Black Truth (A Twisted Fate Series Book 2)
Page 19
His mother… that woman… how had he survived such conditions with no love?
I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams a scene so dismally full of hate. The deadness in his mother’s eyes haunted my thoughts. He said the home he grew up in wasn’t as bad, but anything remotely in the same arena would be unacceptable.
Imagining Gabe in such conditions when he was young and defenseless broke my heart all over again. My hand reached for him but retracted on a second thought. The muscles on Gabe’s arms tightened.
He still needed time.
I kept to myself as we sped forward. The exit approached. Unexpectedly, the car kept moving forward. Maybe they were taking the next exit. Sometimes when traffic backed up, the other highway had less traffic though it was longer.
The silence between us became overbearing. The next exit came and we passed it without a thought. Was something wrong? I glanced out the back. Only one of the two of the SUV’s was behind us.
“Where are we going?” My voice penetrated the edgy environment.
No one answered for a few seconds, but Andre looked back in the rearview at Gabe while still on the phone. I almost said something when finally Gabe responded without looking my way. “We’re headed out of town. To Italy. On Carson’s plane.”
Italy? Carson’ plane? What the hell was going on? I waited for an explanation, but all I received was the view of Gabe’s back. Stay calm, Willow. It’s been a stressful afternoon. I shifted in my seat to face Gabe and counted to ten before probing.
“Why are we going to Italy?”
Again silence from Gabe. The irritation bloomed.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
Keeping my voice calm, I became sterner. “Gabe, please tell me what is going on.”
He looked at me with a set jaw, face devoid of emotion. “Not now, Willow.”
Not now? Not NOW! NOT NOW! This involved me as much as him. I tried again, hoping he made the choice to elaborate. “Carson’s plane?”
“Yes, damn it. Not now.” There was the use of those two words again. Not now. The cold tone sank bone deep and sent me back to the days I lived with Alex. I clinched my fist, furious I from dismissed so easily.
Any calmness I had evaporated. My lips pressed together as I stared daggers at the unresponsive man I didn’t know in this moment.
Carson knew.
I bristled at the thought of being left in the dark. Irritation flared to an all-time high. Taking out my phone, I thought about texting Carson for a brief second before I put it away. I refused to undermine our relationship by bringing Carson in the middle of it. We would have to work this out together or… that wasn’t a thought I wanted to entertain.
Gabe glanced at me and then resumed his intense stare out the window.
With every ounce of venom I was able to muster, I said, “I’m glad we got that all cleared up.”
No response.
I took a deep breath and mirrored his pose while looking out my own window. Utterly ridiculous. Wait, what if Alex changed places with Gabe? This cold distant act was unlike him.
“Show me your stomach where the scar is supposed to be.”
My words sent an electric jolt through Gabe as his detached gaze met mine. Without a word, he lifted his shirt to reveal a smooth hard abdomen. I breathed a sigh of relief. This is Gabe.
I whispered, “Why are you acting like him?”
No response.
Part of me wanted to demand Trent take me home. But, I trusted his decision. He went against Gabe before regarding Apple Blossom. Something was wrong. First, I needed to be safe before I had it out with anyone.
Before long we pulled up to the tarmac. The gates slid open and we pulled into the private hanger of Whitmore Hotels. The men exited the vehicles. Six boarded the plane in front of me.
The car door opened and the heat of the day fueled my temper. At a clipped pace I boarded the plane, staying away from Gabe. Trent gave some hand signals and the men moved about.
Upon entering the cabin, the flight attendant, Vanessa, greeted me with a cheery expression. “Good afternoon, Ms. Russo.”
Gabe stepped to the side to talk to the pilot at the cockpit door. Men came on board from our little convoy. “I’m going to takeoff from the bedroom if that’s okay. I need some time to myself.”
I should have been more pleasant, but I needed to be alone. Later I would apologize for my behavior.
“Of course. There are seat belts on the couch.”
“Thanks.”
Without glancing at anyone, I walked past them but Trent caught my eye. He took the phone away from his ear. “You okay, Willow?”
“What do you think?” I snapped, then held up my hand. “I get it. Something is up. But, we’ll be talking later.”
He nodded. “I’ll come back and explain if Gabe doesn’t. There was a lot of shit happening at once. Your safety is my number one concern. It’s too much to go over until we’re safely in the air. I have to finish making some arrangements first.”
At least my suspicion was right. This pressure was not good for the babies and needed to calm down. “I want you to keep anyone from coming back and disturbing me. And I mean anyone.”
“I understand. Let me know if you want me or Gabe to come back to talk when you’re ready.”
I felt the hard stare of Gabe behind me, but I refused to turn around. Instead, I marched forward and shut the door with more force than needed.
Voices, particularly Gabe’s and Trent’s, were faint in the cabin. It sounded like an argument about coming to see me.
Click.
The voices stopped as I locked the door. I leaned against the wall and blew out a breath. How had things flipped upside down? Understandably, Gabe was upset from the visit. What I had a hard time understanding was the tone and attitude he’d used with me.
