CHAPTER 51
A Shell Without Her
Hunter
Despair like I’d never known before coursed through my veins as Gabriela collapsed in my arms.
My world went as grey as the sky above and my sanity crashed to the ground.
“Gabriela!” I panicked, palming her head and gently tilting her back. She was slack in my hold. “No, no, no. Open your eyes. Please.”
Raindrops dotted her porcelain skin. Once flawless, it was marred with a bruise on her cheek and a small vertical split on her bottom lip that caused another surge of fury within me.
“Please.” Cradling her cold body against mine, I begged her. God. The universe. Anyone who would listen to me. My own tears mixed with the rain, falling on her forehead. “You can’t leave me.”
If you leave me, Gabriela, I’ll wither without you. A shell of a man with no purpose, roaming the earth endlessly in hopes of being reunited with you again. I love you. I love you. I love you. You’re my other half. I just found you. Don’t leave me lonely.
With a shaky hand, I pressed my fingers over her pulse, feeling it thrum faintly.
An iota of relief bled through. She’s alive. She just fainted. She needs medical help.
I lifted her into my arms and stood up on legs that felt like cement. Tom deserved to die a thousand deaths for what he did to my Gabriela. I didn’t know what motivated him to do all of this. The whys and hows would remain unknown until she woke up. And God forbid, if she didn’t…
No.
There was no outcome in which she didn’t survive. She was my soulmate. We were meant to live our lives together until the very end.
I ran with Gabriela in my arms, crossing the lawn of the Prescott property.
My Jag was parked haphazardly on the other side of the iron-wrought fence.
I arrived here with some guards. While they demanded entry into the residence, I’d heard a distant but potent feminine shriek that I would recognize anywhere.
I didn’t think. Just acted on pure instinct by climbing over the fence and beelining it straight for the source before anyone could stop me, let alone catch up to me.
The scene I stumbled upon—Tom looming over Gabriela and stating he’d slice her throat—would haunt me for years to come.
Fuck, the thought of arriving any later and finding Gabriela in a pool of her own blood, throat cut open by that insane motherfucker, made me want to howl in pain.
My panting and the heartbeat rushing in my ears were so loud that I almost missed the open gates and the harsh voices resonating in the air. I abruptly halted at the silhouettes of Enzo, Cade, and Josh, guns out and threatening demeanours in place.
A brigade of Remington guards circled Prescott staff members. Enzo had a gun cocked against the head security guard’s head, barking instructions.
“Enzo!” I shouted raggedly.
His head craned to see where the sound came from and he stiffened, the way only a father who loved his daughter would after searching relentlessly for her whereabouts.
The fear sketched over his features spoke volumes. He thought the worst.
“She fainted.” I wheezed, crossing over to him. “Needs medical help.”
“Go!” Josh ushered us, failing to hide his wince upon seeing Gabriela’s injured state. “Take her to a hospital. Now.”
“Where’s Tom?” Cade demanded.
“Dead,” I said low enough that no one except for us four heard. “She killed him.” After he terrorized and hurt her. “His body is by the mausoleum.”
Cade clutched Enzo’s shoulder. “Go, Enzo. Josh and I will handle the rest. Don’t worry.”
Enzo didn’t need to be told twice. He caressed a shaky hand over Gabriela’s face, crestfallen. “I’ll drive,” he said. “Put her in the backseat of my car.”
I nodded and Josh took my keys from my pocket, saying he’d drive my car over to the hospital once this was settled.
At Enzo’s SUV, we draped Gabriela across the backseat and I got in with her, positioning her head over my lap. Enzo dove for the driver’s seat.
The tires screeched as he gunned it for the nearest hospital, less than five minutes away.
All I could do was sit here helplessly, holding Gabriela and hoping she woke up soon.
My prayers were answered.
The moment we arrived at the hospital and Gabriela was laid onto the stretcher, she showed signs of waking up, right before she was wheeled into the ER.
The figurative noose wrapped around my neck slowly loosened. They were performing tests on her right now and all I could do was wait for the verdict in the hospital’s waiting room.
The antiseptic smell lingering in the hospital made me sick, but not sicker than the faint traces of blood on my soaked dress shirt.
Gabriela’s blood.
I screwed my eyes shut, attempting breathing exercises that unfortunately did nothing to calm me.
