"What about her?" There was no missing the slight softness that filled Thomas's voice or the sudden uncertainty that darkened his eyes as he looked first at Jackson and then back at Gabriel.

"She was shoved down the staircase in the bed-and-breakfast yesterday after you left," Gabriel said.

Thomas's features twisted in what appeared to be obvious shock. He reached out and grabbed Gabriel's arm, his big thick fingers squeezing tightly. "Oh, my G.o.d, is she all right?"

Gabriel pulled his arm out of Thomas's grasp. "She's pretty banged up, but she's okay."

Thomas opened his door to allow them inside and out of the heat. "You can't believe that I had anything to do with that? I love Marlena." He gestured the two agents to an overstuffed sofa and fell into a chair as if his legs would no longer hold him. "She's really okay?"

"She'll be fine," Jackson said as he and Gabriel sat down.

"We understand you had an unpleasant conversation with her yesterday," Gabriel said, his gaze focused solely on Thomas's face and body language.

Thomas leaned back in the chair and shook his head. "It wasn't unpleasant, and it wasn't completely unexpected. I've never hidden my feelings for Marlena. I think she's a wonderful, beautiful woman. And I'd hoped that we could have a future together, but I also recognized that she wasn't at the same place I was, that she didn't love me like I love her. Yesterday she just confirmed to me what I already knew in my heart, that there was never going to be an us with me and Marlena."

"Did that make you angry?" Jackson asked.

"No, it made me very sad," Thomas replied without hesitation. He leaned forward, his features radiating with intense emotion. "I would never lift a finger to harm Marlena, whether she loved me or not. Even though she told me she'd never love me in a romantic way, I still love her and would never want to hurt her in any way."

"Where did you go yesterday after you left the bed-and-breakfast?" Gabriel asked.

"I went to the cafe and had a late lunch. You can check-I talked to half a dozen people while I was there, and I left the cafe with Chuck Gomez, who wanted an estimate for building a deck. I was at his place until after five."

"And if we check with Chuck, he'll tell us the same thing?" Jackson said.

"Of course he will, because it's the truth."

Gabriel believed him. As much as he wanted to, he didn't think that Thomas was responsible for Marlena's heart-stopping ride down the staircase.

Jackson rose from the sofa, as if knowing they were done here. The next step would be checking out the alibi Thomas had given them.

"I don't suppose it would be a good idea for me to see her," Thomas said as the two agents headed for the front door.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Gabriel replied. He wasn't sure if he didn't want Thomas around Marlena because he thought Thomas might be guilty of something or because he knew Thomas loved Marlena. He was surprised to find a tiny knot of jealousy residing deep inside his heart, one that flared bigger at the thought of Thomas and Marlena together.

"Any ideas?" he asked Jackson when they were back in the car together.

"I don't know. Maybe we should check out Pamela Winters again. I know it sounds crazy, but both attempts on Marlena feel feminine, if you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean," Gabriel agreed, although he hadn't consciously thought about it until now. "I do know that it's fairly obvious that whoever is trying to hurt her is also trying to make it look accidental." He started the car so he could run the air conditioner to cool off the interior.

"But what would Pamela hope to gain now? The family is missing, and Marlena has already made it clear that she intends to leave town in the very near future." Gabriel frowned. "It doesn't make sense."

"Sometimes things just don't make sense. We both know that Pamela hates Marlena. Maybe Pamela doesn't trust that Marlena will really leave. Maybe Pamela believes that if the family is found safe and sound, then Daniella will talk Marlena into staying on as manager."

As the air conditioner began to blow cool air from the vents, Gabriel backed out of Thomas Brady's driveway. "Maybe we should check out Pamela's alibi for yesterday after she cleaned the bed-and-breakfast."

The last thing Gabriel wanted was to leave any stone unturned. Both attacks on Marlena had been attempted murder. Whether the threat against her was connected to the family disappearance wasn't clear.

All he knew was that when he thought of the bruising on Marlena's body, how lucky she was to be alive, he wanted-no, needed-somebody to pay for her pain.

Chapter Ten.

Marlena awakened from her drug-induced sleep just after two in the afternoon, surprised to see Andrew sitting on the chair near her bed.

"Where's Gabriel?" she asked.

"He and Jackson left a while ago to talk to Thomas. Hey, are you hungry? I could whip us up a little afternoon snack." He rose from the chair.

She swallowed a smile. She had a feeling Andrew had been just waiting for any excuse to have a snack. "Actually, I am a little bit hungry," she replied, surprised to discover it was true. Although her body still ached from her fall down the stairs, her appet.i.te apparently hadn't been affected.

