening the truck’s door with his elbow, he slid to the muddy ground, landing with a squelch. Was it possible that the Colavitos had found him via Lundin? He shook his head; it seemed outrageous, and yet Peter was dead.
“Maybe? But how would it? It’s not like I’m on an FBI watch list—at least, I don’t think so.” Gabe said, waiting for Elton to slowly extricate himself from the Ford. “So these people, whose names I am not speaking aloud if I don’t have to, possibly foundme because of Lundin’s background check? That seems far-fetched, very Jason Bourne, and really, I’m a tiny fish in a very big sea.Wasa tiny fish because I’m not diving back in. I suppose it’s possible they could have had somebody watching for any mention of me, but what a waste of resources.”
The idea was outrageous. Yes, the Colavitos wanted him dead, but Gabe felt like it was more of aYou’re dead if you return to Seattle and we see your facerather than aWe willhunt you down and take care of it ASAPkind of dead.
“You know you’re going to have to explain your relationship with the victim to Eli Rizzi.”
Gabe opened his mouth to agree that yes, he figured that, but also maybe he could cut a few corners, when Lundin’s Wagoneer pulled in and parked beside Elton’s truck.
“Let me get the coffee started.”Elton started for the kitchen.
“Nah, you just got back from the dentist, take a load off. I’ll start up the coffee, I need something to do anyway,” Gabe announced.
Elton didn’t argue. He was definitely feeling the effects of the dental work. Taking off his jacket and hanging it up, he headed for his recliner instead.
Gabe stepped into the kitchen. A bonus to making the coffee was that the hospitality might stall the inevitable questions he knew were coming his way. What else could he tell them? Nothing. Knowing more about the Colavitos than they already did wouldn’t do Elton or Casey any good. Gabe couldn’t even dig up a pithy comment from his dead mother.
But even Heidi would agree that it was time to be a bit more honest—murder was serious. Something soft brushed against his leg. He looked down to see that Bowie had followed himinto the kitchen and was snuffling along the tiled floor like a doggy vacuum cleaner. Gabe should have realized that retreat was useless; Lundin had joined them and was now leaning back against the doorframe.
He fought a scowl and reached into the cabinet for the whole beans. He didn’t normally have the urge to strangle someone while also wanting to jump their bones. Gabriel frowned at his thoughts and then gave a mental shrug. Most likely this was a Ranger Man-specific reaction.
“Well,” said Ranger Man, crossing his damn arms over his stupid chest again. The flannel had been shrugged off, and his long-sleeved t-shirt strained under the responsibility of keeping him covered. Asshole.
“That’s deep.” Gabe dumped a handful of beans into Elton’s grinder.
There was a long, annoyed silence. Gabe enjoyed it.
“This is not the time to fuck around, Karne.”
Gabe held down the power button, forestalling his reply for a few seconds longer. Unfortunately, Lundin was still there when he lifted his hand off the grinder, eyebrows raised in expectation. Dammit.
“It’s always time to fuck around. Maybe that’s your issue, you’ve never been given permission to just fuck it.” Neither had Gabriel, but he didn’t let that stop him. “What do you want to hear from me, Ranger Man? That I’m a con man? That Peter and I grifted people? That the con is what I learned growing up on my mother’s knee?”
It’s conartist, Chance.
One thing about Heidi, she did have pride in her work.
Leaning back against the counter, he faced Lundin. “I don’t know what to tell you that you would be willing to accept. Believe. Whatever.”
“Tell us about these people who you think killed Peter. We can’t fight shadows.”
Well, fuck. When he said it like that.
Gabe didn’tthinkthe Colavitos killed Peter, he knew they did. At least as much as he could without having witnessed the murder. He just didn’t know how they’d done it. Someone must have followed him to Heartstone, however impossible that was. Which hinted that the family was, in fact, not willing to drop their vendetta as long as Gabe stayed out of Seattle. He pictured the second go-bag stuffed in the closet in Elton’s spare room. He still had money, he could take it and disappear.
Except that disappearing didn’t feel comfortable the way it once had. Almost as if he’d disappeared himself so many times that the real Gabriel Karne was starting to vanish. Fading a bit every time until he was eventually going to evaporate to nothing if he kept it up.
He rubbed his belly, trying to rid himself of the hollow feeling in his stomach.
“Casey, give Gabe a chance to sit down with his coffee before you interrogate him,” Elton called out.
“Yeah, what he said.” Turning back around, Gabe poured grounds into the waiting filter, sucking the earthy scent of roasted beans into his lungs. There was almost nothing better.
Lundin didn’t immediately respond to Elton, so Gabe glanced over his shoulder and—dammit, maybe there was something better than fresh ground coffee beans. Ranger Man continued to glower, his arms still crossed. And Gabe still wanted to jump his bones. He wished he could blame his reaction on being accused of murder, some kind of weird dopamine thing. Something to distract himself from reality. But why this guy? Why some angsty, semi-feral guy ten years younger than him who possibly hated his guts?
