GABRIEL (Killer Book 2)

by Capps, Bonny

  I sigh as I stand and look over the table. It looks perfect.

  Dammit. What in the fuck am I doing?

  Giving normal life a try.

  But what in the fuck is normal about this? Dani is my captive. I will have to eventually say goodbye to her like all of the others… don’t I?

  I look across the room and see Bailey’s ice blue eyes locked onto the platter of food.

  “Bailey, stay.”

  His eyes flit from me to the platter once more before he lays his head on his paws and sighs.

  I smile at him before turning and making my way up the stairs.

  14

  "It tries to think for me. It says it will kill me if it gets me."

  -Kenneth Erskine

  I exhale as I look over my reflection. He stopped in and gave me this black dress. It’s sleeveless and ends right above my knees. He also gave me some black heels to match along with a little bag of makeup. I’m not sure what he’s up to, but my heart flutters in anticipation.

  I turn and look over my back. The scars are a light pink from the lashings, and I still have puncture wounds from the hooks.

  I still crave his touch. Whether it’s painful or tender, his hands are my salvation. I wish that I could say that I have simply succumbed to Stockholm syndrome, but it is so, so much more complicated than that.

  Over the time that I’ve been here, he’s brought out a raging river of emotions within myself. As the feelings collided, they became their own monster. The thing that he’s created within my soul isn’t anything but that, and it seems that the more that I hate him, the more that I’ve come to love him as well.

  The day that I turned seventeen, my father vanished. I felt so alone. The world was such a new place when he wasn’t there to hold me down. It was scary. I was like a brand new calf, wobbling on unsteady legs as life shone around me. For the first time in my life, there were no beatings and no closets, but I missed him. Even after everything he’d done. After seventeen years of surviving, I thought that my escape would be different. However, the one that had trapped me for all of those years was also the one who had abandoned me, and it stung. I had always longed for his affection, for his love and acceptance – but then, any hope that I had was yanked from my fingertips as I tried to hold on.

  So, I did the only thing that took my mind away from the madness. I sewed, I designed, and I created a name for myself. I was sick of being referred to as “that poor, abused girl”. I wanted to detach myself from that life, because I didn’t want my father to define me.

  I also punished myself in the process. He created a self-loathing masochist.

  I didn’t date, I wouldn’t allow a man to touch me. I’m twenty-two, and the only other person that I’ve ever slept with was my father who raped me repeatedly. How sad is that? How sick is that?

  I just couldn’t allow myself to get close to anyone, because even my own mother ran away from me. She simply didn’t care, and I figured that if my own mother couldn’t care about me, then neither could anyone else.

  But Gabriel, with his conflicting eyes and his powerful hands, he can love me. He may not yet, but he’s broken, just like me. We each have tiny fragments of our broken hearts spread throughout our fractured souls. We can help each other piece together the pieces.

  The door creaks open, and my eyes find his.

  “You look beautiful.” He says quietly as he approaches me.

  I smile when he places his fingers under my chin. “Thank you.”

  As I look into his eyes, I see apprehension. It seems that this is out of the ordinary for him.

  “What are we doing?” I whisper into the inch of space between our lips.

  His lips curl up slightly as he runs his thumb over my chin, “A date. I’m afraid that I selected the food and the wine.”

  I nod. “Alright.”

  He grabs my hand and leads me down the stairs. My eyes light up when I see the cozy fire glowing. A candle is in the center of the table, and there are chocolate covered strawberries, cheese, crackers and wine.

  I am so transfixed on the setting that I don’t realize that he’s left my side. A chill runs down my spine when I feel the soft petals of a rose move up my arm and then to my collarbone.

  “Thank you.” I say softly as I take the rose from him.

  I hiss when a lone thorn pricks my thumb.

  Gabriel immediately grasps my hand and takes my thumb into his mouth. He gently sucks the blood from the wound, his eyes never leaving mine.

