Updated Oct 29, 2025 • ~7 min read
Gabriel noticed the tail on their third day back in Connecticut.
Black sedan. Tinted windows. Keeping two cars back but always there. Following them from the hotel to the park. From the park to the grocery store. From the grocery store back to the hotel.
He didn’t tell Jane immediately. Didn’t want to worry her while she was dealing with Clara’s fussiness—the baby wasn’t sleeping well in the new environment.
But Gabriel watched. And waited.
The sedan appeared again the next morning when Gabriel left to get coffee. Same car. Same distance. Professional surveillance.
David had hired someone. Of course he had.
Gabriel took a casual route back to the hotel. Made note of the license plate. Called Rafael.
“Run this for me. Black Lexus sedan, Connecticut plates.”
Rafael called back ten minutes later. “Registered to Kingsley Investigations. Private firm. High-end. They handle corporate espionage, infidelity cases, background checks.”
“And surveillance.”
“Among other things. You want me to look into who hired them?”
“I already know who hired them.” Gabriel watched the sedan from his hotel window. “Can you find out who’s running the surveillance?”
“Give me an hour.”
Gabriel spent that hour planning. Routes out of the city. Safe locations. How to move Jane and Clara without the tail following.
His phone rang. Rafael.
“Lead investigator is Archer Kingsley. Former police detective, now runs his own firm. Good reputation, but he’s not picky about clients. Word is he’s working for someone with deep pockets and dirty hands.”
“David.”
“That would be my guess. You want me to interfere?”
“No. I’ll handle it.” Gabriel ended the call.
He waited until evening. Until Jane had fed Clara and put her down for the night. Until the baby monitor showed peaceful sleep.
Then he turned to Jane. “We need to talk.”
She looked up from her laptop—reviewing the lawsuit documents again. “What’s wrong?”
“David hired a PI. He’s been following us for two days.”
Jane’s face went pale. “How do you know?”
“Black sedan. Always two cars back. I had Rafael run the plates.” Gabriel moved to the window, pointed down to the parking garage entrance. “He’s probably down there now.”
Jane stood, came to the window. “What do we do?”
“I’m going to have a conversation with him. Make it clear that following us is a bad idea.”
“Gabriel, if he’s working for David—”
“Then he needs to understand what happens if he keeps following you and Clara.” Gabriel’s voice was hard. Cold. A tone Jane had never heard from him before.
She grabbed his arm. “Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t—”
“I’m not going to hurt him. Just convince him to walk away.” Gabriel turned to face her. “Trust me.”
Jane studied his face. Saw something fierce and protective there. Something that made her breath catch.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “But be careful.”
“Always.”
Gabriel took the elevator down to the parking garage. Walked casually toward his truck. The black sedan was three rows over, engine running.
Gabriel changed direction. Walked straight toward it.
The driver’s side door opened. A man got out—fifties, fit, professional. Archer Kingsley.
“Evening,” Gabriel said pleasantly.
Archer sized him up. “Evening.”
“Beautiful night. Coincidence, us both being in the same parking garage.”
“Pure coincidence.” Archer’s hand moved slightly toward his jacket. Where he probably kept a weapon.
Gabriel noticed. Didn’t react. “Funny thing about coincidences. They stop being coincidental when they happen three days in a row.”
Archer’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do. David Astor hired you to follow Jane Mercer. See where she goes, who she sees, what she’s doing.” Gabriel stepped closer. “How much is he paying you?”
“I don’t discuss client business.”
“I’ll double it. Right now. Whatever he’s paying, I’ll double it to walk away.”
Archer considered this. “Tempting. But I don’t break contracts.”
“Then let me give you some information that might change your mind.” Gabriel’s voice dropped. Dangerous. “The woman you’re following is David Astor’s wife. The one everyone thinks is dead. The one who was run off the road by a truck driver David paid. The one he tried to murder.”
Archer’s expression flickered. Surprise. Then calculation.
“If that’s true—”
“It is true. And I have proof. Truck driver’s testimony. Medical records. Timeline of events.” Gabriel moved even closer. “Which means you’re not just surveilling someone for a jealous husband. You’re helping a man who committed attempted murder track down his victim.”
“That’s not—” Archer stopped. “I’d need to see proof.”
“Call me tomorrow. I’ll show you everything.” Gabriel handed him a card with his number. “But tonight—tonight you stop following her. You delete whatever photos you’ve taken. You tell David Astor you lost the trail.”
“And if I don’t?”
Gabriel smiled. No warmth in it. “Then I make sure every police department in Connecticut knows exactly what you’re doing. That you’re helping a murderer hunt his victim. That you’re complicit in attempted murder. How long do you think your investigator’s license lasts after that?”
Archer was quiet for a long moment. “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I? Call David right now. Ask him about the accident. About his wife’s death. Watch how he reacts when you mention the truck driver.” Gabriel stepped back. “Or better yet—ask him about the emerald necklace. About Vivienne Ashford. About the affair he’s been having with his dead wife’s sister.”
Archer’s jaw tightened. Gabriel could see him processing. Reassessing.
“I’ll need to verify—”
“Verify whatever you want. But you do it without following her. Without putting her and her baby in danger.” Gabriel’s voice was steel. “Because if I see your car behind us again, if I even suspect you’re watching us, I will destroy your career and make sure you’re arrested as an accessory. Are we clear?”
Archer studied him. “You really love her.”
“That’s not your business.”
“No. But it explains why you’re ready to threaten a licensed investigator in a parking garage.” Archer pulled out his phone. “I’ll need to speak with my client. Clarify some things.”
“You do that. And Archer?” Gabriel waited until he had the man’s full attention. “If David asks you to do anything besides surveillance—if he asks you to hurt her, to scare her, to make her disappear—you call me immediately. Because I promise you, the consequences of helping him will be worse than anything he’s paying you.”
Gabriel walked away. Didn’t look back.
He took the elevator up to the suite. Jane was waiting by the door.
“What happened?”
“He’s going to back off. Probably.” Gabriel moved to the window, watched the parking garage. “But we’re not staying here. Pack essentials. We’re moving tonight.”
“Moving where?”
“Somewhere safer. Somewhere David doesn’t know about.” Gabriel was already pulling out his phone. “I have a property in Litchfield County. Rural. Gated. Secure. We’ll stay there while we figure out next moves.”
“Gabriel, I can’t just—”
“Yes, you can. Clara’s safety comes first. Your safety comes first.” He turned to face her. “David knows you’re alive. Or he suspects it. That PI was supposed to confirm. Which means he’s planning something. And I won’t risk you being here when he does.”
Jane wrapped her arms around herself. “This is getting dangerous.”
“It was always dangerous. Now we’re just being smart about it.” Gabriel moved closer. “Trust me. Let me protect you.”
“You’ve been protecting me for months.”
“And I’ll keep protecting you. For as long as you’ll let me.” His expression softened. “Pack. I’ll get Clara’s things.”
They worked quickly. Efficiently. Jane throwing clothes into bags while Gabriel gathered baby
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