GABRIEL (Killer Book 2) (14 page)

"Take your worst nightmares, and put my face to them."

-Tommy Lynn Sells

Amelia smiles as she places two mugs of chamomile tea on the coffee table. “Here we are.”

I retrieve the cup and hold it in my hands, relishing in the warm feel of the ceramic against my palms.

“What was Gabriel like when he was younger?” I ask before taking a sip of the hot tea.

She smiles wide. “He was a sweet boy. He always thought about others. He was always so conflicted, though.”

I frown. “Conflicted? Why?”
She sighs as she watches Jessy play with Bailey beneath the outdoor lights as the moon shines in the distance. I smile as I watch the husky bound after the stick that she’s been throwing.

“It’s my fault.” Amelia whispers. “I never told him the truth, and he had to go searching for it on his own. In a way, I knew. I knew when he began looking at me with resentment in his eyes. I chalked it up to him just being a teenager, but I knew deep down that he found out about… about him.”

“Who? Who did he find out about?” I implore as my fingers tighten around the mug.

She lets out a long exhale as her gentle brown eyes meet mine. “His father. He was a murderer, a sadistic man. He took me, and he kept me up until we ended him.”

She pauses as she stares down at her tea. “Gabriel was born into a world of chaos. I guess I should have assumed that he would be sick… that he would…” Her eyes meet mine, “It’s nothing.”

I reach over and place a hand on her knee, causing her to flinch. “Tell me.”

“You already know. Because there isn’t any hiding what my son is.”

I shake my head, “He’s not a bad man.”

She surprises me when she laughs, “There is no way that a child could come from that man and have a good bone in his body. Gabriel has surprised me for the most part, but I see it in him. His eyes… those eyes are his father’s. His face… his father’s, his voice, his mannerisms – all of it. His father’s.”

Our eyes remain locked, but then, it seems as though time freezes when a scream emanates from outside. My eyes snap from the window where Bailey stands alone and then back to Amelia. She leaps up and I watch as the mug slips from her fingers and crashes against the cold floor. It breaks, scattering tea and shards of ceramic across the hard wood.

I follow behind as she bolts through the front door and spins around. Her voice is hoarse as she screams for Jessy, but she’s no-where. My gaze wanders to Bailey, and I see that he is still standing still as he stares into the wilderness surrounding Gabriel’s home.

My heart races as I run to the woods and trip over the rough terrain. Landing on my hands and knees, my eyes travel around the walls of trees that surround me. I climb to my feet and run my dirty palms over the white gown that Gabriel had given me.

“Jessy!” I holler. I stand quietly as I will my ears to work overtime.

I hear a twig break and my bare feet pound the earth as I make my way towards the sound. I’m quickly losing my sense of direction as I get further into the woods.

Stopping abruptly, I bend over and place my hands on my knees as I catch my breath.

I am startled when I hear another sound. Whipping around, I’m sharing the otherwise vacant clearing with a stark white stag. He stares at me intently as the broken moonlight shines through the trees against his beautifully formed antlers. He looks otherworldly as his chocolate eyes survey me.

I gasp when I feel a pinch in my neck, and my knees buckle as I reach up and feel the tiny needle in my neck. My eyes look beyond the trees and I see a man’s form as he lowers his arm. He’s got a body draped over his broad shoulder. I can barely make anything out, but I know it’s got to be Jessy.

I open my lips, but I can’t form any words.

Turning, he descends into the darkness of the woods as I fall, my entire world going black.

"
None of us are saints."

-Albert Fish

I walk out into the cool air. The summer has ended, and now fall is upon us with winter in tow. I love the idea of everything turning cold, spreading ice across every vulnerable surface. It’s the only time that can relate to this world that I live in.

My heart pounds away when I see my father approach the entrance with his briefcase in his hand. He stops and smiles at me. His hair is nicely styled and his eyes are no longer filled with tiny red veins.

“Son.” He says, approaching me. “Are you okay?”

My lips twitch into a smile. “You’re just now getting in?”

He tilts his head to the side, “I was here today, of course. I’m just now getting back in. I had a dinner meeting with some new clients. Why? What’s wrong?”
A hushed laugh tumbles from my lips. I am fucking insane. It wasn’t him. It’s all in my head.

His phone begins playing its melody, and he frowns at me as he digs it out of his pocket.

“Hello?”

His expression darkens as he listens to the person on the other end.

“Amelia, calm down. She didn’t simply vanish.”

My eyes grow wide as I listen.

