by Rhonda Shaw
“Gabrielle!” Danny emerged from the trees, but then stopped in his tracks and held up one hand. “G, put the gun down.”
“No.” I didn’t take my eyes off Terrell and his smug grin. “No, I won’t let him continue to do this to us.”
Terrell chuckled with a casual glance over his shoulder. “It’s all right, D. It’s not like the little priss is gonna pull the trigger. She’ll hurt herself before she hurts—”
A loud bang interrupted him, shock passing over his face before he dropped his gaze from me to the bullet hole in his chest. He stumbled to the right before crumbling down to the ground, a gurgling noise coming from him…and then there was nothing.
~ Danny ~
I ignored Terrell and the others filing in behind me, and stepped toward Gabrielle, keeping my eyes trained on her. She was ghastly white, and her entire body shook as every emotion overtook her. She kept a death grip on the gun as she stared in disbelief at Terrell’s body a few feet away.
I laid my hand on hers and pushed the pistol down to her side. “It’s okay, baby. Look at me.” I waited until her wild eyes found mine, her breaths coming in short, hard pants. “It’s okay. I’m here. Give me the gun, baby.”
Her gaze flew to Terrell again and back. “I killed him.”
“Yes, you did. Give me the gun, baby.”
She let go, and I held on to her as her knees gave out. Lowering us to the ground, I wrapped myself around her as she trembled violently. I continued to cradle her, while leaning over to kiss Dani’s forehead as she bawled.
“It’s okay, baby. We’ve got you. You’re safe,” I said, trying to keep a hold on my emotions even though my eyes watered. “Someone get over here with a knife to cut some rope.”
Gabrielle sobbed as she draped herself around Dani, while I embraced them both, finally letting my tears fall. My family was in my arms and they were safe, and that’s all I ever wanted.
Chapter 34
~ Danny ~
We returned home early the next morning, after a long night at the police station and the hospital, both Dani and Gabrielle getting attention to their injuries. Gabrielle had said little, only answering the questions the detectives, or the doctors, had asked her. I was afraid to push her, afraid of forcing her over whatever edge she was teetering.
I carried a sleeping Dani to her room, and Gabrielle and I both tucked her into bed after stripping off her clothes. She’d passed out in the car on the way home, exhaustion ruling over any fear she might have still been experiencing. I was thankful for the blindfold that had prevented her from witnessing her mother killing Terrell, but there was no doubt nightmares lurked in her mind from the experience that we would have to work through. Even I would not be immune to having them.
After checking on Dani one last time, cracking her door open and leaving the hallway light on, I stepped into our bedroom. I’d expected to hear the shower running and Gabrielle trying to wash off the night, but instead, I found her sitting on the end of the bed, staring at the floor.
I sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. “How are you holding up?”
She jerked, like she just realized I was there, and shoved to her feet. Her hair was a tangled mess, with blood matted from the cut on her head. Dirt covered her face, and her eyes were bloodshot. “Did you know?”
I frowned. “Know what?”
“About Terrell?” Her voice rose. “Did you know about Terrell and not tell me?”
“I did, and I tried to tell you.”
“When?” She ran a shaky hand through her hair. “When did you try to tell me, Danny?”
“Gabrielle, honey. Let’s not get worked up—”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
I stopped and gaped at her when she screeched at me.
“I’m sick and tired of you always thinking you know what’s best for me.”
“I don’t. I swear, I don’t.”
She didn’t hear me. “Every time, look where that’s gotten us.” She paced away from me and shoved her hair out of her face again. “Is it ever going to end, Danny?” She spun back. “Huh? Is it ever going to end, or are there more skeletons in your closet that we’ll have to deal with?”
I reached out to touch her arm, but she backed away. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say but I’m sorry.”
“You can’t, can you?”
“What?”
“You can’t promise this won’t happen again. Who else, Danny? Who else have you pissed off enough that they are going to try to kill your daughter?”
I clenched my jaw. “No one.”
“No one? Can you promise that?” She shoved my shoulder. “Can you?”
“No!” I took a deep breath and blew it out my nose. “No, I can’t, but I don’t think—”
She rushed past me. “I don’t care what you think. I want a promise!”
Gabrielle disappeared into the walk-in closet, and soon, the sound of materials moving around carried out. I stood in the doorway, the scene in front of me filling me with alarm. “What are you doing?”
She knelt on the floor, stuffing clothes into a bag. “I can’t do this. I can’t live like this. I can’t live your life. I thought I could, but I can’t. I can’t handle the spotlight, the attention, and I can’t handle always wondering if Dani is safe.”
“Gabrielle, please.” I grabbed her arms and turned her toward me. “We can work through this. You’re upset about what happened—"
She pushed me away. “Of course, I’m upset! I killed someone, Danny! I shot him! I will never forget this. Hell, I may go to jail because of this.” Her eyes watered. “This is so messed up.”
Remorse and guilt surged through me, and I wished I could turn back time so I was pulling the trigger and not her. But most of all, there was shame. Shame that she’d done my dirty work for me, and would suffer because of it.
