“Gabe?”

  At the snap of his friend’s voice, he looked up. “Yeah?”

  Roman stood and frowned down at him. “We’re leaving. I’ve explained to the detective that unless they want to formally charge you, they need to let us go now.”

  “I would love to throw you in a holding cell and see if you soften up, but my captain doesn’t like the growing swarm of press. You’re free to go for now, but don’t leave town. I’ll have more questions.” The detective sat back with a sigh. “I find it very interesting that Crawford went down in one of your planes.”

  Mad’s private jet had been built by Bond Aeronautics. Gabe had overseen the build himself. He’d made sure it was the most tricked-out mile high club in the air. He and Mad had gotten their pilot licenses at the same time. They used to love flying together. Usually one flew while the other fucked in the back on their way to Vegas or Paris or some other suitably decadent party town.

  God, he couldn’t believe Mad was dead.

  “I assure you the last thing my client wants is negative press. The stock of his company has already taken a hit.” Roman flipped the lid of his briefcase closed. “He won’t leave the city. If you have any more questions for him, please contact my office. Perhaps we can do this in a more private setting next time.”

  The detective stood and left the room, his disappointment obvious.

  “Let’s go. Dax is waiting to get you out of here.” Roman straightened his tie. “I’ll face the mob outside and try to defuse the situation. You and I are going to have a long talk later.”

  Because Roman must know he was hiding something. Clever bastard. Gabe would have to confess he’d been at the airport that day. He’d been standing there when Mad had taken off.

  Yeah, Roman was going to love that.

  “All right. Give me the night to figure a few things out.”

  He especially needed to figure out how to handle Everly. He’d done everything wrong this morning. He wasn’t even sure what would have been right. He should have found out about her relationship with Mad and been utterly disgusted. He’d wanted to be. He’d definitely been angry, felt betrayed. But he wanted her way too much to hold that grudge. Her fling with Mad infuriated him on Sara’s behalf, but for himself? It didn’t matter.

  Everly was too damn dangerous for his peace of mind. To complicate matters even more, he now wondered if she had critical information.

  During the long, tedious interrogation, his brain had been working the angles of this case. Though grief was still strong, the shock of Mad’s death was wearing off. Logic had begun to set in again. He’d started to wonder about a few things. Mad had hated DC. What had compelled him to fly there to see Zack, rather than just picking up the phone? Why had he updated his will three weeks before his death? Why had he been so explicit about the funeral arrangements? Gabe had been forced to watch the tape of his last conversation with Mad again, and without the filter of rage to blind him, he could see the bastard had been trying to tell him something.

  Everly had been the woman in Mad’s bed at the end of his life. She must know something.

  “That’s all the time you get,” Roman replied. “We’ll talk in the morning. Go to Connor’s place and we’ll all meet for breakfast. For tonight, lay low.”

  He couldn’t do that. He had to find Everly. “I need to go back to the office.”

  Roman paused at the door. “Absolutely not. You’re going into hiding. The less chance we give the press to photograph you, the better off we are. The NYPD is all over you. The FAA isn’t done with their investigation, but they’re definitely treating the crash as if it was foul play. These cops are fishing for a suspect at this point, and that dipshit tape of you and Mad makes you look easy. For now, they’ll leave you be—unless you give them a reason otherwise. But we have to figure this shit out. So you will behave. Is that understood?”

  “Sure.” It was best to agree with Roman, then do what he needed to. Roman wasn’t going to understand his need to see Everly. Or his reason. He had to track her down and get her where he wanted her.

  Underneath him, with her hair spread out, begging him to end the sensual torture.

  Damn it, he had to stop thinking about having sex with her until he talked to her again. He wouldn’t touch her until he figured out what part she’d played in this chaotic mess. And what she knew that could get him out of it.

  Of course, he might not have to worry about ever getting physical with her again. She might have decided he was a bad bet as her new lover since he’d insulted her, then practically been arrested for murdering her last one.

  Roman stared at him, and Gabe worried the shrewd lawyer had figured him out, but Roman finally opened the door and stepped into the hall.

  Gabe followed. As soon as he had a free moment, he needed to pull up her address. Now that he knew Eve was Everly, he realized he had access to all her employment records, including her address in Brooklyn. They could continue their discussion at her place. He had his own interrogation to perform.

  He turned the corner, then stopped. She stood right there, in the hallway, her face turned up, mouth moving as she said something to Dax.

  “Why is she here?” He kept his voice low.

  Roman sighed. “She’d already arrived when I walked into the precinct. Once I found out she’s on Crawford’s security team, I thought she should know what’s going on. Actually, I’m surprised you didn’t fire her on the spot. Dax told me there was a rumor about her and Mad.”

  “And I’ll find out if it’s true or not.” He intended to discover every secret that woman had. “I’m also going to find out what was going on in Mad’s head the last few months of his life. I’m betting she knows something.”

  “It’s possible,” Roman admitted. “I don’t know if he would have really divulged anything of value to her, rather than his lifelong friends. But toward the end, Mad hadn’t seemed like himself, so maybe she does know something.” Roman frowned. “Any idea what he was asking about that last day you two went to lunch? He sounded as if he was looking for someone.”

