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Everything has happened so quickly that it doesn’t feel real, like I’m in a dream. I was only given enough time to throw on some clothes and grab my blanket and a few other personal items before running straight to find Tracey. Our goodbye was quick and emotional. Well, I got emotional, Tracey just looked at me strangely.
I’m overjoyed to go home and see Tina again, not to mention spending quality time with my mates and rebuilding my life, but knowing the reason that I’m being released is because Gabriel confessed that he abducted me makes it bittersweet.
Worry swirls in my gut like a hurricane, making me sick with fear—not for me, but for Gabriel. I’m scared for him, for what his life is about to become. I saw him last night when he told me his plans, but despite scouring the centre for him after I spoke with Tracey, I’ve found no trace of him this morning.
He must have gone straight to see the guards after our conversation, as none of the others he usually spends time with have a clue what’s going on. No one seems to have seen him since last night. Have they already taken him away? Although I knew this was a possibility, and we said our goodbyes, the deep sadness in me is all consuming, threatening to overshadow the happiness of being released.
Entering the reception area, I check in with the receptionist and am let through the electric doors into the security processing area. Here, I’m trapped between two locked doors, with the centre behind me and freedom ahead. Placing my belongings on the provided table, I step back and allow the security guards to inspect them all.
“Emmy!” Tina calls out from the other side of the security barrier, and I spin to see her waving at me from the entrance, her smile wide.
Just seeing her makes my heart happy, my own smile growing. Although I can’t see them, I already know Zane and Jack are here, as I can feel them thanks to the bond. Suddenly impatient, I take a step towards security so they can frisk me down. The guard does the job quickly, and then he gestures for me to go to the window where a secretary awaits with my paperwork. It feels as though it takes forever as we go through the conditions of my parole, but I say nothing, because I know how important all these details are. The last thing I want is to be dragged back here because I accidently forgot to attend a meeting.
“Emily.”
There’s only one person who has an accent like that and calls me Emily.
My back stiffens, and my breath gets caught in my throat. Dizzy with the sudden wave of overwhelming happiness and concern, I immediately spin, my eyes locking on Gabriel. My initial joy at getting to see him before I leave is replaced with a nauseating powerlessness. His hands are bound behind him, and he’s being led away by several guards, all of which are watching him warily. At least, they are trying to lead him away, but he’s frozen in place, staring at me from the other side of the barrier.
“Gabriel,” I gasp. I hadn’t realised how much I needed to see him and make sure he was okay, but I thought that I’d missed out and he’d already been taken away. With the opportunity to see him now, though, it makes me hesitate. Am I really doing the right thing?
The timing of his removal and my release seems suspicious. They are bringing him through the main reception at the exact moment I’m locked between two barriers. I don’t have the capacity to think about the guards’ tricks right now. There’s a tingle in my chest, and my whole body feels restless, needing to do something. If only I knew what that something was. Without realising what I’m doing, I take a step towards him.
“Stop. Do not get any closer to him,” the security guard barks, making me jump.
Glancing at him, I plead, “Please, just give me a moment to talk to him and say goodbye.” I take another step forward until I’m close enough to touch the barrier.
Surely the guard would understand this and give me a second with Gabriel. It’s such a simple request, even the most cold-hearted person wouldn’t deny it, right?
“Stay exactly where you are or face punishment,” he barks again, snarling as his hand goes to the baton strapped to his belt. “It would be a shame for your release to be pushed back because of something so small.”
Shocked by the violence in the guard’s eyes, I drop my wandering hand. If I don’t listen to them and get thrown back into the halfway house, then Gabriel’s sacrifice would be for nothing. Anger courses through me, my hands balling into fists at my sides.
“Emmy, they are trying to get you to lash out,” Jack calls from the entrance, his voice calm and steady, even though I can feel his irritation at the situation I’ve been put in. “Don’t rise to it.”
That’s easier said than done as I watch six guards manhandle Gabriel, roughly dragging him from the reception area.
“Emily!” he shouts, his voice muffled as he fights against the guards.
I feel so fucking trapped as I watch him get hauled away, unable to do anything to help him. Even so, I can’t help but call out his name. It’s full of pain, and I fear I might never see him again. “Gabriel!”
“Remember what I told you, little one.”
I can’t see him anymore, but his voice still reaches me loud and clear. It only takes me a second to figure out what he’s referring to. He could be talking about many of our conversations. He didn’t specify when, only that I must remember.
I love you. That’s what he told me.
“Your paperwork is complete. You may now leave,” the receptionist calls, trying to get my attention now that things have been deescalated.
Thanks to the burning in my throat, I don’t say anything, simply picking up my belongings and paperwork and waiting by the gate to be released. I need to try and enjoy today for Tina and my mates, if not myself. Gabriel sacrificed a lot for this, so I owe it to him to make the most of my freedom. With that in mind, I take a deep inhale, roll my shoulders back, and shake out my curls, a smile plastered on my face as the gate swings open and I’m face-to-face with Tina.
It doesn’t surprise me that she shoved her way to the front, not caring that my mates are straining to be with me. Best friends come before boyfriends, after all. Throwing her arms around me, she knocks me back with the force of her hug. Chuckling, I embrace her. Just the two of us being like this helps soothe the ache in my chest after Gabriel was taken away.
“I missed you so fucking much,” she murmurs, her hug becoming impossibly tight and showing no signs of ending soon. “It hasn’t been the same without you, sister.”
Hearing her say how much she missed me only brings up feelings of guilt, love, and appreciation. I don’t know what I did to have someone as amazing as her as my best friend, and if she keeps talking like this, then I’m going to start crying, and I might not be able to stop.
Looking over her shoulder, I see that Zane is practically shaking as he tries to hold himself back, his eyes almost completely black with his need for me. Looking at my handsome officer mate, I see he doesn’t seem to be faring much better. Seeing them like this, so desperate for me and so freaking close, flips a switch in me. All I can think about is them, their touch, their taste, and their smell.
