Gabriel's Rule (9 page)

“He
and Michael stayed friends all through middle school and then high school. Even
though I was three years younger than them, my brother and Gabe always included
me. He never talked about what things were like at home for him but we could
tell it was bad. My brother and I went over there once when I was thirteen. My
parents had just given Michael a new car after he passed his driving test and
he wanted to show it to Gabe.” A cloud came over Shane’s features as he
remembered the scene. A part of Riley wanted to ask him to stop because she
knew whatever it was would be bad.

“He
was surprised to see us, but he let us in. His mom was passed out on the couch,
a needle sticking out of her arm. There was some guy there too – he was so out
of it he didn’t even notice us, he just kept preparing his drugs. The place was
a mess – trash everywhere, roaches crawling around on the floor. It smelled
like vomit and rotting food and I thought I was going to puke the second we
walked in the door. My brother told Gabe to come home with us, that he was sure
he could convince our parents to let Gabe come stay with us. He calmly told my
brother he couldn’t, that his mom needed him and then he casually walked over
to her and carefully pulled the needle from her arm. She didn’t even wake up.”

Bile
rose in Riley’s throat as she pictured a sixteen year old Gabe watching his
mother shoot up. “Didn’t he have any other family?”

Shane
shook his head. “It was just him and her. Things got worse when he started
college. He tried living in the dorm, but she’d call him at all hours begging
him to come home because she needed him. He moved back home after his first
semester and just took the bus to class every day.” Riley watched him take a
deep breath as if steeling himself for what he had to say next.

“My
brother died about six months after Gabe moved out of the dorm they shared. He
overdosed on a bad batch of heroin.” Riley gasped sharply and she reached
across the table to grab Shane’s hand. He allowed her the brief contact but
then pulled his hand free and ran it through his hair. A nervous habit he probably
wasn’t aware he even did, she guessed.

“Gabe
blamed himself. He thought that maybe if he’d just stayed in the dorm he could
have prevented it somehow. I tried to tell him that Michael had had a problem
for a while but I guess Gabe just couldn’t figure out how he’d missed the signs
after all he’d been through with his mom.”

“Shane,
I’m so sorry about your brother…” Riley stopped when she saw him close off from
her. He clearly wanted to keep the focus on Gabe.

“I’m
telling you this so you understand part of what makes Gabe tick. He only sees
what people need from him, not what he needs from them. I think you saw that
the other night.” She nodded even though she hadn’t been a hundred percent sure
of that. “He’s worth all of it Riley. Whatever you two are going through, he’s
worth it.”

“Don’t
give up on him,” she said, a whisper of a smile ghosting her lips.

Shane
smiled then, a little bit of light returning to his eyes. “You found my card.”
She laughed and dropped her eyes.

“What’s
with that card by the way? Just your name on the front and your number and
email on the back?”

He
studied her for a moment and she thought she saw a flicker of pain before he
slapped a charming, but what she was quickly learning to recognize as fake,
smile on his lips. “Gabe didn’t tell you about that, huh?”

“About
what?”

“Shane
Matthews, law student by day, escort by night.” He reached out his hand in mock
greeting. It took a second for his words to sink in.

“Escort?”
she breathed.

“My
agency prefers that I throw the word “professional” in front of escort – that
way they can charge more. I guess it doesn’t sound as slutty as hooker or whore
either.” His words were joking but she didn’t miss his harsh tone.

“Why?”

“Why
fuck women for money or why tell you?”

“Both.”

“I
love women, I love money and I love sex.” He started fiddling with the coffee
mug in front of him. “As for why I told you…I guess Gabe’s not the only one
who’s fucked up.” He seemed to realize what he said because he dropped some
money on the table and abruptly stood. “Thanks for the coffee. It sucked but I
enjoyed the company.” And just like that he was gone.

Riley
finished topping off the champagne glasses on her tray and carefully lifted it and
headed for the door that led to the ballroom. Nell’s daughter, Elise, was a
caterer and when Nell had asked if she wanted to make some extra money helping
Elise with some waitressing at a fancy fundraiser this weekend, she’d jumped at
the opportunity. She absolutely could not spend another night at home waiting
to see if she heard Gabe’s heavy footsteps on the stairs.

She
hadn’t seen him in almost two weeks, even though his truck parked in different
spots in the street proved he was still coming and going from his apartment.
Shane’s visit had left her with more questions than answers and she kept hoping
that the solution would just turn on inside her head like a lightbulb. But she
kept going back to that night and hearing him tell her she should have just
left him alone. She paused at the door in front of her and took a deep breath.
She just had to get through one more hour and then she could go home and crawl
into her bed and hope that Gabe wouldn’t invade her dreams tonight.

***

Gabe
regretted his decision the second he walked through the main entryway of the
ballroom. He probably would have turned around and left if the woman clinging
to him didn’t have her long, fake, red nails digging into his arm. Serena
Richards was a wealthy and recent divorcee and one of his regulars for the past
three years.