  When he removes my finger, he presses it to his lips. “I want to taste everything that you have to offer me, Dani. Your blood, your mouth, your skin…” He leans in and whispers into my ear, “Your pussy.”

  I gasp as I press my chest against his. His mouth lingers above my ear, and his breaths fall over my neck.

  “Come.” He murmurs, taking my hand in his, he leads me to the table.

  I curl my legs under me as I sit beside the coffee table.

  “Bailey, go.” He says, and the husky hops up and immediately leaves us.

  I smile as I watch his wagging tail disappear into the kitchen. “He’s a good dog.”

  Gabriel sits beside me and begins pouring our wine. “He is.”

  Handing me my glass, he holds his up. “Should we toast?”

  I watch as his brow furrows. It’s as if he’s expecting rejection at any time.

  “To you and I, two lost souls.” I say.

  He tilts his head as I clink my glass against his and take a sip.

  He doesn’t drink his.

  He sighs as he places his glass on the table and wraps his arms around his knees.

  I place my glass beside his and scoot a little closer. “Did I say something?”

  He chuckles as he shakes his head, “Don’t compare me to you. I’m not lost.”

  Sighing, I place my hands in my lap and bow my head.

  “You keep pushing me away.”

  He laughs. “Pushing you away? You’re a captive in my home. You should be in the dungeon, just like the others.”

  I shake my head as my eyes meet his. “You took me from my home and brought me here. I didn’t… choose this.”

  I see his jaw tense. “I did, didn’t I? I’m a fucking monster, yet I get you wet. Don’t I? I bet you’re dripping wet when you think of me burying myself in you. Do you think about my mouth? Do you think about what it would feel like if I licked your clit until you came?”

  Tears are now streaking my face. My heart stings as he spits his venom at me.

  “Answer me!” He roars, making my entire body jump.

  “Yes.” I choke out between sobs.

  “What was that? I can’t hear you Dani.” He growls.

  My eyes snap to his as he crawls over me, his nose brushing against mine. “What does that make you?”

  I grit my teeth as my back slowly meets the soft rug below me, “A monster. Just like you.”

  He nods slowly. “That’s right. A monster, just like me.”

  His lips find mine and I sigh as his touch relieves the anger that’s he’s invoked. He reaches behind me and begins unzipping the dress, my back arches as he pulls it from my body. I’m trembling with need as he runs his hand over my chest, I’m sure that he can feel my rapidly beating heart beneath his touch.

  “Your skin flushes when I touch you.” He pauses as his fingers drift over the valley of my breasts, “Right here.”

  He leans down and peppers kisses along my collarbone, causing a moan to roll off of my lips.

  “You’re so small and fragile, Dani.” He murmurs against my skin as his lips descend to my nipples, where he licks and sucks gently. I feel like his touch alone will make me rip apart at the seams, but he doesn’t stop there.

  He leaves a trail of kisses until he’s where I long for him the most.

  “You’re so strong. But when you’re with me, your inhibitions vanish. You revert back to that poor little girl, except you would trade love for pain, so long as I c
an make you feel. I will make you feel in more ways than one, Dani.”

  I gasp when he lowers his mouth onto my clit, taking it into his mouth, he swirls his tongue round and round. Our eyes never leave each other’s as I reach down and bury my fingers into his hair, keeping him close. I want to push him away, yet pull him closer. I want to crawl inside of him.

  He is my devil, and I am his servant. His darkness is swallowing me whole, and if I have to live the rest of my life in the nether, so be it.

  The connection that we have is vile and wrong on so many different levels. My old life claws at my mind, but my new one chases it off.

  “Gabriel.” I rasp as he sinks his large finger into my opening, his tongue continuing to make my body feel as though it’s on fire.

  When he hooks his finger within the walls of my pussy, I explode around him as a scream escapes my tongue.

  I need him now more than ever. Though my body is spent, I want him now. I want him close. I want him mine.

