Wayward Son (Jensen Family #3) (27 page)

Julian and Linda returned home to find the front door deadlocked and
Gavin’s car in the driveway. Entering the house
through the back door, they called their daughters name as they approached the
staircase to find Gavin on the bottom step and Angel a few steps behind him.

Julian lost all reasonable thought when he saw his daughters face,
leaping forward and grabbing the
front of Gavin’s
t-shirt; he hauled him across the hallway and slammed him into the nearest
wall.

“What the hell have you done?” he yelled into the younger man’s face.

Taken aback by Julian’s amazing turn of speed and sheer power, Gavin
stood stunned, mak
ing no attempt to speak or free
himself.

“Dad!
” Angel
gasped
.
“Quinn did
this! Gavin rescued me. Because of him, I’m not still lost in the middle of
nowhere.”

Julian looked from Angel to Gavin “You didn’t do this?”

Gavin shook his head. “I’d never lay a fi
nger
on her.”

Julian released the boy and went to his daughters’ side, wrapping his
arms around her.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Gavin spoke to
Angel
who nodded h
er
agreement.
She felt safe now her parents were home and was grateful to him for
watching over he
r.

She stepped out of her parents embrace and unlocked the front door for
him,
“
t
hank you for
everything
,
” she said.
Gavin cupped her face with both hands and kissed her forehead.

“Re-consider calling the police?” he asked.

“Maybe
,
” she answered
.
“Go. I’ll
call you
,
” she closed the
door as he got into his car and turned to explain the chain of events to her
parents.

Chapter
10

After Angel had kicked him in the groin and ran away, Quinn had stumbled
back to his car, holding his aching appendage in both hands. Catching sight of
his face in the rear view mirror brought forth a bout of cursing as he saw his
swollen and bloody nose j
ust knowing that it would
result in black eyes.

Starting the car, he decided he wouldn’t go home until he’d found her and
finished what he’d started. He drove the section of road for almost two hours,
never once catching a glimpse of her. Three times he p
ulled
over and got out of the car, walking a little way into the woods but coming up
empty every time, he even tried calling her mobile before remembering he had
thrown it out of the window. He eventually gave up the search and headed in the
direction of h
ome, a plan forming in his devious
little brain.

When he reached the edge of Kingston he figured he’d take a drive by
Angel’s house before going home. He hadn’t intended on stopping but the
unmistakable shape of Gavin’s Supra in the driveway had him slammi
ng on his brakes. White hot rage bubbled inside him. His
initial thought was to burst into the house and have it out with the pair of
them but he knew, realistically, he didn’t stand a chance in a one on one face
off with Gavin. Then he thought about simpl
y sitting
in front of the house until Gavin left but his car stood out like a sore thumb
making him drive off while dialling the number of one of his friends with a
more non-descript car so that they could return and stake out the house.

Quinn was woken by
the sound of Gavin’s car
starting and slowly turning around in the driveway. He sunk down in the
passenger seat of the car and waited until Gavin had driven away before he
shook his friend awake, once again fuming that Angel had chosen Gavin over him.
On
the drive to his house, Quinn called the police
and anonymously reported Angel’s assault.

Novak was doing laps of the pool when Gavin arrived home. 

“Surprised you have any energy left
,
” Gavin called dropping his large frame into one of the poolside chair
s.

“The wanderer returns
,
” Novak quipped
stepping out of the pool and grabbing a towel
.
“I thought I’d give Kiera a chance to
recover
,
” he grinned
.
“How’s Angel?”

“Remarkably composed
,
” Gavin replied
.
“And refusing to go to the police
.
”

“Silly girl
.
”

“Yeah
, but she may have a point, she said
Quinn’s Dad is some hot shot lawyer so he’s off the hook whatever he does
.
”

“Well isn’t that crap?” Novak said
.
“
H
ow about you and
Angel are you two ok?”

“Hard to tell, she didn’t want me to leave but she was having a h
ard time being close to me. I just need to give her some
space I think. She said she’d call me when I left
,
” he shrugged
.
“Is my Dad home?”

“Not yet. You hungry?”

“God yes
,
” Gavin rose
.
“I think I may forego the diet for one
day and have a fry up
.
”

Gavin
started breakfast while Novak went to
wake Kiera and James, the latter slinking into the kitchen with the lovely
Gabrielle on his arm.

“Charming
,
” Gavin muttered
.
“We all slept with girls last night and
yet I’m the only one who didn’t get laid
.
”

“That’s co
s you’re a nice guy
,
” Novak grinned,  “I’ll get it
,
”
 he said
when the door bell sounded.