After
his talk with Shane a couple of weeks ago, Gabe had realized his best friend
was right – this life was killing him and he needed out. After letting his
agency know he was done, he started trying to figure out his plans going
forward and inevitably his thoughts always brought him back to the same place –
could he find a way to have Riley in his life? He wasn’t even sure she would be
interested in pursuing something real with him but for once, he had started to
hope. Then reality had come crashing down when his mom finally called him. He
hadn’t heard from her since the night he’d been with Riley, but she’d used her
one phone call to call him from jail and beg him to post her bond.

It
had been on the tip of his tongue to tell her no, but then he heard her begging
him; telling him she needed him and he heard her voice; not the addict’s voice
but his mother’s voice. And just like that the little nugget of hope inside him
flared to life that maybe this was the time she’d come back to him.

Within
24 hours he had her out of jail and back in rehab but all his cash was gone,
every bit of it, and even then it had only paid for thirty days of rehab which
he knew wouldn’t be enough. So when his agency called with a proposal from
Serena Richards for one more night he had agreed. He could be Gabriel this one
last time and then he’d leave him behind for good.

***

Gabe
allowed Serena to parade him in front of her friends for more than an hour
before he quietly suggested to her that they go. He’d agreed to going out in
public with her because she was willing to pay a lot more to show off her
little toy. But when he told her it was time to go, he made it clear that he
was still in charge and he felt her quiver at the command in his voice. He
turned off the disgust that automatically flared up in his belly. He didn’t
want this or her and for a moment he hated his mother. If she just could have
loved him more than the fucking drugs – Gabe shook himself mentally. When he
felt Serena’s hand stroke his arm, he fought the urge to cast it off. He needed
to get her out of here, he needed his rules. He all but dragged her towards the
coat check so he could get her wrap.

He
heard Riley before he saw her. She stepped through the door leading from the
kitchen, a large tray of delicate champagne flutes in her hand. She was
politely laughing at something a guest was saying to her. Her long hair was
neatly braided and she was wearing black pants and a crisp white blouse. They
were directly in her path and everything else played out as if in slow motion;
the moment she recognized him, the surprise at seeing Serena draped all over
him and then the stunning realization of what he was.

 
He didn’t know how she had figured it out but
he could tell by her horrified look that she was beyond thinking he was simply
out on a date with another woman. The tray slipped precariously, but she
managed to catch it before anything spilled. She shoved it at the man who had
just accepted the glass and he was too surprised to do anything but grab the
tray as she turned and hurried back to the kitchen. He couldn’t stop himself
from following her, ignoring Serena as she called out his name.

***

Gabriel.
She heard the woman say his name at least three times before she finally
managed to get out of hearing distance. She couldn’t see anything around her
and all she heard was the blood pounding in her ears. The smell from the
garbage in the alleyway assaulted her as she stepped outside, but she was
grateful to be able to suck in any air at all because her chest felt like an
anvil had been dropped on it. She let out a hysterical laugh as an image of
that cartoon coyote popped into her mind. The roadrunner always managed to
outsmart him but that stupid coyote kept trying no matter how many times
something fell on him or ran him over.

That’s
how Gabe found her, leaning against the alley wall, surrounded by garbage and
laughing hysterically. The laughing grew harsh and then she was choking back
sobs. When she saw him watching her silently, she put up her hand as if to stop
him from approaching her even though he hadn’t moved or spoken. She turned on
her heel and started walking away from him and towards the street. He followed
her, his long stride easily covering twice as much ground as her furious little
ones.

“Stay
away from me,” she said quietly when he eased in behind her. She sounded
dejected, broken. He wished she would rage at him – it hurt just a little bit
less.

“I’ll
walk you to your car,” he said simply.

“It’s
not here. It wouldn’t start this morning. I got a ride with Elise.”

“So
what’s your plan?”

“Not
your problem,” she muttered.

“I’ll
give you a ride.”

“Go
to hell Gabe. Oh, sorry, Gabriel.”

He
grabbed her arm suddenly and pulled her around to face him. “Don’t call me that!
I don’t ever want to hear you call me that!” She ripped her arm free.

“Don’t!
You don’t ever get to touch me again!” She hit him in the chest with her small
fist but he just grabbed it and forced her arm behind her back. When he did the
same with the other, she stilled because any movement she made caused her to
brush up against his hardening cock. She shouldn’t be turned on but she was.
Her humiliation was absolute.

“Duty
calls,” she said mockingly.

“Do
you think this is for her?” he asked roughly as he ground his hips against
hers. The fabric of her pants were rough against her clit when he slid against
her again and she couldn’t stifle her gasp. His hands tightened on her wrists.
“It’s been like this since the first day we met. Every woman after that…all I
saw was you.” He’d realized his mistake as soon as the words had left his
mouth. Her arousal fled and she struggled violently against him. Afraid he
would inadvertently hurt her, he released her.

