Kolson’s orgasm burst out of him and Gabby’s inner muscles squeezed every last drop, until he was weak from the effort of it all. But he wasn’t too weak to lift her off and turn her in his arms.
“You are amazing. But I missed this.” His lips brushed hers, his tongue tracing their outline, before taking the lower one between his teeth. “I love taking you that way, but I miss seeing your beautiful face. I’m going to have mirrors installed on the walls surrounding this tub, just so I can watch you at every angle.”
“Why haven’t you paddled me lately?”
The question caught him off guard. The truth was he’d wanted to. Bad.
“I thought perhaps it’d been too much for you.”
“Did I give you that indication?”
“No, but then you didn’t beg for it again, either. I decided you are too important to me and I don’t want to scare you off with my needs. And with what you’re going through with Danny, I thought it might be too much. So I’ve held back.”
She sat up and straddled him. Framing his face, she said, “I trust you not to hurt me. Don’t hold back.”
He leaned in to touch his lips to hers. “Here’s the thing. Those needs of mine aren’t important to me anymore. Do I want to see you tied up with your ass all pink? Yeah, I do. But I also want to see your head in the right place too. I don’t want you to do something just because you think it’s what I want. I want you to do it because you want it too.”
“But I really liked it, Kolson. It was wicked fun. And I want to do it again.”
He ran his tongue across his lower lip then flashed her a sexy smile. “You always surprise me, kea.”
“I do?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, you do.”
“I love you, Kolson. I want you to be happy.”
“Having you here makes me happy.”
“But I want you to have your other things too.”
He clasped her hands and gave her a solemn look. “When you and I didn’t speak for five days, it was the worst time in my life. So if we only have this kind of sensational sex that we’ve been having, I’ll die a happy man. You’re more important to me than anything, any need or compulsion I may have, and I’d sell my soul to the devil for you.” He squeezed his eyes shut and began to speak. “I never intended for you to fall in love with me. You’re too good for me, kea.”
Giving her an imploring look, he held up his hand when she tried to break in on him. “Let me say this while I have the courage, Gabriella.” So many emotions flashed in his eyes, and Gabby recognized them all: anger, pain, shame, disgust, but the most prominent was fear. “The fact is, you have such a pure heart and soul, and mine are irreparably damaged … I’m a lot more fucked up than you can imagine and I know you’ve seen it all in your profession. You ask why I don’t talk to you about my past. That’s one of the reasons. Don’t get me wrong. I know you’ll never judge me. But I also know that it might scare the shit out of you too. It’s pure selfishness on my part, and that’s not being fair to you. I should’ve ended it with you before it got to this point, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t stay away from you. You brought me hope for the first time. You were like a light to me, leading me out of my darkness.
“But that day—” he swallowed and stared at her for a moment—“that day I went to pick you up, and you were at the women’s shelter. I saw the way you held that little girl in your arms and there was something so beautiful about everything you did, I knew then I could never let you go. From that moment, every time I looked at you I saw perfection and kindness and charity, and I’d never seen anything like it before. And that’s when I knew I wanted that. From you. I wanted you to hold me like that. And shower me with that kind of love. I’m sorry for not being honest with you about myself. My intentions. You’re being cheated in all of this. I’m too fucked up to even qualify as damaged goods.”
“Can I speak now?”
“Yeah.”
“I think I need to decide how fucked up you are, but I can’t because you won’t discuss your past with me. So, I’ll go with what I see in front of me here. Issues? Yeah, you have them. So do I. As does everyone else in the world. No one is created perfect. Oh, you say I am but that’s bullshit and you know it. I’ll piss you off and that perfection thing will fly out the window and you’ll scratch your head and ask why the fuck you ever said it in the first place. Go ahead and laugh, but it’s true. Now, I’m super happy with what you said about me. And the way you felt when you saw me with that little girl, well, it makes my heart sing.
“But babe, that’s my love for what I do. If there had been someone to do that for me, it would’ve meant the world. And maybe made me stronger and better able to deal with Danny. Who knows? Maybe I would never have tried to kill myself. But that part about me being cheated and how you should’ve ended things, I call bullshit. Let’s say you had. Then I would be without you, and Danny would’ve won. I would’ve missed out on meeting the one. You know, that guy who makes my heart stutter and my blood sing.
“So shut up and kiss me because I love your mouth.”
Chapter 24
Sky, Ryder, and Cara came by to see Gabby on Sunday, flowers in hand. Gabby introduced Kolson to Ryder and the two of them left the women to chat. When Case arrived, he was eager to join the men so he could discuss the situation. Gabby was thrilled to spend time with her girls. She was in need of a distraction.
“You’re not working tomorrow, are you?” Sky asked.
“Kolson doesn’t want me to.”
“I agree. I think you need to stay here with him for a while too,” Cara added.
“I am. I really don’t want to be alone now, either.”
“Fuck. When I think about what happened …” Cara shuddered.
“Case has a team searching for him now,” Sky said.
“What do you mean?” Gabby felt the blood drain from her head.
“He’s at large. The police can’t find him.”
