She stared at the blinking cursor. Lacey was waiting for a reply, like I’m on my way, or Be there in a few minutes. No way would she expect what Gabby was doing. Nor would she understand why.
She glanced out the window and took a moment to compose the words in her head. Explaining why she had left without a word to anyone was going to be difficult. Especially since she had no good explanation other than she’d had to leave.
Giving a mental shrug, she texted, I left the hospital. I’m on my way home.
What??????!!!!!
The multiple exclamation and question marks almost made her smile. Lacey had a tendency to overuse punctuation to emphasize a point.
As she texted her answer, she imagined the exclamation marks were going to get another major workout soon.
I need to check on Chamo. And I need to go back to work.
There was no answer for the longest time, and Gabby didn’t think she’d ever felt lower. Lacey would be hurt and disappointed in her. But she had told the truth. She was worried for Chamo. He probably thought she had abandoned him. She knew he was healthy—she had called the clinic to make sure of that—but she wanted to get him out of there as soon as possible. He was her family.
And she did need to get back to work. Her employer knew what had happened and was understanding of her absence, but she had a business to run. Gabby had been gone for three days. She needed to return and do her job.
Finally, her phone buzzed again, with a two-word text: I see.
The mild response hurt worse because she could practically feel Lacey’s disappointment in her. And no, Lacey didn’t see. She couldn’t. Nor was there any way for Gabby to explain without spilling her guts and sounding like the pitiful person she was.
Gabby could think of nothing else to say. She powered off her phone and slid it into her backpack. Then, pushing her seat back into a reclining position, she closed her eyes and let the tears flow.
***
Jonah glared at his sister. They’d finally gotten the frigging tube out of his throat, and though he still felt like reconstituted dog crap, at least he was able to talk. “What the hell do you mean she left? How could she just leave? She’s injured. There’s no way in hell they’d release her.”
“Other than the wound on her arm, which just required a few stitches, she’s fine.”
“She sure as hell isn’t fine. She was attacked, drugged. She’s got bruises. Hell, there’s no telling what she went through with that bastard.”
“He didn’t rape her. She told me he barely put his hands on her before she was beating him to a pulp.”
Lacey sounded inordinately proud of that fact, and in spite of his anger, Jonah was, too.
“I still don’t get why she would leave.”
Lacey shrugged. “She signed herself out. She said she needed to get back home, to Chamo and her job.”
Just like that? While he’d been unconscious, she’d walked out on him? Why? What the hell had happened to make her abandon him this way?
He didn’t think he would have been more surprised if she’d come into the room and shot him point-blank. Her leaving made no sense. She was finally free. Finally out of danger. Why the hell would she leave?
He glared accusingly at his sister. “Did you say or do anything that would make her leave?”
Eyes flashing with temper, Lacey returned his glare with her own. “Did I do or say something? No, I did not. How about you, big brother?”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her. If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been unconscious.”
“Which is about the only time you don’t piss someone off.”
“Thanks, Lacey. Your sympathy is so heartwarming.”
She huffed out a long sigh. “I know you’re a hero, Jonah. No one, especially me, would dispute that. But how many times have you hurt Gabby and she took it? Maybe she’s had enough.”
“I didn’t hurt her on purpose. I wanted her to have a chance to live.”
“What about what she wanted? All of her life, she’s been manipulated and told what to do, what to think. Maybe she’s tired of people telling her what she needs.”
“She knows why I did it.”
“Does she?” Lacey shook her head. “Jonah, she’s in love with you. How many times has she told you that and you rejected her? And before you interrupt to tell me she only thinks she’s in love with you, let me stop you there. Gabby isn’t a flighty, immature person. She knows her own mind, her own heart. She knows what she wants.
“For heaven’s sake, she instigated her own abduction, arranged for her brother to be brought to justice, and fought two killers, one of whom she beat the ever-living shit out of.”
Putting her hand on her hip in a pose she’d learned when she was just a little girl, she batted her lashes at him. “So what do you think, brother mine? Mightn’t you be a tad bit of a know-it-all, tight-ass, arrogant jerk?”
“You got a nasty mouth on you, Lacey Lou.”
“Like I’ve always said, I learned from the best.”
He rested his head on the pillow and thought about what he had done…and what Gabby had put up with from him. His intentions had been honorable, but Lacey was right. He had treated Gabby as if she didn’t know her own mind. The woman had proven herself over and over again. She was strong, brave, tenacious, and intelligent. A warrior woman with a gentle, loving heart.
“Hand me my phone.”
A smile of triumph lighting her face, she opened the cabinet beside his bed and handed him his phone. He glanced at it and groaned. “Battery’s dead.”
“Here. Use mine.” She handed her phone to him and stood there expectantly.
“A little privacy would be nice.”
“Fine. But you’d better say nice things, or I’ll have Wyatt kick your ass for me.”
“Why Wyatt?”
An odd expression flickered across her face before she caught herself and gave a careless shrug. “Why not?”
“Something going on with you two?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She nodded toward the phone in his hand. “Get to calling. She had to get a new phone, but her number is the top one on my recent calls list.”
