Chapter 34
thirty-four
Valentina
This was the moment I dreamed of. The moment when I won my first match. Excitement explodes in my chest, and I need to share it with someone. I need to share it with Gabriel.
I search for him. He was right here a heartbeat ago, stalking toward me with that proud, promising heat in his eyes… right up until the medics dragged me into their circle, checking my injuries.
I follow the doctor’s finger, barely listening, until a flicker of movement snaps my focus.
Naomi is being wheeled out on a gurney. I know I should feel something like pity, but I don’t.
Not even close. A sharp hiss rips from me when the doctor presses my ribs, but my gaze stays locked on her battered form.
And that’s when I see Gabriel, trailing after her stretcher.
Anger ignites inside me, and I wish I could go back in time and beat her to death.
“No concussion. Your face needs a few stitches, and you have broken ribs,” the doctor says. “They should heal on their own, but to be sure there isn’t anything serious, you should get an X-ray and have complete rest for a month."
I nod, ignoring the cheer of the people. I hop out of the ring and follow Gabriel as quickly as I can, but getting past the crowds with my broken ribs is hard. I can move only so much, and when I reach where they went, there is no one to see. Has he gone with her to the hospital?
I refuse to believe that. Something must have gone wrong.
Pain erupts in my chest, and I blame it on my ribs as I go back inside and get into the shower.
I sit in the changing room for far longer than I should, time dragging like chains while I wait for Gabriel to walk through that damn door.
He never does.
Only when his men inform me that the gym is cleared out and that Gabriel is nowhere inside do I finally leave.
He’d better have a damn good explanation…
When I wake up, I reach for Gabriel’s side of the bed, which is cold. Disappointment overwhelms me. He didn’t come home. I get out of bed and search for my phone, hoping to have a message from Gabriel. Nothing.
I ignore the rest of my notifications and press dial on his number. It rings until it goes out. I dial again. Nothing.
During the next hour, I keep calling, but I get no answer.
I need to know what’s going on. Why is he ignoring me? I search for his phone on the tracking app I have for him. He isn't at the office, nor anywhere I know that belongs to Cosa Nostra. I search the address on the map, and it shows a hotel.
My stomach twists as images in my head appear. Him with Naomi in bed. Him telling her he loves her. Him taking care of her wounds.
No. He wouldn’t do that. He told me he loves me, and I told him everything.
I groan. No, I’m not accepting this. There has to be an explanation.
I get dressed, and, ignoring my aching ribs, I get on my bike and drive to the location where his phone is.
I park on the road and enter the hotel. My eyes narrow at the place.
According to their site, this is a two-star hotel, but I don’t think it even has one star.
Gabriel would never be in a place like this willingly.
I reach the lady at reception. “Hi. I’m looking for someone.” I pull my phone out and show her one of Gabriel’s photos.
She looks from me to photo. “I haven’t seen him.” She inspects my face. “Is that his handy-work?” Suspicion creeps inside me at the thought of Gabriel being with Naomi.
I shake my head. “We got in an accident last night. Me and my friend Naomi.” I swipe to photo of her I found on the internet and show it to her. “She left the hospital before me. Her phone broke, so I can’t reach her.” I smile. “Is she here?”
The woman looks at me suspiciously but shrugs. “Looks like you’ve got it as bad as she does. She's in room 465.”
“Thank you.”
I get the elevator to the fourth floor, every second fueling the fire in my chest. When I reach the room, I place my ear against the door. I don’t know what I expected to hear. When I don’t hear anything, I knock and wait.
Footsteps approach, and I brace myself for what’s coming next. The door swings open. Naomi stands there in a flimsy nightgown. A smirk appears on her bruised face that she’s tried to cover with makeup. I ignore her and push her aside as I storm inside.
My eyes hit the bed, and my blood turns to ice. “I told you yesterday, you're nothing.” She sneers behind me. “You will never have what we had. He came running to me, you know. “
“I don’t believe you,” I bite out, moving straight for the bed.
“What are you doing? Leave him.” She grabs my wrist in panic.
I rip my hand free and drop to Gabriel’s side, fingers gripping his shoulder. “Gabriel?” I shake him harder. “Can you hear me?” Nothing.
I whip around, fury detonating in my veins. “What have you done to him?”
She shrugs. “He’s just tired. We didn’t sleep all night… and all through the morning.” She watches me with satisfaction as I shake him again. “We used to get like this all the time when we were together.”
I step into her space, my voice a blade. “No, he’s been drugged. What have you given him?”
“I didn’t give him anything,” she snaps. “He’s with me because he loves me and not you. He is going to be mine again. After you're gone, he’s going to be mine.”
A dark laugh slips from me. “I’m not going anywhere. If you think this pathetic stunt of yours will work on me, you’re not just delusional, you’re stupid.”
“You will go.” She hisses. “Maybe not willingly, but you will, and sooner than you think.”
My eyes narrow, heat boiling behind them. “What are you talking about?”
Her smile sharpens into something vicious. “You’ll find out before you even know it.”
I let my guard down. I was so focused on Gabriel that I let my guard down.
A hand wraps over my mouth, and the prick of a needle explodes in my neck. All I can see is Naomi’s smirk as I go down into darkness.