  It’s as if he reads my mind because he quickly crawls back over me as my desperate fingers rip at his clothes. I want him bare, his skin against mine. I want him to fuck me hard with no restraint. I want to feel his cock fill me entirely, and his come bathe me as he claims me.

  His eyes take on a dangerous look when he grips my wrists and presses them into the rug above my head.

  “I’m in charge.” He says. Without any warning, he grips my hips and flips me onto my stomach, causing a breath to sharply escape my lungs.

  “On your hands and knees. Lie your cheek on the floor and place your hands behind your back.”

  I do as he says and listen anxiously as he removes his belt. He wraps the leather around my wrists, and I flinch when he cinches it harshly, pinching my skin.

  “Did that hurt?”

  I nod slowly and a shiver shoots down my spine when he kisses my lower back, “Good.”

  I hear his zipper and my body becomes rigid as I await his intrusion. I jolt forward when he slams into me without warning.

  “Oh God!” I holler as I press into him impulsively. He’s a large man, and it hurts, but I want him completely. Any discomfort is a reminder of the man that’s behind me, making me his.

  There is no true pleasure without a little pain, and I would give him every ounce of my pain.

  I gasp when he tangles his fist in my hair, lifting my upper body from the ground as he uses it as leverage to fuck me relentlessly.

  I can barely make out any words from the impact of his thrusts and from the multiple orgasms that erupt within my body.

  “Fuck!” He growls, digging his fingers into my hip. I can feel him growing wider, stretching me further as he gets closer to his release.

  When he does, he roars behind me as he stills himself.

  He pulls me up and holds me to him as we fall to our sides. He undoes my hands and I turn to face him, burying my face into his chest. I close my eyes as I listen to his heart beat wildly.

  Our limbs tangle, and he holds my head against him protectively.

  Soon after, the beating of his heart lulls me to sleep.

  15

  "There is no happiness without tears, no life without death. Beware! I am going to make you cry."

  -Lucian Staniak

  Insanity, to me, feels like you’re on the precipice of a jagged mountain. One side is smooth and slanted, while the other is a dead drop. It would seem simple for most. You’d think that walking down the smooth, slanted side would be the answer. A sane person would stand in the calm wind and make the logical decision. An insane person would wobble back and forth until the storm determines their fate.

  My mind is a storm, dark and relentless, unpredictable and unfair.

  I have not felt peace in my life. Not once. But last night, I felt solace. When I wrapped her in my arms and held her close, I wanted nothing more than to keep her safe.

  Even now, I feel too far away. I considered letting her stay in the spot where we slept, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t risk having her leave. She’s awakened something within myself that I didn’t think existed.

  My eyes snap up to my office door when I hear commotion outside.

  “Ma’am, you can’t go in there!” Nora, my secretary exclaims as the door flies open. I recognize the woman. She claimed to be Taylor, Dani’s assistant, but I know that was a lie. She’s Dani’s best friend Misty.

  She looks exasperated as she stands in the doorway and smooth’s her hand over her hair.

  “Mr. Smith, I told her that she’d need an appointment.” Nora says, narrowing her eyes at the disheveled woman.

  I smile, “It’s alright.”

  Nora huffs as she turns and makes her way back to her desk.

  I nod towards the chair across from my desk, “Taylor, take a seat.”

  She squints at me, “No, I’m not Taylor. I’m afraid that was a bit of a fib. I’m Misty, Dani’s best friend.”

  I nod as a mock surprised look spreads across my face, “I see.”

  She leans forward, “That night that you met us at the bar, what happened when I left?”

  I tilt my head to the side, as if to recount the memory, “We had a few drinks. I tried to make an advance and she became very upset.” I lean back in my chair, “She practically ran from the bar and I caught up to her. I offered her a ride home. I texted her the next morning, but she never responded. Why? What’s wrong?”

  Her lip trembles, “She’s gone. For two weeks she’s been gone. They think that she ran off, but I know Dani. She wouldn’t abandon her job and her life. She wouldn’t abandon me.”

