Chapter 44

He bought a house. Who on earth goes out one morning and just buys a house?

Gabe De Bellis does. That's who. I have no idea what to say about the whole thing. It's too much and way over the top for a gift. There is also no way I can even consider matching such a gesture. I can do something though. Even if it's little.

I climb out of bed and get dressed. The girls and I have had brunch in this hotel a few times, so I know exactly where I need to go to get what I want. I quickly grab my purse off the table and slide my feet into my shoes. I don't know when Gabe will return, but I want to make sure I'm ready for him when he gets here. I head down to the lobby and follow the signs towards the mall. I remember spotting a little lingerie shop the last time we were here, and I happen to know my husband is a fan of lingerie.

I walk into the shop and immediately head to the white section. It seems fitting. I find a sexy matching G-string and push-up bra, pairing it with a suspender belt before I grab a pair of white thigh-high stockings. I pass my credit card over to the girl at the register while trying my best to not overthink how much I'm spending. If I do, I'll freak out. I did just get fired from my job after all.

My next stop is the shoe shop. I'm going to need some white heels; my sandals just don't scream sex kitten or new bride. I find a pair of white pumps. They're not ideal but they will do the job. I don't imagine I'll be wearing any of it for all that long anyway.

I'm on my way back to the lift when I see a familiar face… that's also not the face I'm used to seeing. Carly is wearing a shit-ton of makeup as well as a tight little black dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Her hair is down in big curls, and she's hanging off the arm of a middle-aged man who looks like he could be her father. Except I've met her father and that is not him.

"Carly?" I call out, and her neck snaps in my direction before her eyes widen.

"Uh, I'm sorry you've got the wrong person, miss," she says and ducks her head as the man starts leading her away.

"Wait, Carly, stop." I jog forward to get in front of them. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know who you are but you need to mind your own damn business, lady," the man snarls at me.

"You do realise she's a minor, right? I don't know what's happening here, but I have a pretty good idea and I hope like hell I'm wrong."

"She's not a minor," he counters while looking Carly up and down.

"You sure about that?" I raise an eyebrow. Shift my shopping bags into one arm and reach out to take Carly's hand in mine. "We need to talk," I tell her, not giving her the opportunity to argue otherwise as I drag her over to the bank of elevators. By the time I press the button, her guy… friend is hightailing it in the opposite direction.

I tug Carly into the lift, waiting until we're back in the hotel room before I drop her hand. "Want a drink?" I ask her.

"Vodka?" she questions.

"Water or juice?" I offer instead. Like hell am I giving her or any child alcohol.

"Water, please," she says.

"Sit down." I point to the sofa, grab two waters out of the fridge, and dump my shopping bags on the counter. "What's going on?" I ask as I pass her one of the bottles.

"It's not what it looks like," Carly huffs.

"Really? What does it look like?"

She shakes her head. "He's not going to pay, and they're going to be pissed. And I really need that money," she whispers.

"Who is we and what exactly is he paying for, Carly?"

"For me. But it's not like that," she adds. "They just look. They don't touch."

"What do you mean they just look?"

"It's part of my service. The clients are not allowed to touch me," she says. "I'm not a hooker, Miss Blake. I just let them look at me."

"Why?"

"Because I need the money. My parents can't pay for school anymore. They can't pay for anything. I need to finish the year, and if I keep doing this, I'll have enough money for uni too."

"Do your parents know what you're doing, Carly?" I ask her.

"No. And you can't tell them," she says quickly.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? What could happen to you?"

"I know, but it's fine. I'm okay," she says.

"It's not fine."

"Look, I appreciate your concern, Miss Blake. But like I said, I'm fine. I need to go find Mr Hughes before he leaves."

"No. I can't let you do that. It's extremely reckless. The myriad of things that could go wrong, things that you really don't want to happen to you… I just can't."

"You can't what?" a deep voice interrupts us.

I glance over my shoulder, towards the door. "Gabe, I didn't hear you come in."

Carly looks from me to Gabe, and then back to me again. "I need to go," she insists.

"You're not leaving," I tell her, my tone firm. "I'm going to have to call your parents, Carly. I can't let you do this."

"You can't. Miss Blake, I'll stop. I'm sorry. I won't do it again," she pleads.

"Anyone want to fill me in on what's going on here?" Gabe closes the distance, then sits himself down next to me on the sofa.

"Gabe, this is Carly. Carly, Gabe, my… husband." I look at him with a big smile on my face before turning back to the teenager.

"Husband? I didn't know you got married," she says.