“I know, baby, I know, and it guts me that you had to. It was self-defense, and I know they’ll see it that way. You don’t need to worry about that.” I reached out a hand, but then let it drop. “But let’s not make any rash decisions tonight because of this. Let’s just go to sleep and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “No. I need to get away from you right now.”
My eyes widened, and I stepped back, deep hurt causing every bone in my body to ache, my throat to tighten, and my head to throb. “You need to get away…from me?”
“I can’t think straight when I’m around you!” The tears spilled over and she covered her face with her hands. “Danny, I’m crazy about you. You know that. I love you with every fiber of my being, but…but…I can’t deal with this.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I just need to get away. I’m taking Dani and we’re getting out of here. Please don’t stop me. I’ll be in contact.”
She hurried past me out of the closet, dragging the suitcase behind her. I wanted to give chase, beg her to stay, but it would do no good. She asked for space, and I would give it to her, even though it almost killed me and left me breathless. Besides, what could I say to change anything? Nothing. Everything she’d said had been right. I couldn’t promise their absolute safety, and I’d done nothing to change anything, letting my stupid pride get in the way. But I refused to live without my girls in my life, so if she needed time, then she’d have it. But in the meantime, I would give her everything she’d asked for. I would find a way to fulfill the promise she wanted so she’d come back.
She had to come back.
~ Gabrielle ~
I stretched out on the bed in the hotel room Dani and I were sharing with Kat. Her apartment held too many bad memories, and neither of us wanted to go back there for the time being. Kat was even considering finding a new place, but she’d deal with that later. We’d holed ourselves up at a nice establishment for two weeks and pampered ourselves on Danny’s money. It was the least he could do, in my opinion.
Exhaustion was a heavy weight on me; sleep a distant friend. Every time I clo
sed my eyes, I relived that horrible night, from the absolute terror of trying to find Dani to the gut-clenching moment when I’d pulled the trigger. Once I’d gotten past the horror of what I’d done and the emotional aftermath, there was no regret because God knows Terrell was certainly going to kill us, there was no doubt about that. I would have to live with this decision for the rest of my life—one I would make again, if faced with the same situation—and I hoped no legal repercussions came from it.
I didn’t blame Danny for what happened. The situation with Terrell had always had a life of its own, and he’d done everything possible to get us away from it. But I blamed him for not trying to change other things; like showing the world what a kind, loving father he was, and stop all the negative commentaries and ridiculous accusations the press threw at us, but he refused to do so. It was a waste of his time, according to him.
And Dollar. He had to do something about Dollar. The Danny I knew and loved would never just sit back and let others threaten his loved ones. The Danny I knew and loved would do everything in his power to protect us.
I sighed. I had hoped the time away from him would make the answers clearer, but it hadn’t. If anything, after two weeks, everything was cloudier. I was in a no-win situation. I couldn’t live with Danny, and I couldn’t live without him. I missed him so much I ached, but being with him meant having to deal with things I didn’t want to. Every day, Dani asked when we were going home to see Daddy, and every time, I had to ignore the deep sadness in her blue eyes when I didn’t answer.
I glanced down at my cell phone where it sat next to me on the bed. Kat had brought it with her, having found it under the table in her apartment. Still to be cleared were the notifications that Danny had called and left a voicemail, as well as texted. I had yet to listen to his message or read the texts, but I knew what they were—his warning that Terrell was out there. He’d tried to tell me, had kept that promise. He’d also respected my wishes of leaving me alone, as he hadn’t contacted me since I’d stormed out of the house. He was giving me the time I’d asked for, even though it had to be driving him crazy.
The door opened, and Kat and Dani walked in.
“We’re back,” Kat announced.
“What did you find?”
Dani held up bags of chips and candy bars. “This!”
“Oh! That looks like a very healthy snack.” I reached out and snatched a bag of potato chips. “I think these are mine.”
Dani giggled as she dropped everything on the bed, except for a bag of cheese balls. “Can I watch TV?”
“Sure, baby.”
She planted herself in the connecting living room and turned on the television. Kat set a bottle of water on the nightstand next to me, and then sat on the other bed.
“She asked me if she could use my phone,” Kat told me, giving me a knowing look.
“I know, I know. I should let her talk to him.”
“You need to do something, Gabrielle. You can’t stay here forever.”
I tossed the greasy chips aside, whatever appetite I’d had, lost. “I just don’t know what to do.”
Kat sat back against the headboard and plucked a pretzel out of the bag she was holding. “What do you want?”
“I want Dani to be safe.”
“And you don’t think she will be with Danny?”
“I thought so, but as long as we’re in the spotlight, I don’t see how she can be. Even if it isn’t someone from Danny’s past, there are plenty of people out there who feel it’s their place to ‘protect’ Dani and me, and he won’t do anything about it.”
“What do you expect him to do?”
“I don’t know. Something!” I ignored Kat’s slanted look. “Tell people to shut up; anything more than nothing.”
