by Unknown
“My brother died about six months after Gabe moved out of the dorm they shared. He overdosed on a bad batch of heroin.” Riley gasped sharply and she reached across the table to grab Shane’s hand. He allowed her the brief contact but then pulled his hand free and ran it through his hair. A nervous habit he probably wasn’t aware he even did, she guessed.
“Gabe blamed himself. He thought that maybe if he’d just stayed in the dorm he could have prevented it somehow. I tried to tell him that Michael had had a problem for a while but I guess Gabe just couldn’t figure out how he’d missed the signs after all he’d been through with his mom.”
“Shane, I’m so sorry about your brother…” Riley stopped when she saw him close off from her. He clearly wanted to keep the focus on Gabe.
“I’m telling you this so you understand part of what makes Gabe tick. He only sees what people need from him, not what he needs from them. I think you saw that the other night.” She nodded even though she hadn’t been a hundred percent sure of that. “He’s worth all of it Riley. Whatever you two are going through, he’s worth it.”
“Don’t give up on him,” she said, a whisper of a smile ghosting her lips.
Shane smiled then, a little bit of light returning to his eyes. “You found my card.” She laughed and dropped her eyes.
“What’s with that card by the way? Just your name on the front and your number and email on the back?”
He studied her for a moment and she thought she saw a flicker of pain before he slapped a charming, but what she was quickly learning to recognize as fake, smile on his lips. “Gabe didn’t tell you about that, huh?”
“About what?”
“Shane Matthews, law student by day, escort by night.” He reached out his hand in mock greeting. It took a second for his words to sink in.
“Escort?” she breathed.
“My agency prefers that I throw the word “professional” in front of escort – that way they can charge more. I guess it doesn’t sound as slutty as hooker or whore either.” His words were joking but she didn’t miss his harsh tone.
“Why?”
“Why fuck women for money or why tell you?”
“Both.”
“I love women, I love money and I love sex.” He started fiddling with the coffee mug in front of him. “As for why I told you…I guess Gabe’s not the only one who’s fucked up.” He seemed to realize what he said because he dropped some money on the table and abruptly stood. “Thanks for the coffee. It sucked but I enjoyed the company.” And just like that he was gone.
Chapter 10
Riley finished topping off the champagne glasses on her tray and carefully lifted it and headed for the door that led to the ballroom. Nell’s daughter, Elise, was a caterer and when Nell had asked if she wanted to make some extra money helping Elise with some waitressing at a fancy fundraiser this weekend, she’d jumped at the opportunity. She absolutely could not spend another night at home waiting to see if she heard Gabe’s heavy footsteps on the stairs.
She hadn’t seen him in almost two weeks, even though his truck parked in different spots in the street proved he was still coming and going from his apartment. Shane’s visit had left her with more questions than answers and she kept hoping that the solution would just turn on inside her head like a lightbulb. But she kept going back to that night and hearing him tell her she should have just left him alone. She paused at the door in front of her and took a deep breath. She just had to get through one more hour and then she could go home and crawl into her bed and hope that Gabe wouldn’t invade her dreams tonight.
***
Gabe regretted his decision the second he walked through the main entryway of the ballroom. He probably would have turned around and left if the woman clinging to him didn’t have her long, fake, red nails digging into his arm. Serena Richards was a wealthy and recent divorcee and one of his regulars for the past three years.
After his talk with Shane a couple of weeks ago, Gabe had realized his best friend was right – this life was killing him and he needed out. After letting his agency know he was done, he started trying to figure out his plans going forward and inevitably his thoughts always brought him back to the same place – could he find a way to have Riley in his life? He wasn’t even sure she would be interested in pursuing something real with him but for once, he had started to hope. Then reality had come crashing down when his mom finally called him. He hadn’t heard from her since the night he’d been with Riley, but she’d used her one phone call to call him from jail and beg him to post her bond.
It had been on the tip of his tongue to tell her no, but then he heard her begging him; telling him she needed him and he heard her voice; not the addict’s voice but his mother’s voice. And just like that the little nugget of hope inside him flared to life that maybe this was the time she’d come back to him.
Within 24 hours he had her out of jail and back in rehab but all his cash was gone, every bit of it, and even then it had only paid for thirty days of rehab which he knew wouldn’t be enough. So when his agency called with a proposal from Serena Richards for one more night he had agreed. He could be Gabriel this one last time and then he’d leave him behind for good.
***
Gabe allowed Serena to parade him in front of her friends for more than an hour before he quietly suggested to her that they go. He’d agreed to going out in public with her because she was willing to pay a lot more to show off her little toy. But when he told her it was time to go, he made it clear that he was still in charge and he felt her quiver at the command in his voice. He turned off the disgust that automatically flared up in his belly. He didn’t want this or her and for a moment he hated his mother. If she just could have loved him more than the fucking drugs – Gabe shook himself mentally. When he felt Serena’s hand stroke his arm, he fought the urge to cast it off. He needed to get her out of here, he needed his rules. He all but dragged her towards the coat check so he could get her wrap.