She scooted out the door before he could question her further. Wyatt and his baby sister? No way in hell.
Pushing aside that worry for now, he punched the call icon and waited for Gabby to answer. He told himself he knew what he was going to say, but when the call went immediately to her voice mail, he choked.
“Gabby. It’s Jonah. Where are you? Why’d you leave?” And then, because he apparently didn’t sound enough like an asshole, he added, “I can’t believe you just walked out without saying goodbye.”
Jonah ended the call before he could say more stupid things. Why did his vocabulary always turn caveman-style with her? Hell, was it any wonder she left?
Lacey stuck her head back inside the room. “Well?”
“Got her voice mail.”
“That’s not good. You suck at leaving messages.”
“You’re so good for my ego, Lacey.”
She grinned. “Thanks. I try.”
“Do me a favor?”
“What?”
“Tell Justice I need to see him.”
“What are you going to do about Gabby?”
“I’m going to let her make her own decision this time.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, I didn’t say I was going to play fair.”
Closing his eyes, he smiled, the plans already coming together in his mind.
The door squeaked open. Jonah sat up expectantly and then hissed out a pain-filled breath. Dammit, that hurt.
Eli stood at the open door. “Heard you were awake and causing an uproar.”
“It’s the Slater curse,” Lacey said.
“Ha. That’s the least of the Slater curses.” Jonah croaked the last word, wincing at the pain. Maybe he should rest his voice awhile. When Justice arrived, he planned to do a lot of talking.
/>
“Mind if I talk to Jonah alone, Lace?” Eli asked.
“Not at all. It’ll save me from causing him more injury.” She glared at Jonah before she walked to the door. “Next time you call her, be nice.”
She walked out before he could say anything about her eavesdropping.
As Eli came closer, Jonah noted how relaxed and peaceful he looked. A little over a year ago, he’d looked like a completely different man, but then he’d met Kathleen and his entire life had changed.
“How’s Kathleen doing?”
“The bed rest is getting to her, but it won’t be too much longer. She insisted I come and check on you. We were both worried about you.”
“I’m fine. Could’ve been a lot worse.”
“Yeah, it could’ve. How are you feeling?”
“Like someone beat the hell out of me.”
“Well, there’s a reason for that.” He glanced down at his watch. “Mom’s flying in this afternoon. I’m going to pick her up at the airport.”
Jonah grimaced. “Guess I scared her a bit.”
“You scared all of us more than a bit.”
While he hated the reasons behind her coming, he would be happy to see his mother. It had been too long. And dammit, he wanted her to meet Gabby.
“Did you know Gabby left?”
“No, but based on what I’ve heard, I’m not surprised.”
“Apparently, I’m the only one who is.”
“You think she should’ve stuck around?”
Jonah dropped his head into the pillow with a sigh. “If you’re here to lecture me, save it. Lacey’s already laid into me.”
“Little sis does have a way with words, but I’m not here to lecture you.”
“Good.”
“I’m here to tell you I know exactly how you feel.”
“How’s that?”
Eli came closer. “We’ve skirted around this long enough. It’s time to bring out all the garbage in our family closet.”
Talking about his family’s dirty laundry was one of his least favorite pastimes.
“We’ve got some messed-up stuff.”
“Yes, we do. Question is, does it define us?”
Their oldest brother, Adam, was a reflection of Mathias, but the rest of his children were not. Eli was one of the most ethical people he had ever known. He’d worked his ass off trying to restore the Slater name and right the wrongs that had been done. Their sister, Lacey, was an intelligent, strong-willed person with a generous, giving heart.
And Jonah, despite his penchant for being an idiot about certain things, wanted to do the right thing.
“It’s time to let go of the past, Jonah.”
“I’m getting there.”
“It’s okay to be in love with another woman, too. Loving Gabriella doesn’t mean you loved Teri any less.”
“Thanks, but I’ve already come to that conclusion on my own.”
“Really? When?”
Hell if he knew. Maybe it was when he hadn’t known if Gabby was alive or dead. Or when he’d realized that Rudy Bianchi had taken her. And maybe it was the moment she’d passed out in his arms all those months ago. He’d just been too thickheaded to realize how damn lucky he’d gotten.
He had loved Teri, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t love Gabby, too. And he did love her. Every beautiful, stubborn, kindhearted, sweet inch of her. She had brought light back into his life and made him want to live again.
He felt a lightening of his chest and an easing of his spirit. Gabby deserved the best of everything, and Jonah was going to make sure she got it.
Whether she would include him in her plans was entirely up to her. He could only pray he hadn’t screwed up beyond her ability to forgive him.
Chapter Forty-eight
Three weeks later
Willoughby, Wisconsin
Standing on the balcony, Gabby looked down at the giant crowd of people and breathed in a sigh of almost giddy satisfaction. The sense of accomplishment from a job well done was a heady experience. She doubted she would ever get used to the feeling.
The art show for local artists was an annual event for the museum, but she had helped make the occasion one that people would talk about for months. Her organizational skills, combined with the knowledge acquired through her studies and travels, had helped turn the fundraiser into a rousing success.
