Chapter 8
"Are you still planning the wedding for the end of August?" Renee heard her father ask the question from the other end of the line.
"Yes, Dad."
"I might be able to make it, but I'm still not certain."
"Okay," she said without any emotion.
They said goodbye and Renee hung up the phone. She had waited a month to call him, afraid to tell him. When she finally did, she couldn't tell if he was upset or just shocked. He hadn't seemed to know what to say. He had finally managed to say congratulations.
She was nearly in tears when she turned away from the phone. Gabriel saw this and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and without saying a word, he silently comforted her.
*******
Ian climbed through the window into Sara's apartment. She was sitting at the table looking like she was deep in thought. Her head swung up when she heard the floorboards creak under his weight. "Ian, what are you doing here?" She asked, startled. "I don't need help on a case."
"I left," he replied without looking at her.
"Left where? And you can look at me when we're talking."
"Irons' employ. I no longer work for him."
"I'm sure he liked that," she said sarcastically.
"He did not, Lady Sara." He glanced up at her and she caught a quick glance of a bruise of his cheek.
"Did he do that to you?" She asked.
"Yes, Lady Sara."
"Come sit over here," she said standing up and pulling out a chair. "I'll have a look at it."
He sat down and she noticed that his hair was down. She couldn't remember a time when she had seen it like that. She brushed it away from his face to get a better look at the bruise. It had been hiding a gash along the side of his head. She put a hand out to touch it, and he pulled away.
"Did he do that, too?"
"Yes, Lady Sara."
"I'll be right back. And stop with the Lady Sara. It's just Sara."
She walked into the bathroom and several minutes later came back with a large bowl of hot water, a bar of soap, and a washcloth. She set the bowl on the table and wet the washcloth. Then, Sara put some soap on it.
She brought it up to the gash to wash the dried blood away, but he jerked away when it touched his head.
"What's wrong?"
"That's hot!"
She laughed. "Don't be a baby. It's not that bad."
He let her wash the gash, but winced every time the hot cloth touched his shin. When she had finished cleaning it, she put a bandage over it. Then, she walked into the kitchen and filled a small bag with ice. She handed it to Ian and when he looked at her questioningly, told him, "Put it on your cheek. It will help keep any swelling down."
He did it and she went to dump the water from the bowl. When she came back, she sat down and asked him, "Why did you leave?"
"I didn't want to take orders from him anymore. When I told him I was leaving, he slapped me, then hit me with his cane." He put a hand to where the gash was.
"That bastard."
Ian grinned. "It would have been worse if I hadn't taken the cane from him."
"Did you beat him with it?" She asked eagerly.
He chuckled. It sounded strange coming from him, but Sara decided she liked it. He shook his head. "No. I broke it over my leg and threw the pieces on the floor. Then, I left."
Sara laughed to herself. She would have given anything to see that. She yawned, then looked at her watch. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed now. You can crash on the couch if you want to."
Ian watched her walk to the bedroom, then looked at the couch. He wasn't sure what it was she wanted him to do there. He decided that he would just sleep on it and ask her in the morning.
*******
Renee rolled over and was instantly awake when she realized the other side of the bed was empty. She sat up quickly and looked around. When she saw that Gabriel wasn't in the room, she swung her feet to the floor and walked to the living room. She saw him in the kitchen making a cup of coffee. He looked at her and smiled.
"Didn't mean to wake you," he apologized.
"You didn't." She stretched her arms over her head and said, "Can't believe I slept later than you."
"Well, you have been keeping yourself up late writing for over a week now and still getting up as early as ever. You needed to catch up on your sleep."
She smiled at him, then went to heat up some water for her morning cup of hot chocolate. Once it was ready, she sat down at the table across from him. "Are you going riding today?" He asked her. "Yeah," she replied nodding her head. "Thought I would since in a couple of months I won't be able to anymore."
He just smiled at her. Gabriel still couldn't believe that in about six months he was going to be a father. "I have to talk to my landlord. Tell him I won't be living there anymore." They had agreed it would be easier for him to move in there, since he was there all the time anyway, until they could find a bigger place. "Then, I'm gonna go to the shop."
She nodded her head. "I'm gonna go see Sara after my ride."
She finished her hot chocolate and went into the bedroom to change into her riding clothes and pull her hair up into a ponytail. Then, she kissed him goodbye and walked out the door.