I needed to erase the scene of her bruised and bloodied.
Purge it from my mind like it had never existed.
I cursed Tom Prescott’s wretched soul. I hoped he was burning in hellfire right now—hoped he never knew peace since he was so quick to try to rob me of mine.
I ached for Gabriela. I wanted to hold her. To feel her softer curves against my hard planes. To feel her spirited heart beating against my skin. To feel her cheeky smile tucked against my neck as she lay on top of me, clutching me like I was her very anchor to this reality.
Tired and weary, my head lolled back against the wall. Two of Enzo’s trusted guards were here too, keeping watchful gazes on me. The rest were outside, monitoring the hospital entrances for any threats.
Given that Josh and Cade were still stabilizing the situation at Prescott Mansion and trying to figure out if Tom was acting alone or in cahoots with anyone else, Enzo wanted to minimize the risk by only having me, him, and Lucia at the hospital.
Nonna was back at their family home with Luna, desperately waiting for news.
I remained optimistic that Gabriela would be okay. She would smile for me again. She would laugh for me again. She would whisper the words I love you Hunter against my lips before she kissed me again.
Gabriela Regina Bellafiore breathed life into me and I wasn’t going to lose her.
I had mere months with her and I wanted a lifetime.
I wanted now and forever.
It wasn’t going to be easy to eradicate the memories of today. But I would be her pillar, standing beside her as she built herself back up stronger than ever. We were going to heal from this.
Footsteps clicked against the linoleum flooring.
My head snapped up in the direction of the newcomer.
Enzo lowered himself into the chair beside me, extending a cup of black coffee in my direction. “Here. You look like you need this.”
“Thank you,” I rasped, taking it. “What did the doctors say?”
It had been over an hour since they took her in. I wasn’t immediate family. Therefore, the only people allowed near her were Enzo and Lucia.
He crossed his arms over his chest and reclined back.
“They said she most likely fainted from exhaustion and dehydration. She’s stable now.
Her vitals are looking good and they did some bloodwork.
None of her cuts are deep enough to require stitches and her bruising will take time to heal.
She doesn’t appear to have a concussion, which is good news.
They want to monitor her for a bit longer.
” He cleared his throat. “She fell asleep after the doctor left. You can go wait in her room if you’d like.
Lucia and I will be heading to the cafeteria for a bit. ”
All the nervous energy tangled up inside of me slowly evaporated with my next exhale. “Good.” I sagged in my chair, tears of relief stinging my eyes. I fought them back. “I’m glad to hear she’s going to be okay.”
I also appreciated them wanting to give me some privacy with Gabriela. I would head over to her shortly.
The empty waiting room was quiet, the only sound a wall-mounted clock ticking. I sipped my coffee, unsure what more to say to him.
Enzo appeared to mull over his next words. “Hunter?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you. For helping save Gabriela. Not once, but twice.” Sincerity rang in his statement.
“If you hadn’t gotten there in time…I-I don’t…
Can’t imagine.” He stopped to collect his thoughts, sighing.
“You gave her a chance to win her battle and she made it through because of you. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Like I said the first time, you don’t have to thank me for this, sir. I would do anything to ensure her safety.”
He glanced at the floor, his head hanging between his shoulders. “I’m beginning to see that.”
I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable. “I know I’m probably not the man you would have picked for your daughter, but I want you to know that I love Gabriela with every fiber of my being. She’s it for me. If I have to spend the rest of my life to earn your blessing—to prove myself to you—I will—”
“You don’t have to prove yourself to me, Hunter,” he interrupted.
“You already have. It’s no secret that I can be overprotective of my daughter, but she’s the most important person in our lives.
We want her to be happy and protected. You’ve shown up for her in ways that no one else ever has.
Now it’s clear to me that you are the perfect person for her.
You are the man I would pick for my daughter. ”
In this period of darkness, I found an ounce of elation in Enzo’s sentiment. “Thank you,” I managed to choke out. “I appreciate it.”
In an unexpected fatherly gesture, he ran his hand over my hair. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay now, son.”
Son.
Warmth sprang inside of me like a watered seed finally bursting free.
We exchanged a smile.
Then I got up, went to the designated room, and waited for the love of my life to wake up.