Art of Survival: Part One (A Stern Family Saga Book 5)

by Monique Orgeron

  “A special club?”

  I see his eyebrow raise as he releases me and rubs his chin trying to figure out how to explain his meaning, then it hits me.

  “You mean like a sex club?”

  “Yeah, like that.”

  “Wait a minute. Why in the hell is Gabriel here?!”

  “Listen, it’s more than that. They have illegal gambling here also.”

  “Like what?”

  “Shit Fallon, all kinds, okay? Whatever people want to bet on. Come on, just stay close to me and remember who you are.”

  He leads me by one of my arms again and starts walking us towards the music. When we get closer, I see another door. Again, two guards stand blocking the entry. Vin still has a hold on me when I hear him yell out,

  “Open the fucking door!”

  One laughs as he opens it but asks, “Who’s the girl Vin?”

  Without even a blink of the eye, Vin releases my arm and throws the man against the wall.

  “She is fucking off limits and way above your pay grade! She’s my brother wife. She’s Gabriel’s, got that?!”

  The man is up against the wall with his hands up in surrender, “Yeah man, yeah I got it.”

  Vin releases the guy and straightens his suit, returning to me. Once again, I’m lead by Vin but this time through a dark hall. I can start to see this part has all been renovated. It doesn’t look like a warehouse anymore. In fact, it looks extremely high class. It’s dark but you can see the walls are done in a dark purple velvet and lined with wall sconces lighting the way. When the hall ends my eyes go everywhere in disbelief. The building has levels all open to the dance floor below. Strobing lights flash everywhere as people dance seductively to the loud, haunting music. There are tables lining the walls, all in the same dark plush purple. On one side of the building is a long bar traveling along the whole wall. Before I can finish my inspection of the place, Vin’s grip on my arm tightens as he pulls me further in.

  Stopping in front of one of the tables, Vin releases me, and I see a man sitting in a booth with two women. One on each arm. He’s handsome, well dressed, with olive complexion, and just a hint of a five o’clock shadow. When he lights his cigar, I notice a scar slashed across his eye and brow. He looks past Vin and looks straight towards me. Obviously liking what he sees he smiles,

  “Well hello, and who might you be?”

  I start to feel the tension practically coming off of Vin. Without waiting for him to answer. I tell him myself.

  “I’m Fallon Stern, Gabriel’s wife. I would like to see my husband.”

  He doesn’t flinch like the other men. He just takes a deep drag from his cigar and blows out the smoke.

  “Mrs. Fallon Stern. I was wondering when or if I would ever meet you. I really didn’t think Catherine would let any of her daughters-in-laws down here, slumming it.”

  “Then you were wrong. I’d like to see my husband now. I know he’s here.”

  “Yes, but does he want to see you?”

  Vin takes a step forward, but I stop him laying my hand on his chest. “I don’t believe you have introduced yourself. You have me at a disadvantage.”

  “I am so sorry Mrs. Stern. My name is Shane Toups. I own this fine establishment.”

  “You mean you own this fine establishment because the Sterns allow you to. Let me ask you Mr. Toups, do you deal with Gabriel or with Catherine on business matters?”

  “Mrs. Stern you’re wrong. I am a free agent here. Of course, I do pay my dues to Catherine for allowing me to keep the doors open. There is also the matter of helping with information when the time arises but only if the money is right.”

  “Well, I will be taking over the information side of business when the time arises. I’m sure we will get quite familiar. I would hate for us to become enemies before we get to know each other. I hope you understand.”

  He starts laughing out loud and waves for the girls to leave.

  “Mrs. Stern, I’m happy to see that when the time arises, I will be dealing with another ball busting woman. I personally love women and the stronger the better.”

  He stands eyeing Vincent then shakes his hand. He turns towards me, standing tall and holds out his arm.

  “I hope you’ll allow me to escort you the rest of the way.”

  “As long as it is to my husband then you may.”