He heard Riley before he saw her. She stepped through the door leading from the kitchen, a large tray of delicate champagne flutes in her hand. She was politely laughing at something a guest was saying to her. Her long hair was neatly braided and she was wearing black pants and a crisp white blouse. They were directly in her path and everything else played out as if in slow motion; the moment she recognized him, the surprise at seeing Serena draped all over him and then the stunning realization of what he was.
He didn’t know how she had figured it out but he could tell by her horrified look that she was beyond thinking he was simply out on a date with another woman. The tray slipped precariously, but she managed to catch it before anything spilled. She shoved it at the man who had just accepted the glass and he was too surprised to do anything but grab the tray as she turned and hurried back to the kitchen. He couldn’t stop himself from following her, ignoring Serena as she called out his name.
***
Gabriel. She heard the woman say his name at least three times before she finally managed to get out of hearing distance. She couldn’t see anything around her and all she heard was the blood pounding in her ears. The smell from the garbage in the alleyway assaulted her as she stepped outside, but she was grateful to be able to suck in any air at all because her chest felt like an anvil had been dropped on it. She let out a hysterical laugh as an image of that cartoon coyote popped into her mind. The roadrunner always managed to outsmart him but that stupid coyote kept trying no matter how many times something fell on him or ran him over.
That’s how Gabe found her, leaning against the alley wall, surrounded by garbage and laughing hysterically. The laughing grew harsh and then she was choking back sobs. When she saw him watching her silently, she put up her hand as if to stop him from approaching her even though he hadn’t moved or spoken. She turned on her heel and started walking away from him and towards the street. He followed her, his long stride easily covering twice as much ground as her furious little ones.
“Stay
away from me,” she said quietly when he eased in behind her. She sounded dejected, broken. He wished she would rage at him – it hurt just a little bit less.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said simply.
“It’s not here. It wouldn’t start this morning. I got a ride with Elise.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“Not your problem,” she muttered.
“I’ll give you a ride.”
“Go to hell Gabe. Oh, sorry, Gabriel.”
He grabbed her arm suddenly and pulled her around to face him. “Don’t call me that! I don’t ever want to hear you call me that!” She ripped her arm free.
“Don’t! You don’t ever get to touch me again!” She hit him in the chest with her small fist but he just grabbed it and forced her arm behind her back. When he did the same with the other, she stilled because any movement she made caused her to brush up against his hardening cock. She shouldn’t be turned on but she was. Her humiliation was absolute.
“Duty calls,” she said mockingly.
“Do you think this is for her?” he asked roughly as he ground his hips against hers. The fabric of her pants were rough against her clit when he slid against her again and she couldn’t stifle her gasp. His hands tightened on her wrists. “It’s been like this since the first day we met. Every woman after that…all I saw was you.” He’d realized his mistake as soon as the words had left his mouth. Her arousal fled and she struggled violently against him. Afraid he would inadvertently hurt her, he released her.
“Is that supposed to make me feel good Gabe?” she nearly shrieked. “Am I supposed to be glad you were thinking of me while you fucked other women for money?”
She started to storm off but he grabbed her arm again.
“I get it, you hate my fucking guts and you never want to see me again. Fine! But you are not walking home.” He dragged her around the side of the building and practically forced her into his truck. If anyone had seen them, they probably would have called the cops. Luckily, she hadn’t struggled against him. Once they were moving, he didn’t bother trying to continue the discussion. What could he say? He was an asshole and he’d gotten exactly what he deserved.
He felt his cell phone vibrate in his jacket pocket but he ignored it – his agency no doubt, trying to find out why they were getting irate calls from Serena Richards demanding her money back because he’d ditched her. Didn’t matter, he was done. He had nothing left to give – not to his work, not to escorting, not even to the young woman sitting stonily next to him, her eyes staring straight out the windshield.
He parked the truck in front of the apartment building. She was out of the car before he’d even put it in park. She marched up the stairs and he jogged to catch up with her. But when he reached the top step he saw she was stopped in front of her door. When he saw the reason, fear rushed through him and he reached for her arm and pulled her behind him. Her door was partially open, the door frame clearly jimmied.
“Stay behind me,” he said firmly and was glad when she didn’t argue.
He heard her gasp when they entered the apartment. It was completely trashed. Grabbing her hand he pulled her along behind him while he made a quick sweep of the place to make sure it was empty. Reaching for his cell phone he dialed the police and while he was providing her address, he saw her turn back to go into the living room. He followed and sucked in a breath when he saw what she was staring at. The word “cunt” was written in red spray paint across one of the walls. Her couch was ripped, the pretty sheet she’d used to cover the ugly piece of furniture was shredded. Her TV had been slammed against the floor and the screen was shattered. The few books she’d had were ripped and he saw pieces of ceramic all over the floor – knickknacks probably, things that had enough sentimental value to her that she’d made room in her few moving boxes for them.
