Twenty-Two
Gabriel
Paralysis. It creeps through my bones. I stare at the message, hardly able to take it in. The gun. The threat. The deadline. It’s just gone three now, so I have four hours.
Four hours, or whoever the fuck this is will kill my dad.
The thought cracks the frozen cold. My brain starts to function again. What to do?
$1.5 million. I have access to that sort of cash, but not right away. As an initiate, I still have to request large amounts from the Brotherhood’s fund. I can’t just take it.
And even if I could, would it be the right move? Once whoever this asshole is got the money, what would stop him from just requesting more? Or taking it and killing my dad anyway? Nothing. Nothing at all. My vision blurs, the phone fading as blackness creeps into my vision.
No. I can’t panic. What to do?
Call Kendrick.
A sliver of comfort comes along with the thought. This guy, probably some loan shark, has no idea what he’s dealing with. Dad, and everyone else, thinks I work for a secretive Silicon Valley tech firm. He won’t believe I’ve got any resources at my disposal to deal with this.
I dial Kendrick, who answers on the second ring. I’ve never known him to miss a call.
His voice is cheerful, for him. “Gabriel. I’m surprised to hear from you. I thought you’d be busy with your new acquisition. How is she settling in?”
I try to steady my voice. “Sir. I’ve just received a ransom demand for my father. $1.5 million.”
A pause. “How long do we have?”
We. Not you. The relief is a living thing, soothing my fear. I’m not alone. I have a team.
And a real adult is coming to take over.
Fuck. I should feel ashamed at the stray thought, but I don’t even care. I’m so out of my depth I don’t even know which way the surface is.
“Till seven.”
“That’s good. Plenty of time. I’ll be there in five minutes, along with Colonel Brackis.”
He hangs up. Brackis. I don’t recognize the name, but he must be someone senior in the Gilda.
“Gabriel?” Eve’s voice, foggy with sleep. “What’s happening?”
She’s sitting up, hair a tangled mess and the blanket pooled around her hips. Even through the haze of stress, it jumps out at me how quickly she’s grown comfortable with my eyes on her. Soon, though, this place will be full of people.
Shit.
“It’s my dad. He’s been taken for ransom.” I rush the words out as I fly to the bedroom and open the closet, grabbing clothes without looking. Some sort of pants and a top. I throw them at her. “People are coming. Get dressed. ”
“What? By whom?” She’s sharp now, all traces of fuzziness gone, and her eyes flick from me to the door.
“A loan shark. You don’t have long.”
She looks down at herself and seems to have a moment of shock as she registers her nudity. Another glance at the door, then she pulls on the jeans and shirt. I didn’t think to grab a bra, and the T-shirt—white, with a picture of the caffeine molecule and the tagline “I take mine black”—stretches tight across her tits.
Not the best choice, but it’s too late now. The doorbell buzzes, and I pull the door open. Kendrick enters first, face grim, followed by a burly guy in his forties wearing the Gilda’s uniform. Kendrick clasps my shoulder. “Don’t worry, son. We’ll handle this.”
Fuck, I hope so.
Just as the door is about to close, a younger uniformed man sprints up, saluting when he sees the colonel. “Sir?”
The colonel barks orders. “Gather your team, and tell Arlowe to ready the chopper. Wait for my word.”
“Yes, sir.”
He exits. The colonel holds out his hand. “The phone?”
I stare blankly, then move, handing it to him as my brain chews on a problem. “You’re going in like that, with a helicopter? Doesn’t it put my dad at risk? If paying the money is safest…”
I trail off as both Kendrick and the colonel start speaking at once. The colonel stops and nods respectfully, waving to Kendrick to continue as he studies the message. The door bangs again—this time someone who looks more IT than military—and the colonel hands him the phone.
Kendrick speaks in a low, calm voice. “Gabriel, I know it’s frightening, but the worst thing you can do is give in to these people. The likelihood is they’ll kill your father as soon as they get the funds.”
I must have flinched, though I didn’t know I was doing it, as his face softens. “I’m sorry to be blunt, but it’s the truth. Have faith. Trust the Gilda. We’ve dealt with situations like this before, many times.”
“Many times?”
Eve’s voice makes me jump. I’d almost forgotten she was there, as had Kendrick, apparently, as he frowns down at her. She’s still on the sofa, legs curled up protectively and the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, hiding her chest. She must have come to the same conclusion I did about the T-shirt.
The IT guy taps Kendrick nervously on the shoulder. “Sir. It won’t be difficult to track this phone. It doesn’t seem like a sophisticated operation.”
“Good.” He turns to the colonel. “You have my authority to use any and all force required. Get the job done, and keep me updated.”
“Sir.” He salutes and nods to me, then they leave, taking my phone with them.
Just like that, the room is quiet again, the problem out of my hands. Relief blends with coiling worry. They’re the experts. They know what they’re doing. They’ll take care of it.
“Are you in charge here?” Eve glares at Kendrick. She’s straightened her spine, and her knuckles are white where she grips the blanket. The hard set of her jaw promises disaster. I answer before Kendrick can.
“Yes. Eve, this is Kendrick. He's the leader of the Onyx Brotherhood.”
And not someone you want to piss off.
I can only hope my unspoken words make it to her ears. She doesn’t look at me, and now Kendrick is staring right back at her, expression calm.
“You authorize all the kidnappings? Keeping women as slaves?”
Kendrick doesn’t blink at the accusation. He’d have heard it before, plenty of times, I suppose. “I encourage all Brothers to choose an appropriate Ward, yes. Gabriel was most adamant that he had to have you.”