“What?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No!” Gabby ran out of the room to find Kolson. He was in the living room. He knew right away by desperation etched on her face what was happening. Her nostrils flared and her voice shrilled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Gabriella, we didn’t want you to worry. We’re keeping you safe, right here. Case has men looking for him, as are the police.”
“He’ll find me, I know he will.” She rubbed her wrist, shivering.
“You’re safe. I have men in the lobby and the parking garage. He can’t get up here, kea.”
Gabby blew out a series of short breaths, trying to gain control. Kolson moved to embrace her, but she winced at his touch. He didn’t let that stop him.
“Let me deal with this. Please. I’ll take care of you, I promise.” Her arms returned his embrace. “Keep breathing, sweetheart.” He ran his hand from her head down her back to her waist, and repeated the motion.
Once he felt she was pacified, he explained how they were going about trying to find Danny. “The police are looking for him. Bear in mind he’s wanted for trying to abduct you and for attempted murder. Those are serious charges.”
“It was unexpected hearing it from Sky the way I did.”
“Understood. Come and sit.” He guided her to the couch and sat next to her, holding her hand. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Neither will I.” Case stood before her. “Gabs, I have five guys out searching for him and working with NYPD on this. We’ll get him. He can’t hide forever. We’ve already found where he was living. So it’s only a matter of time. But listen to Kolson. You can’t go into work. We’re locking the place down. I’m telling all nonessential employees to stay home. I don’t want anyone at risk.”
“What about my friends?”
Kolson answered her question. “I’m putting them up in one of my other places in town. He won’t find them.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“I’ll have p
rotection. Now that we know he’s a definite danger, we can take the appropriate precautions. But Gabriella, please, you have to listen to us. You cannot work. Cancel your week. This is imperative. That includes your volunteer services too.”
“I will. You’re right. It’s too risky.”
“Thank you. You’ve taken twenty years off me.”
“Kolson, what does that make you now—twelve?”
“Yeah. So, I like older women. What can I say?”
* * *
After everyone left, Kolson and Gabby sat together watching TV. “What if it takes months to find him?” Gabby asked.
“It won’t. They’ll flush him out. He’ll get careless.”
“I don’t know. He’s a snake. Look at how he managed to destroy my life. You’re in for a longer haul than you think.”
Gabby gave Kolson a lot to chew on. She was right. Exactly how had Danny managed to do so much damage?
Kolson had only known one person who was cunning and manipulative to that degree—his father. Not wanting to add to her alarm, he said, “We’ll get him, kea. We will.”
Gabby wasn’t so sure, but she nodded anyway.
* * *
Voluntary imprisonment was no fun for Gabby. Two weeks later, she was ill-tempered and restless. Danny was screwing with her head, even though she hadn’t heard a peep from him. He had messed up a lot of people’s lives as she wasn’t able to see patients or volunteer because of him. Her friends walked on eggshells and everyone was grumpy.
Finally, she said to Kolson, “I’m going back to work.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I have to. I can’t stay locked in here anymore. It’s killing me. I love you for wanting to keep me safe, but I need my freedom.”
Kolson was quiet. “Fine. I don’t like it but I’ll see what I can work out.”
And that’s when Gabby decided to take things into her own hands. She’d had enough of Danny—she was completely done with him. He’d controlled her life for sixteen years, but tomorrow she’d be taking that back from him.
The next morning Kolson was getting ready to leave for woke when a text message came through.
“Damn.”
“What is it?”
“It’s Kade. He’s resurfaced and wants money. The usual thing. I need to meet him.”
Gabby thought for a moment. “Do you think you can get him to talk to Case? Or to come here so I can talk to him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let me go with you. Maybe I can talk to him.”
Kolson wouldn’t allow that. “It’s too dangerous. If I show up with an entourage, he’ll run. And I’ll lose his trust.”
Gabby freaked. “You can’t meet him alone.”
“Kea, I’ll be fine. I do this all the time.”
“Not with Danny on the loose.”
Kolson assured her he’d be safe. He changed into jeans and a T-shirt and left to meet Kade.
Now Gabby was committed more than ever to her plan. She knew the window of opportunity was slim. Lydia would arrive at nine o’clock and if she didn’t find Gabby here, the alarm bells would ring. That meant Gabby had to be long gone by then.
Kolson kept two handguns in the apartment. He’d told her about them the night they came home after the attack. She retrieved the revolver from the bedside table and held it in her hands, testing its weight. She rummaged through the drawer, hunting for extra bullets. Because she wasn’t very familiar with guns, she prayed she wouldn’t have to use it, but if she did, she hoped she would do so accurately.
Dropping the gun into her purse, she ran to the bathroom, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and snatched a baseball cap out of Kolson’s closet. The guards would be in the lobby and parking lot, combing the area, so she decided to take the elevator to the second floor, and then the stairs. She would use a side exit to leave the building, aiming to give them the slip.
When she got to the stairs, guilt and anxiety riddled her, making her speculate over how wise this decision was. These actions could have grave consequences … not only with her life but if she succeeded, they could ruin what she had with Kolson. But Danny had left her no other option.