  “That’s terrible.” I breathe out, handing her a tissue.

  Misty shakes her head as she dabs her eyes with the tissue, “I thought that she’d be better after everything that happened to her, you know? She had a terrible life, but I thought she was better…”

  I nod, “She seemed like she had everything figured out. I can’t imagine that she would just run off without a word.”

  She stands up and wipes her tears with the tissue before grabbing a pen and pad from her purse.

  “Please, call me if you see her around, or if she reaches out to you.” Misty says, handing me the paper.

  “I will.” I nod, looking over her hurried handwriting as she leaves my office.

  I run my hand over my face and several seconds tick by when I hear a set of heels clicking against the floor of my office.

  “Gabriel.”

  I look up and see my mom standing there in the doorway.

  I nod towards the chair and she sits.

  “Who was that woman?”

  I shrug as I look towards the door, “I went out with her and her friend. Her friend went home, and then vanished the next day.”

  “Oh,” She murmurs, “that’s terrible.”

  I’m becoming annoyed. She never just stops in.

  “What are you doing here, mom?”

  She relaxes a bit in her seat, “I wanted to talk to you. About what was said the other night.”

  She pauses and inhales a shaky breath, “When I was eighteen, I was at a party. It was my first party that I’d ever been to. I was excited. I got incredibly drunk. A man took me from that party. That man was Gabe Thibault… your father, and he was sure to make the next two years of my life a living hell. You see, my father owed him money, and when my father couldn’t pay it, he took me. But when my father did have the money, Gabe refused to let me go home. He became incredibly obsessive, and abusive. He forced me to marry him. He forced me to become pregnant, but I lost the baby. He was a hit man. He killed people in the most brutal way. He used medieval torture devices on them.”

  She shifts in her seat uncomfortably, “I saw him once. It was horrifying. The things that he did to her… I didn’t think a human was capable of doing such things to another human being. He began going on these trips, he had to get different people and bring them back to his home. Then one day, he brought Kat back with him.”

  I lean forward a
s I listen intently, craving any truth about my past.

  “Kat was sweet. She really was. She became somewhat of a friend for me. Her and Able… your father, of course.”

  My eyebrows sit high on my forehead, “Dad? Why was he there?”

  She smiles fondly, “He was a guard - my guard. What Gabe didn’t realize… having Able and I so close… Able became my lover, and my savior. Anyway, Kat became pregnant. Gabe was using her, because he didn’t want to hurt me. The only reason is because I could have been with child at any given time. So, he used her.”

  “What happened to Gabe?”

  Her lip twitches as she surveys me from across the desk, “Your father made sure that he would never be found. Ever.”

  “So you killed him?” I snap – not even sure why I’m angry. I already figured that he was dead, I guess I just wanted to believe that he was somewhere out there, ready to tell me why he was the way that he was.

  She nods haltingly, “Yes.”

  I frown as I divert my eyes, feeling the warmth of mom’s small hand covering mine.

  “You are not him, Gabriel.” She whispers.

  I look up into her eyes, “How do you know that?”

  Smiling, she reaches into her purse, “That’s simple.”

  She places a stack of pictures on my desk and spreads them across the wood.

  “See,” She says, pointing at a picture of her and me when I was a child, “In your eyes, you show love, a love for your mother. Gabe never, ever showed love. But you do.”

  She moves her finger over to another picture, this time it’s me and a caterpillar. I’m crouched in the garden as I carefully hold the fuzzy insect.

  “Right here, empathy. You have a heart… a soul. You’ve always cared for others.”

  “Mom…”

  “Listen,” she says, her finger moving to another picture, “Right here, when Jessy was born. Love. You love, Gabriel. He didn’t.”

  I clench my jaw as she goes from one picture to the next. Where was this talk when I was younger? I feel that it’s just too late. How can I decipher whether those emotions in my younger years were real or fabricated?

  I can’t. My broken mind only knows the here and now.