Chapter 30 - Bridget
I dressed carefully the next morning, in the nicest clothes I’d packed: dark jeans and a purplish-gray sweater that matched the bags under my eyes perfectly. Andrew had brought home some heavy-duty descenter, and I’d coated myself in a thick layer.
There must have been a discussion during my absence, because everyone was on their best behavior.
Nathan and Andrew were perfectly civil to one another, and there was no mention of my heat spike or any last-minute attempts to convince me not to see my mother.
It was like we’d all decided to pretend I wasn’t a ticking time bomb of Omega hormones.
Ever since I’d presented, my heats had never been more than a day of unnaturally heightened arousal and the barest whisper of a perfume.
Enough to make me uncomfortable, but nothing like what they should have been.
Even though they were irregular and came with little warning, they were just an inconvenience.
Now, though, I could tell something else was happening. I felt like a simmering pot just before it boiled. We needed to discuss the possibility that my heat would be a full-blown ordeal, but I didn’t have the courage to bring it up myself and be rejected.
If we didn’t talk about it, maybe it just wouldn’t happen.
An hour before the designated meeting time, Gabriel and I prepared to leave the apartment. He was wearing a black turtleneck and a leather jacket that made him look like an Italian James Bond. I noticed the bulge of a firearm on his hip.
“Is that really necessary?” I asked, nodding towards the gun.
“Yes,” Andrew growled before Gabriel could respond. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, like a bouncer. “And he’s promised to use it if there’s even a hint of a threat against you.”
“You’re not shooting my mother.” I glared at Gabriel.
“No, tesoro, I will not. It is a precaution, nothing more.” Gabriel gave my hand a squeeze. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” I said with more conviction than I felt. It was strange, knowing we were going out into the real world again. And I was anxious about seeing my mother. I worried that I might just start screaming at her.
Nathan was watching me with wary eyes. “Please be careful.”
“I’m going to a restaurant, not a war zone,” I said, but his severe expression didn’t change.
“We will let you know as soon as we are coming back,” Gabriel said.
He gave Andrew a soft, lingering kiss that stirred up some of the banked coals of arousal I’d been doing my best to dampen all morning.
I looked away and skirted past them to the front door.
I needed to keep my descenter as strong as possible.
“Bye,” I called over my shoulder as we went out into the hallway.
We traced a convoluted route to the diner. Gabriel insisted on driving to a parking garage across the city, then taking the train three stops past and walking back the rest of the way.
“It is good to be unpredictable. And while I know you think you are in no danger, I am taking no chances. Someone may be watching,” Gabriel said when I asked him why. At least it was a warm-ish day for February. The sun was almost out, too.
It was strange being back in that part of the city.
I had obviously kept my distance, not wanting to run into anyone from my old life.
It was a gorgeous neighborhood, and even more gentrified since I’d left.
Long gone were the few straggling bodegas, now replaced by a vegan donut shop, a med spa, and a bridal boutique.
The park was immaculate, too, and home to a brand-new playground clustered with rosy-cheeked children and their fashionable young nannies.
As we approached the diner, a sense of nostalgia hit so hard it felt like drowning. I gripped Gabriel’s hand for strength.
The awning was the same bright yellow, printed with blue stripes, and the same bell hung above the door.
Inside, there was the familiar smell of grilled lamb and baking bread, pristine white tiled walls and navy blue booths.
It was past the lunch rush, so Gabriel and I had our pick of tables.
We chose one right inside the front door, and I made sure I was easily visible to anyone walking in.
“What can I get for you?” Our server was a young woman, probably Anvi’s age, and she looked livid to even have to take our order.
“A tea and a coffee,” Gabriel said when I didn’t immediately respond. “And perhaps a menu?”
She sighed and pointed to a decal on the table. “Scan the QR code,” she said and slouched away.
I glanced at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes to three. My leg jumped under the table.
“Relax, carissima,” Gabriel said in an undertone, then placed his hand on my knee for just a moment. I forced myself to be still. “It will all be alright.”
I nodded, or tried to. My neck didn’t seem to work correctly, along with the rest of my body.
Our server returned with our drinks, and Gabriel placed an order for hummus and pita.
As the minutes ticked by, and my mother did not appear, another possibility occurred to me. “What if she doesn’t show up?” I asked.
