“I have no doubt, but if he does, even if he doesn’t end himself because of me and the kids, how will he live? What kind of person will he become after going against his own beliefs?” I shudder to think.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Gabriel has lived with this since the night you told him. He came up with his own plan and was ready to execute said plan and would’ve gone through with it had he not been told that I’d been found. What’s stopping him from going through with it now that he knows I’m safe?”
“Gabe wouldn’t leave you and his kids alone in the world to fend for yourselves.”
“I hope you’re right, but what if you’re not?”
“Then what should I do?”
“I think there might be a way.” I let her in on what I thought might be a way out. I couldn’t exactly ask cousin Colt to kill someone, but the women on the island had told me to call them if there was ever a problem.
They seem able to get their men to do whatever they asked from what little I saw, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask them for some help. They’re better equipped to deal with this stuff, or at least I hope so. During my time on the island though short, I’d come to the realization that the women there were brave, savvy, and gave as good as they got from their men. Maybe cousin Kat can give me some ideas of how to save Gabriel from himself.
GABRIEL
I walked away from the door where I’d been stuck listening to my mother and Gianna talk. I didn’t know she’d come to know me so well that she would understand the struggles I’ve been going through. I turned away just as Ma asked her for advice on what to do. No way in hell am I letting those two get anywhere near this.
Pop and I had just returned after our visit with Mancini and Lyon. We’d been about to leave the driveway when Lyon came running after us with something in his hand. He’d come to the driver’s side window when I rolled it down and stuck his hand in. “What’s up?”
“Ah, take this.” I looked at the little device in his hand, one that I don’t recall ever seeing before.
“What’s this?”
“You see those little bracelets your kids are wearing? They have trackers in them, along with a little experiment the boys are working on.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s how I got your daughter to wake up that night you went to the house. You press this little button here, and it gives them a little zap, not enough to hurt, but enough to get their attention.” I just looked at him, wondering what his story was.
“So, you wanted me to know about the kids from the first.”
“Yes, I wanted to hear your reaction. You came back because of her; I wanted her to know that, to know that you came for her and no other reason. As to the kids, that was just my way of speeding shit up because I don’t have all day with your shit.”
“And the fake fiancé?”
“Well, now, that was payback for leaving my cousins in the fucking outback.”
“But I didn’t know that they were there.”
“Doesn’t matter; get your shit together.”
“About Ricci….”
“I told you the fuck is dead; that’s all you need to know.”
He just jogged back inside as if I was just supposed to take his word for it and forget everything else. Now I’m wondering exactly what he planned on doing with Ricci. I’d come back to the guesthouse after that, excited to see my woman and kids, and almost walked in on Ma and Gianna talking.
I never expected Gianna to become this assertive, I’m proud of her, and Ma, poor Ma, I doubt she’d ever understand the can of worms she’d opened that night so long ago or the repercussions of that one act. I headed down the hallway to one of the spare rooms and opened the door. It’s been a while since I’d come in here, a while since I’d opened the box where I kept her stuff, all the things I’d given her that she’d left behind.
I guess she can sort them out later, but for now, I wanted only one thing out of there. The earrings I’d had fixed with a tracer. By the time I’m done, she’d be wearing some kind of tracking device each and every day. It hadn’t taken me long to figure out how to make that happen. I’ll let her choose the design of her engagement ring, but she doesn’t need to know once it’s made that it was so much more than just a ring.
GIANNA
I made the call, not sure what to expect. Once the congratulations were over after I told them about Gabriel and I meeting again, and they got through asking about the kids, I kinda got down to why I was calling. Now that I had them on the phone, I wasn’t even sure where to begin. I was just going on instinct at this point and hoping that they could see a way to help us out.