Lethal Deception by Lynette Eason Page B

my e-mail. Obviously not checking my caller ID.”
    Gabe choked back a surprised laugh. “I, uh, called to apologize. I was a jerk.” There. No dancing around the topic.
    “Yes. You were.” Apparently, she wasn’t in the mood to dance, either.
    “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
    Her sigh reached his ear. “I suppose I should. After all, you did save my life.”
    “Yeah, you would think that would count for something these days.”
    That earned him a weak chuckle. Progress.
    He turned serious. “Listen, Cass, I’m really sorry. I thought about what you said, and you’re right. I was judgmental. I was just…I can’t really…” He sighed. “I’m sorry.”
    “Okay, Gabe, you’re right, you were a jerk and I was mad, but I forgive you.”
    “Just like that?”
    “Just like that.”
    Silence.
    Gabe asked, “Does God forgive like that?”
    “Of course. If He didn’t, I sure wouldn’t be able to.”
    He gulped. “Do you think you’ll be able to forgive me about Micah?” Maybe they’d salvage a friendship.
    More silence. Then she said softly, “I’m working on it, Gabe. Mentally, I understand how the military works. It’s my heart that has a hard time accepting it. And his body was never found, which gives me this irrational hope…”
    Gabe sighed again and decided to change the subject. He knew Micah was dead. His injuries were too severe. “Cassidy, we need to figure out who set you up to be snatched from that orphanage. And we need to figure it out fast before they strike again. You need to keep bodyguards close by.”
    “Gabe, I’m surrounded with security. This place is well protected, although I suppose when we leave, I’ll have to consider the bodyguards. Especially in light of the will.”
    Gabe mentally smacked his head. He should have thought to ask about that. He’d come back to the security issue in a minute. “Yeah, I meant to ask. How did the reading go?” Silence from the other end. “Cass?”
    A deep sigh whispered across the line. “It went. Let’s put it that way.”
    Gabe wondered what she wasn’t saying. “Tell me, Cass.”
    “Alexis inherited some money and her aunt and uncle were not happy about not getting custody. It’s not over yet. They’ll sue. To be honest, I think Susan really does want Alexis. But Kara was adamant that she didn’t want Brian around the child. Kara loved her sister, but hated the way Brian came between them.”
    “Ah, man, I’m sorry. Not only could you have a fight on your hands to keep Alexis, you might still be fighting to stay out of a killer’s way. We need to figure out how to keep you safe.”
    “Well, why don’t you join me for dinner tonight and we’ll see if we can do some brainstorming about who could possibly benefit with me out of the picture—and how to avoid that happening.”
    Gabe thought that an excellent idea. Before supper, he’d do a little research of his own. After they said their goodbyes, he ran up the stairs to turn on his computer. He still had friends in high places. One of them was Craig Monahan, a detective with the local police force who had a lot of pull with the higher-ups in law enforcement.

TWELVE
    C assidy hung up the phone feeling better than she had in weeks. Amy had been a good listener over the past couple of days, and Cassidy appreciated her friend’s attentive ear, but settling things with Gabe definitely helped ease her mind.
    Marguerite stepped into the room as Cassidy powered down her laptop. She said, “Your parents went out with Amy’s parents, so I just cooked up a casserole. One of your favorites. Chicken potpie.”
    Cassidy smiled at the cook. “What a great idea. I invited Gabe to join us.”
    Marguerite laughed. “That’s fine. There’s always plenty.”
    “I know. Thanks, Marguerite.”
    Three hours later the doorbell rang and Cassidy two-stepped her way to the door and then paused to get her breath and calm her racing pulse. When she pulled the