Page 1 of DFF: Delicate Freakin' Flower
Chapter One
Webb
Iwiped the sweat from my forehead and squinted at the half-built stable in front of me. The summer heat was thick enough to slice through, and I had to admit Marcus knew how to keep me busy. The man practically lived for construction. It was all about lines, precision, and making sure nothing stood crooked—not just the land but the buildings, too. He'd asked me to help with a new stable on the ranch, but I'd wanted to spend the next few days digging posts and tightening screws.
Marcus had won the war with one round of rock, paper, scissors, so I was doing what he'd asked me to do. I liked the quiet, but, of course, life had a way of mixing things up when I least expected it.
I was finishing up the last post, measuring the distance between the boards, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out without thinking, figuring it was either Marcus or Remy telling me to hurry up with whatever I was working on.
When I didn't recognize the number, I answered it, thinking it was either a telemarketer—yes, I answered those calls purely for the amusement factor—or a member of my huge family.
"Webb," I grumbled, keeping one eye on what I was doing.
"Webb, it's Sasha." Her voice was tight—and that wasn't typical for my brother's wife.
"What's up? You calling to make fun of me for sweating my ass off in this heat?" I wiped my hands on my jeans and took a long pull from my water bottle.
"I need you to listen, Gabby's in trouble."
I felt my stomach tighten. Gabby, her quiet, pretty cousin who didn't make waves unless you counted her attempts to wind me up at family barbecues. Thinking about it, I couldn't remember the last time she was at one of those. I'd just assumed she was too busy with her job—a job she rarely talked about, and when she did, it was always something vague.
"Wait, what?" I said, taking a step back, the tools in my hands feeling heavier suddenly. "What kind of trouble?"
"I don't know the details, but she's out there on her own, and no one's heard from her in a couple of days. I don't know who to call, Webb, but Jackson said you might be able to help."
I went still, staring out at the ranch. The fields were silent, but I could hear the sound of my pulse in my ears.
"Has anyone else tried calling her?" I asked, my voice coming out rougher than I'd intended.
"Everyone's tried, but she's not answering. I?—"
"Do you know where she's been?" My hands were shaking a little, but I kept them still by my sides, trying to make sense of the sudden rush of thoughts. Gabby was quiet, sure, but she wasn't stupid. And she definitely wasn't someone you'd expect to get into something that would get her in trouble—not real trouble, anyway.
"No one knows anything, that's the problem. I've been trying to get ahold of her, but?—"
I cut her off. "I'll find her."
"Thank you, Webb. I'm worried out of my brain, but if I tell Malcolm or Benny, they'll cause a huge drama, and it might make things worse. Then again, how much worse can it get when a member of your family is missing?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, mind racing. Yeah, I wouldn't have called their other cousins either, those guys were a last resort. I couldn't wrap my head around it—Gabby, the girl who could rile me up in five words, getting into anything serious enough to keep her hidden from the family.
But something about the urgency in Sasha's voice clicked. There was always something different about Gabby—she never asked for help, never seemed to need it, but the quiet always had this underlying current to it.
I wasn't about to let that be the reason she ended up in a worse spot than she already was.
"Alright." My grip on the phone tightened. "I'm on it."
After hanging up, I stood there for a minute, looking out at the ranch. Marcus and I had spent the last week fixing up the property. Now it felt like I was staring at a damn war zone inthe making. The more I thought about it, the more I realized just how little I knew about Gabby's life outside of family gatherings.
Grabbing my keys out of my pocket, I headed for the truck, cursing under my breath as I sent a message to Marcus telling him I'd be back soon. What the hell had Gabby gotten herself into?
Chapter Two
Gabby
I'd never planned to be a private investigator. I didn't wake up one day and say, "Hey, you know what sounds fun? Lurking in alleyways and tailing adulterers while living on gas station coffee and adrenaline."
Nope. My very first job fell into my lap—or rather, it cornered me at a bar.