  He’d mentioned a Sergei. “No. Hell, for all I know, it was his new drug dealer.”

  “Stop being an ass. This is exactly why you should stay away from her. You’re on the edge and you’ll only dig yourself in deeper. Neither of you needs another pile of shit right now. Take a step back, and we’ll talk in the morning. I’ll interview her and let you know what I find.”

  Not happening. He needed her. Even if he pried nothing more than the truth about her relationship with Mad from her, he wasn’t going to leave Everly alone.

  She turned, and he caught sight of her smile. Even in the little hallway, he couldn’t fail to notice how bright she shined. His breath caught. No wonder Mad had left Sara for her. Eve was utterly different than any woman Gabe had ever been involved with. His whole body responded to her.

  The minute she caught sight of him, she wiped all expression from her face. “Mr. Bond.”

  She wanted to play it that way? Of course she did now that she’d witnessed his interrogation. He wanted to punch Roman for letting her stay. Her opinion of him had obviously tumbled after their fight this morning, and seeing homicide detectives grill him had likely dropped him a notch lower. Damn it. He needed to do whatever possible to make sure she didn’t get away from him.

  “Everly, thank you for tracking down Dax and Roman. There was no need for you to wait. I planned on finding you soon. We still have a few things to iron out.”

  Roman shook his head. “You’re not going to listen to a damn word I say, are you? Don’t cause a fucking scene. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Dax, have you got this?”

  “It’s handled. I don’t think anyone can follow us.”

  Roman nodded and strode toward the front of the building, cursing to himself.

  Dax stepped up and shook his hand. “I’ll meet you up top, brother. Go easy on her. Everly isn’t what you think she is. And the press knows her name now, so I don’t recommend that you send her home by herself. Bring her up with you in ten.”

  He strode toward the stairs.

  So she’d made another conquest. That wasn’t surprising. Apparently, it was what Everly Parker did best.

  “I’m sorry you had to witness that mess.” He was going to be polite if it was the last thing he did because attacking her wouldn’t induce her to talk. He refused to give in to the need to fight with her. Or to fuck her.

  Her expression was bland, professional even. Damn it, he wanted to see her smile again. “I had to be here. I’m able to do my job better if I understand what’s going on. So what are you not telling the police?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She dropped her voice to a whisper. “It’s obvious you’re hiding something. You avoided certain questions when you were more than willing to answer others in painstaking detail. You tap your left hand when you get nervous. You did it several times. On the desk. Against your leg. And you were definitely nervous about any questions concerning your whereabouts after your lunch with Maddox on the day in question. So where were you?”

  She’d seen way more than he’d expected. Hell, she’d seen more than the detective. “I explained that several times.”

  “No. You didn’t explain the stretch of time between your stroll in the park and dinner at all. That detective is an idiot.”

  “Could we not do this here? And I should probably remind you that you’re my employee. It’s your job to protect me, not question me.”

  “How can I protect you if I don’t know the truth? That’s the problem with clients. They tend to give you half the information, then expect a hundred and fifty percent effort. Besides, from what you said earlier, you might very well fire me.”

  Maybe he wouldn’t avoid a fight after all. She seemed to be itching for one. “Why did you come here?”

  She brushed back her hair. “Because until you fire me, I have a job to do.”

  “Exactly what job is that, Everly? Did you come here to keep the press off my back? If that’s the case, from what I’ve heard, you failed.”

  “I came to make sure you got out of here in one piece, especially since they wouldn’t let you take your car. How else did you plan on getting home?”

  “That’s why I had you call Dax. He’ll take us back to the office. Let’s go.”

  “If you don’t need me, I can find my own way back to work.” She turned to go.

  He grabbed her elbow, staying her. “No. You’ll come with me. I’m still your boss.”

  Her eyes flared. “You don’t have to be.”

  “Don’t even try to quit. I can make sure you don’t work in this city again.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to work in this city.” Her voice had gone low and stubborn.

  “I’ve got long arms, baby. You’ll find it hard to work anywhere.”

  Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. She jerked free from his grip. Her body tensed, ready for flight.

  Things were quickly heating up. It didn’t serve his purpose to fight with her. It would serve him even less for her to walk away.

  “Damn it. Let me try this again, Everly. I’m sincerely sorry about the meeting this morning. You threw me for a loop, and I handled it poorly. My only excuse is that I’ve had a rough couple of days.”

  She hesitated, obviously mulling over his words. Then she softened just a bit. Oh, fight still lurked somewhere in there, but Gabe saw clearly that anger wasn’t the way to deal with her. He needed to be sneakier.

  Everly nodded at him, a silent acceptance of his apology. But she still looked wary. “Why don’t you head home, and I’ll handle things at the office? I promise not to quit while you still need me.”

  Gabe planned to use that impromptu vow to his advantage. He had to blast past the guard she’d put up against him and hope she would respond to being needed. If he made her think they were partners, maybe he could slip under her defenses. If he could find out what she knew and purge her from his system at the same time, so much the better.

