But he had no regrets about his decision two years ago. The night a shattered Erin had called him, terrified, he caught the red-eye to San Francisco and drove to San Cabes without hesitation. It was his conclusion that the bastard Rhodes deserved no better than to be pushed over the jagged rocks into the ravine below. Then he’d bundled her into his car and taken her home.

It had taken him months to bring her around. To convince her of her worth. He’d come up with altering her identity, using the name he’d always preferred. With his less savory contacts, he’d forged her degrees from Gorham.

When Erin decided she was strong enough, needing him to let her try out her new wings, she left for New Orleans. Sebastian promised to watch over her.

He’d failed. Again.

“Give me the whole story.”

He patted the seat beside him, but Erin preferred to stand. She started from the beginning. Had it only been a few weeks ago that she’d read about Maggie’s murder? “The police believe me now. Gabriel is planning to run the story in tomorrow’s paper.”

“This Gabriel. You trust him?” Sebastian had his doubts. He didn’t like reporters or cops, and the combination couldn’t be any good. Plus, he saw the way her eyes shifted when she said Gabriel’s name.

Images from the television screen flittered in the room. Erin watched them, trying to frame her response. “Gabriel is—He’s a friend. He wouldn’t hurt me.”

Blunt as always, Sebastian disagreed. “Sounds to me like he’s trading on your pain for his story.”

Erin bristled. “I’m not an imbecile.” Hearing what Sebastian didn’t say, she relaxed. “He’s not Nathan, either.”

“How do you know?” Sebastian quizzed, apprehension coiled inside him but not in his voice.

“I’ve learned.” Erin walked over to the television and clicked it off. She sat on the low bench she’d placed near the armoire. Twisting the silver ring, she tried to explain. “The first time I met Gabriel, I was wearing this awful, frumpy suit. I ran into him, literally, in the hall. Most men ignore me now, and I want it that way.” She lifted her eyes to meet his. “He saw me, Sebastian. Saw through the clothes and the hair and everything. He liked me.”

“You’re a beautiful woman,” Sebastian argued grumpily. “No matter what you try to hide in. The fact that he can see it makes him a man, not a friend.”

“Is it impossible that he could care about me?” she asked in a small voice.