  I wrap my arm around his and with Vincent behind us, Shane starts walking. “Now that I know who I’ll be dealing with in the future, I’m glad to see you here. I think you will be very happy to learn of the profit I bring in, for the family. I happen to be a great asset, if you learn how to properly use me.”

  He starts to gesture around the room. “This is our dance club level, but the real excitement is not to be found here. If you would look up, you will see two more levels. We have a variety of events, shall I say, going on. We cover all types of entertainment. If you’d like to see them one day, I’m sure I can make that happen. Of course, with your husband or Catherine’s permission.”

  I glance in his direction and notice he is waiting for my shock. Instead of showing him any, I tell him, “Tell me more.”

  He laughs, and says, “I think I’m going to like you. But now is not the time. Let me show you the most exciting event going on right now. In fact, we’re late.”

  His brows wiggle like a child excited to show me his new toy. Shane proceeds to take me through another set of doors with two more guards posted. They don’t question, they simply open the doors. Once through, I start hearing people yelling and cheering. But it’s not until we walk past another hall that I see the room is filled with people on their feet screaming and pointing frantically all in one direction.

  I feel Vin’s hand come around my waist as he tells Shane, “I have it from here. I’ll escort her the rest of the way.”

  Shane smiles down at me and starts to walk in front. Vin’s arm tightens around me as he leans whispering in my ear,

  “Hold it together. Shane will be watching you and I’m not sure who else is here tonight. Come on, we have a seat in the front.”

  As we start to make our way through the crowd I try to see what everyone else is watching and I freeze. I know my face shows all my shock.

  “Fallon!”

  I look up at Vin and see his face warning me to stay focused but all I see is Gabriel in a boxing ring with a man twice his size, getting hit. What the hell?

  I nod to Vin and he starts pulling me to our seats. I sit without Gabriel seeing me but notice as all other eyes fall to me, sitting between Vincent Stern and Shane Toups. Crossing my legs, I hold it together and start looking around the room. I see faces I recognize, watching me and some I don’t, but I know they’re all looking for the same thing, a sign of weakness. I don’t give them any and hold my head high.

  The problem is, as they watch me, I watch Gabriel. He’s not defending himself. He’s taking hit after hit. I desperately want to run to him and beg for him to stop, but I know that’s not what he needs. He needs this. This is one of those moments that Catherine told me he would need me to be his strength. I do as I was taught and stay stoic trying to not let on how panicked I am inside. I can tell he’s been drinking because I see him stumbling on his feet. He wouldn’t be here if he weren’t in pain and it pisses me off. Gabriel staggers a bit but then he punches the man a few times as he gets closer to him. But the last throw missed, and the man shakes off his stupor and knocks Gabriel down with one punch.

  Vin jumps up and tries to go to the ring, cursing the other man. That’s when Gabriel turns, seeing us. He stands on his feet, staring and I stand walking to the ring slowly. I pass Vin, stopping him from going any further. The hushed tones would be deafening if it wasn’t for the whispers. They are all waiting to see what I do. The man Gabriel is fighting backs away and Gabriel walks to the ropes with blood splattered all over his face and his bare knuckles. The sweat from his hair drips down as he bends. I raise my arm and wipe his hair away from his face. Looking at him
straight on, I demand,

  “If you are going to do this, then do it! Fight! End it! Do you hear me?”

  Without waiting for an answer, I take a step back letting him see how serious I am. Then I turn and walk back to my chair, hoping he listens to me.

  Shane has his arms crossed as he says, “Yes Mrs. Stern, I think I’m going to like you.”