Wouldn’t Luis roll over in his grave to know that the trips he had insisted she take every year had enabled her to be successful at her job? The irony was beyond amusing.
Thanks to Grey Justice, she had learned more about Luis Mendoza in the last few weeks than she had in a lifetime of being his granddaughter. Grey had told her he could get her as much information as she wanted. She decided she wanted to know it all. Every single solitary detail. Then and only then would she put the past where it belonged.
All the things she’d uncovered about Luis beforehand—the elopement with her grandmother, the enmity between him and Rudolph because of that—were very true. She had also known of his love of art. His home was filled with some of the finest pieces in the world. She just hadn’t known about his obsession. Apparently, there was a mini museum beneath the monstrosity of the Mendoza mansion. Treasures and one-of-a-kind pieces that only he and a chosen few were allowed to see. Those had been the true objects of his affection.
When the Rossis, her grandmother’s family, gifted Rudolph Bianchi a priceless sapphire as a token of their regret for what their daughter had done, a new obsession had been born. The one jewel that Luis couldn’t have had become what he wanted most. And Gabby had been his pawn.
The reasoning behind Rudolph Bianchi’s desire for a great-grandchild still wasn’t clear. Had he convinced himself he loved Flora Rossi so much that he had to have her great-grandchild? She would never know. Gabby speculated that his need was more about revenge than anything else. Rudolph had known about Luis’s weakness and had played him quite brilliantly. Holding something like that over his enemy’s head had to have been a boon to Rudolph’s damaged pride.
The priceless jewel had been found in a safe-deposit box Rudy had rented at a Rome bank. It had been returned to the Bianchi family, and rumor was, every person who had an ounce of Bianchi blood was trying to get their hands on it. Gabby couldn’t care less what happened to the stone or where it ended up. There was way too much heartache and pain attached to the thing.
She had also received word through Grey that her cousin Antonia wanted to talk with her, to apologize. She’d claimed that she had made the information on the artificial insemination easy to access in order to help Gabby. She’d said it was the only thing she could think to do. She confirmed what Gabby had surmised—that Luis had threatened Antonia’s family if she didn’t comply with his orders.
Knowing the truth helped, but she hadn’t yet been able to contact Antonia. Maybe someday she could. For right now she wanted to stay as far away from her relatives as possible.
Now that she knew all those things, she told herself she could finally move on. If only it were than easy.
Some things had been remarkably easy—such as becoming Gabriella Mendoza again. After explaining things to her employer and why she had used a false identity, the woman had been sympathetic with what she had endured and surprisingly enthralled by the drama.
The last couple of weeks had been the busiest of Gabby’s life, but not nearly enough to ease her heartache. Not a day had gone by that she didn’t question her decision to walk away from Jonah.
Lacey texted her frequently. If she had thought she would lose her friend over this, she had been happily mistaken. Jonah’s sister didn’t hold a grudge against her for leaving. In fact, whenever they talked about Jonah, Gabby was usually the one who defended him.
She knew Jonah. He was a good, honorable man. He had given her so much, and even if she never saw him again, she would love him forever. But he hadn’t followed her as she’d hoped. Maybe it had been a silly, immature thing to do, but she’d felt sh
e had no choice. She had told Jonah that she loved him, wanted to be with him. And in return he had insisted that her safety would be in jeopardy if they stayed together. All of that was over now. All the obstacles that had kept them apart were gone. But still he hadn’t come. She supposed that was her answer. Hurt like hell, but at least she knew the truth. He didn’t love her. Not the way she had dreamed and hoped.
She had a wonderful life to look forward to living. She would make her own way, her own choices. And while she would always grieve for what might have been, she would never for one moment regret what they had shared. Nor would she regret the love she had offered him.
Her only regret was he would never know the amazing life they could have had together.
“Gabby?”
She turned to see an older woman headed toward her. With iron-gray hair and a sweet, infectious smile, Dorothy Dockery, or Dee Dee, as she liked to be called, was the perfect employer. She had given her the opportunity of a lifetime. By trusting Gabby, she had allowed her to thrive and grow. The charity event was Dee Dee’s baby, but she had turned the bulk of the planning over to her assistant without a hint of hesitation.
“Did you need something, Dee Dee?”
“Yes…well, maybe. I’m not sure. There’s a deliveryman at the back door. He said he has more pieces to display. I don’t remember ordering anything else. And I’m not sure where we would put them at this late date.”
“That’s odd. I’m not expecting anything else.”
“Would you go chat with him, dear? He’s waiting in the storage room.”
“Of course.”
Glad to have something to do other than dwell on what could never be, Gabby squeezed Dee Dee’s hand and took off down the stairs. Halfway down, she jerked to a halt, all breath leaving her body. In a room filled with dozens of elegantly dressed people, one tall, lone, incredibly handsome man stood out. Dressed in a black tuxedo, his dark hair glistened beneath the chandelier lights. And his eyes…those beautiful, mesmerizing eyes the color of brilliant emeralds, gleamed up at her.
He had finally come.
Too Far Gone: A Grey Justice Novel Page 33