“Is
that supposed to make me feel good Gabe?” she nearly shrieked. “Am I supposed
to be glad you were thinking of me while you fucked other women for money?”

She
started to storm off but he grabbed her arm again.

“I
get it, you hate my fucking guts and you never want to see me again. Fine! But you
are not walking home.” He dragged her around the side of the building and
practically forced her into his truck. If anyone had seen them, they probably
would have called the cops. Luckily, she hadn’t struggled against him. Once
they were moving, he didn’t bother trying to continue the discussion. What
could he say? He was an asshole and he’d gotten exactly what he deserved.

He
felt his cell phone vibrate in his jacket pocket but he ignored it – his agency
no doubt, trying to find out why they were getting irate calls from Serena
Richards demanding her money back because he’d ditched her. Didn’t matter, he
was done. He had nothing left to give – not to his work, not to escorting, not
even to the young woman sitting stonily next to him, her eyes staring straight
out the windshield.

He
parked the truck in front of the apartment building. She was out of the car
before he’d even put it in park. She marched up the stairs and he jogged to
catch up with her. But when he reached the top step he saw she was stopped in
front of her door. When he saw the reason, fear rushed through him and he
reached for her arm and pulled her behind him. Her door was partially open, the
door frame clearly jimmied.

“Stay
behind me,” he said firmly and was glad when she didn’t argue.

He
heard her gasp when they entered the apartment. It was completely trashed.
Grabbing her hand he pulled her along behind him while he made a quick sweep of
the place to make sure it was empty. Reaching for his cell phone he dialed the
police and while he was providing her address, he saw her turn back to go into
the living room. He followed and sucked in a breath when he saw what she was
staring at. The word “cunt” was written in red spray paint across one of the
walls. Her couch was ripped, the pretty sheet she’d used to cover the ugly
piece of furniture was shredded. Her TV had been slammed against the floor and
the screen was shattered. The few books she’d had were ripped and he saw pieces
of ceramic all over the floor – knickknacks probably, things that had enough
sentimental value to her that she’d made room in her few moving boxes for them.

Just
about nothing had been left untouched. Dishes and glasses were shattered all
over the kitchen. Even her fridge had been emptied and trashed. The brief look
he had of her bedroom indicated her belongings in there hadn’t fared any
better. As he spoke with the dispatcher, she disappeared into her bedroom. When
she didn’t come back out he went looking for her.

***

It
was too much. There was no way she could keep it together anymore. The few
things she had of value were in pieces or torn to shreds. She’d lost Gabe too.
It was just too much.

“Riley,”
Gabe said quietly behind her. She flinched at how loud his voice sounded in the
silence. Or maybe it was because she was drifting away in her head, trying to
escape it all. Maybe she could just float away and when she came back it would
all be normal again. The bed slumped when Gabe’s weight dropped down next to
her.

“Is
that your go bag?” he asked softly, motioning to the black backpack in her
hands.

“Uh,
yeah, it was pushed pretty far back in the closet on the top shelf – I guess he
missed it.”

“The
police will be here soon. Why don’t we go wait for them at my place.” His
gentle voice was going to kill her. It was hard to be angry at Gabe when he was
trying to take care of her like he always did.

“No,
that’s okay, I’ll just stay here. You can go – thanks,” she said, still dazed.

“Honey,
I’m not leaving you here by yourself,” he said as he pushed a stray lock of
hair behind her ear. She was quiet for a long time and then finally nodded.

“Okay.”

***

Gabe
took her icy hand in his and led her from the apartment. She had a death grip
on her backpack and when he tried to take it from her, she pulled it
protectively into her arms. He sat her down on the couch and went to get her a
soda. She numbly did as he told her and drank the whole thing down. He wanted
to pull her into his arms and reassure her that he would fix everything, but he
knew the gesture wouldn’t be welcomed.

The
police arrived within ten minutes of his call and he stayed by her side as she
quietly explained what they’d come home to. When the cops asked her if she knew
who had done it, she shook her head but said, “It may have been my ex.” She
motioned over the shoulder at the slur written on the wall. “He called me that
when I left him.” Rage burned through Gabe at the possible new threat to her.
“I contacted the place I used to work back home last week to give them my
address so they could send me my last check – he might have been able to talk
them into telling him where I was.”

“You
might want to check her car,” Gabe said to the officer closer to him. “She said
it wouldn’t start today – he might have tampered with it.”

Riley
let out a sharp breath - she clearly hadn’t made the connection - and he
guessed that she was starting to think along the same lines as him. Maybe Paul
had been planning something – maybe he needed to make sure she couldn’t leave
or that she’d be forced to go somewhere on foot. He was glad when the cops
finished up and said they could go. He needed Riley safe in his apartment where
he could get between her and any threat. She’d been holding her backpack like a
lifeline the whole time the cops had been questioning her. When he tugged at
it, she looked up at him as if he were trying to pull off a limb.