Unacceptable.
I had to calm down for the sake of the babies and me. The flight attendant came over the intercom to advise everyone to buckle up. On the beige leather couch, I fastened my seatbelt.
Now, I could calm down.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Fuck.
“Willow, can I come in?” Gabe’s voice had lost its nasty edginess.
Now, he wanted to talk. Well, too bad. I wasn’t in the mood anymore.
“Willow.”
“Not now, Gabe.” I said, throwing his words back to him with all the irritation I felt. Take those terrible words and shove them where the sun doesn’t shine!
“Willow?”
I refused to answer. And if he walked in here, I would call Carson and get off this plane. He was lucky I’d let this stunt go as far as it had.
The reasons I had stayed were one, I trusted Gabe, two, Carson knew and trusted Gabe, and three, Trent knew and trusted Gabe.
However… I still had the right to be furious for the time being. Maybe after we took off and I’d had something to eat and a nap, we might try talking. For now, Gabe needed a reality check. I was not the enemy.
The plane moved forward and I stared out the window at the concrete, watching it move faster. The wheels lifted off the ground giving that sense of brief weightlessness. I hated the feeling. Flying always made me a little nervous.
My phone vibrated with Gabe’s name.
Gabe: You okay? I know you hate flying.
Things were not going to be fixed via a text. I thought about not responding, but I decided against that action. Without an answer, he might bust the door down, thinking something was wrong.
Me: I’m fine.
Gabe: Can I come back there to talk?
Me: No.
Vanessa’s voice came over the intercom, announcing we were able to move about the cabin. Another text came.
Gabe: I’m sorry. I love you.
The damn broke as I crawled into bed and silently cried into the pillow, unable to answer him. I loved him more than anything. But for the first time with Gabe… I felt lost.
The white noise of the engines purred on. They had put me to sleep shortly after all the tears were expelled. I wiped my cheeks feeling a little of the moisture from my wet pillow.
The fight with Gabe. His tone. The coldness. It had been horrendous. I hated feeling out of sorts.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. So fucking sorry.”
I startled and turned.
Changed from earlier, Gabe sat on the couch pensively watching me. “You’ve been crying.”
Instinctively, I touched my tear-stained cheeks. “What are you doing in here? I want to be left alone.” My voice was scratchy.
“Salvaging what I wrecked.”
His fingers were pressed together under his chin as he watched me closely. He looked as wrecked as what I imagined I did.
After sleeping, I felt calmer. Instead of anger, sadness and loneliness filled its place.
“Can I come sit beside you?”
I shook my head and he closed his eyes.
“I deserve that. I lost my cool back there. And the worst part of all, I reminded you of Alex.”
Remaining silent, I sensed Gabe wanted me to take the lead in the conversation. Well, this was his show to right the wrong.
When he figured I was not going talk, he continued, “I am so sorry about what I did. Hell, being at my mother’s and finding Alex’s back room did a number on me. I felt like I’d been thrown back into my childhood, and I coped with things wrong. It wasn’t right.”
Drawing my knees up to my chest, I watched him.
Gabe ran his fingers through his hair. “Alex had been living with Mom for who knows how long. We found a hidden room… more like a closet behind a tattered rug on the wall.” He closed his eyes. “There were pictures of you and me leaving the doctor’s office. A schedule of when your next doctor visit is, guard rotations at the house.”
I drew in an audible breath.
“The security schedules weren’t accurate, but they were close enough. He planned to kidnap you. The warehouse I found from his encrypted papers was the location he planned to take you. I don’t know what his plan is. There wasn’t time to explain everything and I wanted to talk in private. Carson and Trent threatened to call if I didn’t tell you soon after takeoff.”
Fear grabbed me. Chasity’s warning about Alex getting me hadn’t been a junkie’s nonsensical thoughts. I needed to feel grounded in Gabe’s arms. When I reached him, there was no hesitation when he brought me into his arms.
He let out a sigh. “Thank you. I needed to feel you, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of my head. “When I saw all that, I had to get you away from your environment. Do something unpredictable. We have you covered, but I just poked the bear. No doubt he’s going to strike back and try to hurt what matters most.”
“Me and the babies.” The thought left a sickening feeling inside of me. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to them.
“Yes. The men gathered it all and took it out the back door while we talked to my mother. Trent has a team looking into it. And hearing her confirm they targeted you from the beginning in order to continue their sick game. A game? A fucking game? You and I are not a game.” He took a calming breath.
I touched his cheek. “Gabe…”
“There are photos of Alex watching me for years when I was stateside. He saw the moment I fell in love with you. Willow, he has pictures of me wrapping my arms around you on the balcony the first night we made love.”
“Why now? Why did he wait all that time? Why try to ruin us?”
“Because I finally had something worth taking. I had someone I couldn’t live without. He knew it.”
The thought sobered me. The vulnerability I heard sent me on edge. All those years of watching Gabe and he never had anything worth losing… until me.
The depth of Alex’s deception went deeper than either of us imagined. Our lives were merely pieces to manipulate. But, we had each other. Through all the lies, we found our way back to the truth, the light. The darkness had no hold over us.
