Chapter 19 Gabe
GABE
MAY PRESENT DAY
Iwas fine before I knew she was back. Then, as usual, the first sign of drama, and I fall back into the same old pattern. Ash has a problem, so I run in to fix it. She is not my responsibility anymore, but my stupid brain never got that memo for some reason.
I could have gone to Lily’s after the bar, but I didn’t.
Instead, I stayed there. Now, I can’t seem to get Ash out of my head.
Every time I close my eyes, I see nothing but her.
I keep waking up in a panic at night after dreaming about that piece of shit with his hands on her.
I need to forget about Ashton fucking Michaels—or I guess, James.
Shane never mentioned that she got married because of our “don’t talk about his sister” agreement.
I don’t know why that stings so bad. Yeah, there was a time I thought it would be us, but I quickly learned I’m not cut out for real.
I can’t keep myself out of harm’s way, let alone someone else.
Saving her from some creep at the bar is easy, but I can’t save her from me.
I’m finishing an oil change when Nik, who was talking on the phone to someone in the waiting area, barrels into the shop. “You fucking asshole!”
I wipe my hands on a rag as she launches at Shane.
“What the fuck!” he shouts, stumbling back.
He throws his hands up to block his face, when she smacks his arm, yelling, “You left the house unlocked!”
“What?”
JT yanks her back as she says, “Gran’s house! You left it unlocked! Ash came home, and Adam was there!”
JT’s eyes flick to me, and I grind my molars.
Shane’s mouth pops open as he drops his hands. “What? Is he still there?”
He’s already moving toward the door before she answers.
I’m seconds from rushing out behind him when Nik says, “No, he’s gone.”
Before reaching the door, he asks, “Is she okay?”
Nik shakes her head and rushes out of the garage behind him.
“You good?” JT asks.
My hands grip the rag so tight my knuckles blanch, and I clench my teeth. “Find Adam.”
The next couple hours, I pace in the garage, wishing I could go over there. Turns out my new mantra is she’s not my problem because I’ve repeated that about two hundred times.
JT appears in the doorway of my office, and I stop before perching on the edge of my desk. “Did you find him?”
He shakes his head, plopping down in the chair in front of me. “He’s gone.”
“Where?”
“No clue, but we’ve looked everywhere. Phil searched Adam’s old house. He’s fled.”
I lift my head to the ceiling and run my hands over my face. “When we find him, he’s dead.”
“Have you heard from Shane?”
“No.”
JT exhales, pulling out his phone to tap out a text before slipping it back in his pocket, then sighs. “What the fuck, man.”
“Are you gonna go over there?”
He shakes his head again. “You?”
I glare at him.
“What? You gonna act like you didn’t do the same shit with her a week ago? We’re still pretending you don’t care?”
Sucking my top teeth, I stand, round the desk, and collapse into my chair. “Shut up.”
His phone dings and he mutters, “She’s okay.”
“You asked him?”
He grins, nodding. “Not that you give a shit or anything.”
I roll my eyes. “Thank you.”
No one’s heard from Shane since Adam’s ambush, and he didn’t show up for work today.
If I had to bet, I’d guess he’s with Marcus. He doesn’t get his supply from us. We only handle weed, coke, and occasionally pills, but he can get anything he wants over there.
Everyone wants to know what I know and what I’m going to do. Shane’s an adult, and I’m not his babysitter. I could go over there and drag Shane out of the dilapidated house, but it’d cause one hell of a turf war, and in the end, he’d go crawling right back. So, my hands are tied.
But he’s been MIA for a week this time which has me worried. When he’s hiding out from everyone else, he usually at least lets me know he’s alive.
I slip into my office and flop down in my chair, rubbing my hands over my face. Someone knocks on the door.
“Hey, you okay?” Lily coos, cracking it open.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” I run a hand through my hair.
“Need a little pick-me-up?” She slithers across the room to perch on the side of the desk. Her jasmine perfume fills the room.
I grin as she slides a hand through the back of my hair, bringing her mouth to mine. My hands find her hips, slipping under her spaghetti-strap top to rest on her bare back.
Then, the door opens.
“Jesus, Gabriel. Can you act like you’ve got some damn sense for once?” My mother stands in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Her blonde waves rest at her shoulders as she glares at me with blue eyes.
I groan, letting my head rest on the back of the chair.
Lily stands, pulling her shirt down and dropping her eyes to the floor. “Hi, Colette.”
“Hello, Lily. Honey, can I have a moment with my son?”
Lily nods, hugging my mother briefly before exiting my office. As the door closes behind her, my mom sits in the chair across from my desk.
“Do you need something? I’m kind of busy.”
She laughs. “Yeah, I could see how busy you were.”
As the smile falls from her face, she doesn’t say anything.
“What?” I bite.
“Have you heard Ash is back in town?”
“I have.”
“And?”
“And what, Mom? What she does is none of my business.”
She pins me with that specific look only moms know how to do—the one that says do I look that stupid, I’m your mother, you can’t lie to me.
“Seriously, don’t make this a thing.”
“I’m not making it anything. I’m worried it’s already a thing. You can lie to your friends, hell you can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. I know what that girl meant to you.”
“Yeah, ‘meant,’ past tense. She’s basically a stranger. So, like I said, she is none of my business.”
My mother stares at me for a moment, obviously not believing me, but eventually she gives in and pushes off the chair. I stand, letting her pull me into a hug.
“I love you, Gabriel. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I love you too, Mom, and I’m always okay.”
I desperately need to clear my head. Nothing does that better than the wind on my face. Grabbing my cut from the back of my chair, I head for the door.
“I’m taking the rest of the day. I need a ride,” I tell Lily on my way out. Maybe I’ll run into Shane and kill two birds with one stone.