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Giving mom the briefest overview of what happened back at the hospital, she finally stops pacing the room and sits down beside me.
She tugs me into her, and I go willingly. “I’m just happy you made it out of there. God only knows where Gabriel ended up,” she starts to sob. “That could have easily been you, Angel. But I’m thankful it wasn’t, and as much as I hate to admit it. I’m glad the boys were there to get you out safely.”
“Me too, mom. Me too.” We stay snuggled up on the couch so long that I end up falling asleep in her arms.
Mom takes it upon herself to wait on me hand and foot. Bringing me all my meals, making sure I take my antibiotics, and getting whatever else I need. I’m still not taking the pain meds, and surprisingly it seems to be working but not the way I expected it to.
My mind is clearing, and I’m starting to remember bits and pieces, but it all comes to me when I’m sleeping. It’s hard to be sure what’s real and what’s a figment of my imagination.
In my dreams, every minute up to the shooting replays, but the man’s face is still blurry, and his voice sounds like a robot. But if my dreams are right, then two men were there that day. Two men were over us, one pulled the other away, and they took off down the alley. I told the guys immediately after I woke up the first day back home. As excited as I was, it still didn’t give them much to go off of.
Dante had a little better luck than me. When he went back to check the cameras, he watched the men enter Gabe’s room then wheel him out and into the elevator. They took him to the first floor and hid him there.
While Zeke and Sinner had a shootout in the garage, they walked right out the emergency room doors on the first floor. They loaded Gabe up like a sack of potatoes and drove away.
This was a calculated move. Whoever is behind this is no amateur.
The upside is we at least know he’s alive otherwise, they wouldn’t have wasted the manpower and resources for a dead man. The guys tracked down the van that night, but it had been abandoned behind a warehouse.
One of the guys is here around the clock. They trade out in the mornings. Jax came in yesterday with blood speckled on his shirt, but when I questioned him about it, he just said I wouldn’t want to know.
In a way, he may be right, but as each day passes by, I worry whether we’ll find Gabriel dead or alive. I can only hope the guys are getting closer to finding him.
Between resting and mom taking a sabbatical at work to take care of me, I haven’t had much time to play detective. Although, I have overheard the guys on the phone a few times when they thought I was asleep, and it seems like the cartel may be involved in some way, if that’s true, then we’re all at risk.
Even if the Sons and the Reapers banded together, they’d still be outnumbered ten to one. Which makes me worry even more about the safety of my guys.
Chapter 14
Angel
Aweeklater,Iwake up in a sweat from another bad dream in the middle of the night. My body’s healing fine, but I’m still haunted by the shooting and our inability to find Gabriel. Once I’m awake, the memory of what occurred rushes back to me with a flood of emotions.
Tears pour down my cheeks as the shooting plays like a movie reel in my mind.
I’m lying on the ground trying to get to Gabe, who’s choking on his own blood. My vision blurs in and out from the blood loss. Then all of a sudden, King is standing over us with a gun in his hand as another man I don’t recognize pulls him away.
No matter how hard I try to wrap my head around it, I can’t. This man helped us. Helped our families. He watched me grow up. Hell, at one point, he was Gabe’s best friend.
How can he throw all that away for power and money? How was he able to hide his true identity for so long without anyone seeing through him? Well, that’s not true. Gabe saw exactly who he was many years ago, but he damn sure had the rest of us fooled.
I jump out of bed, rushing into the front room where Royal is sleeping on the couch.
Mom’s rules, not mine. I’d rather have him lying beside me where he belongs.
Whispering his name with no response, I grab hold of his shoulder and shake him. He opens his eyes, “what’s wrong? Are you in pain?” He asks through his groggy state of mind.
“Royal, I remember who shot us.” I’m glad it’s him here with me. He needs to hear this from me even if I worry beyond measure how he will take the news.
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Who was it?” He asks, leaning in closer.
“I’m sorry, babe. It was King.” He curses, throwing his head back onto the pillow closing his eyes. “There was another man with him who pulled him away,” I add.
Royal takes a minute to collect his thoughts, and I give him the time he needs to get his mind right. I run my hand through his short hair, trying to ease some of his pain, but it’s no use. How do you deal with the fact that your father tries to kill the woman you love?
There’s only one way…
With blood.
