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Chapter 14
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The Life Rebirth Chapter 15
GIANNA "You, okay?" "What happened to Gabriel?" Isn't it weird? I could've sworn not ten seconds ago that I hated him with a fiery passion. Well. Not fiery exactly, but I have spent many a moment strongly disliking him. "Nothing's happened to him; he's fine, sort of. We think he might be in danger." "Gabriel? I don't understand; what kind of danger?" "Do you know why he pushed you away?" "I'm not interested!" I don't know if it was embarrassment or fear of hearing a truth that was more devastating than my own thoughts had been for the last two years? A fear of finally getting the explanation that I never received, but hearing this relative stranger ask me that question made my hackles rise. He didn't seem to believe me, though, if his smile was any indication. "Well, I'll tell you anyway, but be prepared; it's rough." My heart started racing so fast and loud I could hear it in my ears. I almost told him to stop, that I didn't want to know. Even though from the time I saw th
The Life Rebirth Chapter 16
GABRIEL I had to move and speak fast before anyone inside realized we had a visitor. Pop was in no mood to take my word for anything, so I jumped in the backseat before he could get out of the car and ordered Tommy to drive. "Where?" He looked in the rearview between Pop and I for instructions, but Pop was too busy looking me over. "Anywhere, just get outta here." "You're good; tell me what happened in there." "Give me a minute, Pop; I'll tell you everything." First, I had to get my thoughts together. Now it all makes sense. The gaunt, far away look I'd noticed since my return that I'd suspected was about more than her mother being ill or dying. And Jr., nothing will convince me that he didn't know or suspect something. The look on his face when he ran into the room, his own rebellious nature that seems to have ramped up here of late, and his willingness to self-destruct. Why didn't I think of any of this? Because I didn't care. I didn't expect to, at any rate. But I can'
The Life Rebirth Chapter 17
GIANNA I think I have changed my mind. It's one thing to theorize about sticking it to Gabriel and a whole other ball game when it comes to the execution. My stomach has been in knots ever since Colton said it's time. Two days, that's all the time they gave me to get to know my would-be husband. Thankfully, Jimmy is funny and has no designs on me past the appreciative male for a beautiful female stage. It was simple, really; Jimmy and I just had to move in together in my old family home and pretend to be shacking up. This is supposed to bring Gabriel running back from wherever he's gone that they think he's in danger, and I don't know how they're going to do it, but my fear is what if Gabriel doesn't care? What if he doesn't come back like they expect? Colton promised not to tell him about the pregnancy, which is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, if he comes back without knowing, I'd know he came back for me. On the other hand, if he finds out and comes back, I'll never know th
The Life Rebirth Chapter 18
GABRIEL "Where are the children? What's going on?" Sal came down to the breakfast table the next morning to find only me in attendance. I'd had some time to think in the hours since awakening and sending them out of the house while waiting for him to show his face. "What do you plan on doing with your son?" I ignored his question. "Ah, this is a good question. I have many options, but I cannot decide on any one of them." "Tell me about them." He seemed to realize the change in my tone, but though he looked at me, askance did not make mention of it. "Do you think it's an easy thing for a man to kill his own son?" "Is that one of your options?" I didn't look at him as I continued sipping on my coffee. "I think you have the mind of my father. He saw no grey area, only black and white. I, too, wished to be like this." He seemed to get lost in thought as I waited for what else he had to say. If there's one thing I hate, it's an enabler. Anyone who makes excuses for evil is jus
The Life Rebirth Chapter 19
GABRIEL The bastard just logged off, leaving me with a mountain of questions. How does he know Gianna or that she was missing? Does it matter? I grabbed my stuff and packed my bags in haste, not caring what went where which is far from my usual style. I called Pop on my way out the door and didn't even take the time to tell Sal that I was leaving. "Pop, we have to leave right now." "Why what's happened?" "It's Gianna, I think, I don't know, but I think she may have been found. I'll meet you at the plane." Where is she? And who the hell is he? How did he find her when I couldn't? Memnon, I'm almost certain now that it's either him or someone he knows. What had the hacker said that first day? I heard you're smart. I heard someone else had told him, so it's definitely not Mem. But I'm leaning towards someone he knows. ANONYMOUS is known for finding people, but I know if any one of my fellow hackers could find her, so could I. But the organization Mem works with is even better, mor
The Life Rebirth Chapter 20
GABRIEL "We're here!" Pop's voice broke through the fog of my inner musings. "What are you thinking?" He was asking this because I hadn't moved. "I'm trying to figure out if we're walking into a trap." "It's not a trap; I met this Mancini guy; he's on the up and up." "Mancini, thanks." "Dammit, Gabe." I just smiled and grabbed my stuff before following him off the plane. I pretended to forget something, but what I was really doing was getting info from the pilot. Now I had two names to look into. Mancini and Andros, I'm betting that Memnon knew one or both of them at this point. While Pop was taking his eight-hour nap earlier, I was busy thinking in between watching over him. He looked tired. I only now realize how much stress he's been under because of me. I caught up to him in the car, where he was already on the phone with someone though it's only a five-minute drive from the private airstrip to the house. "Let's go by Gianna's house." I was sure she wouldn't be there;
The Life Rebirth Chapter 21
GABRIEL "Gianna, what did you do?" I got down on one knee, not quite believing my eyes. I couldn't breathe around the lump in my throat and had to swallow twice before I could find my voice. There was nothing I could do about the moisture gathering in my eyes as I looked over the little one from head to toe just as I'd done with her mother and had to fight back the tears. I had to clear my throat a couple of times and must've looked like a fish when I kept opening my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. She just stared at me, this kid, with no fear. "What's your name, sweetheart?" I cupped her little face so much like mine; in fact, not so much; it was my face. How fickle is the heart? How can it hold so many different emotions? One minute dark and the next, the next filled with a love that's so instantaneous it's all-consuming. "My name is Gaby. I'm two." She held up two fingers. I looked up at her mother before getting to my feet. "You kept my child from me? You? Yo
The Life Rebirth Chapter 22
GABRIEL "What are their names? My sons?" "Um, Gabriel and Gianni." I looked in the rearview mirror at the three very quiet kids in the back who were busy looking at each other. The twins used to do that, still do, in fact. It's one of the ways they communicate. I'm trying to remember if they started as young as this, but it's too far back to recall. "Gabriel, I can't go with you; I have to go back. I…." "Go back where? To him? You want this guy to die? Tell me; you say he's never been around my kids; how was he planning to marry a mother of three without ever meeting her kids?" "Does it really matter?" She recoiled against the door from the look I gave her. "I'm trying really hard here, Gianna." I wasn't about to have this conversation in front of my kids. In fact, I'm trying really hard to see things from her perspective and cut her some slack and was sure that once things settled down and I no longer had the fear of what-if playing around in my head, like what if I
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