responded. Why? What’s wrong?”
Her lip trembles, “She’s gone. For two weeks she’s been gone. They think that she ran off, but I know Dani. She wouldn’t abandon her job and her life. She wouldn’t abandon me.”
“That’s terrible.” I breathe out, handing her a tissue.
Misty shakes her head as she dabs her eyes with the tissue, “I thought that she’d be better after everything that happened to her, you know? She had a terrible life, but I thought she was better…”
I nod, “She seemed like she had everything figured out. I can’t imagine that she would just run off without a word.”
She stands up and wipes her tears with the tissue before grabbing a pen and pad from her purse.
“Please, call me if you see her around, or if she reaches out to you.” Misty says, handing me the paper.
“I will.” I nod, looking over her hurried handwriting as she leaves my office.
I run my hand over my face and several seconds tick by when I hear a set of heels clicking against the floor of my office.
“Gabriel.”
I look up and see my mom standing there in the doorway.
I nod towards the chair and she sits.
“Who was that woman?”
I shrug as I look towards the door, “I went out with her and her friend. Her friend went home, and then vanished the next day.”
“Oh,” She murmurs, “that’s terrible.”
I’m becoming annoyed. She never just stops in.
“What are you doing here, mom?”
She relaxes a bit in her seat, “I wanted to talk to you. About what was said the other night.”
She pauses and inhales a shaky breath, “When I was eighteen, I was at a party. It was my first party that I’d ever been to. I was excited. I got incredibly drunk. A man took me from that party. That man was Gabe Thibault… your father, and he was sure to make the next two years of my life a living hell. You see, my father owed him money, and when my father couldn’t pay it, he took me. But when my father did have the money, Gabe refused to let me go home. He became incredibly obsessive, and abusive. He forced me to marry him. He forced me to become pregnant, but I lost the baby. He was a hit man. He killed people in the most brutal way. He used medieval torture devices on them.”
She shifts in her seat uncomfortably, “I saw him once. It was horrifying. The things that he did to her… I didn’t think a human was capable of doing such things to another human being. He began going on these trips, he had to get different people and bring them back to his home. Then one day, he brought Kat back with him.”
I lean forward as I listen intently, craving any truth about my past.
“Kat was sweet. She really was. She became somewhat of a friend for me. Her and Able… your father, of course.”
My eyebrows sit high on my forehead, “Dad? Why was he there?”
She smiles fondly, “He was a guard - my guard. What Gabe didn’t realize… having Able and I so close… Able became my lover, and my savior. Anyway, Kat became pregnant. Gabe was using her, because he didn’t want to hurt me. The only reason is because I could have been with child at any given time. So, he used her.”
“What happened to Gabe?”
Her lip twitches as she surveys me from across the desk, “Your father made sure that he would never be found. Ever.”
“So you killed him?” I snap – not even sure why I’m angry. I already figured that he was dead, I guess I just wanted to believe that he was somewhere out there, ready to tell me why he was the way that he was.
She nods haltingly, “Yes.”
I frown as I divert my eyes, feeling the warmth of mom’s small hand covering mine.
“You are not him , Gabriel.” She whispers.
I look up into her eyes, “How do you know that?”
Smiling, she reaches into her purse, “That’s simple.”
She places a stack of pictures on my desk and spreads them across the wood.
“See,” She says, pointing at a picture of her and me when I was a child, “In your eyes, you show love, a
Her lip trembles, “She’s gone. For two weeks she’s been gone. They think that she ran off, but I know Dani. She wouldn’t abandon her job and her life. She wouldn’t abandon me.”
“That’s terrible.” I breathe out, handing her a tissue.
Misty shakes her head as she dabs her eyes with the tissue, “I thought that she’d be better after everything that happened to her, you know? She had a terrible life, but I thought she was better…”
I nod, “She seemed like she had everything figured out. I can’t imagine that she would just run off without a word.”
She stands up and wipes her tears with the tissue before grabbing a pen and pad from her purse.
“Please, call me if you see her around, or if she reaches out to you.” Misty says, handing me the paper.
“I will.” I nod, looking over her hurried handwriting as she leaves my office.
I run my hand over my face and several seconds tick by when I hear a set of heels clicking against the floor of my office.
“Gabriel.”
I look up and see my mom standing there in the doorway.
I nod towards the chair and she sits.
“Who was that woman?”
I shrug as I look towards the door, “I went out with her and her friend. Her friend went home, and then vanished the next day.”
“Oh,” She murmurs, “that’s terrible.”
I’m becoming annoyed. She never just stops in.
“What are you doing here, mom?”
She relaxes a bit in her seat, “I wanted to talk to you. About what was said the other night.”
She pauses and inhales a shaky breath, “When I was eighteen, I was at a party. It was my first party that I’d ever been to. I was excited. I got incredibly drunk. A man took me from that party. That man was Gabe Thibault… your father, and he was sure to make the next two years of my life a living hell. You see, my father owed him money, and when my father couldn’t pay it, he took me. But when my father did have the money, Gabe refused to let me go home. He became incredibly obsessive, and abusive. He forced me to marry him. He forced me to become pregnant, but I lost the baby. He was a hit man. He killed people in the most brutal way. He used medieval torture devices on them.”
She shifts in her seat uncomfortably, “I saw him once. It was horrifying. The things that he did to her… I didn’t think a human was capable of doing such things to another human being. He began going on these trips, he had to get different people and bring them back to his home. Then one day, he brought Kat back with him.”
I lean forward as I listen intently, craving any truth about my past.
“Kat was sweet. She really was. She became somewhat of a friend for me. Her and Able… your father, of course.”
My eyebrows sit high on my forehead, “Dad? Why was he there?”
She smiles fondly, “He was a guard - my guard. What Gabe didn’t realize… having Able and I so close… Able became my lover, and my savior. Anyway, Kat became pregnant. Gabe was using her, because he didn’t want to hurt me. The only reason is because I could have been with child at any given time. So, he used her.”
“What happened to Gabe?”
Her lip twitches as she surveys me from across the desk, “Your father made sure that he would never be found. Ever.”
“So you killed him?” I snap – not even sure why I’m angry. I already figured that he was dead, I guess I just wanted to believe that he was somewhere out there, ready to tell me why he was the way that he was.
She nods haltingly, “Yes.”
I frown as I divert my eyes, feeling the warmth of mom’s small hand covering mine.
“You are not him , Gabriel.” She whispers.
I look up into her eyes, “How do you know that?”
Smiling, she reaches into her purse, “That’s simple.”
She places a stack of pictures on my desk and spreads them across the wood.
“See,” She says, pointing at a picture of her and me when I was a child, “In your eyes, you show love, a
Similar Books
