Lead the Way

by Prince, K. L.

  “Okay. Please don’t freak out.”

  “I can’t guarantee anything. Please, just tell me.”

  “When I went to check on Rosa, I found her lying on the floor, hurt. She was rushed to the hospital and she had to have emergency brain surgery.”

  “Oh my God, Gabriel! Is she okay?”

  “She’s in a coma. They won’t know how much damage has been done until she wakes up.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “That’s not everything, Eva.”

  “What?”

  “On the way to the hospital, Rosa kept saying the name, Ryan.”

  “Ryan?”

  “They don’t know if it means anything, but I have my suspicions.”

  “Are you saying that Ryan Collins has something to do with what happened to Rosa?”

  “They can’t say for sure, but I think that he did it.”

  “I don’t understand. How would he know where Rosa lived?”

  “I think that he’s been following me.”

  “How would he even know about you?”

  “That’s the thing. I think that he’s been watching us somehow.”

  “What? How is that possible?”

  “I don’t know for sure. I think maybe the buildings across the street. I don’t think that he’s been in the apartment.”

  “I don’t think he’s been in the apartment either. I haven’t gotten that sense and I think that if he came into the apartment, he would’ve attacked me. Oh my gosh, poor Rosa. If something happens to her, I will never be able to forgive myself.”

  “At this point, I think it’s safe to say that Ryan Collins is around and he’s watching us. I went to a security store and I bought you this,” he says, handing her a black square device.

  “What is this?” she says, looking at it closely.

  “It’s a tracker. I want you to have it with you at all times. If anything happens, I’ll be able to know where are you are.”

  “Gabriel, I’m scared.”

  “Don’t be. Ryan Collins is going to show himself and when he does, I’m going to be there.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “It’s going to be over soon. I’m going to catch him and make him pay for what he’s done to you and to my Aunt.”

  Panic starts to set in. She starts to hyperventilate. Up until now, the Detective’s warning was just that, a warning. Now, his warning is the truth. Ryan Collins is out to get her and he’s hurting people that she loves. Who is he going to hurt next? No one is safe.

  “Eva, look at me. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth like I taught you.”

  “I think that I just want to go home.”

  “Eva, don’t let this guy ruin this. We go home, he wins again.”

  “Okay, breathe with me,” she says, grabbing his hands.

  They breathe together until Eva relaxes. When she is calm, they start to eat. They eat in silence, both lost in their thoughts. Gabriel breaks the silence.

  “I think that we should get you a gun. I’ll teach you how to use it. Now that Rosa is so sick, I need to go and see her. I can’t be with you all the time. I’ll feel better if you are armed during the times when I go and see her. ”

  “Okay,” Eva replies in total agreement. She would definitely feel better being armed with a weapon. She wishes that Gabriel wouldn’t have to leave her at all, but she knows that is an unrealistic expectation. Rosa means everything to him. She knows that he needs to be by her side while she gets better.

  “I’m really proud of you, Eva. I didn’t think that you would be able to make it here tonight.”

  “Honestly, I was so worried about what was going on, I didn’t even think about what was happening.”

  “I suppose one good thing came out of what happened to Rosa.”

  “I guess. I would really like to go home now, though.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  * * * * *

  Ryan sits in his car across the street from the beach. He followed Gabriel and Eva and he watches them in wonderment, as they make their way to the gazebo. He is surprised to see Eva out of her apartment. He knows all about her condition. He checked her medical records.

  He knows that what he did to her caused her to be scared to leave the house. Agoraphobia they call it. It was something he had never heard off and probably wouldn’t have heard of, if not for Eva. He doesn’t fully understand how the disease operates, but he knows that Eva hasn’t left the house in five years because of it. When he got locked up, she got locked up too. It’s a small reward and made him feel a little better while he was locked behind bars.

  He knows that Eva stopped seeing her psychiatrist a while ago, so he wonders what has changed that has allowed her to step outside her apartment now. The only thing that comes to mind is Gabriel. Gabriel has brought about some sort of change in Eva. He has somehow been able to help her get past her fears and come to the beach. What does Gabriel have that a trained psychiatrist doesn’t? His only guess is good sex.

  Eva’s life is changing and for the better. He’s seeing it happen right before his very own eyes. He doesn’t like what he sees one bit. He doesn’t want Eva to feel a single minute of happiness or pleasure or joy. He wants her life to continue on in the miserable state that it is been for the past five years. He wants every minute she spends, up until her last breath, to be in despair.

  He decides that he needs to speed up his plan. He is going to put a stop to what he’s witnessing. Eva’s time with Gabriel is coming to an end. He hopes that she’s enjoying her time in the gazebo, because it’s going to be one of the last moments she is going to get with him.

  He hopes that she is enjoying that meal because it is going to be one of her last. He can’t stand the thought of Eva walking on the same earth as him any longer. The fact that she continues to draw breath disgusts him. He just wants to dispose of her and move on to his next target.

  After he gets rid of Eva, he will move on to the big fish. That kill is the one that he really looks forward to. She is the one who really deserves his rage and his wrath. She is the one whom he will really enjoy watching bleed. Spilling her blood will be an absolute pleasure. He looks forward to it and counts down the minutes.

