Damage (Collateral Damage 2)

But I can’t run right now. I don’t even want to. Lies, lies and more lies. This is my life. Betrayal and hate and lies.

“I loved her,” he says, coming toward me again. “I loved her so much.” His eyes are momentarily distant, and I think he did love her. In his way. In his suffocating, smothering way. When his eyes come back into focus, they’re intent on me. “And I love you even more, Gabriela. I’ll do anything for you. Anything.”

A shudder runs through me and I hear Rafa’s muttered curse. He must see how fucked up this is. He must see he shouldn’t have brought me here.

Rafa stands. The moment he does, I hear footsteps behind me and turn to find John and another of my father’s men step toward us. I didn’t realize they were even there. Did they hear what I just said? Did they hear Gabriel Marchese just admit to having murdered his wife?

It doesn’t matter. They’ll still protect him. It’s just like my father said and he is right, I do know that. Everything and everyone can be bought and sold and stolen and drowned in our world. Honor is what’s missing. Conscience.

“I’m taking her,” Rafa says.

“No, you’re not. Not until she hears what I need to tell her.”

“Be quick about it, then.”

My father turns to Rafa. “Be careful, Rafa, is it?”

Rafa grits his teeth.

“You’re a traitor too, Rafa. She knows it now. You’ll want her to hear so she doesn’t go running to tell her husband the truth—the whole truth—because I think he’ll murder you with his bare hands if he finds out what you did to his precious wife.”

Precious.

There’s that word again from forever ago.

I’m not precious to anyone. Don’t they know that yet? I know it.

Something twists inside me and my chest tightens.

“Gabe is waiting. Tell me,” I tell my father.

He turns to me. “Do you know why Stefan wanted guardianship? All of a sudden? When he’s never given a shit about your brother?”

“Because you wanted to cut me off from him. Stefan’s not the monster you claim he is, so you wanted to take away the one person who matters and make it look like it was Stefan’s doing.”

One corner of his mouth lifts into a smirk.

“You killed Alex. Gabe is all I have left,” I add.

“Alex?” he seems genuinely surprised. “You think that was me?” He chuckles, shakes his head at me and I realize something. He’s telling the truth.

“If I wanted him dead, I would have done it the day I had his legs broken. Think, Gabriela. What would I have to gain from killing the boy and his aunt? What?”

Nothing.

“Tell me what you want to tell me and let me go,” I say. I don’t like this. Don’t like where it’s going.

He smiles, drinks a sip of his drink and sets his glass down.

“So you believe Stefan took my son for you? Because he cares about you? Because he wants you to be happy?”

I remember Stefan’s words. “I don’t want you sad anymore, Gabriela.”

“Stop playing with me. Say it. Say it or I’m leaving.”

“He did it because I cut you off. Because I named Gabe as sole beneficiary of the Marchese inheritance. He did it to steal that inheritance. And you helped him. You just signed on the dotted line, you stupid, stupid girl.”

24

Stefan

By the time I see Rafa’s call come in an hour after my men lost them, I’m beside myself and pissed as fuck.

“Where the fuck is she?” I bark when the call connects.

“She’s fine. We’re fine.”

I could give a damn about him.

“Where are you?”

“We’re at Clear Meadows. She just walked into her brother’s room. We were being followed, Stefan. I took her out the back of the toy store.”

I grit my teeth because I can’t tell him those men were my men. That I was having him followed because I didn’t trust him with Gabriela.

“Why did it take you so long to call me?”

“I was busy trying to lose them. Traffic’s insane in this city. I didn’t realize it had been so long.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Shaken, but she’s fine.”

“Let me talk to her.”

“They just brought out the cake.”

Fuck. I suck in a deep breath. “I’m on my way.”

“You don’t have to come. I’ll bring her back—”

“I’ll be there in forty minutes. Neither of you leaves.” I disconnect the call. I don’t want to talk to Rafa right now.

My meeting ended later than expected, but I learned more than I was ready for.

I knew Marchese was involved. I knew he wouldn’t take any of this lying down. But my uncle’s betrayal—does it mean he was behind Gabriela’s kidnapping? And was Rafa either aware or involved in it?

I need to think. Process. Decide on how to move forward.

But first, Gabriela.

We pull up to Clear Meadows forty minutes later and Rafa greets me at the door. I study him, try to read him. He seems shifty. Not quite the Rafa I have an easy relationship with. But am I seeing what I want to see?