She didn’t know how she was going to carry on a coherent conversation like this. It was odd, but she found it more disconcerting to have two gorgeous men pay attention to her than having a killer after her, maybe because knowing that someone wanted to kill her just didn’t seem quite real yet. On the other hand, she felt both Jimmy and Gabriel’s muscled thighs warming the length of hers as they sat there. She sighed, swallowed the last of her cookie, then caught Gabriel smiling at her sympathetically as she eyed the phone in her hand. Nothing to do but get it over with, she thought.
Jimmy put his arm around her, which she appreciated. She knew he sensed her apprehension. He didn’t look worried, but it wasn’t his dad they had to explain the situation to. She knew her dad would worry about her.
“Don’t worry, Sabrina, your dad will understand.” Jimmy hugged her tightly and Sabrina turned her face into his neck for a moment. She felt him kiss her head, then turn to look at Gabriel. She tilted her face up just in time to see Jimmy brush his fingers over the other man’s shoulder. She could feel Jimmy’s smile at Gabriel’s reaction, part amusement, part arousal. Gabriel looked flushed and he wouldn’t meet Sabrina’s eyes, instead busying himself with a cookie.
Even through the jitters in her stomach, Sabrina sensed what Jimmy was doing. I guess he’s okay with this threesome thing, she thought. They would definitely need to discuss this at some point, but right now she had to call her dad, and she was having trouble concentrating as Jimmy deliberately stroked his fingers up and down once more. The breakfast nook in the kitchen wasn’t very large, and with the three of them sitting there together it was a bit of a tight fit. Jimmy glanced at her, smirking slightly as Gabriel unconsciously leaned into Jimmy’s touch. She smiled inside as she saw that, imagining them together yet again. Maybe, maybe…
“Hello, Sabrina?” the phone squawked, making her jump.
“Hey, Dad,” she answered, wincing as she brought the phone up to her ear. “Dad, you don’t have to talk so loud, I can hear you just fine.” She could hear water rushing in the background. “Something happened and I need to talk to you.” She held the phone slightly away from her ear as she tried to listen yet still protect her hearing.
“Something happened? What do you mean? Hang on, I’m going to go inside. I can’t hear you.” Sabrina waited as the noise receded. “Okay, Sabrina, can you hear me better now?” he asked.
“Yeah, Dad. Are you somewhere private?” Sabrina didn’t want to talk about this until he couldn’t be overheard. Gabriel nodded at her approvingly.
“Yes, I’m in my cabin, actually.”
“Really?” she asked. “That was quick.”
“I was on the small public veranda just off the hallway to the cabin,” he explained. “Now, what’s going on, Sabrina? Are you okay? Jimmy’s still there, right?”
“Yes, Jimmy’s here and I’m fine, but something has happened and the FBI is here.”
“What? The FBI?” Sabrina heard her dad’s voice tighten with concern. Jimmy gestured to her, and she handed the phone over.
“Jonathan, I’m going to put us on speakerphone, hang on.” Jimmy pushed a few buttons and placed the phone on the table between them. “All set. This morning and then again this afternoon, someone shot at us.”
“What!” Sabrina heard her dad exclaim.
“Sabrina’s okay, don’t worry,” Jimmy soothed. “One of your charity cases involved helping a woman and her young daughter get away from this drug dealer a few months ago, right?”
“Yes, that’s probably Melissa. Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine,” Jimmy answered, seeing Gabriel’s nod of agreement at the name. “Anyway, her ex went postal and wants to punish you and thinks the best way to do it is to hurt Sabrina. He didn’t know I was here, and even now we’re not sure if he knows I’m here. Even so, he probably just thinks I’m Sabrina’s boyfriend.”
“Why would he think you’re her boyfriend?” her dad asked, and Sabrina winced, then chuckled as Jimmy squeezed her shoulders and smiled.
“Uh, probably because he saw us kissing at the bistro, Dad,” she replied nervously. There was silence on the phone for a second and then her dad laughed.
“You kissed Jimmy? I knew you had a crush on him when you were thirteen but I thought you were over that!” Sabrina heard the smile in his voice, despite the grim news.
“Oh, God,” she moaned under her breath, mortified, as Gabriel looked at her sympathetically.
“Anyway,” her dad continued, “I approve. You’re twenty-one and Jimmy’s a great guy.” Sabrina buried her head in her hands. She was never going to get over the embarrassment! Gabriel laughed as Jimmy sat there grinning. She wanted to die and the two of them thought it was funny!
“Dad!” she whined, hoping he would drop the subject.
“What?” He chuckled innocently. “Okay, so you’re dating. What about the FBI? And did they catch Miltos? Did I hear someone else there with you?” her dad asked after a moment, all teasing gone.
“No, they didn’t catch him yet,” Jimmy said. Gabriel motioned to them, and Jimmy nodded to him to take over.
“Mr. Birch?” Gabriel said into the phone. “I’m Special Agent Gabriel Oliver with the FBI. I’m staying with Jimmy and your daughter as twenty-four-hour protection while my partner tracks down the shooter with the local police. We’ve been following this guy for two years, and we’re hoping that this sudden public appearance will help flush him into our hands. I assure you, we will be taking every precaution to keep Sabrina safe.” Sabrina looked at him and smiled. He quirked one of his full lips up as her dad responded.
“Sabrina, if you want me to come home, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
She rushed to reassure him. “Dad, no, I’ll be okay. Jimmy took care of me today and if you come home, Gabriel says the shooter will just hide until you go away again. I want to get this over with, and they already have a plan to track him down.”
“Are you sure? That sounds like they want to use you as bait,” her dad said, sounding wary. “Jimmy, seriously, if this situation is too dangerous, I don’t care what the FBI thinks is the best thing to do, I’m going to haul Sabrina out of there… ”
Jimmy shook his head. “No, Jonathan, wait, do you trust me?”
After a long pause her dad responded. “Yes, of course I do, Jimmy. I know where you’ve been the past few years, the kind of dangerous situations you’ve found yourself in. I trust you.”
Sabrina watched as Jimmy rubbed his free hand over his eyes, touched. “I know it seems really dangerous, but the house is actually very safe, given the way the windows are placed,” he explained. “And I know Gabriel. He’s a friend of mine and I trust him. Between the two of us, we can keep Sabrina safe.”
“And it’s not like I’m a kid anymore, either, you know,” Sabrina inserted. “I’m moving out in the fall. I need to learn how to take care of myself.”
“Honey, there’s moving into an apartment and then there’s getting shot at!” her father exclaimed. “Those are two completely different things!”
“I know, I know, but I’ll be okay. And frankly, I don’t think it would be a good idea to give this guy two more targets. Agent Oliver said he’s most likely coming after me because I’m under your protection. That’s how these guys think. If you come back, he’ll have more people to shoot at and the FBI will have an even harder time protecting us.”
Gabriel nodded as she explained this, and she smiled at him gratefully.
“Okay, Sabrina,” her dad conceded. “Just, be careful, okay? I love you very much.”
“I will, Dad. I love you, too.”