Andrew reappeared minutes later with a platter of several kinds of cheese, some sliced salami and a variety of fruit cut into bite-size pieces. "I'll be right back with iced tea." He set the platter on the nightstand and then left her room again.

A few moments later he'd pulled his chair up closer and they were munching from the platter. "Those pain pills really knock you out," he said, and then popped a square of apple into his mouth.

"I've always had a low tolerance for any kind of pain medication."

"Cory came by to see you, but I sent him away with the a.s.surance that you were resting comfortably."

"I'm sure he'll stop by later this evening." She tried to keep her mind off Gabriel. She didn't want to think about how gentle he'd been with her, the deep worry that had cut lines into his face and the anger that had darkened his eyes as she'd told him about Thomas.

"He won't kill Thomas, will he?" she asked half-seriously.

Andrew grinned. "Only if he has to, although if he finds out Thomas is the person who tried to kill you, then all bets are off."

"I just can't imagine Thomas being responsible for any of this. But I can't imagine anyone who would be responsible for these kinds of horrible things."

"That's because you're a nice woman. Nice people are always the ones who are totally blindsided by evil." He reached for a piece of salami. "I've seen a lot of crazy in my career as an agent. Nothing really surprises me anymore."

As they continued to consume the platter of food, they talked about Andrew's soon-to-be fiancee, some of the past cases the three-man team had worked on, and Jackson and Gabriel.

"Jackson is the proverbial Southern gentleman with the soul of a riverboat gambler," Andrew said with a laugh. "He's charming, has a reputation as a bit of a ladies' man and is sharp as a pin. Gabriel is the dark angel of our team. He's solitary, a lone wolf and has a heart that's made of coal."

"Is that another warning of some sort?" she asked.

Andrew shrugged. "Jackson and I both can't help but notice that there seems to be an...energy...between the two of you. Gabriel seems more invested in this case than in others. I don't know-maybe we're seeing something that isn't there, but I just wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

"I appreciate the concern, but I know exactly who Gabriel is and what he's not capable of giving." Besides, it was too late for her not to be hurt by him.

She wasn't sure when exactly in the span of nearly two weeks she'd given him her heart, but she recognized now that he owned it. She was in love with him.

IT WAS LATE in the day when Gabriel came into her room, looking as tired and defeated as she'd ever seen him. He sat in the chair that had been pulled up by her bed and released a deep sigh.

"I'm a.s.suming because you're here you didn't kill Thomas," she said, trying to alleviate some of the darkness in his eyes.

She succeeded. A smile lifted one corner of his mouth as he shook his head. "Nah. I managed to get through the entire day without killing anyone."

"Then that's a good day, right?" She reached out and grabbed his hand, unable to stop her need to connect with him.

He appeared surprised, but then wrapped his fingers around hers. "I would have at least liked to get somebody under arrest. That would have been a great day."

He stared down at their entwined fingers. "You put it all out there, don't you? Despite your childhood and what happened in Chicago, you just go for it."

"It? You mean human connection? Love?"

He gave a curt nod.

"You know the old saying, 'I'd rather love and lose than never love at all'? That's what I believe. I believe you might have to kiss a lot of frogs, but eventually you find the prince who will love you as you need to be loved, who you'll love with all your heart and soul."

He started to pull his hand from hers, but she held tight. "It's okay. I know you don't believe the same thing I do. Although we share similar experiences of being abandoned by the women who should have loved us more than anyone or anything else on earth, we came out on the other side with very different views of love and relationships."

"Did you take a psychology lesson while I was gone this afternoon?" he asked drily.

She laughed, and then winced as her ribs protested. "Actually, I've had very little to do today besides sleep and think. You just happened to be what I thought about."

This time he managed to pull his hand away. "You shouldn't do that. You shouldn't waste time thinking about me."

"You might be a big bad FBI agent, but you don't get to dictate who I think about," she replied. She wasn't sure why, but she was feeling reckless. Maybe it was because she'd felt the brush of death on her neck one too many times.

"You should be thinking about why somebody pushed you into the pond, why somebody shoved you down the stairs." His voice was more forceful than the situation warranted.

"I know, and I've tried. But I can't come up with a name for you to make it all easier." She released a small sigh. "I've lost three people I love, and twice now somebody has tried to kill me, and I have no clue what's going on or who is responsible for any of it."