He watched her leave, then walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. He got out, dried off and dressed. Then, he left to talk to his landlord.
*******
Renee had found a stable several miles out of the city where she could ride. She had soon become good friends with the owner. He let her choose whatever horde she wanted to ride, and she helped him out around the barns for several hours a week.
She chose the same horse every time. Heavenly Cyclone was a young, chestnut gelding with white splashed on his face and legs. He was very well mannered in the arena. When they got out on the trail, however, he was a completely different horse. She had to keep her mind on her ride the whole time or she would find herself sitting in the dirt.
He was a challenge, but she felt it was worth it. She had grown fond of him in the month that she had been riding him. She would groom him for quite some time after their ride, talking to him the whole time.
She got out of the car and walked up to the barn. The owner was standing outside waiting for her. He smiled at her and asked, "Are you riding Cyclone again today?"
"Of course."
"I figured that. Got his equipment out for you."
"Thanks, Mark."
"No problem."
He followed her as she walked to the horse's stall. "How much longer are you gonna be able to ride?"
"Still got a few months before I have to stop."
"When is the baby due?"
"Not until early October," she replied as she swung the saddle onto the gelding's back.
Cyclone nudged her arm, and she chuckled. "Yes, little monster, I have a treat for you."
She took a bag of apple slices out of her pocket and fed one to him. Then, she led him out of the stall and climbed into the saddle. They walked out of the barn, then she headed him toward a trail.
When they returned an hour later, Renee was grinning broadly. "Didn't act up once. You getting soft on me, little monster?" She asked the horse affectionately, patting his neck.
He nickered and nudged her shoulder. She dug another apple slice out and gave it to him. Then, leading him back into the barn, she untacked him and put him back into his stall. After grooming him for half an hour, she spent another hour helping Mark around the stables. When she had finished, she said goodbye to him, got in her car, and drove back into the city.
*******
"When are you moving out?"
"As soon as I can get my stuff moved out," Gabriel replied.
The landlord nodded. "Sorry to see you go. Liked having you as a tenant."
An embarrassed blush started to rise in his cheeks. "Thanks, sir. I should have my stuff out by the end of the week."
"All right, Mr. Bowman."
With a nod, Gabriel turned around and walked out of the building. He climbed into his car and drove to his shop. Opening the door, he thought it felt like someone was watching him. Gabriel looked around, but couldn't see anyone, so he shrugged the feeling off and went inside.
He turned his computer on and walked into the back room. He had just picked up the small, black stone he had gone to Argentina to get almost a year ago when he heard the front door open. He poked his head out of the doorway, expecting to see Renee. Instead, he saw a large man heading for his computer.
He stepped out of the doorway and walked over to the man. "Is there something I can help you with?"
The man looked up and said in a low, menacing voice, "Money."
Gabriel just stared at him. "What?"
"Give me your money," he demanded.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was starting to sound like a bad movie. "You've gotta be kidding."
"I'm not, boy. Now just hand it over."
"I can't. I don't have any cash here."
"You must have some. You can't run a business without money."
Gabriel bit back a sarcastic response remembering that he had promised Renee he would try not to get himself into trouble. He just looked at the man without saying a word.
"If it is not here, then where is it?"
Gabriel kept his lips clenched tightly. He wasn't going to tell this guy anything. Getting tired of standing there, Gabriel started to turn around. As he was turning, he caught a glimpse of a gun being held alongside the man's leg. Time seemed to stand still as the man flipped the gun around in his hand and stepped forward meaning to pistol-whip Gabriel.
He instinctively threw the stone in his hand at the man and start to run toward him. The stone hit the man on the side of his head stunning him for a second. He recovered quickly and brought the butt of the gun down for a blow.
It barely missed its target as Gabriel rushed in and threw two quick punches to the man's stomach. He grunted and pulled away. The gun came down again, and Gabriel caught a glancing blow on the head. He fell to the floor. The man bent down and pulled Gabriel's wallet from his pocket. He took the money from it and stuffed it in his pocket. Throwing the wallet to the floor, he left.
*******
Renee knocked on the door and waited a minute before knocking again. It wasn't until after the third knock that the door finally opened. Sara seemed surprised to see her. "Hello, Renee. What are you doing here?"
