The Heart of a Broken Soul
Of Breasts and Snickers
A/N: Sarahsoa, Venetiangrl92, Well I Don't Mind, liiddee. Thank you all for your reviews; especially to Well I Don't Mind, for giving me such in-depth, wonderful advice.
Okay, so some of this chapter is from Tig's point of view. I've always thought of him as someone with a chaotic mind, which is what I've tried to interpret. Let me know how I did? :)
Bobby never found out about Gabby's first drinking experience. Filip had committed to an oath of silence and, naturally, Lucy wouldn't say anything, lest it get back to her mother. There was nothing on Hell or earth that would compel Gabby to tell him, and Cole had never met the man. She was safe.
Gabby watched Archibald as the spider prowled around, stalking the dead grasshopper she'd just put in there. Gabby didn't know if it was a male or female, and she didn't care to find out. No way, no how was she sticking her hand in there.
There was a knock at her door, and Bobby poked his head in. "There's someone here for you," he told her.
"Who?" Gabby asked.
Bobby shrugged. "A woman," he elaborated.
"Hmm..." Gabby went to investigate.
It was a woman alright. Gabby could smell the perfume on her long before she even reached the front door, and she'd sincerely hoped she'd been wrong.
"Gabriella," the woman acknowledged. She craned her neck to see into the house, her eyes pausing on the dolls.
"What do you want?" Gabby asked.
"A little respect would be nice."
Gabby ground her teeth together. "What is it that you would like to say to me, Betty?" she tried, because the woman didn't deserve the title of 'aunt', and it was as polite as Gabby could be to her.
"Jamie and Alisa wanted to see you," Betty reluctantly told her, as though the very thought of it was an abomination. "I told them I'd ask you about it."
"You came all the way from New York to tell me this?"
Betty laughed. "No, Gabriella; I came down from New York for work. There was a spare minute in my calendar for you."
Bobby shuffled through them then, saying his goodbyes as he made his way to his bike. Something about Clay calling a meet. Gabby wasn't really listening; she was busy watching the look on Betty's face as the woman studied Bobby as though she was studying a pile of dog shit on the side of the footpath.
"That's Bobby?" Betty asked. She'd never bothered to meet the person who'd taken her niece in; she was too busy carting Gabby's brother and sister up to New York.
"Yeah, it is."
Betty sighed. "It's a shame I didn't have the space for you," she said.
"I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I like it here. Don't have to worry about people pretending to like me." Gabby studied her aunt. "When are they coming down?"
"They're not," Betty told her. She held out a piece of paper. Gabby took it. "This is our address. You know; if you ever feel like visiting. Have a good day, Gabriella." She stalked off, leaving a speechless Gabby standing in the doorway.
It was her aunt's last revenge against Gabby's father, she knew. Betty knew she wouldn't be able to afford New York. She spent so many years hating her own brother for being in the club, and now she was taking it out on Gabby. She glanced at the address.
The best she could do would be to send a letter. She wasn't going to ask Bobby for a loan, and it would take a while of saving just to get enough money for the plane ticket, let alone food and accommodation.
Gabby sighed, shoving the paper in her back pocket. It had been years since she'd seen Jamie and Alisa. Years since she'd clocked one or both of them in the ear for harassing her. They were twins, fraternal, and they looked nothing alike, but they had done everything together, from beating Gabby up to disassembling the toaster.
She slammed the door as memories of her family came rushing back to her. The first tear fell, and then she slid to the floor, bawling. It wasn't fair. Nothing about life was fair but this, this took the gold. Gabby just wanted to see her mother, her father, once more. Just once. Was it really too much to ask?
To tell them that she loved them? That it was her who'd stolen that ten dollars, so her and Lucy could spend it all on lollies and pop? She could ask her mother why she'd been given dark red hair, instead of her father's black. Or whether dogs could look up, because her father had never answered that question. She'd been nine when she'd asked it, and her father promised he'd take the question to the table, get the boys to vote on it.
But then he'd gone on a run. Or he'd have to drive to some other state, or have a meeting with some of his 'other friends'. And Gabby's question had been forgotten, the answer lost with her father.
She remembered that night. Remembered the lights and sirens. She remembered Gemma kneeling down before her and Jamie and Alisa, telling them they'd lost their parents. The twins hadn't really understood, but Gabby had. She was old enough to know what death was. Old enough to know what it would mean for her and her siblings.
Less than a week later, Betty had come down. Not to pay her respects, or to comfort her brother's children. No, she'd taken Jamie and Alisa, and signed off the care of her other niece to Bobby, a man she'd never met, never talked to, because she didn't believe Gabby could be saved from the 'bikie life'.
She'd lost everything within a week, and been left with a man who she could only recognise as the one who dressed up as Elvis and sang at events. That was who Bobby had been. Just another stranger in a web of strangers. Scared and alone, Gabby had run away to Lucy's, because she didn't have anyone else. She refused to leave her friend's room for three days, not until Piney had visited, told her a story about how him and her father had rode up to Nevada, and they'd had to double up after Piney's bike broke down. When they arrived back at the clubhouse on the same bike, the boys had pissed themselves laughing, falling over their feet in tears. The two never did live it down.
Gabby had slowly began to heal after that, locking away the knowledge of her parents death, and the pain she felt over her siblings, who she wasn't sure she'd see again. Betty hadn't given Gabby her address. She never called or wrote, never visited. So Gabby adjusted. She made a new family while she waited for the day when she'd see hers again.
