“It wasn’t a problem,” he said, pausing before speaking again. “Gabby, did your cousin Danny threaten you again?”
His question was met with silence.
“Are you there?”
“Uh, yeah,” she answered in a shaky voice.
“Hey, what’s going on? Is someone there?”
“No. I’m fine. It was just coming back here after yesterday.”
“Was he there?”
“No. It was only my vivid imagination. I can’t talk right now. I need to go. I have a patient.”
The phone went dead. Kolson wanted to know what the hell that was all about. Unfortunately he didn’t have time to figure it out. He had a meeting, so he pushed all thoughts of her out of his mind and focused on the situation he was about to walk into.
A contract was on the fence for an entertainment company, Bright World Enterprises. They headlined all sorts of big names, from bands to individual musicians to movie stars. They were an enormous operation with clients all over the country. HTS was on the cusp of a huge deal that would catapult their business into another financial status altogether. His analysts were predicting that if he landed this deal, the prestige of HTS would be unmatched in the business.
He tightened the knot on his tie, adjusted his cufflinks, and smoothed his hands over his suit coat. His assistant was waiting for him with the necessary paperwork.
He entered the luxurious conference room, one of the few rooms in the building in which he had spared no expense. All eyes were on him as he moved to the head of the huge, oblong table. Coffee and tea had been served, along with other beverages and morning snacks.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I trust everyone is well today.”
The spokesperson for Bright World Enterprises, Janice Pittman, reminded him of a pit bull. Kolson didn’t like her because she eyed him like a juicy piece of steak. He preferred to keep separate his business and bedroom interests, but from the looks she shot him, she didn’t.
“We’re all well today. And how about you, Kolson?” Janice purred.
He didn’t even like the way she said his name. It sounded like she was tasting it, rinsing it around on her tongue. He’d rather she spit it out when she said it. The thought of any part of him in her mouth didn’t sit well.
“I’m great, Janice,” he said briskly. “Shall we get down to business, then?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Not many women of her status made him shudder, but Janice Pittman was an exception. Everything about her grated on his last nerve. He asked himself several times whether this contract was worth pursuing, simply because of her. But then he reminded himself of his employees and what it would mean for them. Swallowing his distaste, he moved to make his play. Offering up his most charming smile, Kolson Hart began the deadly game of contract negotiations, a game in which he was highly skilled. He’d been raised by a dragon, after all, and he learned young how to save his ass from getting singed. Not a single emotion he didn’t want his opponents to see ever crossed his face.
If Janice thought she drove a tough deal, she was terribly mistaken. By the end of the morning, the deal was signed, sealed, and delivered, leaving Janice Pittman scratching her head over how the hell she handed everything to him on a sterling platter, serving pieces and all.
“It’s been quite a pleasure, and I look forward to a beneficial business relationship. Good day to you all.” Once more, every eye in the room watched as he walked away from the table.
On the way back to his office, he slipped off his tie and coat. It was time to hit the gym over lunch. He’d use the punching bag to vent his tensions with the lascivious Janice. The bitch had eye-fucked him throughout the meeting. What she hadn’t realized was that she was dealing with an expert at game playing.
She was trying to tango with Lucifer, and he’d seen to it she’d ended up getting fried in her own game.
Chapter 5
When Gabby walked through the door of the NA meeting, her first stop was the coffee pot. This may have been her fifteenth cup so far—her jitters were proof of that. Her lunch had gone half eaten because her head was still wrapped around Danny. But honestly, who was more fucked up? She or Danny? As a psychiatrist, she knew she was every bit as bad as he was, though not in a malevolent way.
“Hey!”
Gabby jerked and spilled coffee down the front of her blouse. She fanned herself and grabbed napkins to clean up the mess.
“Damn, I’m sorry. Didn’t think that would scare you.” Case led her to a sink so she could wet some paper towels too.
“It’s okay. I was thinking about a patient. Was here, but wasn’t, ya know?”
“Well, you don’t look so good. You okay?” His voice was filled with concern.
“What is it with everyone?”
“Maybe we’re all right. Ever think of that?”
“I’m just tired.”
“Uh-huh. Suitcases.”
“What?”
Case shook his head. “You’ve got purple suitcases under your eyes.”
“Thanks, Case.”
“Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”
Gabby adored Case Russell. She met him during her residency. A recovering addict, he had been clean for eight years and ran this group of Narcotics Anonymous. His addiction was the result of a mugging. He’d been shot, badly beaten and consequently gotten hooked on drugs in the aftermath. It had cost him a hell of a lot—his wife, his child, and his job as a police officer. Now he was a private investigator and owned his own firm, Russell Investigator Services or RIS. Gabby loved to help him because he was such an inspiration to others and gave so much of himself to getting people back on their feet.
And Case matched Gabby’s adoration. He looked at her like a baby sister. Truth was, he would do anything for her. She’d helped him more times with his NA people than he could count and he owed her so much, he doubted he could ever repay her.
“You have that girl coming tonight, remember?”
