Someone knew.Someone had found him.And worst of all, this threat wasn’t just about him anymore, it was about Nica too, and the fragile new life they’d begun together.
The gold band in his pocket felt suddenly heavy.He carried it everywhere he went.It was important to him, a tangible link to Nica, even though at the moment they were having difficulties—again, mostly his fault.He shouldn’t have sprung the whole WHO thing on her without warning.That gold band was his tangible hope.When Nica had slid it on his finger, he’d felt like he’d finally found the peace he’d been searching for.Now it felt like a target, a bull’s eye marking him for whoever had discovered his location.
The voice had been right about one thing: Gabe knew exactly what he’d done.Even though what happened in California hadn’t been his fault, the memories and guilt lingered, never forgotten, never fading.
Now somebody threatened to upend and destroy everything he’d struggled so hard to rebuild.They knew all the ugliness of the past.The question was, what would this mysterious caller do with that knowledge?
CHAPTER THREE
The bell abovethe door chimed as Nica stepped into Daisy’s Diner, the familiar scent of coffee and freshly baked biscuits washing over her.She spotted Jill in their usual booth by the window, sunlight streaming in and illuminating the steam rising from her coffee mug.
“There you are,” Jill called, waving her over.“I was starting to wonder if you’d changed your mind.”
Nica slid into the booth, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.“Sorry I’m late.I kept changing my clothes.Silly, right?It’s just breakfast.”
Jill studied her face.“Except it’s not just breakfast, is it?You’ve got that look—the one where you’re about to burst if you don’t talk to someone.”
Daisy, the diner’s owner, appeared with a pot of coffee.“Morning, Nica.The usual?”
“Please,” Nica nodded, grateful for the momentary distraction.
“How’s everything going, hon?Sorry we missed supper yesterday, but Derrick’s been down with the flu bug that’s going around, and you know how a man is when he gets sick.Plus, Ian was visiting his mom over the weekend, and I didn’t want to leave Derrick alone.Thank goodness he was feeling better this morning.”
“I hate to hear Derrick’s not feeling well.Let me know if there’s anything we can do.I’m sure Momma will drop by once she hears.You know how much she loves Derrick.”
Daisy smiled.“I know she does.If I wasn’t sure that man loved me, I think I’d be jealous.”She tapped her order pad.“Let me get this in, and I’ll be right back with more coffee.”
“Thanks, Daisy.”
When Daisy left, Jill leaned forward.“Spill it.What happened after I left the Boudreau ranch yesterday?You texted me at midnight saying you needed to talk.”
Nica toyed with the napkin in front of her, unwrapped the silverware, and teased the edge, running her fingertips repeatedly against the seam.She gave Jill a brief smile and wrapped her hands around the warm mug Daisy placed in front of her.
“I almost told them, Jill.During dessert, I almost blurted out that Gabe and I eloped.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No.”Nica sighed.“And now Gabe’s got this job offer with the World Health Organization, Jill.In Geneva.Switzerland.And he wants me to go with him.”
Jill’s eyebrows shot up.“Geneva?That’s…wow.When did this happen?”
“He’s been interviewing with them for six months.I knew about it, we talked about it multiple times before we got married, but it always seemed like this distant possibility.Then last week, they officially offered him the position.”Nica’s voice dropped to a whisper.“He really wants to accept.That’s why he was so quiet at dinner.”
“That explains a lot.”Jill took a thoughtful sip of her coffee.“So, when are you planning to tell everyone that not only did you secretly get married, but you’re moving to another continent?”
Nica groaned, burying her face in her hands.“I don’t know.Remember that night at Juanita’s, where he was dining with those other people?When I got upset and nearly had a meltdown right there in the restaurant?Apparently, they work with WHO and they were there meeting with him, talking to him about the difficulties and changes to his life that would come with making such a big move and how it would affect everything.Ugh, I was so mad at him that night.It took three days before either of us talked.”
“Oh, I remember that night.You were a total wreck.That’s the night you slipped and told me you’d eloped.You obviously made up, right?”
Nica nodded.“I’ve been trying to find the right moment to tell my family, but how do you casually mention something like this?‘Pass the potatoes, and by the way, I married Gabe in secret and we’re moving to Switzerland’?”
Daisy chose that moment to return with their food—blueberry pancakes for Nica, an omelet for Jill—providing another welcome pause in the conversation.She loved Jill like a big sister, having known her all her life.Jill had been in love with Nica’s brother Lucas for years and years, and they’d finally admitted how they felt and were getting married.The wedding was in a couple of months, and Jill and Momma had been going crazy with all the preparations.It wasn’t going to be a huge wedding, but even with just family and a few friends, that wasn’t exactly small either.
Once they were alone again, Jill cut into her omelet.“What’s really bothering you, Nica?Is it telling your family, or is it the idea of leaving Shiloh Springs?”
“Both.Neither.”Nica pushed her pancakes around her plate, watching the maple syrup soak into their golden-brown edges.Her stomach felt like it was tied in knots, and any vestiges of appetite deserted her.She pushed the plate away untouched.
“I love Gabe.I don’t regret marrying him.I knew going into this marriage that there would be problems.The secrecy, the lies, the sneaking around that the family didn’t know about.Running away to get married and then keeping it quiet.That’s all on me.I’m the one who insisted we not tell them.Gabe wanted everything out in the open from the beginning, but then things changed, and I didn’t want to spring it on Momma and Dad.”Nica didn’t want to tell Jill about the threats Gabe had been getting, that was something between the two of them.Nobody else knew.It was one of the biggest reasons she hadn’t wanted to tell her parents.She knew the minute she told them somebody had been subtly threatening Gabe, the family would do what they always did when one of their own was in trouble.They’d circle the wagons and start planning on how they could eliminate the threat.It’s what they did, and she loved them for it.But right now, Gabe wanted to handle things on his own, and she respected his wishes—even if she didn’t always agree with them.But she’d do whatever it took to make him happy and keep him from danger.
