Chapter 10: The Secret’s Out

“Baby, have you seen my file log? It’s a small, red book where I keep my cases listed. I thought I’d left it on the dresser but I don’t see it.” Gavin quietly grabbed the journal from the nightstand and set it beside her hand before going back to getting ready. “Thanks,” Alexa replied, watching him get dressed. “Hey, are you upset at me about something?”

“Nope! Why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know. It just seems like you’ve been avoiding me lately. And when we are in the same room, like now, you seem really withdrawn. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, Hannah, everything’s fine. They’ve changed my schedule again and I’ve been trying to figure out the financing for my garage. I’ve been self-promoting to a few companies; shopping around for best priced suppliers. It’s pretty draining. I’m too tired once I get home for much else,” he sighed. Alexa dropped her eyes and nodded. Gavin stepped closer, taking her hands in his. “We’re ok. Trust me, if something was up, you’d be the first to know, ok?”

“Ok.” He softly kissed her lips and dropped her hands to her sides.

“I gotta run. I promised Tommy I’d swing by and help him out with something before work.”

“Alright. I’ll…see you later?”

“Yeah…later.” Gavin smiled stiffly and headed for the door. Alexa watched until he climbed behind the wheel of his car and peeled down the driveway. Despite what he’d said, something was going on between them. Four days ago, all seemed well but shortly after his proposal it was like a switch had flipped and he’d been Mr. Ice Cold ever since. And although he wasn’t talking about it and she liked not having to dance around the question, Alexa wasn’t happy with the sudden detachment in their relationship.

“My relationship, K. I actually used that word. What is happening to me?” Alexa asked, recounting the details of her morning with Gavin and his proposal.

“I don’t know. I think you’ve been in it too long. Most cases you’d have already pulled the trigger and we’d be uprooting and moving on to the next target. This one’s been much different.”

“Yeah. Because for the first time we’re dealing with a dirty client and an innocent mark. Damn it. I must be on glue. We should have unplugged and ran the second we learned about the client. Instead, it’s becoming this sordid, twisted…thing. And I don’t know what I’m going to do. Gavin’s obviously in too deep now. If I left without warning, he’d certainly become another Nolan. And I SO don’t want that to happen.”

“In speaking of Nolan,” Kasper replied, seguing into the next topic. He reached back and grabbed an envelope from the desk beside his laptop and handed it to her. “I intercepted a letter from him to you.”

“It’s opened,” she frowned, turning it over in her hand.

“Well naturally I read it,” Kasper shrugged as Alexa shot him a look. “What? I was curious. This doesn’t just involve you; you know?”

“Ok. What does it say?”

“He sent a picture from Colorado of his new place. He says he loves his new job and thinks a fresh start was exactly what he needed,” Kasper summarized. “I am glad this worked out.”

“Yeah. You were right, K. All he needed was a serious explanation…even if 99.9% of it was more lies.” Something beeped behind Kasper and he immediately turned and clicked a few keys on his keyboard. “What’s that?”

“Someone’s receiving a call at the house.”

“Who?” Alexa asked, pulling up from her seat and moving closer.

“It’s probably just the missus about to yell at more of her house staff.” Kasper pressed the enter button on the keyboard and together, they listened in as Travis’ voice was quickly recognized.

“I don’t have that kind of money. Please, I need more time.”

“You’ve had two weeks,” a distorted voice replied to Stark’s plea. “We have been very patient with you, Mr. Stark, but you have failed to deliver. And since you are obviously not taking us seriously, we’re moving forward with the next step.”

“What does that mean?”

“How much do you love your children, Mr. Stark?”

“Please. You don’t have to threaten them. I’ll get you the money, just please, leave my family out of this.”

“You’ve forced our hand.”

“Please. Three days. Just give me three more days. I’ll have the money by then.”

“Three days, Mr. Stark. And then we’ll see which of your children you love the most. I’ll call back on Friday with instructions for the drop off. Be smart, Mr. Stark. Don’t disappoint us again.” The call ended and Alexa took a step back.