  He shook his head. “I need you with me, Everly. I need to talk to you. You spent time with Mad. I have to figure out what was going through his head during his last few weeks.”

  He took her hand in his because he’d always found it was easier to take charge than wait to be followed. And he liked the feel of her skin against his.

  Thankfully, she didn’t pull away, merely allowed him to lead her up the stairs toward the top of the building. “I realize you don’t believe me, but Maddox and I weren’t lovers, so I don’t know anything. He asked me questions about myself. Sometimes, he’d talk about work, his friends, his day . . . but nothing deep.”

  “You may not realize what you know that might be important to this case.”

  She sighed as they rounded the next flight of stairs. “This morning has been such a whirlwind, I probably wouldn’t know what was important if it hit me in the face.”

  “But I might.” He liked how small her hand was, how her fingers tangled with his almost of their own accord, as if they knew they belonged there.

  She kept up with him, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was in shape. She jogged up the stairs without sounding winded at all. “Why are we going up? I thought we were leaving.”

  He finally made it to the top of the building. He stopped in front of the door and could hear the whooshing sound of chopper blades as Dax turned the engine over. “We are leaving. I’d like to see the paparazzi follow us now.”

  Her eyes widened as if she’d identified the sound, too. “We’re going in a helicopter? I’ve never been in one.”

  “This isn’t simply any helicopter. This is my baby. I designed it myself. I could go into all the brilliant engine innovations and give you specs on how far and fast it can go, but you’ll probably be more interested in the fact that I convinced the House of Versace to design the interior. This is a flying luxury suite.” And the interior was definitely tricked out so they could get busy. Not that he was going to seduce her now. But it crossed his mind.

  She stared at him with wide eyes. “Gabriel, whatever you’re thinking . . . that’s a mistake.”

  “No, it’s not. I need you, Everly. Help me figure out who killed my best friend because I didn’t do it.” It was time to play on those heartstrings of hers and seal the deal. To do that, he would have to open up and give her a little honesty. It might even make her feel guilty enough to give him what he needed. If she’d been sleeping with Mad, she might be shocked at what he was about to say. “I owe it to my future nephew or niece to figure out who killed him.”

  She paused, obviously putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Then she gasped. “Your sister. She’s pregnant. She dated Maddox. He mentioned it once. That’s what you two were fighting about.”

  “I’ll tell you everything if you’ll come with me. I’ll put all my cards on the table, and you can show me yours. Then we’ll see what kind of hand we’re left with.”

  She nodded slowly, but withdrew her hand from his. “All right, but this is a professional relationship from here out. Our weekend was a mistake, an aberration. I’ll help you, but you have to promise to forget about what happened between us.”

  Not in a million years. But she was right that it had been an aberration. Usually when he slept with a woman, he moved on right away. Usually, he didn’t feel a thing beyond physical satisfaction. Everly made him feel more. She made him feel too damn much.

  “Of course.” It seemed to be his day for telling lies.

  She nodded and started for the door.

  Damn it. How was he going to keep his hands off her? He followed her, completely unable to pry his stare away from that curvy backside. He tried to tell himself that Mad had her first, and she was the reason they were in this mess. He tried to tell himself that if Mad had been murdered, she might even be a suspect. He had a million and one reasons to not trust her, to stay as far from her as he could.

  But a certain ruthless part of him found every reason possible to keep her close. She’d belonged to Mad, who had given him everything. His business. His homes. His money.

  Why not his mistress?

  As Everly opened the door, the bright light of day flooded the stairs. She stopped at the top and stared at the chopper. It was a gorgeous black and white body with a matching elegant cabin. Dax had thoughtfully left the cabin door open, but she made no move toward it.

  “Are you scared?” Gabe asked.

  “I’ve never loved heights, to tell you the truth.” She retreated as though ready to scamper back down the stairs to safety.

  He wasn’t about to let her do that. He had no idea why Mad hadn’t taken her up, but flight had been a big portion of Gabe’s life for a very long time. His family business was all about getting up in the sky. Besides, if she was afraid, she might cling to him. She might be grateful to him for keeping her safe.

  “I won’t let you fall.” He held out his arm.

  “Gabriel . . .” she began.

  “I am very professionally offering to escort you to your vehicle, Ms. Parker. And trust me, you haven’t seen Manhattan until you’ve seen it from my vantage point. Let me show you.” He could muster up some charm. It had all gone down the toilet when he’d let his anger rule. Charisma worked better. He would know her secrets and figure her out. And once he had, he would be ready to let her go.

  She squared her shoulders and slipped her arm through his. “All right. I guess it is the best way to avoid the press. Are we going back to the office?”

  Right before he answered, a thought struck him. He should gauge how she reacted to being surrounded by Maddox Crawford, see if she pined like a lover or clammed up guiltily like someone keeping secrets. “Let’s go to Mad’s and see if he left anything that might help us figure out what he was up to before he was killed. We might be able to piece together some clues. Would you help me do that?”

  The light came back into her eyes, and he felt her inch closer. Yes, he would definitely catch more Everlys with honey than vinegar.