“I am trained to pick up on this stuff. I missed it. I fucking missed it. How the fuck was I so stupid?”
Earlier, Gabe’s state made more sense. Fear drove people to act and protect their loved ones at any cost. The anger stemmed from not being able to protect me. “Gabe.” I waited for him to look at me. “If I had to go through all this heartache to have you… I would. You are worth it.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes as they warmed, leaving the cool icy feel behind. I had him back. Completely.
“I never wanted this for you. You are my world… my life. Having all that threatened knocked me off kilter and I didn’t handle it well. You are my light, Willow. Please forgive me.”
I leaned up and kissed his mouth. “I do forgive you. We make the light together.”
“I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.” His hand moved to my stomach. “Or them.”
It seemed like we were passed the rapids and moving into tranquil water. “When did Carson find out about the trip?”
“When I found the pictures and schedules in the back room, I called Carson. He arranged for the plane. We’ve been in constant contact. He messengered your passport to the plane. Francesca packed you a bag. I know it seems like I betrayed my vow to you, but I needed to make sure you were safe first. Giving you only a piece of what was going would have been worse than withholding.”
I agreed. Every situation had extenuating circumstances. All of this was moving at an exponential rate. “Wow…”
Gabe added, “I’m not slipping into old behaviors and keeping things from you. I know it seems like it, but I’ve had to make some tough judgment calls.”
In the same situation, I would have made the same decision.
“I’m sorry, Willow. So fucking sorry.”
I heard the anguish in his voice. I squeezed him tighter to me. “I think you get a pass.”
“No, I don’t. When you have something as precious as the love I have from you, I don’t get a pass. I don’t ever get a pass. But, I had to get you safe first.”
We needed to be closer together. “Come, let’s lay down.”
Before I could put my feet on the floor, Gabe carried me to the bed. He toed off his shoes and slid us under the covers in one fluid movement. He pushed up my shirt and placed his hand on my stomach. “We’re going to get this behind us. I pray I haven’t made a mistake.”
“You know what you’re doing. I trust you. Why did you choose Italy?”
Maybe talking about his decision would ease some of the apprehension. “Trent has a team there already because of Carson’s hotel. I doubt Alex knows about the team. Trent assembled it under a different name for his global division while you and Carson were here last time.”
Dad would be proud knowing Trent had taken his company global. “Where are we going once we get there?”
“We have a couple of choices. We can go to your estate or Trent has located a cabin to use not far from your place.”
A lump formed in my throat. I hadn’t been back there since Dad died.
“It’s your choice, Willow. We need Alex to chase me without thinking. We need him to want to strike back at me. He’s a methodical bastard and will wait years to do anything. This has to end now. I can’t have him fucking with our children’s lives. I can’t.”
I understood the urgency. I felt it, too.
The longer it took Alex to find us, the longer the unease would drift around us. The chaos Gabe created might settle, giving Alex time to rethink things and eventually get to me or our children.
“I want to go to the estate. How long are we staying there?”
“Until we catch the asshole. There is no redemption for Alex. He won’t get another chance.” Gabe’s words implicated death as the final solution.
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“Can’t we turn him over to someone?”
“No.”
“Do you think he’ll know where we are?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I left him a note that said ‘Italy.’”
I sat up. “You what?” Why put a beacon right on top of us? Alex knew about my estate in Italy. In one of our arguments, he’d asked me to sell the place. Of course the answer had been no. “He’s going to come straight for you.”
“We had to take control of the situation. I know it seems rash, it isn’t. Trent and Carson both agreed to the plan. We create the fake chaos. Alex thinks I’m fleeing because I’m scared he’s too close. He’s going to think I’m reacting instead of planning. But, in reality we have the upper hand. And since we came to his turf, took his things… I’ve pissed him off. Trent is increasing the watch on the school for Alex Junior just in case.”
The memory of his mom sitting in the chair in filthy tattered clothes was still vivid. “And you told Chasity about his son.”
“Yes. I was so fucking pissed. I wanted to send Alex over the edge. I want him as irrational as I feel. I want him gone. Alex will come for me.”
Mentally, I added, And me.
This time the car ride felt more at ease with Gabe holding me close. We landed about thirty minutes ago, Carson’s plane was to be left at the airport indefinitely in case we needed to leave.
The men had outlined contingency upon contingency, estimating Alex would be in route within the next couple of days. At this point, he hadn’t surfaced. Men had been placed at his mother’s house to monitor when he came home and left. From there the plan was to track him. They wanted him to get to the airport and come here. It was all part of the plan. De Luca had also been informed.
All of this kept me nearly scared to death, but I kept a cool front. It was unfathomable how soldiers prepared for war. I made a mental note to contribute to a veteran’s facility. The respect I had for our armed forces was immeasurable with what they went through.
As the afternoon sun sank behind the trees in the distance, it cast a purple orange hue in the sky. Sunsets here were always magnificent. The stone fence approach signaled the beginning of our land.