“No,” I say firmly. “I have money, Gabriel. Even back then, I had money. But I was young and stupid, and couldn’t even find someone who would take it without an ID. So, I started staying in shelters. And that was when I found Alanna. She was beaten pretty badly when she came in, by her husband… the cop.”
The waiter appears with two piping hot plates of Gnocchi Alla Rosetta, setting them in front of us. I dig in gratefully, thankful for the interruption.
“I know what you’re doing.” Gabriel smiles slyly as he watches me eat.
“Eating?” I laugh, my mouth half full of food.
“No, you’re shutting me out again. But someday I want to hear the rest okay?”
I nod in annoyance. It seems nothing gets past Gabriel Maddox. But I manage to steer the conversation back to his prospective business, and he lights up as he talks about it.
By the time we leave the restaurant, it’s dark outside. I can’t believe we just talked for two whole hours. It feels nice and comforting to share a small part of me with him. As we walk back to the apartment, he puts his arm around my shoulders, warming me just like I imagined.
We walk slowly as we continue our conversation, too caught up to notice anything else around us. I’m laughing at something Gabriel said when I see a flash of sudden movement from behind. Before I even realize what’s happening, I hear a large thud and Gabriel falls to the ground. Fear seizes me as two men tower over him, screaming at him to hand over his valuables.
He seems to be barely coherent, but somehow in the chaos, I hear him telling me to run. I can’t move, and I don’t want to. I refuse to leave him. I’m frantic trying to figure out what to do when they begin kicking him in the sides. Adrenaline surges through my body as I pounce, punching and kicking as I scream at them to leave him alone. I get in a couple of good punches before one of the men turns, revealing a switchblade in his hand. He grabs me by the hair and pushes me up against the wall behind me.
“Well, aren’t you just a little firecracker.” He laughs darkly.
I try to wriggle away from him, but he presses the knife deeper into my skin.
“Move one inch and I’ll slit your fucking throat bitch.”
“Get off!” I scream.
I hear scuffling coming from where Gabriel was, but I can’t see him. Tears are streaming down my face as I plead with the man to let him go.
“Shut up, bitch!” the man hisses into my ear. He’s holding me with an iron-clad grip, and a small trickle of blood runs down my neck from where he’s cut me.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I see him. Gabriel. Rising up from the ground like something out of a horror movie. His head is bloody and his blue shirt is ripped. His jaw is clenched as he stomps towards me, the other man’s body slumped on the ground behind him.
I squeeze my eyes shut as he rips the man off me, throwing him like a ragdoll to the ground. The man whimpers in pain as Gabriel lunges on top of him, pummeling him relentlessly with his fists. He’s long past unconscious at this point, but Gabriel isn’t stopping.
“Gabriel!” I scream from behind him, but he doesn’t seem to be hearing me. I walk cautiously into his line of sight, yelling again. “Gabriel! Stop, please. You’re going to kill him.”
My voice finally seems to register. He glances up at me, his eyes blazing, and in one swift movement, he pounces. His hands grip my waist, pushing me back against the wall. His eyes burn intensely in the soft glow of the street lamp with an emotion I don’t recognize.
His jaw is still clenched, his chest heaving with angry breaths. I don’t dare move as he leans into me, kissing me roughly. He sucks and bites at my lips until I taste some of my own blood on my tongue. And then he pulls back, giving me a heated stare.
“Mine,” he growls.
I have no idea what’s come over him, but he looks as though he’s in physical pain. He’s panting hard and fast, his eyes searching my face desperately. I can’t be sure if it’s the cut on his head or what almost happened to me.
“Yes, Gabriel.” I stroke his mussed hair away from his face.
“Say it!” he commands.
“I’m yours,” I whimper. “Only yours, Gabriel.”