  He can’t stand to watch Eva and Gabriel any longer. He decides that his plan will go into full swing in the morning. He can’t let another day pass by and him do nothing. Tomorrow, he will get Gabriel out of the way and he will make Eva pay.

  Chapter 11

  Gabriel watches Eva. She keeps getting up and looking out the blinds. She is incredibly jumpy and can barely hold a conversation with him. Considering what has happened, he totally understands why she is behaving the way she is, but it doesn’t stop him from having doubts about where their relationship is headed.

  He has to give her credit, she has made some incredible strides in the past couple of weeks, but he can’t help but wonder what will happen if she gets well and then has a relapse. Will he be able to withstand her disease? Will he always be as understanding as he is now? What if they end of having children? Will she be able to properly parent a child?

  There are so many unknowns where her disease is concerned. He does want to be with her, but he knows it’s an uphill battle. He questions whether or not he is a strong enough man to endure the ups and the downs. He’s never been faced with anything like he’s facing with Eva. He can’t be sure how he’s going to react down the road. He doesn’t know if he’s going to be able to cope with Eva’s crippling illness in the long term. Everything is so up in the air at the moment. They’re just living minute by minute.

  At the moment, he’s not going anywhere. He has to protect her from Ryan. Ryan creeping around and stalking them is not helping their relationship in the least. Ryan’s presence has Eva’s illness ramped up to full intensity. Gabriel is seeing her under unusual circumstances, so he can’t accurately gauge how well or how sick she really is. Right now, her illness has a tight grip o
n her. Once Ryan is out of the picture, he will be able to get a better sense of how they’re relationship and Eva’s illness is going to play out. Once Ryan is gone, he’ll have a better idea if their relationship will be a sustainable one.

  “Eva, I think that we should get out of this apartment and go stay in a hotel or something.”

  “Gabriel, I think that’s probably a good idea, but I can’t leave the apartment. I’m too scared. What if Ryan is outside waiting for us?”

  “Eva, if Ryan is outside, I’ll take him out.”

  “Gabriel, I just can’t. I feel safer here. I can’t leave right now.”

  “Okay, it was just a suggestion. Hold on, I think that the hospital is calling.”

  “The hospital?” Eva asks.

  “Hello. This is he. Okay, I’ll be right there.”

  “What’s going on?” Eva asks, concern clearly evident in her voice.

  “There’s been a change in Rosa’s condition. They can’t give me any information over the telephone. I have to go in. Come with me.”

  “Gabriel, I want to, but I can’t. I’ll be fine here. Don’t worry about me. Go be with Rosa.”

  “Eva, I would really feel better if you came with me.”

  “I can’t. Everything will be fine here. Call me when you find out anything.”

  “Okay, I will back as soon as I can. Keep the door locked and don’t open it for anyone, but me.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

  Gabriel grabs his keys and rushes out the door. He hates to leave Eva, but he is all that Rosa has. He needs to know what is happening with her health. He hates being in the position where he has to choose between Eva and Rosa. He hates that he can’t be in both places at once. He vows that he will get whatever has to be done at the hospital done quickly, and be back beside Eva as soon as he can. He breathes out a sigh of frustration, as he makes his way to the parking garage.

  * * * * *

  Eva sits very still on the couch. She hates being alone in the apartment, but she has no choice. Rosa needs Gabriel more than she does. She fidgets and begins to pace. Her pacing is interrupted by the telephone ringing. Thinking it’s Gabriel she runs and answers it.

  “Hello,” Eva says, expecting to hear Gabriel on the other end.

  “Eva?” the person on the other end says.

  She doesn’t recognize the voice. “Who’s this?”

  “It’s Ryan.”

  “Why are you calling me? How did you get this number? Leave me alone.”

  “Eva, I’m coming for you, but in the meantime, I have a little surprise waiting in the parking garage for your boyfriend.”

  “Leave him alone!” she screams into the phone.

  “It’s too late, Eva.”

  Ryan hangs up on her. She tries dialing Gabriel’s cell phone number, but he doesn’t answer. She keeps trying, but he’s not picking up. She doesn’t know what to do. She runs to the door and opens it. She needs to get to the parking garage. She takes steps into the hallway, but she immediately knows that she can’t make it. She runs back into the apartment, slams the door, and runs to the telephone.

  She calls the security guard downstairs, “Gary, It’s Eva, I need you to go to the parking garage. I think that something might have happened to Gabriel.”

  “What do you mean by ‘something happened’?” Gary replies, sounding confused.

  “I think that he might get attacked.”

  Gary checks the security monitors. “I don’t see anything on the monitors, but I’ll check.”

  “Thank you so much. Please call me back.”

  “I will.”

  Eva hangs up the phone. She is scared. She begins to pace because that is all she can do. “Please let Gabriel be okay,” she says out loud, gripping the telephone. She tries calling Gabriel’s cell phone again, but there is still no answer. She stares at the phone, wishing it to ring and Gabriel to be safe on the other end. All she can do is wait.