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know. Those taps have been on the line since you moved in and this is the first time I’ve heard this person call.”

“Well, is there any way to trace its origins? Track down who made it and where?”

“Usually, a reverse GPS would work but I’d have to be prepared for when a call came in and he or she would have to stay on the line for longer than a minute. I’m sorry, A. The only thing we can do now is wait and hope they call again.”

“Friday.”

“Yeah, but by then, it might be too late,” he sighed as Alexa distressingly paced back and forth. “What? What’s that look for?”

“It’s all connected.”

“What is?”

“The pictures, the client’s desire to see him dead and now the phone call. It’s all part of the client’s campaign to see Travis destroyed. Did you ever find anything on that Diamond Elite courier? The ones who delivered the package to Gavin’s front door.”

“I got the name of the guy that made the delivery. I ran a credit check, checked his financials for any recent payoffs. I checked his closest living relatives and all known associates. And nothing. None of them are connected in any way to Travis Stark.”

“So, they were just a simple courier service?”

“Looks that way.”

“Well. I guess that only leaves me with one option.”

“Which is?”

“Confront Gavin about the photographs and hope he’s in a talking mood,” she sighed and collected her things.

“Good luck with that.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“In the meantime, it might be a good idea to get more ears in the office.”

“No. Don’t make me go back there.”

“Aww. Having a tough time at work?”

“I hate being a lawyer. It has to be the worst gig ever! Everyone is shady. No one truly cares about the rights of the victims they’re all just out to get paid. I can’t wait until I can drop the act and just…quit.”

“Oh, how’s that now? Stay at home all day serving as Gavin’s willing sex slave?” Kasper asked with an eye roll. “I’m sure he’d love that.”

“You know what? You have no idea what it’s like living a double life, K.”

“You’re right, A, I’m sorry,” he said, briefly flashing a look that was unreadable. “Maybe it’s time. Get out while we can…preferably before the Starks locate your armory.”

“There’s no need to worry about that. I keep my guns in the trunk of my car.”

Kasper reached behind him and grabbed a small black pouch from the top drawer of his desk. “Here. You don’t have to go crazy but I put a few extras in case you want to get creative…aside from the traditional i.e. phone, laptop and tablet.”

Alexa nodded and took the devices he offered, shoving them in her purse as she started for the door. “I’ll catch ya later, K.”

“Yeah.” He waved and she started back to the Stark’s mansion.  

“Hey, babe,” Gavin greeted Alexa as he stepped into the room.

“Hey.”

“You take an early day? I went by the office but you weren’t in. Rhonda said she hadn’t seen you at all today.”

“Yeah, I decided to work from the café today and then came back here, I don’t know. Your dad has been acting weird. He seems…paranoid.”

“Really?” Gavin asked, dropping his bag to the floor and kicking off his shoes. “He say anything? Like give you any reason for his strange behavior?”

“No, but I really didn’t want to ask. I don’t think he’d tell me anyway.”

“Oh,” Gavin nodded and tucked himself beside the door. He folded his arms into his chest and appeared deep in thought before exhaling loudly and brushing it off. “It’s probably nothing. I have noticed he’s been a little tense these days. It’s gotten better since he hired Gerald to manage his campaign though.” 

Gerald Phelps, Alexa thought with annoyance. Since he’s arrival, face time with Travis had been reduced to maybe a total of five minutes. And that’s IF his publicist wasn’t constantly pushing him in front of one camera or the next. And you can forget about alone time. With Phelps’ involvement, Alexa and Kasper had a large wrench thrown into their operation and it didn’t appear to be removing itself any time soon. Although, Travis’ new distractions did have their benefits. She could spend less time at the office and more time getting to the bottom of things. “Gavin?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“I have a little confession to make,” she sighed, turning up her apprehension in hopes it would make Gavin less likely to yell at her. “I…may have…um…I saw the pictures,” she blurted and motioned toward the cabinet where she knew he’d hidden them. “I was trying to make room for my shoes and they kinda fell out.”