"It's new."

"Well, congratulations. Don't let me interrupt the honeymoon. I'll see you at school next week," she tries again.

"Actually, you won't. I was, uh, let go from my position. You're also not getting away without discussing this, Carly."

"You're not my counsellor anymore?" she asks, and I shake my head.

"No, I'm sorry."

"Then what I do really is of no concern to you anyway."

"Excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you're talking to like that?" Gabe grinds out while his rough tone has Carly freezing on the spot.

"Gabe, it's fine," I tell him.

"No, it's not fine, Daisy. You go out of your way to help these girls. They're not going to disrespect you, especially not in front of me," he grunts as he pins Carly with a glare. "What is it you're doing that you shouldn't be doing, kid?"

"Gabe. Stop. It's fine." I put my hand on his arm.

"I let men look at me. That's it. It's not that big of a deal." Carly lifts one shoulder into a half shrug. "Men pay good money to look at me."

"You what? How old are you? Thirteen?" he asks her.

"Sixteen." Carly straightens her back.

"So, let me get this straight. You're going up to hotel rooms with paedophiles and letting them look at you?"

"They're not—" she attempts to argue, but Gabe cuts her off at the pass.

"You're sixteen. If grown-ass men are getting their kicks out of looking at you, they're paedophiles, kid."

"Gabe, stop. Please." My eyes bounce from him back to Carly. "You don't need to do this," I tell her.

"Yes, I do. I can't leave another school. I need to finish. It's the only way to get out of their house. I need to finish school, so I can get into uni."

"Why do you want out of your parents' house so bad?" I ask her, pause, then turn to Gabe. "Can you run down to the lobby and grab us some food?" I need to talk to Carly without his interference, good-intentioned or not. This is the most she's ever opened up to me, and I can't help her if I don't know the whole truth.

"Sure, baby. I'll be right back." Gabe kisses my forehead before heading back towards the lift.

"He seems nice," Carly comments as soon as Gabe disappears behind the doors.

"He is. But we're not discussing him. Why do you need to get out of your parents' house?" I repeat.

"They hate me. Ever since…"

"Ever since what?" I urge.

"Ever since Naomi died. They blame me. They wish it was me and not her," she says.

"Who's Naomi?"

"My sister. My twin sister."

"How long ago did she pass?" I've been seeing Carly for a while now and no one has ever mentioned her having a sister. Not her parents, not her, not the school. There was nothing in her file about siblings either.

"Two years ago. We were in a car accident with my mum. Naomi wasn't wearing a seat belt."

"Why do you think your parents hate you?" I ask her.

"They've told me themselves. It's not a secret. They wish it was me who died and not her. She was the good twin."

The lift doors open again, much quicker than I thought they would, and Gabe strolls into the room with a brown paper bag in his hands. "I got burgers and fries," he says.

"Thanks." I push up from the sofa and grab the bag before setting it on the coffee table in front of us. "Help yourself. I'll be right back," I tell Carly. Then I take Gabe's hand and lead him into the bedroom. "I'm so sorry. I saw her in the lobby and I couldn't just walk away."

"Baby, it's fine. You do whatever you have to do to help her," he says.

"I should tell her parents, right? I don't know what to do, Gabe," I admit. The girl needs help. She needs to work through the grief I had no idea was weighing her down.

"Give her money to help her finish school. Or, better yet, give it directly to the school. We have it, Daisy."

"You have it. I don't. And I'm not just gonna go around throwing your money at people like it's nothing, Gabe," I tell him.

"Okay, don't," he says before pivoting on his heel and walking back out to the living room. I'm quick to follow him. "Carly, I'll contact your school tomorrow. All of your fees, expenses, whatever will be covered until you finish."

"What? How?" she asks.

"You just got yourself a sponsor. That being said, if I find out you're in hotel rooms letting men do God knows what with you, I'll pull the plug. No excuses."

I stare at Gabe. He's helping this girl, a stranger to him. Giving her money to get her out of a bad situation. And he's doing it for me. Because he knows she matters to me.

"Why?" Carly asks him.

"Because my wife happens to care about you, and I care about her." Gabe shrugs, like it's no big deal. "Just say thank you and tell us you won't do anything like this again."

"Thank you, and I won't. I swear it." Carly nods.

Gabe pulls out his phone and appears to type out a message. "I have a friend coming to give you a ride home. He'll be up in a minute," he says before flicking his gaze in my direction. "I'll be in the bedroom." He kisses my lips briefly and disappears through the door, leaving both Carly and me to stare after him in shock.