And then Filip had come along.
Gabby helped him because Bobby told her to. That was the only reason. After a while, she realised she wanted to help him. He was no different to her, really. Sad and alone about summed it up. The both of them were just sad and alone.
When she was around him, she felt like she wasn't alone anymore. It sounded stupid, but it was the truth. She liked to think he felt the same about her, but she didn't really know. She didn't know anything about what he was feeling.
Tig stretched. He leaned over the handlebars of his bike, watching as a woman walked past in barely nothing. Her ass was hanging out, and her tits were pushed up to her chin. He grinned. The things he would do to her. Oh, the things.
As the woman disappeared around the corner, he sighed, glancing at his watch. Gabby was late. He glanced up at the diner. It was closed, had been for the past ten minutes. He scowled.
Maybe something had happened. Maybe she'd been kidnapped. Murdered. Raped and... Tig scoffed. Nah. Nah, that wouldn't happen to Gabby.
He pulled a Snickers out of his pocket, shovelling it down while he tried not to think about all the horrible things that might have happened while he sat here waiting, staring at women's breasts, and eating Snickers bars.
Gabby had nice breasts. Not too small, not too big... no. No, he shouldn't be thinking about that. He locked the thoughts away with his thoughts about Gemma's breasts, and knowledge of how to remove any internal traces of his DNA from someone's body, should it need to be done.
He checked the time. 10:27. Jesus. What the hell was she doing in there? He was going to wait... one minute, before he went looking for her. It was just him being paranoid. He was just thinking the...
Fuck it.
He got off his bike, setting his helmet down, and wandered up to the diner, peering inside. He couldn't see anything, or anyone. She was probably around the back.
Tig circled the building. "Hey, Gab! The hell are you doin'?"
He looked around. Nothing. She wasn't here. She was gone, someone had kidnapped her when he was supposed to pick her up Bobby would never forgive him he was dead oh god what did he do what did he-
"Tig!"
Tig jumped, nearly falling over. Gabby threw him a strange glance. "Jesus Christ, I thought you were dead."
Gabby shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint," she joked. "I had to help Charlie with the taxes, sorry."
"Good," Tig said. "Let's go before we're both murdered."
They walked back to his bike, Tig throwing Gabby his helmet. She hopped on behind him and he took off, en route to Bobby's.
The streets were mostly empty, but every now and then he'd slow down ever-so-slightly to get an eyeful of whoever happened to be on the streets, walking past. He couldn't help it. He had to look, just to see whether it was a man or woman. Skinny or fat. Breasts or not. Cut or no cut. Mexican or something else.
When he dropped Gabby off, he debated whether or not to stop in at a strip club. Pussy or no pussy. Nah, better not; he had an early morning tomorrow.
"Thanks again," Gabby told him, handing the helmet back.
"No problem. I'll see ya later."
He'd gotten halfway home before he realised that he'd forgotten to tell Gabby to tell Bobby that he needed to be at the club the next morning. Groaning, he turned the bike around, drove back to Bobby's.
No one answered when he knocked. He knocked again, with no result. The lights were still on, and he knew Bobby had a gig, which meant Gabby was in there. He banged on the door. "Gab!"
She was probably in the shower. Inappropriate thoughts came to his mind, so he settled on her being asleep.
Or dead.
"Gab! Hey! Open up!" He was banging furiously now, because there was no way she couldn't have heard him.
He tried a different approach; he twisted the handle, opened the door, and walked in.
The dining room was a mess. The table had been pushed to the wall, chairs knocked over and glasses broken. The kitchen benches were spotless, everything that had previously been on them knocked to the ground.
In the middle of the mess, face-down in a growing pool of blood, was Gabby.
Tig froze in shock. Was she dead? Was she alive? Who had done this? What did he do, what did he do, what did he do?
There was a horrible sound, in between a cough and a choke, as Gabby's body convulsed. Swearing, Tig grabbed the phone, pulling it to the ground as he knelt beside her, rolling her on her back. She coughed again, choking as the blood pooled on the back of her throat.
"Oh, shit. Hey, hey, I need an ambulance!" Tig shouted into the phone as he tipped Gabby to her side, not knowing what to do. He placed a hand on her stomach as the blood flowed out of it, pressing down.
Gabby coughed up more blood as her eyes fluttered open, then closed again. She reached a hand, grasping blindly at the air.
"Open your eyes Gabby, come on," Tig begged. "Hey, come on, Gabby, don't die. Jesus, come on, wake up!"
He dropped the phone, ignoring the operator as he lightly slapped Gabby on the face. "Come on, wake up." He tried to remember anything about first aid, before realising he'd never actually done it. He couldn't do CPR or stop bleeding or anything like that.
He felt as Gabby fell still, her body limp. The blood was still flowing, so he hoped that meant she was still alive. He shook her shoulders. "Gabby! Oh, Christ."
He didn't know if she was breathing, couldn't tell.
There were hurried footsteps, and two paramedics rushed to help. Tig hadn't heard them come in. They ushered him away from her as they placed a mask over her face and lifted her onto a stretcher. "Is she... is she still alive?" he asked, wiping a bloody hand over his face.
"She's hanging on. But we need to get her to the hospital, now."
They rushed Gabby out, leaving Tig sitting in her blood, staring blindly at the place where she'd just been as the blood trickled towards the pale carpet.