His sudden smile was luminescent. “Your defense of me is like a balm, gracious. I appreciate everything you are doing for the Fellowship and for me.” He looked at Derek. “Both of you. I am grateful.”
If I didn’t change the subject to something less emotional and more tangible, I would burst into tears. “Robson, how many news outlets have you heard from?”
“Close to two dozen,” he said. “I have made a list of their names and contact numbers.”
Two dozen? I blew out a breath. “Have you considered hiring some extra security for the caves?”
“I have indeed.”
There was a knock on the front door, and Mom hurried to answer it.
Guru Bob showed a hint of a smile. “Timing is everything.”
As Mom led the visitor into the living room, she wore a big broad grin. And then I saw why.
“Gabriel,” I whispered.
He winked and almost took my breath away. “Hey, babe.”
I dashed over to grab him in a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever. How are you?”
“I’m better now.” The man was too devastatingly handsome for his own good, and his dark eyes gleamed with devilish intent. With his arm still slung over my shoulders, he scanned the room. “Greetings, everyone.”
“Hello, mate.” Derek strolled over and gave him a hearty handshake.
Gabriel smacked him on the back. “Good to see you, man.”
I glanced from one man to the other. They were both extraordinarily hot, and I knew from experience that being in the same room with them could be hazardous to a girl’s ability to speak in complete sentences. While both men exuded strength and masculine self-confidence, Derek was smoother, more sophisticated, and deliberate. Gabriel was more likely to shoot from the hip. He was—and always would be—a bad boy.
I beamed at Guru Bob. “Your extra security?”
He chuckled. “Who else would I call?”
Gabriel had saved my life almost two years ago when I was about to be attacked in a noodle shop on Fillmore Street in the city. At the time, I thought I’d lucked out that this tall, dark, and gorgeous stranger had walked into the shop at that precise moment, but it turned out that he’d been following me—for reasons I would discover much later.
I’d never quite figured out if he was a good guy or a thief, a gun for hire or a solid citizen. Maybe all of the above. I knew he could be deadly, but that didn’t matter. He had saved my life more than once, and, like Derek, he would always be a hero to me.
He went by only one name: Gabriel. Like the archangel. I figured a guy that tall, dark, and dashing probably didn’t need more than just the one name. Gabriel had a knack for finding whatever it was you needed. His business card read DISCREET PROCUREMENT.
As usual, today he was dressed all in black, from his black suede bomber jacket down to his boots. The color suited him just fine. He had made a temporary home for himself here in Dharma, and I knew he’d been working on some kind of security system for Guru Bob.
He pulled a chair in from the dining room and sat down. “So, what’s all the hubbub about?”
“Hubbub?” I had to laugh. “Nothing much. Just a dead body that’s been perfectly preserved for almost seventy years in a hidden cave under the vineyards, surrounded by a treasure trove of artwork and goodies that looks like something from a museum heist.”
His lips twisted into a smile. “Sounds like fun.”
I sat down next to Derek. “Did you know he’d be here?”
“I had my suspicions,” he said, his eyes twinkling. Besides being the two most gorgeous men I’d ever seen in real life, Derek and Gabriel had become good friends and had worked or consulted with each other on a few high-profile, top secret security cases over the past year. I didn’t know many of the details, which was probably just as well.
A discreet cough from Guru Bob brought us all back to attention.
“Now that Gabriel is here,” he said, “I will share more information with you. And I have an additional request. It is your choice completely whether you wish to accept it or not.”
“What is it?” I asked, concerned at the way he’d phrased it.
Gesturing with his hand, he singled out Derek and Gabriel. “I would appreciate it if you two would accompany me to Frenchman’s Hill tomorrow. I must talk to some people about what was found in the caves.”
“Absolutely,” Derek said without hesitation.
Gabriel gave him a thumbs-up. “No problem.”
I had every intention of going with them, but I would mention it later.
“What do the Frenchman’s Hill folks have to do with the caves?” Mom asked casually, but I could hear the edge in her voice. Was she worried about more secrets?
I’d gone to high school with a few kids from Frenchman’s Hill, and they all had one thing in common: they were French, duh. Their families had traveled to Sonoma from France over the past half century, settling on farmland about five miles northwest of Dharma. The area had come to be known as Frenchman’s Hill.