Case’s eyed drilled into hers.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Uh, I dunno. Maybe ’cause you work your ass off and never take any time for yourself.”
Gabby laughed. “Gee, that sounds familiar.” She pointed her index finder at him. “I’d like to stay. I’ll be fine. You know me.” She gave him a sloppy smile.
“God, I’m such a sucker for you. If we ever got married, you’d walk all over me and I’d let you.”
“Ew, that’s almost incestuous.”
He laughed. “Yeah, it is pretty nasty, isn’t it?” And that’s the way it was. They loved each other like siblings, but that was as far as it had ever gone between them.
“So, who’s the girl?”
“I don’t see her here yet, but I’m afraid I’m going to lose her. She’s hanging by a thread. Her boyfriend beats her up and she’s on H. It’s bad.”
Gabby looked around for a minute because the cold, hard facts were, he was right. Heroin was a tough nut to get off and if you had a bad home life as well, that was like shooting oneself in the foot over and over again.
“I’m sorry, Case. I’ll do what I can if she comes in, but you know the score. I don’t have to tell you.”
“I know. If only I could get her away from him,” he said.
Gabby realized that if Case had been in her life when everything went down with Danny, he might have believed her. Maybe he would’ve been the one to stick up for her. Then again, probably not. Her brother hadn’t. He’d told all his friends she was a liar. Of course, he was best buddies with Danny. He persuaded them that he was the honest one.
“Hey, why the long face?” Case asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she answered quickly with a smile. “I was thinking about the girl.”
“You sure?”
Gabby nodded.
“Okay, I gotta get this meeting underway. If I see her come in, I’ll give you a signal. But sh
e’s waif-like with light brown hair. About five three—she has that typical look about her.”
“Gotcha. I’ll be on the lookout. What’s her name?”
“Juliana. No last name.”
Gabby sat at the back of the room by the door. One thing she was thankful for—she had never done drugs. These people were in a constant fight against their urges to self-medicate. She wanted to medicate herself, but with other things besides drugs. And even though her urges could be quite compelling, they weren’t mind bending and didn’t take away her ability to function. Her urges only led her to work too hard. But that was her main goal in life—to help others.
Case kicked off the meeting. Every time Gabby listened to him lead the group, she was amazed at his love for what he did here. He was so invested in this cause to help; it shone in every word, action, and deed. The group circled up and one by one shared their issues. Some were angry, some defeated, and some apathetic. But Case turned every emotion around and made each individual care about his or her own life, made them want to change.
By the time the meeting ended, he’d gained their commitment to stick with him for another day. Twenty-four hours to a drug addict was a lifetime. The sad thing was that Juliana never showed up and Gabby speculated if she was even still alive.
What Gabby failed to recognize was that one of the reasons she came here and gave of herself was that it validated her and gave her life the self-worth she’d never felt at home. As much as her psychiatry training had done for her, she’d never used it to delve into her own mind. She didn’t see the big hole that existed in her heart and soul because she refused to look.
She’d closed herself off from relationships. Though she had a few friends—Case, Sky, Ryder, and Cara—those closest to her knew very little about her past. She’d never had a boyfriend. She’d dated a guy once a few times and had sex, or what constituted as sex, but that was it. And afterward she thought it was okay, but not enough to open herself up to getting hurt. And the strangest thing of all was Gabby was so quick to recognize these complex issues in other people. If only she would take the time to look at herself, she could’ve healed the wound that had been created years ago.
Case snapped his fingers in front of her, trying to get her attention. She blinked a couple of times, then laughed.
“Sorry, I was on Mars.”
“I’ll say. What’s up with you tonight?”
“I’m super tired.”
“Well, I’m out of here. Can I get you a cab?”
“Oh, no. I’m taking the train.”
“No, you’re not. Not alone at night.”
She didn’t have the extra money but was embarrassed to tell him. “Case, it’s fine. I do it all the time. Besides, I’ll get home so much faster.”
“No. I know what happens on those trains when they’re empty at night. You’re taking a cab. No arguments.”
“You’re like a …”
“Big brother. I know.”
She didn’t say it but he was much better than her real big brother. “All righty. Shall we?”
They walked outside, arm in arm, and he hailed her a cab. When the ride arrived, she hopped in the back and Case handed the driver some cash.
“You don’t have to do that,” Gabby called from the back.
“You don’t have to give your services to my people for free, either. The ride’s on me. Talk to you later.” He tapped his hands on the roof of the car and it drove away.
The city lights flickered by as the cab sped toward the Upper East Side where Gabby lived. The NA meeting met near the intersection of Bleecker and Bowery Streets, close to NYU in Greenwich Village. Gabby loved that part of the city, but it was a bit too hectic for her. She liked the slower pace and the neighborhood feel of the Upper East Side, not to mention it was much easier for her to get to work since her office was only twenty blocks away from her apartment.
She huddled in the back seat as the chill of the early spring night seeped into her. Ideas of how she could stretch her monthly budget appeared in her head. She would have to figure out a way to cut costs. Where the hell would the cuts come from? It looked like peanut butter and bananas were going to be a mainstay of her diet again, like they were in med school.