Gavin had just put a large platter of sausages and bacon on the kitchen
table when Novak escorted two police officers through to the kitchen.

“Er Gav
,
” Novak spoke
,
G
avin looked
up from the plate.

“Gavin Jensen?” one of the officers asked.

“Yes
,
” Gavin
confirmed.

“I am arresting you for the assault of one Angel Palmer
,
” the officer stepped forward and
continued to read him his rights while the other officer moved to cu
ff him.

“What?” Gavin, stunned, offered no resistance as his arms were pulled
behind him
,
“I haven’t
touched her
.
”

“We had a tip off
,
” the second
officer spoke
.
“Where were you
between the hours of midnight and nine this morning?” he asked.

“At Angel’s hou
se
.
” Gavin answered
.
“This doesn’t look good
,
” he continued in a quieter voice
.
“Can I just empty my pockets before we
go?” He asked.

The officers conferred before agreeing and releasing his wrists and
waiting for him to put his belongings on the table in
front
of him.

“Call my Dad
,
” he told his
friend.

“He’s here
.
” Novak nodded
towards the open front door .

“What’s going on?” Paul asked standing in the kitchen doorway preventing
the officers from leaving with his son.

“You are?” the second officer spoke ag
ain.

“Paul Jensen. Gavin’s father
.
”

“I’m sorry to have to inform you that your son has been arrested for
assault
.
”

Paul wasn’t surprised at the charge; it wasn’t the first time he had
heard that.

“Gavin?” he questioned.

“I didn’t do anything
,
” Gavin told h
is father
.
“This time it wasn’t me
.
”

“Don’t say anything
.
” Paul told him
stepping aside to let the officers pass
.
“I’ll send the solicitor
.
”

“I have nothing to hide
,
” Gavin answered
.
“I’ve done nothing wrong
.
”

Paul was already dialling the number for Jake
Robins,
his friend and solicitor and after a brief call, he turned to Novak for an
explanation
.

On arrival at the police holding centre, Gavin was booked in, his shoes
and belt taken from him, he was searched then his finger prints recorded and
his picture
taken, he was then shown to a cell to
await the arrival of his solicitor before he was interviewed.

In the
meantime
, Paul had used his son’s phone to find Angel’s home number as Novak had
explained her mobile was trashed. The conversation he had with Juli
an was startlingly brief before he jumped into his car and
headed to the Palmer home.

Julian was waiting for him on the doorstep as he stepped out of his car.
He took Paul through to the living room confirming that it hadn’t been them who
had called the po
lice.

“Holy shit
,
” Paul said on
laying eyes on Angel
.
“Please tell me
Gavin didn’t do that
.
”

“He didn’t
.
” Angel
confirmed
.
“He was nothing
but a perfect gentleman
.
”

“You’re not just saying that to protect him?
”
Paul asked.

“Of course not!” Angel protested
.
“He was great, I would still be sitting wet and confused in the woods if
it wasn’t for Gavin
.
”

Paul sighed with relief
.
“Then who the
hell called the police?”

“I’m guessing Quinn
….
” Angel
answered.

“Would you be willing to come to the police station with
me?” Paul asked the girl
.
“I understand if you aren’t up to it.”

“I’ll come
,
” she confirmed.

“I’d better join you
,
” Julian put in,
“I owe Gavin an apology
.
”

Paul’s solicitor was waiting for them by the time they reached the
holding centre.

“I don’t know ho
w much I’m going to be able to
help him this time
.
” Jake told
Paul.

“He’s innocent
.
” Paul replied.

Jake looked long and hard at his friend, in all the years that he had
been called in to defend Gavin, not once had Paul used those two words.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. Jake, this is Angel, the girl he’s supposed to have assaulted; you
need to get the police to interview her first
.
”

“I’ll see what I can do, wait here
.
” Jake went to talk to the duty officer.

Eventually, Gavin was taken to an interview room. Angel
was escorted to another interview room at the same time.
With the time line of their stories matching, the police admitted they had no
reason to hold Gavin, they did, however, send a unit to pick up Quinn
,
as both Angel and Gavin had said that
he was respo
nsible for her injuries and on searching
Quinn’s car they found her handbag in the glove box where she said it would be.

Paul and Julian were pacing the waiting area much to the annoyance of the
officer on reception who had asked them several times to sit
down. Both men finally gave up their pacing only for Paul
to jump to his feet again when Quinn was escorted in, struggling and protesting
between two strapping officers followed moments later by his father.

“Simon Masters
.
” Paul spoke
.
“I should have known
you would spawn a pathological narcissist
.” H
e finished stepping in front of Quinn’s
father.