  * * * * *

  Gary pushes the elevator button and waits. He’s pretty confident that he’s not going to find anything wrong in the parking garage. If something was amiss, he’s sure that he would have caught it on the security cameras. He’s diligent in keeping an eye on those cameras. Even so, it’s his job his check whenever there is a complaint, so that is what he’ll do. He whistles while he waits.

  He’s grown to like Eva’s friend Gabriel. In the short time that Gabriel has been working for Eva, Gary has grown a fondness for him. Gabriel seems like a good guy and he hopes that Eva is wrong about him getting attacked in the apartment garage.

  Gabriel always stops and talks to him on his way up to Eva’s apartment. He always has a smile on his face and he always makes sure to ask Gary about his family. Gabriel remembers all of Gary’s kid’s names and always mentions his wife. He can always depend on Gabriel bringing him a coffee every morning just the way he likes it.

  When he steps off the elevator into the parking garage, he doesn’t see anything. He decides to take the long way the get to Eva’s parking spots, which are just around the corner. The parking garage appears to be empty. He checks in between the cars and he doesn’t see anything as he makes his way around.

  As he gets closer to Eva’s designated parking spots, he can see that there is a car parked in her guest spot. Unless someone has parked in her spot from another apartment, he has to assume that the car he’s seeing belongs to Gabriel. As he gets closer, he thinks that he hears someone moan. When he gets right up on the car, he finds Gabriel lying next to the driver’s door of the car.

  “Holy Shit, Gabriel!” he says, leaning down. “Can you hear me?”

  Gabriel tries to talk, but only a moan comes out.

  “I’m calling for help,” Gary says, pulling out his cell phone and calling 9-11.

  The ambulance arrives quicker than Gary thought it would, and he’s glad. The amount of blood coming from Gabriel’s head is alarming. He couldn’t see exactly how bad the damage was because he didn’t want to move Gabriel, but he could tell that some major damage had been done. Gabriel sustained significant trauma to the back of his head. Whoever attacked Gabriel hit him with something heavy and with a lot of force. There is blood on Gabriel’s shirt, just below his right shoulder. He thinks that Gabriel might have been shot.

  When the ambulance has left the parking garage, Gary gets on the elevator to the main floor. He quickly walks through the lobby to the other set of elevators. He has to get up to Eva’s apartment and tell her what’s happened. He decides that it is something he needs to tell her in person and not over the telephone.

  When he gets to Eva’s apartment, he pounds on the door. “Eva, it’s Gary. Open the door.”

  The door swings up. The horrified look on Eva’s face lets him know that she is prepared for the worst.

  “Something’s happened, hasn’t it?” she asks, motioning for him to come into the apartment.

  “I found Gabriel next to his car. You were right, someone attacked him.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “I’m not sure. He had a pretty bad cut on his head for sure and maybe some other injuries. The paramedics didn’t really say much. They just left. They said they were taking him to University hospital.”

  “Oh my God, I have to get to the hospital. Thank you Gary for checking on him and letting me know what happened.”

  “Just doing my job. Listen, Gabriel is tough. All Navy guys are, right? He’s going to be fine.”

  “I hope so. I’m going to try and go to the hospital.”

  “I would go with you, but I can’t leave my post.”

  “I totally understand. Thank you for everything.”

  “Let me know what happens, okay.”

  “Definitely. Thanks again, Gary,” Eva says, closing the door behind him.

  He’s lost in his thoughts, as he makes his way back to the desk in the lobby. When the elevator doors open, he is surprised to see a man he doesn’t recognize standing at the desk.

 
“Hey, how did you get in here?” he asks. Gary is surprised when the man turns around and is pointing a gun at him.

  “Give me your keys and the code to the elevator right now,” the man snarls.

  Gary is frozen with fear. Pictures of his wife and kids flash before his eyes. He kicks himself for not being more careful. He should have checked the garage more carefully and called the police. The garage is the only way he can think of that this guy got in. He reluctantly gives the man the code to the elevator. His last thought is of Eva and how he needs to warn her, before he feels a burning in his chest and everything goes black.

  * * * * *

  Eva has her purse clutched tightly in her hand, as she stands in front of her apartment door. She has decided that whatever happens, she is going to push forward. She has to get to the hospital and make sure that Gabriel is okay. His attack is her fault. If it wasn’t for his involvement with her, he would be perfectly fine. The least she can do is be by his side at the hospital.

  His condition trumps her illness. She vows not to let her agoraphobia stop her.

  She takes a deep breath, before she opens the door. When she opens the door, she

  doesn’t have much time to react to what she sees. Ryan Collins stands on the other side.

  She tries to shut the door, but he pushes it open, knocking her to the floor. She

  gets up and tries to run, but he grabs her. She watches him lift his hand that holds a pistol. She feels a pain in the side of her head. She reaches up and touches the area where she feels pain and brings back fingers covered in blood.

  She hears herself say Ryan’s name. She watches him lift his hand and she feels him hit her again. She feels her body go limp, as she collapses to the floor. Everything feels like it is moving in slow motion. Her vision starts to go blurry.

  “Please don’t,” she says, as Ryan brings his hand down again. She feels a very sharp pain, before she loses consciousness.