He could not kick her out, she had nowhere togo. Turning away he began to leave, panicking she tried to catch his arm tostop him. "Please, Gabriel wait."
Pulling his arm from her hand, he turned aroundso fast she nearly stumbled back.
"Get," snatching the frame from her hand."The fuck out!” he bellowed throwing the frame with an almighty force.
The wooden frame hit the gold shell shapedmirror breaking it into pieces. The sudden explosion of sound and falling glasscaused her to scream. Beyond frightened, she didn't risk another glance at hisdirection. Running past the whimpering Bishop, Salene raced to her room. Tearswere running down her face while her hands shook in fear as she stuffed herclothes and toiletries into her overnight bag. The sound from the hallway madeher pause in panic. Was he coming down the hall? Her stomach twisted in fear asshe remembered his rage filled face. Deciding to leave her remaining items shehad in the bathroom she all but ran down the hall wiping the tears from hereyes. Rushing to the door to the garage Salene jumped when she heard the noisecoming from the gym. A thunderous crash shaking the walls spurred her faster.Quickly hooking up the trailer to her beat up car Salene threw the key and thegarage remote under the sensor as the garage door shut.
Driving away she let the deep sob she had beenholding in out. All she wanted to do was scream. Why was this happening to her,why couldn't anything go right for once? Wiping at her falling tears, shegroaned when she saw the darkening sky ahead. The black clouds contrastedheavily with the evening sky, making it look much later out.
Going to work wasn't an option right now sinceit was still during business hours. Maybe next week she could work the nightshift if she played with the schedule. Driving in front of her work she scannedthe busy line and full tables. Well, she definitely couldn't park in theparking lot without raising suspicion with her employees or the customers.Driving out of the parking lot she pulled into the next door bank parking lotto think. Even though her and Kevin were getting along great, she did not feelcomfortable asking such a huge favor. Plus, Kevin lived with his sister and hertwo kids.
At the corner of the highway and the underpassright across from the shopping center of her work, she remembered there was amotel. When she first saw the dingy looking motel, she thought how out of placeit seemed in the upscale shopping area. Surely they would have affordablerates.
Pulling her car and trailer across the busystreet, she pulled into the hotel parking lot. Up close the seedy hotel lookedeven grimier somehow. Pulling under the carport, she quickly got out and raninside just as a loud clap of thunder struck.
Thankfully just as she expected the hotel was dirtcheap per night, unfortunately, guest paid for it in the complete lack ofquality. Judging by the couple of guests she did see going to and from theirrooms, they did not seem to mind. Though she grew up in a small house and withnot a lot of money Salene had an OCD mother. An OCD clean freak of a mom whocontrolled her six children like a cleaning army. So cheap digs was somethingSalene could deal with, filthy on the other hand was out of the question.Luckily the night manager seemed to take pity on her, while eyeballing herbreast the entire time and claimed he gave her the best room. Whatever thatcould be, she thought morosely. Parking her car and trailer upfront she climbedthe exterior stairwell to her room.
The room was not as bad as her imaginationhyped it up to be. With a passing eye the room seemed reasonably clean, but tobe safe, she planned on using the coin operated laundry facility on thebedding. Sitting in the one provided chair, Salene dropped her bag onto thetable.
What she could not figure out was why were allthese bad things happening to her. Resting her forehead in her palm, she leanedheavily onto the table. If she would have known having lunch with Amber wouldhave resulted in being kicked out, Salene would never have gone. It was notlike she got anything from it. She didn't get her friend back because the girlshe knew in college and the girl that sat in front of her today was definitelynot the same woman.
Inadvertently she remembered the rage onBreslin's face when he smashed the mirror. Not once in her life had she beenaround someone that scary. It was at that moment Salene again recognized howstrong of a man Gabriel was. It was a terrible feeling to be reminded howpowerless she would be against him, Salene had never been so scared in herlife.
Trying not to cry again she stepped into thesmall bathroom, the formica counters were old and yellowing but clean. Taking abrush out of her bag she tried to tame her wild curls. Splashing some water onher face, she wiped her face with a towel that was in her bag when she heardthe exceptionally loud thunder. It was so close sounding it actually made herjump.
The loud thundering happened again, almostidentically.
Surely that could not be…
Salene did not get to finish the thought.
"Salene! Open the damn door!"
Chapter 13
Brokenimages of his reflection shined back at Gabriel through the pieces of mirror onthe tiled entrance floor. The residuals of his abating anger was running itslast course through his bloodstream as he took deep, steadying breaths. Lookingat his busted bruised fists, Gabriel was disgusted by his lack of control.
Whenhe got the text from Tobias that afternoon about Salene and Amber, it felt likehe had been stabbed in the gut again. The first time he felt like that was whenhe came home to find Amber packing her things while dismissively telling himshe had found someone else and no longer wanted to do "this." Somehowthe betrayal from Salene hurt just as bad—if not worse.
Insteadof trying to calm down and think about the situation rationally he justreacted. Leaving the meeting early he came home to confront Salene, he wantedto know what she told that bitch. The very thought of Amber knowing how muchshe up-heaved his life was sickening, that vile woman wouldn't get thesatisfaction as long as he was alive. But by the time he stepped through thedoor and saw Salene’s smiling face he was too far gone.
Theanger boiling inside of him consumed him and exploded before he knew it he wasyelling. With each word he watched her beautiful round face grow more and moreterrified. It was as if he was lost in his own storm of fury. When Amber left,he said and did nothing he held in the pain and anger bottling it up inside. Itwas when the glass shattered to the floor, and Salene's terrified fear hit himlike a punch to the stomach he realized he let it all out. He should havestopped there, he should have grabbed her and apologized, but it only seemed tomake him angrier. Going to the gym, he nearly destroyed his old punching bag inan attempt to abate and streamline his anger.
Nowhe was standing in the mess he made—alone. Sweeping up the broken glass heglanced around for Bishop. Earlier when he came out of the gym, he saw Bishoprun by him with a whimper. Quickly cleaning the glass up, he searched for thedog, afraid he might have stepped in some of the glass. Not finding him in thehouse he went into the garage figuring he used his dog door.
"Bishop,"he called out.
Thefamiliar jingling of his collar alerted Gabriel of his presence. Walking overto the now empty third garage space Gabriel let out a curse underneath hisbreath. Bishop was laying down in the empty spot giving him a wary look.
"Comehere boy," slowly Bishop got up and walked towards Gabriel. Giving the doga few reassuring strokes, Gabriel saw the key and the garage remote sitting byhim.
AgitatedGabriel scooped up the items and walked back inside. He was at war with himselfinside his head, on one hand, he felt justified in some of his anger but on theother, all he could picture was Salene's terrified face. Never in his life hashe treated a woman like that especially considering it was Amber who shouldhave felt his rage not Salene. Leaning against the sink, he stared out at thedark backyard, when the rain hit the glass he let out another curse. Anunfamiliar feeling gripped in his chest making it hard to focus. Taking anotherlook outside he thought of Salene alone with nowhere to go.
Swipinghis keys of off the counter he got into his truck.
***
"GoddammitSalene," he yelled disconnecting the line after receiving her voice-mailfor the hundredth time.