Her gaze flicks briefly to me, and I can’t read the expression before her face hardens again and she focuses on Kendrick. “It’s disgusting. You’re taking women from their lives. It’s evil.”
“It’s a noble tradition going back hundreds of years. Wards help their Brothers change the world. Gabriel tells me you’re a very intelligent young lady. Once you settle, I’m sure you’ll come to love your place in this world.”
Eve leaps to her feet, blanket forgotten, and squares off with Kendrick. I tense. She wouldn’t actually attack him, would she? She has to know I won’t let her, and even if I did, Kendrick is intimidating in his own right.
She doesn’t attack, instead leaning close. “My place is where I want it to be, not where you say it is.”
He doesn’t even blink as he replies, “No. That honor now rests with Gabriel, your Patron and protector. He decides what you are.” He shoots a look toward me. “And ensures your obedience.”
A clear message. Keep her under control. Shit.
I step forward, pointing at the collar and chain. “Eve. Unless you want to spend the rest of the day there—no matter who comes in and out of here—you’ll sit down and stay quiet. I mean it.”
She spins, eying the restraint. Just seeing it has the hoped for effect. A blush paints her cheeks - probably registering that Kendrick has seen the chain, too - and her shoulders slump. With a venomous look at Kendrick, she sits, lips pressed together in a thin line.
She must feel helpless, frustrated. Exactly as I’m feeling right now, with my dad’s fate in the hands of strangers. Dangerous sympathy lodges in my heart as I turn back to Kendrick, who nods in approval.
“Good. She’ll need a firm hand for a while. Portia tells me she’s invited her to the social club, and I think that’s an excellent idea. It’ll help settle her in. I’d work on how she addresses you. She needs to be respectful, especially in public.”
“Yes. I will.”
He spares her a look, and I follow his gaze. Eve looks like she’s about to explode, only the threat of the collar stopping her from unloading all her rage. Talking about her like she isn’t there really pisses her off. I file the information away for future use.
“Once this nasty business with your father is sorted out, come and have a drink with me. My Alyssa was feisty too. We can discuss how to control her without dimming the spark I’m sure you enjoy.”
The nasty business with your father.
The certainty in his voice is so soothing. It’s just nasty business. It’ll be over soon. I relax a fraction more.
“I will. Thank you.”
“I’ll be in touch as soon as Colonel Brackis checks back in. I won’t tell you not to worry, but I will tell you to trust us. We won’t let you down. ”
He shuts the door, leaving Eve and me in awkward silence. High spots of color stain her cheeks, and she’s breathing hard, fists clenched. Her eyes are wet as she turns to me.
“You’re not like him.” Her voice is quiet, as though she’s talking more to herself than me. “He sees me like a…a doll, or something.”
“A doll?” I try to keep my voice light. I need this, something to distract from the churning worry.
“That’s not the right word. You know what I…” She sighs, shaking her head. “He doesn’t look at me like I’m a person. It’s horrible. Creepy. Like I’m just a pet that needs training, not a human. A person with my own life.”
She shudders, and I replay the conversation. She isn’t wrong, but I feel obliged to defend Kendrick. “He’s old-fashioned. But he’s actually—”
“You do, though. Don’t you?” There's an edge of desperation to the question as she cuts me off. “I’m a person to you?”
“Of course you are.” I don’t hesitate, flopping down next to her on the sofa and pulling her onto my lap. God, I love the feel of her in my arms, the way I can wrap her close and keep her safe. Given her mood, I think she might fight me, but she doesn’t. She tucks her head under my chin, and I breathe in the lingering coconut scent of her hair. It’s comforting, that scent.
“What happened with your dad?” The question vibrates against my chest. “I only got part of it. He’s in trouble?”
A sharp left turn of topic, but I’m almost glad of it. I haven’t spoken to anyone about my dad, not even Jacob and Sebastian. I run my hand over her hip as I answer.
“He’s been a gambling addict for years. It’s why my mom left him. He gets it under control for a while, then slips. But since I joined the Brotherhood, he knows I’ve got money. He kept asking for it, and I kept giving in. But I cut him off a few months ago, and now he owes a loan shark.”
She draws in a sharp breath. “And they’re threatening him to make you pay?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.” She pulls back, and I’m touched by the genuine concern on her face after all I’ve done to her. “No one deserves that. The military guy seemed confident, though. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”
“Yes. I’m sure he will.”
I’m not, though. How can I be?
Time creeps by slowly. Thirty long minutes. Forty. Fifty. Eve and I sit in silence until I can’t stand it anymore, so I shift her off my knee, turn on a PC and put on some music. She makes a face at the thrashing guitar, and I smile. “What, my good little Christian girl doesn’t like death metal?”
Her eyes meet mine. “I tried to, for a while, because my mom always said it spoke to the devil. But if it is speaking to him, I don’t know what it's saying. It’s just noise.”
“Not to me.” I return to my computer, hunting for something a bit softer. It’s annoying, not having a phone. “It helps me think.”
“How?”
I consider the question. “It’s a wall of sound, but there are patterns in there. Melody, if you look for it. I find it calming, picking them out.”
Her brows crease as she concentrates on the sound, but a loud buzz from the door makes us both jump. I shut off the music and open the door to find Kendrick.
And I know. I know as soon as I see the tight expression on his face, the heavy stoop of his shoulders. I know by the way his eyes don’t stray to Eve, instead remaining fixed on me. And when he reaches down and grips my hands in his, a familiar gesture I’d never dreamed he’d make, I’m certain.
“I’m so sorry, Gabriel. We were too late. Before we arrived, the local police had already heard reports of a disturbance. They went in, and there was a shootout. Your father is dead.”