Gavin sighed, looked from her to the cabinet and back. She felt like the smallest person just then. The look he gave her told an entire story and she had a starring role as the bad guy. He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and pushed off from the wall. “You tell anyone about them?”

“No. Why would I do that? Travis is running for office and…”

“It’ll ruin him,” he interrupted, clearly expounding the reason he hadn’t mentioned them to anyone himself. “I suppose you recognized the woman in the pictures?”

“One of them; Judge Priscilla David. The others…”

“My dad’s a total fraud and a complete asshole. He’s out there preaching about how important family values are and how we’re such a tight-knit unit and all the while he’s sticking his dick in at least four other women. He’s a fucking hypocrite!” The anger was evident. And Gavin had every right to it. The man he’d looked up to his entire life had just disappointed him.

“Gavin, does your father have any enemies that would want to come after him through you?”

“Not that I know of. Why?”

“Well, the note that was with the pictures. If someone is deliberately trying to hurt your family it’s usually because they feel vindicated in doing so.”

“He’s a lawyer, Hannah. Do you have any idea how many people he’s put behind bars? All of them would have some reason, whether imaginary or not, to wanna harm him. Psychos are everywhere and don’t need a reason to come after you. You should know that better than anyone,” he kicked himself the moment the words slipped out and quickly tried to walk them back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“It’s ok. You’re hurting right now. I understand. I shouldn’t have…it was none of my business anyway,” Alexa sighed and tried to get past him to the bathroom.

Gavin grabbed her by the arm and hooked her against him. “No, Hannah, I appreciate your concern. It means a lot. You don’t know how long I’ve been struggling with the secret and whether or not to tell my mom. She acts tough, you know. She has to, always being in the public eye. But this thing…this would crush her. I don’t want that, but I also don’t want to allow my dad to keep disrespecting her.”

“I know you don’t, Gavin,” Alexa sighed, gently comforting him by sensually smoothing her hand through his hair. He moaned, and it made her rub her bosom deeper against his chest. It wasn’t intentional but it was the most intimacy he’d shown her in nearly a week; her body was dying for contact. 

“It’s not fair to her,” he stated, looking her deep in the eyes, his arm tightening around her back. “He should know to always cherish the woman he loves.”

“Yeah,” Alexa replied in anticipation as she felt Gavin’s lips tickle hers. “It’s something every father teaches his son.”

“It is. And any man would be a fool to ever forget it, even for a second,” he said, absently caressing the small of her back. “Hannah?”

“Yes?” she replied, her voice a breathy whisper. She could feel his intention, tucked behind his zipper, growing firmer against her thigh.

“I don’t really want to think about that right now.”

“No?” she asked, feeling his hand slip down to the rounded globe of her ass.

“No.”

“Well, Gavin, if you’d like,” Alexa started, slowly skirting her hand up his chest. “I know one way to get your mind off of things for a while,” she countered, unzipping the front of his jumpsuit and slipping her hand inside to touch his warm skin beneath. Taking him in her palm, she began slowly stroking his length.

“Mmm,” he moaned and enveloped her lips. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“What time is it?” Alexa asked, moving closer toward Gavin hours after he’d taken her to bed.

“I don’t know. Almost 9.”

“You stud! I knew you wanted to keep your mind busy but I didn’t expect it to be so… lengthy,” she teased, gently biting his pec.

“Mmm that’s what she said,” Gavin joked, earning him a jab in the ribs from Alexa.

“That is NOT what I meant,” Alexa replied in shock, making Gavin laugh louder.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I had some pent-up aggression to work out.”

“Never apologize for that; especially when I reap the benefits,” she said, taking his lips in a gentle kiss. “But, now that you’ve worked through the rage, do you think maybe we could, I don’t know, sleep?”