  Nervously, I watch as my husband gets hit again. In that moment, something changes. The second hit misses him. Gabriel starts bouncing on his feet and ducks the next few punches. Then he catches the guy off guard and punches him in the ribs several times, backing the guy into a corner, pounding him one after the other. But Gabriel stops, backs up and starts taunting the man to come after him again. When the guy comes for him, Gabriel hits him low, then from behind he catches the man by his neck. Gabriel holds him and continues to pound into the man’s ribs. The guy throws himself back landing on top of Gabriel, knocking the wind out of them both. When the guy rises, he makes the mistake of turning his back on my husband. Thinking he’s knocked Gabriel out, he raises his arms in victory. He’s wrong. Gabriel kicks him in the back and the guy goes flying down. Gabriel crawls over to him as the guy rolls onto his back. Climbing on top the guy, Gabriel starts hammering into him with everything he has. One punch then another until the guy is out cold. I stay seated as Vin jumps in the ring with some other men to get Gabriel off the man before he kills him. Shane is still seated on the side of me, studying the situation. Then turns to me in his seat and starts clapping, telling me,

  “Bravo, Mrs. Stern.”

  Turning to look at him, I say, “I hope you didn’t lose too much money on your man in the ring.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about me. He might have been my man, but I know never to bet against a Stern.”

  “Smart man.”

  I stand, and he follows suit. “I wasn’t applauding Gabriel though, Mrs. Stern. I was applauding you. Not many women could’ve handled what they just witnessed. But you did a great job under all the scrutiny of these men waiting for you to run to your husband.”

  I look back at the ring as I see everyone pulling Gabriel and the other man out. “Can you please show me to the back to where they’re bringing my husband?”

  He smiles and lays his hand on the small of my back leading the way as people make way for us to pass. Making our way through the crowd, I feel them all watching me closely, even the men I’ve met before. They stand, all smoking their cigars, looking at me with almost respect.

  When we get to the back, there are divided rooms. I see Vin standing outside what I assume is Gabriel’s. Shane stops outside the door. “Mrs. Stern, it was a pleasure meeting you. Can’t wait to do some business. I will leave you to your husband now. Vin and I have a few things to discuss.”

  With a sultry look in his eyes, Shane kisses my hand. Vin interrupts by clearing his throat and opens the door, waiting for me to enter. Once inside, the door closes behind me and I see Gabriel sitting on a bench with his head buried in his hands. He doesn’t look up when he asks,

  “What are you doing here, Fallon?”

  “I came for you.”

  “You shouldn’t have.”

  I lay my purse down and walk towards him. I reach out to touch him, but he jumps up.

  “Don’t touch me right now!”

  He looks toward the ceiling and covers his face with his hands then growls out a sound of frustration.

  “You shouldn’t fucking be here!”

  He starts to throw things in the room and he punches the wall with his bare knuckles.

  I’m crying, hating the sight of my husband in so much pain. “Gabriel stop! Please Gabriel!”

  He leans his forehead against the wall breathing heavy. I can’t take seeing him like this.

  “I’m here Gabriel. I had to come for you. I always come for you.”

  Lifting his head, he starts walking towards me, prowling like a beast. With every step he takes, I take one back. When my back hits against the wall, he starts furiously kissing me. Letting out all the built-up emotions he’s been holding. With my own burning need, I start pulling my dress up. He reaches down and his eyes open when he feels no panties in his way. In a hurry Gabriel pushes his pants down and wraps one of my legs around him, entering me hard and strong, causing me to wince out in pain. He stills and hovers his open mouth over mine. When the pain subsides, I whisper out his name. He closes his mouth over mine, mingling our tongues in a sweet battle for control. Laying both his hands on the sides of my face then slipping them under my hair holding me while he slides out and into me hard. With every hard thrust, I feel my husband coming back to me. He starts to slow and kisses me back, now with love.

  “I need you Fallon. I fucking need you!” He tells me.

  “You have me Gabriel.”

  No longer enraged, he starts to make love to me and when I feel him swell more inside me, I find my climax along with him. He silences our moans with his mouth as we both erupt.

  Kissing me gently, he slides out of me and I feel his body drop in front of mine. Gabriel wraps his arms around me, burying his head in my stomach. When I start brushing my fingers through his hair, he holds me tighter and I hear him start to cry.

  “She’s going to die, isn’t she?”

  “I don’t know Gabriel. You can’t think that way, not until we find out what’s going on.”

  “I don’t understand what’s going on. She won’t see me Fallon.”

  “She will, she just needs time.”