"Gabriel was going to the shop, so I just thought I'd stop by after my ride and say hello." She saw Ian sitting on the couch. "Hello, Ian."
"Come on in."
She followed Sara inside and sat in a chair across from the couch. "Did Irons give you the day off?" She asked Ian.
He shook his head. "No. I no longer work for him."
Renee was shocked to hear this. She hadn't thought Ian would ever leave Irons. "Why?" She tried not to act too curious, but couldn't help asking.
"He . . .I didn't want to take orders from him anymore."
He recovered quickly from his slip, but not before Sara caught it. She looked at him sharply not saying a word. He lowered his eyes, and she knew that something was wrong. Ian shook his head slightly, letting her know not to ask about it now.
She shrugged and turned to Renee. "You're still riding?"
The younger girl nodded. "Only for a couple more months," she replied, her hand moving to her stomach. "Then, I'll have to stop."
"Are ou two looking for a bigger place?"
"Yeah. No luck yet though."
"I'm sure you'll find one."
Renee smiled at her friend. "I did need to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"I was wondering if," she hesitated for a second, then continued. "If you'd e my maid of honor."
"Of course. I'd love to be, Renee."
"I was going to ask Cara, but . . ." She couldn't even finish the sentence. Her friend had been dead for over a month, but she still couldn't believe it.
Sara looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She knew what Renee was going through and knew that it wasn't easy. She wanted to comfort her, but didn't want to say "I know how you feel" even though she did.
Renee swallowed the lump growing in her throat, looked up, and smiled. "Thanks, Sara. What happened to you, Ian?" She asked, just noticing the bandage on his head.
"Irons tried knocking some sense into me." He grinned. "It didn't work though."
Sara couldn't help but laugh at this. He had changed quite a bit in a short time. No longer seeming creepy, he acted like any other person. Maybe getting away from Irons was all he had needed.
Renee smiled and shook her head. Then, she stood up and said, "I should be getting home now. I'll talk to the two of you soon." She walked out of the apartment and started home.
*******
Gabriel's eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling for a moment while the memories came flooding back. He could remember hitting the intruder before everything had gone black. He struggled to a sitting position and put a hand to his throbbing head. There was a sticky substance on the side of it. Bringing his hand away, he saw that the stickiness was blood. Then, he remembered the man had hit him with his gun.
He managed to get to his feet and walk over to the door. He grabbed onto the doorknob before he could fall. His head felt like it was spinning out of control. He tried to steady himself, and when he thought he had enough control, he stepped outside and started walking down the street forgetting he had driven there.
Fifteen minutes later he staggered up to the apartment door. He made it up the stairs and practically fell through the door. Renee was taking off her coat when she heard the door open. She spun around and saw Gabriel stumble inside. She was beside him in a second. "What happened?"
"Man . . . tried to rob me. Had gun . . . hit me . It hurts." He grinned foolishly at her. "I tried . . . no'to provoke him," he said, his words slurring together.
She took his arm and led him over to the couch. "Don't talk anymore. Let me look at your head."
She pushed the hair away from the gash and grimaced. "Ouch. That must've hurt. She walked into the bathroom and came back with a washcloth and a bandage. After washing the blood away, she put the bandage over it.
"Tired. Think I'll jus' sleep here," he said slowly.
"No you don't. You'll sleep in the bed," she replied helping him up. Once she got him into bed, she sat in a chair in the corner of the room. Renee knew she would have to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't have a concussion. She watched him as he slept and had a hard time controlling the urge to slide into the bed beside him.
*******
"Ian, tell me why you really left."
"What do you mean, Sara?" He tried to act like he didn't know what she was talking about. "I already did."
"You didn't tell me the truth."
Ian let out a sigh and looked up at her. "He wanted me to bring you to him. But I refused to. He wants to control you like he controls everything else." He looked down at his hands, then back up at her. "I couldn't let him do that."
She didn't know what to say. She had never even thought that he had enough free will to tell Irons no. Before she could reply, he continued. "But he won't stop. He'll just find someone else to come after you."
"What about you?"
"They will be after me as well." He put a hand to his head. "This won't be the worst that will happen."
"Maybe you shouldn't be here then. If being near me will get you into more trouble."
"Too late to change what has happened. Leaving wouldn't help at all."
"What can we do though? We won't even know who he'll send after us."
He shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't."