Brushing those thoughts away, she enjoyed the scenery as the cab made its way uptown. The city sparkled with lights and Gabby loved how people milled around at all hours of the night. That’s one reason she adored New York so much. Growing up as isolated as she was, she loved the fact that she was immersed in Manhattan, a place that had a population of over one and half million people. She never felt alone here. When the cab pulled up in front of her building, she got out and marched to her cubbyhole of an apartment. There was a reason she was here, a reason she was doing all of this. And she was forging ahead with her dream. She didn’t care if it took everything she had she would never give up.
Chapter 6
The last few weeks had been extremely busy for Gabby and she knew she needed to trim back her schedule. A couple of weeks after her encounter with Danny, she’d begun to relax, thinking perhaps their most recent encounter had been nothing but idle threats. One night after moonlighting at the clinic to make a little extra money, she was so worn out, she didn’t bother eating dinner but got ready for bed and fell promptly asleep.
Her alarm went off while the night was still black as coal and it confused her. But it wasn’t her alarm after all; it was her ringing phone.
“Martinelli.”
“Hi, precious. Are you sleeping alone, or is your little boyfriend with you?”
Gabby sat up and her heart took off at a sprint. She fisted her pajamas and tried to calm down. But every damn time he called it was like this with her.
“You gonna answer me, cunt?” he hissed.
“Y-yeah. He’s here.”
“Prove it. Put him on the phone.”
Crap!
“Well? I’m waiting.”
Gabby could tell Danny had been drinking.
“He can’t come to the phone right now.”
Danny laughed. “So, where is he, precious?”
Gabby didn’t answer. It was no use. Danny knew Kolson wasn’t there. She went to end the call when his voice stopped her.
“Don’t you even think about hanging up on me, you stupid cunt.”
“What do you want?” She knew he could hear the tremors in her voice. It was no use trying to hide her fear.
“Do you really have to ask me that question?” He laughed and her skin prickled.
“I told you after the last time, there would be no more.”
He cackled again. “Yeah, well, you were wrong. There will be more. A lot more. Now that I’ve found you again, you’re not gonna be getting away from me very easily. So get used to it. You can tell your little boyfriend that I’m not afraid of him, either. By the way, I saw your folks the other night. Told them I was heading this way. You know what they said to me? They told me to stay away from you. Said you were bad news. Isn’t that sweet of them?”
“Fuck off, Danny. You’re nothing but a sick bastard.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But you liked it when I fucked you hard. I remember how you begged, Gabby.”
She threw her phone across the room and it broke into several pieces. She didn’t know what time it was, nor did she care. All she knew was she had to get out of there. In minutes, the walls would close in on her. She tugged on a running bra and shorts, a T-shirt and shoes. She didn’t even bother putting her hair in a ponytail. Out the door she went.
As soon as she hit the lobby, she took off like a rocket. It was either really late or really early, because no one was out and about, which was totally unlike New York City. She spotted an occasional man or woman, but she kept on running. When she arrived at the border of Central Park, she decided against going into the park itself. That wouldn’t be smart. Being out at this hour was pretty damn stupid as it was, but right now she was a pressure cooker and this was her release valve. She’d take
her chances.
There had to be a solution for all this. There had to be a way for her to be rid of Danny, once and for all. The scars on her wrist tingled briefly, reminding her of what had been her solution in the past. She wasn’t going down that road again. She was determined to find another way, because she had a mission to complete.
The wind whipped her hair around her face, but she barely noticed. She hardly felt it when it stung her cheeks, either. Her shoes chewed up the sidewalk and she ran and ran until her legs felt like jelly and the sky was lightening.
It wasn’t long before the streets were shredding the loneliness of the night as people emerged from their apartments. More runners and walkers appeared, some with dogs, others just out to pick up coffee or breakfast, perhaps for family members or loved ones. As Gabby moved along, the aroma of coffee brewing and freshly baked bread wafted in the air around her. It occurred to her then just how abnormal her life was. She should be out here picking up breakfast, instead of running to expunge her crazy-assed cousin from her head. Fucked up beyond anything, she thought.
Danny was the root of all her issues. He had warped her life until she felt she had no other choice than to try to end it all. The last holiday she’d spent with her family was when she was seventeen. That was right after her final attempt. They didn’t even want her there because she was an embarrassment to them. She had been the unwanted piece of furniture that no one wanted to sit on. Shunned by those who should’ve loved and protected her, she never spent another holiday with them after her release from the hospital.
When she came home, they isolated her in her room and avoided her like she was diseased. If only she’d known the proper way to slit one’s wrist, she would’ve been out of their hair long ago. It was odd to her that she spent so much time thinking about the people who had ripped her heart to shreds. Why was that? Why couldn’t she move on and forget about them? Just go forward and not live through those hateful memories again?
“He hurt me! He raped me. Did awful things to me. Why won’t you believe me?”
The Best of Forevers Page 94