  “I can’t Fallon. I can’t lose her. Please don’t ever leave me.”

  With tears in my eyes, I raise his face looking at him with all my love. “I will never leave you. But you can’t do this anymore Gabriel. I need you to talk to me from now on.”

  Slowly he gets on his feet. For a man that's still raging inside, he manages to kiss me softly again. This man is everything I will ever need, and it kills me, that even for a minute, he questions I would ever leave.

  “Come Gabriel. Let me bring you home. Our son’s waiting for us. He needs you, we both do.”

  After cleaning his injuries, I help him dress. Then open the door to tell Vin we’re ready to go. Outside, we find Gabriel’s car and I proceed to drive him home. While on our way, I allow him the silence he needs as he holds my hand the entire way, as if it’s his own personal life line.

  6

  Theo

  I’m startled when I hear my phone ringing. Ignoring the call, I look to the ceiling. It’s been two days since I’ve seen Catherine. I’ve been holed up in my home, drinking. I meant to go to her last night, but I must have passed out again from crying into my whiskey glass.

  The phone rings again and I see it’s Zander that’s been calling, waking me.

  Clearing my throat, I answer telling him, “Zander, I’ll be home soon. I just needed some time, son.”

  “I know, but mom needs you. I need you dad. I don’t fully understand what is going on and mom told Jeffery she won’t see anyone.”

  Chuckling, I tell him, “That sounds like Catherine. I’ll be there later. Just leave her be for now. Tonight, we will get something out of her.”

  With nothing left to say, I hang up. When I turn my head, I see Teddy sitting on the sofa, silently watching me.

  “Son, how long have you been there?”

  He shrugs his shoulders and says, “I don’t know, hours.”

  I sit up in the chair, removing the picture of my wedding with Beth. I lay it down on the end table and start rubbing my aching neck.

  He questions me, “You were thinking of mom?”

  I look back down at the picture and tell him, “I always think of your mother. She was my wife.”

  Seeing the look on Teddy face surprises me. I thought we had been through all of this before. But he’s obviously still harboring some resentment towards my relationship with Catherine and the fact that we had a child together.

  “She was your wife, but not the love of your life.”

&nbs
p; Shaking my head out of pure frustration, I tell him, “Boy, don’t piss me off so early in the morning, not after the night I’ve had.”

  He stands, grabbing the picture off the table, looks at it and says, “I don’t remember you drunk like this when mom was dying.”

  Why does he insist on pissing me off? “I was devastated when your mother died.”

  With a humph he lays the picture back down. As he backs away and I hear him say, “Sure.”

  That did it. He didn’t even try to hide his sarcasm. I’m on my feet fast, pushing him up against the wall. “Let me tell you something, son. When your mother died, it nearly killed me. I never allowed you to see me that way because you were so young and hurting. You needed a father to be strong for you. Your mother would have come back to hurt me if I didn’t keep my focus on you.”

  Releasing him, I back away and start moving around the room frustrated. Smoothing my hair down and I take a deep breath trying to stay in control of my emotions. I can’t. Every fucking emotion I’m having is all bubbling to the surface. I scream out loud, screaming out every feeling that’s raging inside of me. Then I punch the wall watching my hand go right through the drywall. Teddy doesn’t move or try to say anything to me. He just lets me be until I’ve nearly destroyed the whole living room.

  Finally calming myself down, I throw myself back into my chair.

  Staring off at nothing in particular I tell him, “I loved your mother no matter what you want to believe. No, she wasn’t my first love or my true love. But I loved her just the same. She was my rock, and when she gave you to me, my first-born son, I loved her more. I tried so damn hard to always make her feel my love. And even though she knew it was divided, she still knew I loved her. When she told me she was sick, I fell to my knees, holding her, not knowing how I could go on without her. You see son, your mom was always my home. Catherine, even with all the love I have for her, was never the warm place for me to land. Your mother was. I stood by her through it all, she had my undivided attention. I didn’t go back and forth between the two of them. I stayed and took care of my wife.”