“Then we go home,” Gabriel said with a shrug. “And I will make Andrew cook you a delicious meal. Or perhaps we will order gyros for everyone.”
I shook my head, ready to tell him off for deliberately misunderstanding me, when the door opened again.
It was my mother. She scanned the tables and found us immediately. I mastered my reflex to run away. Gabriel, seeing my reaction, turned slowly until he saw my mother, too, and gave her a small wave. Her lips compressed and her brows furrowed, but she approached.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“My friend,” I replied.
“You should have come alone,” she answered.
Her hair was more silver than blonde, as if she’d aged fifteen years instead of six since I’d last seen her, and up close she looked frail.
Her makeup couldn’t completely conceal the shadow of a purple bruise on her temple.
Rage at her inability to fight back, to leave, to do anything, made me dizzy.
“Hello to you, too. Sit down.” I pulled out the chair next to mine, and she looked at Gabriel suspiciously before lowering herself into it.
She was wearing camel-colored slacks and a white sweater that looked like cashmere under her fashionably slouchy barn jacket.
She placed her brown leather bag on her lap.
I gestured to my own temple, indicating her bruise. “Are you okay?”
She brushed her fingertips over the skin. “I’m fine.” She seemed annoyed that I’d brought it up, but then her expression softened as she looked at me. “It’s wonderful to see you.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I sidestepped the minefield altogether. “What couldn’t you say on the phone?”
“Are you… together?” she asked, looking between Gabriel and me.
“How is that any of your business?” Nope, wrong tone. I shouldn’t antagonize her. “He’s my friend. You can trust him.”
“I am Gabriel,” he said, holding out his hand. She hesitated, but finally shook it.
“Tara,” she replied.
“Bridget is a close friend, and I am only here to make sure she is safe.” He gave her one of those movie-star smiles.
My mother’s expression relaxed slightly. I almost rolled my eyes. He could charm anyone. “Good. I’m glad Bridget has someone to look out for her.”
“I thought we were in a hurry,” I said impatiently. “Why does Domenic have anything to do with an orthopedic study? Is it just because of me?”
Her eyes flickered between mine. “Your father asked for you. At the end. He wanted to—”
Paralyzing rage hit me out of nowhere. How dare she bring this up? “I don’t give a fuck what he wanted,” I growled. Gabriel took my hand under the table. “And we are not here to talk about Sebastian.”
“He was your father, Bridget. He loved you—”
“Enough!” I slammed my hands on the table. My mother’s mouth snapped shut. Silence fell in the diner for a moment before the faint chatter picked up again.
“What is Domenic doing?” I asked again.
She pulled a piece of paper from her purse with a shaking hand. “Ever since Sebastian died, he’s been… different. He’s been distant and home even less than normal. I was worried about him.”
She should have been rejoicing that he was leaving her alone.
“He’s renting out these buildings,” she continued, passing me the paper.
I scanned it. As I thought, one address matched the one for Axion Biostorage, but there were two others on the list I didn’t recognize. I passed it to Gabriel. “And what is he doing with these places?”
The bell tinkled over the diner door.
My mother stared at me with hollow eyes. “I really don’t know. I swear. But you need to be careful, Bridget. He’s—”
I couldn’t stop my gasp. My mother turned abruptly in her seat, her face draining of any color. And for the first time in years, I was looking at Domenic Crawford.
He looked the same, except with a bit more gray in his hair. As he drew closer, I saw a few more lines around his eyes, but they were still flat and black, like a shark’s. His slow, indulgent smile made my skin crawl as usual.
I wanted to run. I wanted to bolt out the door and disappear. But I wasn’t a child. And Gabriel was right there next to me, still gripping my hand. There were people all around us.
My mother shrank in her chair. I noticed Gabriel pocketing the slip of paper she’d given us out of the corner of my eye before Domenic reached our table.
“Well hello, little one,” he said, still smiling. “What a lovely family reunion.”
I couldn’t find my voice for a moment, but Gabriel’s presence next to me helped. “You weren’t invited.”
My mother looked terrified at his arrival, clutching her bag tighter in her lap, but that didn’t mean anything. She had betrayed me yet again.
Domenic’s smile widened as he pulled out the chair across from me and sat. He wasn’t a large man, but he moved with assurance and power. And he still radiated dominance like a physical force. “And Gabriel. So nice you could come, too. But where is Andrew?”
My stomach heaved with panic. No, no, no.