25
I Would Die for You
Gabriel
I brace my hands on the sink, letting the water run with no idea why I turned on the taps. I can’t catch my breath. Not from the physical exertion. The emotional toll is another matter.
I’ve never felt a bond like that before. A total connection with another person is not what I bargained for when I started. It was supposed to be a physical release. A tension let go with a woman willing to take on my pathetic attempts to climb my way out of a depressive hole.
It was so much more than that.
A meeting of souls that I could have never seen coming.
To feel complete for the first time in my life. My other half, found in a loudmouthed woman who refuses to back down. Today marks the first anniversary that I felt at ease with the sorrow. Because of her . And her need for what she calls petty vengeance.
How did she know that something as small as a highlighter would lead to an explosion? And then my shameful confession.
Her rage over my treatment soothed more inside me than I’ve ever felt. An innocent woman who’s never seen the violence we have was glad my Mother’s killers were dead. That they can’t come back to haunt me. She acted as if she wished Father was in a shallow grave somewhere.
I straighten, finally making use of the water to wash my hands. When I see my reflection, I pause to take myself in. I look changed somehow. There are still dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. I don’t look any different physically. It’s a light feeling deep inside. As if something rotten has been wiped clean so I can see clearly.
I need to get back. I left her alone out there without a word, and no woman is going to be happy about that. If I don’t hurry, the rest of them will come back, and my chance to make amends and have a real conversation with her will be lost.
With that in mind I straighten my clothes and go back into the office.
Everything is the same as it was this morning, but not at the same time. Now, instead of a minuscule desk set up to torment her, I see a joke between us. I need to replace it immediately.
I take my time pacing to the couch like a coward, bracing myself to see her again. Sprawled out and barely covered with rosy cheeks and a dazed look of bliss. Her vulnerability was just as shocking as mine. I want more of it. I need to see her just as affected as I am to prove it’s real.
Instead I find empty cushions and a blanket on the floor. No sign of Amanda.
I left her too long.
I hurry out to the reception area. Vanessa is missing. I check my watch and see it’s lunch for her. There are no witnesses to Amanda’s escape.
I understand being upset. I was an ass that didn’t say a single thing after my release. But why run?
Was it an illusion? Did she not feel the same thing I did?
Dread begins to replace the light feeling as my mind spins.
A chime from the elevator draws my attention. My hopes lift until Ace and Mikael appear, with Cade carrying two containers of food.
They pause in the elevator with tightly held expressions.
“Like the hair,” Ace says, and they all start snickering like children.
“She left ,” I rasp out harshly.
Mikael begins to frown while Ace shrugs without concern. Cade’s head tilts in confusion.
“She’s nervous and afraid she’s screwed everythin’ up. One of us can track her down and keep an eye out. Stop stressin’.”
“It’s nice to see him stressing. Stop comforting him,” Mikael says with a sudden smirk.
I stare back at him in disbelief as Cade laughs.
“What happened, Gabe?” Cade manages to ask. Based on his smile, he already knows. It’s brittle around the edges, which confuses me. Was the laugh fake?
I stalk back into the office with gritted teeth, unable to face their confusing reactions.
Ace is right behind me. He immediately scans the area before his eyes settle on the couch.
“A nooner, Gabe?”
“Shut up,” I snap back, running a hand through my mussed hair.
“Shut up? I’m proud of you. You actually stopped workin’ to have sex. It’s unheard of.”
They chuckle as they watch me fume. I guess I imagined Cade’s expression, he’s pleased at my failure.
“I fucked it up,” I snap in frustration.
They exchange a glance, still amused.
“I left her on the couch and didn’t say anything to her.”
Ace’s smile drops as Mikael winces. Cade lets out a low whistle with raised brows.
“I take it back. Not proud,” Ace’s brows begin to lower.
An alert goes off somewhere. Ace sneers and pulls his phone out of his back pocket.
He reads a text. Pauses. Reads again.
“That ain’t right,” he whispers and smashes his screen as he responds.
“What’s up?” Cade asks with a frown.
“No,” Ace shakes his head. “That’s a fuckin’ lie .”
“Ace,” Mikael’s tone is a warning that Ace can’t hear. He’s too busy panting and squeezing the life out of his phone. The clear signs of his impending blackout rage have us all on alert.
Cade snatches the phone from him and hurries behind the couch. Whatever he reads makes his face go grim.
His eyes slowly lift to meet mine. The normally dazzling hazel eyes are dulled—not with surprise but with a cold anger that seethes inside him.
“Gabe, sit down.”
I blink at the odd demand. This isn’t like Cade at all. His tone is forceful and pitying all at once.
“Just tell me,” I grit my teeth, bracing myself for whatever has them both upset.
“It ain’t true, Gabe. Don’t fuckin’ listen.”
“Someone hacked into your account and stole some money,” Cade speaks over him in a calm tone.
“Shut up, Cade!” Ace lunges, stopped when Mikael wraps his arms around him and lifts him off his feet.
That dread churns around in my chest and falls to my stomach.
“Who?”
My voice is too quiet. Too calm. It doesn’t reflect a single thing I’m feeling inside.
“Don’t-”
“Amanda,” Cade’s voice cuts over Ace’s like a laser.
“Bullshit!” Ace yells out in a voice gone hoarse. “I don’t believe it, Gabe. Don’t you dare. Unless I see it with my own eyes, that’s a fuckin’ lie!”
“When did she leave Gabe?” Cade takes control easily as I flounder in chaos.
I can’t answer him. I feel as if something got torn right out of my hands because I wasn’t holding it tight enough. Why?
“Gabe?”
Did she leave because she was upset?
Or because her plan went through and she has no more use for the act?