“Sleep? Why would you wanna do a silly thing like that when ‘Mr. Lengthy’ still wants to play?”

“Because I’m tired, Gavin,” she laughed at the cheesy look on his face as if the word was foreign to him. “Let me sleep or else the next time you want to play ‘Slip the Sausage’ I’m faking it.”

“Yeah right,” he snorted. “Like that could ever happen.” He glanced at her with a smirk still on his lips and sighed. “Alright fine, get your precious sleep, but I’m waking your ass up in a few hours, woman.”

“Better not.”

“Can’t stop me. Man needs woman,” he growled and pounded his chest like a caveman.

She giggled as he finally settled beside her and she rested her head on his arm. “Gavin?”

“Hmm?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you,” Alexa whispered as she softly swirled her finger through the curly hairs on his chest. Gavin jumped up, pulling her against him and demanded she repeat herself. “I said I’ll marry you.”

“Oh my god, Hannah, you don’t know how happy this makes me. Oh my god. I’ve been so messed up since you found that damn ring. I didn’t know if you would dump me or just flat out say no. Fuck me. I’ve been on pins and needles,” he said, hopping up out of the bed. Gavin retrieved the ring from the top drawer of the dresser and quickly placed it on Alexa’s finger. Hugging her closely, he laid a big, hard kiss on her lips, smiling into her mouth unable to contain his excitement. “God. Baby, I fucking love you so much.”

“You’d better or else I’m changing my mind. Keeping the ring, but changing my mind.” Alexa’s phone beeped and she leaned over to check the message, seeing it coming from a number she did not readily recognize. 

“Shit.”

“Something wrong?” Gavin asked trying to peek over her shoulder. Alexa quickly dialed Kasper’s number and it went straight to voicemail. Again, she tried dialing and again got the same result.

Jumping up from the bed, she looked out both windows, not really sure what she was looking for. Her frantic motions caused Gavin to sit straight up and he watched as she got herself dressed and began pacing the room. “Babe?”

Alexa closed her eyes and tried to think. Large mansion, surrounded on one side by water. Four security personnel on duty; one at the gate, one at the shore and one for the front and back entrances. Guard A could easily be bypassed if the non-electric fence was scaled. Too risky. Slow movement to climb and even with the cover of night, the intruders risked being seen. Guard B was not even a consideration. If they came by boat, they would be announcing their arrival two miles from shore. Guards C and D would be the pivotal point. If they could defend their stations, Alexa had a good chance of getting everyone out alive.

“Hannah? You’re starting to scare me.”

“Gavin, we need to talk,” Alexa started. She had been thinking about it all afternoon and had finally come to a decision. Gavin needed to know. She was tired of running. Tired of hiding. Alexa was finally ready to come clean.

“Ok,” he replied and slid to the edge of the bed. “Is it serious?”

Serious? More than he knew. She had just sent him soaring to the moon, and now she was about to slip away from him into a remote, distant woman he would barely recognize; the killer she was trained to be. But if they were in danger, she needed him to understand everything that was about to happen.

“Babe, is everything alright?”

Alexa hated the idea of separating herself, but she had to get his family to safety. “No, everything is not alright. Gavin, there’s something I need to tell you. My name is…” A loud explosion erupted from the south of the house and instantly Gavin jumped to his feet. “They’re here.” That was fast. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes since Kasper had sent that urgent message. Not possible.

“What? Who’s here?” Gavin asked, tossing on a shirt as he moved toward her.

“The client.”

“The what? Hannah, what’s going on?”

“There’s no time to explain. We need to get to your family before they breach.”

“Hannah…”

“MOVE!” They ran through the hallway, listening to the sounds of gunfire just on the back lawn. Shit. Back and forth the bullets flew and all Alexa could think about was Gavin and his family’s welfare.

A bullet shattered the upstairs window and she pulled Gavin down beside her. “What the fuck is going on?” he shouted over the loud blasts. And just like that, silence.

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