Just about nothing had been left untouched. Dishes and glasses were shattered all over the kitchen. Even her fridge had been emptied and trashed. The brief look he had of her bedroom indicated her belongings in there hadn’t fared any better. As he spoke with the dispatcher, she disappeared into her bedroom. When she didn’t come back out he went looking for her.
***
It was too much. There was no way she could keep it together anymore. The few things she had of value were in pieces or torn to shreds. She’d lost Gabe too. It was just too much.
“Riley,” Gabe said quietly behind her. She flinched at how loud his voice sounded in the silence. Or maybe it was because she was drifting away in her head, trying to escape it all. Maybe she could just float away and when she came back it would all be normal again. The bed slumped when Gabe’s weight dropped down next to her.
“Is that your go bag?” he asked softly, motioning to the black backpack in her hands.
“Uh, yeah, it was pushed pretty far back in the closet on the top shelf – I guess he missed it.”
“The police will be here soon. Why don’t we go wait for them at my place.” His gentle voice was going to kill her. It was hard to be angry at Gabe when he was trying to take care of her like he always did.
“No, that’s okay, I’ll just stay here. You can go – thanks,” she said, still dazed.
“Honey, I’m not leaving you here by yourself,” he said as he pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She was quiet for a long time and then finally nodded.
“Okay.”
***
Gabe took her icy hand in his and led her from the apartment. She had a death grip on her backpack and when he tried to take it from her, she pulled it protectively into her arms. He sat her down on the couch and went to get her a soda. She numbly did as he told her and drank the whole thing down. He wanted to pull her into his arms and reassure her that he would fix everything, but he knew the gesture wouldn’t be welcomed.
The police arrived within ten minutes of his call and he stayed by her side as she quietly explained what they’d come home to. When the cops asked her if she knew who had done it, she shook her head but said, “It may have been my ex.” She motioned over the shoulder at the slur written on the wall. “He called me that when I left him.” Rage burned through Gabe at the possible new threat to her. “I contacted the place I used to work back home last week to give them my address so they could send me my last check – he might have been able to talk them into telling him where I was.”
“You might want to check her car,” Gabe said to the officer closer to him. “She said it wouldn’t start today – he might have tampered with it.”
Riley let out a sharp breath - she clearly hadn’t made the connection - and he guessed that she was starting to think along the same lines as him. Maybe Paul had been planning something – maybe he needed to make sure she couldn’t leave or that she’d be forced to go somewhere on foot. He was glad when the cops finished up and said they could go. He needed Riley safe in his apartment where he could get between her and any threat. She’d been holding her backpack like a lifeline the whole time the cops had been questioning her. When he tugged at it, she looked up at him as if he were trying to pull off a limb.
“Honey, your bag’s safe, okay? Go take a shower and I swear it will be right here on the couch when you get done.” She finally released the bag and he dropped it on the couch. He led her into the bathroom and turned the shower on. “Do you need help getting undressed?” The question seemed to shake her out of her funk because she quickly shook her head. He smiled and said, “Okay, go ahead and get in the shower. I’m going to leave you something to wear on the counter here.” He tapped the bathroom counter and she nodded in understanding.
He searched his bedroom for something for her to wear and finally settled on a pair of boxers and a sweatshirt. They would be too big for her but he figured it was better than the catering uniform she had on. He checked his watch – she’d been in there for fifteen minutes. He kept himself busy by getting his bed ready for her to sleep in and snagged an extra pillow and blanket from the bedroom closet so he coul
d sleep on the couch in the living room. He’d much rather be in his bed with her wrapped in his arms, but he doubted she’d go for that. Checking his watch again, he grabbed the clothes and went to the bathroom. The water was still running so he let himself into the steam filled room.
“Riley?” When she didn’t answer he put the clothes down and pushed the shower curtain back. She was sitting with her back against the wall, her legs drawn up tight, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. She hadn’t bothered to remove any of her clothes and he felt his heart break into a million pieces when he heard her softly crying. Turning the water off, he grabbed a towel and scooped her out of the tub. He carried her to the couch and sat down with her on his lap. She wrapped herself around him and he covered her with the towel.
“It’s all gone,” she said unevenly as he felt the tears slide down onto his neck from where her cheek was pressed against him. He was soaking wet and could feel the chill of her body against his.
“I’m going to fix it,” he promised although he knew he couldn’t fix everything. He held her for a few more minutes as he awkwardly tried to dry her off with the towel. When she finally relaxed against him, he sighed in relief. He looked down and saw that she wasn’t asleep, but the day’s events were definitely starting to catch up to her.
He stood with her in his arms and went to the bedroom. On the way, he snagged another dry towel from the bathroom and dumped the wet one on the floor. Once he got her to the bedroom, he set her on her feet next to his bed and started unbuttoning the white blouse she was wearing. Her eyes were glazed over so he knew she wasn’t going to fight him on this. He stripped her quickly and efficiently and covered her with the sweatshirt and shorts. He wasn’t sure what to do about her hair which was still braided so he left it alone and tucked her into bed.
Her eyes had drifted shut while he was arranging the covers, but when he reached for the light next to the bed to turn it off, he heard her voice.