Staring at the exit door in front of her, she took a deep breath and made that final choice.
Now or never. Do or die. It’s gonna be me or you, Danny. It’s going to end one way or another.
Leaning on the release bar, she cracked open the door. It led to a side hall that no one used, though she knew there would be men around. Familiar voices floated through the air. The breeze blew a strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail, but her ears were trained on all sounds. She heard someone say they were making a coffee run.
Quietly, she pushed the door open enough so she could slip through and sprint for the exit. When she cleared the building, surprise rained over her. Now she had to get the hell out of there. Fast. She hailed the first taxi she saw and told him to take her to Grand Central Station. Then she sent a text message.
Meet me under the clock at Grand Central.
Then she waited. Fifteen minutes passed and she was getting out of the cab when a call came in. It was from an unknown number. It wasn’t the same number she’d sent the text to.
“You must think I’m a fucking idiot, precious.”
She paid the driver and walked inside.
“No. You’re anything but. No one knows I’m here.”
“Make it Penn Station—34th Street entrance. Lose the phone.” The call ended.
She hailed another taxi and headed to her next stop. He didn’t tell her exactly where to meet him, so she walked inside and waited. Then her phone vibrated.
“You don’t follow directions very well. You didn’t lose the phone.”
She looked around the terminal, hunting for him.
“If I had, you wouldn’t be able to call me.”
“That wouldn’t matter. Now lose the fucking phone.”
Gabby turned around and was stunned into silence. Danny’s hair was matted with filth and his beard had grown some so Gabby barely recognized him. His clothes were torn and ragged and he looked like he’d been living on the streets for months.
“Let’s go.” His long, thick fingers dug into the soft flesh of her upper arm. He gripped her so hard, she feared he might snap her bone in half.
“You’re hurting me.”
“That’s the least of your worries now. Move it. You wanted this meeting. Now you have it.” He towed her alongside and she stumbled to keep up.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To my lovely home. Where else?”
“But you’ve been …”
“I’m running from the cops, thanks to you, you stupid cunt.”
They went down a flight of steps. Commuters scurried around, not paying them the least bit of attention. How brilliant of him to stay right here in New York, where he could get lost in the millions of residents in this city.
They walked along another platform and slipped through a recessed door. Down another flight of steps they went, deeper into the bowels of the earth. Gabby now realized how foolish this harebrained scheme of hers had been. She should be home with Kolson right now, safe and sound. She wasn’t, however. She was with Danny as he dragged her along behind him.
But she firmed her resolve to end this. Suppressed fury replaced her fear, a fury that ran deep in her veins for everything he had stolen from her.
Soon they came to another tunnel where trains obviously ran. Gabby shivered to think how far away she was from safety. She could die down here and no one would ever find her. No matter. This was her chance to finally put a stop to this.
They rounded a curve and off to the side was an indentation where she spied rumpled clothing, remnants of food and other items indicating someone had been living there. As she took in her surroundings, Danny reached out and knocked her to ground. Gabby fell to her hands and knees, hard.
“Now, cuz, what can I do for you?”
T
urning her head to look up at him, she knew this was the end of the line. Danny was either going to kill her and live the rest of his days as a homeless man, or go to prison. She was going to carry out her plan, or die trying.
“This is the end, Danny. For us.”
He laughed. Hard. “Are you serious? This is what you wanted? You came all this way, risked your life to tell me that?”
“Yes. And I’m not going to play your sick games anymore.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? ‘I’m not going to play your sick games anymore.’” He’d imitated her in a whiny voice.
“Just what I said.” Luckily, her purse had landed right in front of her and her body obscured his vision of it. While they talked, her hand reached inside and met up with cool steel. She wrapped her hand around the gun and pulled it out. Standing up and aiming it at Danny, she said, “You’ve fucked with me way too long. I could never understand how you managed to convince my parents that I was the one who told the lies. But I’m not going to take it another minute. Because I don’t believe prison deserves the likes of you, you motherfucking asshole.”
Danny’s eyes registered surprise and then he shot her a salacious grin. “You loved the way I fucked you, precious. You wanted me to do that. Then you lied about it.”
Gabby’s eyes blazed with fire as she shouted, “You fucking raped me! For years! You’re a sick bastard and I’m putting a stop to you so you don’t ever fuck with me or anyone else again. But I want to know one thing. Why? Why did you do it? And why do you want me so bad? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?”
Danny let out a sinister laugh. “God, everyone always used to say how fucking smart you were, but you really are stupid. You’re a damn psychiatrist and you haven’t figured this out?” He laughed even harder. “It’s not what you did, it’s what you didn’t do, cunt.” Then his eyes narrowed, and even in the dim light of the tunnel, she could see the menace emanating from them. She shivered. “You never paid me any attention. Everyone else fell all over me. Hung on every word I ever said. Not you. Not the holier-than-thou Gabby. You were always better than me, above me, weren’t you? I even bought you presents and you didn’t pay me any attention. And he never told you, did he? He never told you I’m your half-brother?” Danny howled at Gabby’s expression.
The Best of Forevers Page 114