Finally, he snaps his phone shut and his frightened gaze meets mine. “It’s Jessy. She’s gone. Come on. We need to go find her.”

Once we pull into my driveway, I see my mother kneeling on the gravel with her fists balled at her sides. She remains unmoving as we approach her.

I kneel down and grasp her shoulders. “Mom. What did you see?”

She doesn’t respond. She just stares into the woods aimlessly as tears slowly make their way down her cheeks.

Standing, I look towards my father. “We’ve got to call the police.”

He holds his hand up as he shakes his head. “No. This can be handled without the authorities.”

“Dad --”

He grasps my shoulders as he steps towards me. “This is probably a pissed off client.”

I scoff. “A pissed off client?”

He nods, “They could be holding her ransom. We need to wait it out and see if they contact us.”

I shake my head as I turn and face my mother. “Where’s Dani?”

She slowly lifts her arm and points towards the woods. My wide eyes find the clearing before turning and facing dad. “Get mom inside. I need to go find Dani.”
My heart is beating emphatically as my eyes scan the woods for her.

“Dani!” I holler. No answer, and I begin to lose hope. But then I see a small white form lying on the soft earth. I run towards her and drop to my knees.

She’s on her back, her head tilted to the side as her long, blonde hair surrounds her like a halo. I’m relieved when I see her chest slowly rising and falling. The gown clings to her body, and even with all of the cuts and scrapes – even with her broken spirit – she is the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen.

I frown when I see the needle protruding from her neck. I swiftly pull it out and hold it before my eyes. Someone shot her with it to knock her out, and I’m assuming they did it to keep her from following them.

I hear the leaves of the trees rustling above me, and then I feel a raindrop kiss my cheek before it’s followed by many more. Her gown is becoming soaked as the sky opens up and releases a torrent of rain over us.

I quickly gather her in my arms and make my way from the woods. Each drop of rain sends an icy chill down my spine, but I stop when I see the soaked piece of paper tacked to the tree.

“Let’s play a game of hide and seek.”

I frown as I reach out and snatch the paper from the bark, stuffing it into my pocket, I continue on my way.

Once inside I lay her on the bed before pulling the soaked gown from her body. Her eyes flutter open and lock onto mine.

“Gabriel.” She whispers as she sits up on her elbows, “There was a man. He shot me with something.”

“I know. You’re going to be okay.” I respond as I pull one of my t-shirts over her head. I grab some pajama pants and hold them open for her. She clumsily steps into them, and I smile as I cinch them as tight as possible, but they still swallow her tiny body.

“Thanks to you.” She murmurs.

I place my hands on each of her cheeks and pull her lips to mine. Once I pull away, I press my forehead against hers, “I need to get you some clothes that fit.”

She frowns. “Where is Jessy?”

I squeeze my eyes shut momentarily. “I don’t know.”

Tears rise in her eyes, “I tried.”

I nod, “I know you did, baby. Lie down for a while. I’m going to go see if my parents have heard anything.”

She smiles as I pull the blanket up to her neck. “I’ll be back.”

I begin walking down the stairs and stop at the last one when I hear my mother.

“Who – who is this?”

I rush into the living room and stand beside my father who is looking at her anxiously.

Her nostrils flare and her eyes grow wide as her hand shakes uncontrollably.

“You need to tell me who you are and what you want right now. Do you understand me?”

She pulls the phone from her ear and stares at it blankly before placing it down on the table.

“Amelia, who was that?” My father asks as he crosses his arms tightly across his chest.

Her phone buzzes across the wooden surface as all of our eyes land on it. I look from my mother to the phone, but she doesn’t budge.

I reach down and retrieve the phone. Sliding my thumb across the screen, my eyes grow wide when I see the picture sent from an unknown number. Jessy is tied up and looks to be unconscious. I’m assuming that she’s in the trunk of a car, and below the picture, it reads:

“It’s only a matter of time before I get to meet you all, I cannot wait to see your empire fall.”

I look towards my father and read him the message.

He nods. “Then we wait for more clues. This guy is going to eventually want money. Contacting the authorities is basically nailing Jessy’s coffin shut.”
Shaking my head, I look towards my mother. She looks comatose. “So, we just wait? Dad, we have to do something!”

His jaw tenses as he narrows his eyes at me. “No –
we
do not do anything. This guy wants money. He will not kill her.”

He walks towards my mother and grasps her elbow, helping her stand. “Call
me
if anything happens. Kapeesh?”

I nod my head as I cross my arms tightly over my chest.