At that moment Cory appeared in the doorway, holding two tall gla.s.ses of chocolate milk. "Uh...want me to come back later?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, it's okay. I'm done here for now." Gabriel jumped up out of the chair as if he couldn't escape her fast enough. "I'll be in to check on you later," he said, and then with a nod to Cory he left the room.

"Chocolate milk always makes you feel better," Cory said as he sat in the chair Gabriel had vacated. He set one of the gla.s.ses on the nightstand and took a sip from his gla.s.s, then eyed her critically. "Do you feel as bad as you look?"

She smiled as she reached for the treat he'd prepared for them. "I'm stiff and sore, but at least I'm alive."

"Who is doing this, Marlena? Who and why?" Cory's eyes darkened. "I can't believe this has all happened to you."

"I wish somebody had some answers for me." She took a sip of her chocolate milk. "Mmm, you got it just right."

Cory grinned. "Yeah, one part milk and thirty parts chocolate. I know how you like it."

Marlena took another sip and then set the gla.s.s back on the nightstand. "I think tomorrow I'm going to talk to Gabriel and see if you and I are allowed to leave here. Who knows when or if Daniella, Sam and Macy will come back, and we can't just live in limbo until we have answers to what happened to them."

Cory frowned. "I'm going to miss hanging out with John when we leave."

"I know, but you'll make new friends. Besides, there's no reason why you couldn't drive back here on weekends occasionally to visit him."

Cory nodded and downed the last of his milk in several gulps. "Have you decided where we're heading?"

"Probably New Orleans." Her first choice had been Baton Rouge but she had changed her mind, knowing that's where Gabriel lived. She didn't want to run into him at a grocery store or see him on the streets. When she left here, she had to put him firmly out of her life forever.

"So when are we heading out?"

"Maybe by the end of next week."

"That soon?" Cory looked dismayed.

Marlena nodded her head. "It's time, Cory. We never planned to stay here forever, and it's time for us to move on. You need to get into a trade school, and I need to get started in some college cla.s.ses. We can't do either of those things staying here."

"I know." He gestured toward her gla.s.s. "Finish your milk, and I'll take the gla.s.ses back into the kitchen."

She dutifully did as he asked. "We're going to be fine, Cory," she said as she handed him the empty gla.s.s.

He smiled at her. "We're the two musketeers, right? We've always been fine." He leaned down and pecked her on the forehead. "I'll check in on you in the morning. You rest like the doctor told you to."

"Don't worry. I have no desire to jump out of bed and do anything," she replied.

It was long after dinner when Marlena turned on her side and faced the window, where she could see the night shadows begin to take over the day.

Andrew had brought her a dinner tray earlier, but she'd only picked at the food. The chocolate milk that Cory had brought her earlier in the afternoon had filled her up.

It was time to take two more of the pain meds she'd been prescribed, but she wasn't ready to sleep yet and knew the pills would knock her out fairly quickly.

The truth of the matter was she had hoped Gabriel would stop in to tell her good-night, but as the darkness outside the window grew deeper and it got later and later, she realized he didn't intend to see her.

And why would he? she mentally scoffed. He didn't owe her a good-night or a sickroom visit or anything else. He was working his job, not babysitting her.

She sat up and shook out two of the pills, and then washed them down with a sip of water from a gla.s.s on her nightstand.

As she waited for the pills to take effect, her mind flew in a thousand directions. She knew initially it would be hard to leave here and start all over again, but it was what she'd always planned for, and now it was time to set those plans into motion.

Gabriel really was just a dream, not a man who had any place in her life. She'd be foolish to expect him to be anything else to her. He was an FBI agent sent here to solve a crime, not a man looking for a love interest.

Finally, her mind drifted back to those moments when she'd been in the pond, terrified that she would meet her death there, unable to save herself if Gabriel hadn't rushed to her rescue. Now she knew it had been an intentional shove, that somebody had wanted her to drown in the pond. She couldn't write it off as some sort of weird accident. It had definitely been attempted murder.

Drowsy now, she thought of that single second when she'd felt the hands on her back, hands that had shoved her at the top of the stairs. Who had done such a terrible thing? Who had wanted her dead?

Despite the sleepiness now nearly overwhelming her, a sliver of fear raced up her spine. Would there be another attempt? Was it possible that the third time would be a charm?

GABRIEL PACED THE length of the great room. Jackson was sprawled on the sofa watching television and Andrew was in the kitchen looking for a snack.

Gabriel had consciously chosen not to go in and tell Marlena good-night...because he'd wanted to, because he'd wanted her face to be the last thing he saw before he went to bed.