“Now, you didn’t ask my opinion or anything, but I think he’s doing about as much as he can.”
“Of course, you do.” I scrubbed my face in frustration. “Sometimes I wish we could go back to the way we were. Danny not famous, and it’s just me and him. Before the incident in front of the ballet studio, when everything between us was perfect.”
“Now, you don’t believe that silliness, do you?”
I scowled. “What do you mean ‘silliness’? It’s true.”
“If that was the case, there’d be no Dani. And you really want Danny to suffer the way he did? He’s made so much of himself, and you’d want to take that away from him?”
I cursed myself for my selfish wish. Kat was right. Danny’s life had been rough for him; and, not that it wasn’t rough now, but it was different, and it was a better life for him.
“Of course not.”
“You knew being with him would be tough, given his new life, but you still went for it. And why?”
“Because I’m an idiot.”
“No, because you love him, and he loves you. You guys were meant for each other. I’ve always believed that.”
“I’m scared,” I whispered.
“And you have every right to be, with what happened, but that doesn’t mean you should walk away from him and what you guys have. You have a wonderful family. Don’t break it up because there are things in Danny’s life he has no control over. He’s trying. You know he is.”
I did, but somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten it.
“Give him a chance to make this right.”
“Yeah, but what? He can’t promise me something he has no control over.”
“Hey!” Dani’s voice carried in from the other room. “It’s Daddy.”
“What do you mean, honey?” Kat asked as she scooted off the bed toward the living room with me in tow.
Dani pointed at the TV, where a news anchor was reading a story about Danny, his picture hanging in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
“In Entertainment news this evening, we have a statement from the rapper, DOA.”
The screen shifted, and text filled the display.
“To everyone who believes my private life is your business, it isn’t. To everyone who believes it’s their place to tell Gabrielle and me how to live our lives and raise our daughter, it isn’t. Gabrielle and Dani are my life, but they’re my private life, and I refuse to share them with my professional life. I’m sorry if this is difficult for some to understand, but I refuse to allow them to fall under the same scrutiny as my music.
Many people have a difficult time believing I could be a good father, and to them I say, I don’t care. As long as I know I am, and Gabrielle believes I am, that’s all that matters. But Gabrielle wanted me to do one thing, and I’m going to do it only because she asked it of me. I’m going to share a private moment with you in hopes that it will serve as proof that I am being the best father I know how to be.”
A video started, taken by someone’s cell phone, most likely Big T’s, because I had never seen it before. Music played in the background, and Danny held Dani in his arms. They both sang along at the top of their lungs, dancing with each other, and the happiness in both their eyes was unmistakable. Gone were the walls, gone were the hard edges, and all of Danny’s true emotions were on display.
“Oh, girl.” Kat put a hand over her mouth and her eyes filled. “That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s me!” Dani pointed at the screen with a big grin on her face.
The screen went back to the text and the end of Danny’s statement.
“I understand everyone is curious and interested because you’re my fans, but please give us the privacy and respect we deserve. Thank you.”
My eyes overflowed. I’d asked Danny to do something, and he did. He’d bared himself to the world, showed his softer side, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. He had always promised he would do whatever I wanted, would give me whatever I needed, and he’d come through again. Why I ever doubted that—doubted him—I had no idea. But what I did know was I would not lose my family again.
Turning away from the television, I headed back into the bedroom.
>
“Where you going?” Kat asked.
I grabbed the suitcase and started packing. “Back where I belong, where Dani belongs. Back with Danny.”
Chapter 35
~ Danny ~
I sat in the dark living room, nursing two fingers of whiskey. My house was empty, silent; the way I wanted it, but I’d never been so alone. My heart ached, and a constant dull pain throbbed behind my eyes.
I missed my girls.
I’d promised to give Gabrielle time, even though it was a struggle not to pick up the phone and call her, or drive over to the hotel that had showed up on my credit card. I wanted to give her the time she needed, but the wait was killing me. She had to come back because she wanted to, not because I begged her.
I swirled the glass and contemplated a sip. I shouldn’t be drinking, I didn’t want to give in to the addiction I fought against daily, but I was finding it hard to care anymore. I had nothing, so what did it matter.
Two weeks had passed and still no word from her. I’d tried to do what I could, worked on a statement with my publicist, saying all the things she’d wanted me to say. I had no idea when it would air, or if she would see it, and I was unconvinced it would work. If it had, she’d be here by now, right?
I’d even tried to find Dollar, but so far, I’d come up empty-handed. It still hurt, knowing someone I’d trusted with my life had done those things out of sheer greed. I felt sick any time I thought about it and had moved quickly to remove Dollar’s name from everything, refusing to be associated with him anymore, and cut off his earnings from my music. I hoped never to cross paths with him again, and if we did…well, he should be ready for paybacks. Gabrielle was right. We weren’t safe if Dollar was walking around feeling jilted. If he’d stooped to the level of working with Terrell, then who knew what else he would do.