Acts of Manipulation by Maggie Cole

Author:Maggie Cole [Cole, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pulse Press Inc

22

Gabriella

Three Months Later

* * *

My heart is racing, and I’m pacing in our condo.

I have to get out of here.

Just go out for a few minutes. It’ll be fine.

You promised Javier you wouldn’t go out without your brothers or him.

I pick up my phone and call Beckett, Ryland, and Hudson, but there is no answer. They’ve been trying to finish a job that got delayed by the rain, and the last few days they’ve been working long hours.

Javier already warned me he would be unavailable today based on whatever is going on at work he can’t tell me about.

How much longer is this going to last?

It’s been three months since Triker’s gang member tried to abduct me.

Is he still a threat?

Surely he’s forgotten about me by now?

I pull at my hair and pace some more then dial Mia.

“Gabriella?” she answers.

“Mia. What are you doing?”

“I’m taking dinner to the guys. They’ve been at the house since 5 a.m.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

“Are you okay?”

I twist my hair around my finger and pull it. “I’m fine.”

“Where is Javier?”

“He’s working. I’m not sure when he’ll be home.”

“Are you sure you are doing okay? Do you want me to come over later?”

“Yes. Can you bring your gun?”

“Bring my gun?” Mia quietly says.

“I need to get out of here.”

“Beckett will kill me if I go anywhere with you without one of the guys. The last time we did that, he didn’t talk to me for several days.”

“Then don’t tell him.”

“Gabriella, I don’t want to lie to my husband.”

“Mia, I need to get out of here. I’m going crazy.”

“Let me come over, and we can work out.”

“I’ve worked out for three hours today,” I quietly admit.

“Gabriella, that’s too much.”

“I don’t know what else to do. I feel like these walls are closing in on me.”

“I’ve got another half hour until the food is ready. Let me drop it off, and I’ll come over,” Mia says.

I glance at the time. “No. It’s okay. By the time you get here, Javier will probably be home.”

“I can come over. It isn’t a big deal.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll make dinner for Javier. That will keep me busy.”

“Gabriella, are you sure you don’t want me to come over?”

“Yeah. I’ll be okay,” I lie to her and try to convince myself.

“Call me if you change your mind and want me to come over.”

“I will. Thanks.” I hang up and start to pace some more.

My phone rings. “Javier,” I say a little too excited.

“Gabriella, what’s wrong?”

“Are you coming home?”

“I’m about five minutes away. Do you want me to pick something up for dinner?”

“No! Take me out. Please. Or I’ll pack food, and we can go to the beach. I don’t care. I have to get out of here.”

“Gabriella, are you okay?”

“No. I think the walls are going to suffocate me. I need to get out of here.”

“All right, baby. We’ll go out. Did you eat today?”

“Yes.”

“Did you exercise?”

“For three hours,” I quietly say.

“Three hours? Gabriella, we discussed this. You can’t work out that much. It isn’t healthy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.