Jack held out his hand to stop him.
“I’ll call you when it’s done.”
“Good. I expect you to keep this conversation between us.”
Jack looked up at him in surprise. “Don’t you want her to know?”
Gabriel’s expression tightened. “The important thing is that she’s safe. No blackmail, no blowback. They stay out of her life forever. And she gets to sleep peacefully at night.”
A long look passed between the two men before Gabriel strode out of the diner.
Chapter Fifty-one
October 2011
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Scheisse,” said Julia.
“Quite,” said Gabriel.
“I can’t believe you hired my uncle Jack.”
“He’s good at what he does. He’s gotten me out of scrapes before.”
A sudden realization came upon her. “Is that what you were arguing with him about back at my dad’s house?”
“He was angry I’d never told you.”
“He never mentioned anything.”
“He’s a man of few words.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She looked at him reproachfully.
“My actions were justified, but not legal. I didn’t want you knowing anything about it if there was a chance Simon or Natalie decided to go to the police. Or the feds. Before we were married I told you I’d looked into them and was satisfied that they wouldn’t bother you again.”
“I didn’t think you threatened them.”
“Is it really so bad?” he whispered.
Julia met his gaze and saw thinly disguised disappointment in his eyes.
“I told you I hadn’t confessed everything from my past, Julianne. We agreed that was fine.”
“But my father was so angry with you. Didn’t you want him to know that you protected me?”
“The fewer people who knew about it, the better. I doubt he would have changed his opinion.”
“So while we were separated, you were working hard to make sure I was safe?” She blinked back tears. “Thank you.”
He hugged her tightly. “You’re welcome. You should know that when I recovered the photos and videos of you I destroyed them without looking at them.”
Julia’s shoulders sagged in relief. “But Uncle Jack saw them.”
“I think he took pains not to look. And they’re gone now.”
“Simon and Natalie probably kept copies.”
“Jack said he got everything that included you. And he has a few other things in case he needs to motivate Natalie or Simon in the future.”
“How did he get everything?”
“That’s not important. The important thing is that you don’t need to worry about them. They won’t bother you again.”
Julia hugged him, crying relieved tears on his shoulder.
Chapter Fifty-two
October 2011
Durham, North Carolina
What are you doing?” April padded into her kitchen on bare feet, clad only in her boyfriend’s dress shirt.
He was standing at the stove cooking bacon and eggs in a single pan.
“Making us breakfast.” He smiled at her and reached over to peck her lips. “How did you sleep?”
“Good.” She stretched her arms over her head, then giggled. “I sleep better with you than without you.”
“Me, too,” he admitted, more to himself than to her.
She grabbed a container of orange juice from the refrigerator and poured them each a glass.
“I sleep better with you, but I feel guilty.”
“Guilty?” Simon turned, holding the spatula in his hand. “Why?”
April ducked her head, focusing on her orange juice. “Because we’re sleeping together and we aren’t married.”
Simon froze.
Chastity was as foreign to him as Eastern Europe. He’d encountered it before, in Julia, but it had always been something annoying and stupid, something he’d wanted to destroy through either seduction or manipulation.
With April, he found himself feeling something entirely different. Something that might have been the twinges of remorse.
It was a new experience for him.
“Sex isn’t bad.”
“That’s a funny thing to say.” She tapped her finger against her juice glass. “You’ve taught me sex is very, very good. I love it and I love being with you.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I was taught to wait. And I didn’t.”
Simon turned back to the stove, at a loss as to what to say. For a moment, he continued cooking breakfast, then turned off the burner and put the pan aside.
He wiped his hands on the seat of his boxer shorts and walked over to her.
“You were taught to wait because your parents didn’t want some asshole taking advantage of you.”
“Simon.” Her tone was scolding. “Don’t cuss.”
“Sorry. Your parents were trying to protect you.”
“It isn’t just my parents. It’s my church.”
“Well, they were trying to protect you, too. And that’s a good thing. But our situation is different.”
She lifted her head. “Is it?”
“Yes.” He put his arms around her.