Frey (20 page)

Michael “Sixx” Gentry normally dressed
conservatively for his job as an investment banker. On the
weekends, though, he looked like a rock star wannabe. Today, his
clothing was somewhat subdued, but his black hair was spiked and
his eyes were lined with kohl. Trying to remain inconspicuous as he
sat waiting on Matthew’s shift to end was getting harder as his
young waitress continued staring and pointing. When she brought him
a refill on his coffee he asked her, “Is something wrong?”

Blushing, she quietly asked, “Has anyone
ever told you that you look like the lead singer for Cyanide
Sweetness?”

Instead of responding, Sixx picked up his
coffee and sipped. The waitress opened her mouth to speak but was
cut off by someone yelling in the back of the restaurant.

“
Matt, Matthew! Help!
Someone help!”

Sixx slid out of the booth and ran through
the kitchen, not caring that he wasn’t an employee. When he reached
the back door, someone was bent over a lifeless body. Matthew!
“Someone call an ambulance!” Fuck! How could this have happened? He
was given one task, to keep Matt safe. He failed. “Move!” he yelled
to the man squatting beside the teen. “Matthew, can you hear me?
Matt?”

Blood gushed from the boy’s nose as he
mumbled, “Abbi.” He lost consciousness after that.

“
The ambulance is on its
way,” someone said from inside the door.

“
Hang on, Matt. Just hang
on. Did anyone see what happened?” Sixx looked around, but there
were no spectators or suspects other than the employees gathered
round the door.

“
I sent him to take the
garbage out. When it was taking too long, I went looking for him. I
found him laying there, all bloody.” Sixx didn’t bother to look at
who was talking. The police would be there soon, and they could
investigate. Right now, he had to get Matthew to the hospital. He
was contemplating taking the boy himself when his shifter senses
picked up the sirens. Ten minutes later, Matthew was loaded in the
ambulance and on his way to get help. Sixx didn’t ride along. He
ran to his Bugatti and drove like a bat out of hell. As he was
driving, he made the dreaded call. Frey was going to have his
ass.

Jasper rolled up to the gate at Frey’s
property and spoke into the security box. The gates opened and he
drove on through. His heart was heavy, and he really had wanted to
stay at home and mope. When he got home from patrolling the
previous night, Trevor had been gone. He had cooked noodles and
obviously ate, because there was a dirty plate in the dishwasher.
He had not waited on Jasper to get home. He didn’t call, didn’t
leave a note. He just left. Maybe the pictures had been too much.
He’d called and texted Trevor but hadn’t heard back from him.

Before Jasper could park his car, Abbi came
running out of the house. “Abbi, what’s wrong?” Jasper threw his
car in park and hurried over to her before she could get in her own
vehicle.

“
Matthew’s been attacked!”
She didn’t elaborate.

“
Wait, let me drive you,”
he pleaded, but she was already in her car, backing away from the
garage. “Fuck!” He jumped in his car and took off after Abbi. He
hit the button on his steering wheel and dialed Frey.

“
Hey Jas, I’m just about
there.”

“
Have you heard from
Sixx?”

“
No, why?”

Jasper sighed, “Abbi ran out of the house
yelling that Matthew has been attacked. She wouldn’t let me drive
her. I can only assume she’s headed to the hospital. Frey, what the
fuck? I thought Sixx was guarding the kid.”

“
Godsdamnit, follow her!”
Frey disconnected in his ear. Turning on his police band, he
listened for any indication of what happened. When there was
nothing about Matthew coming across the air, Jasper called the
dispatcher.

Jasper wasn’t familiar with the weekend
shift, but he called anyway. “This is Detective Jasper Jenkins. Has
a call come through regarding an assault on a teenage boy?”

“
Yes, Sir. The victim is
in route to New Atlanta Hospital. He was beaten pretty badly behind
the restaurant where he works.”

“
Thank you,” he said and
hung up. He turned on his red and blue flashers, passed Abbi when
it was safe, and gave her an escort to the hospital. At least this
way he could set the speed limit for her. When they arrived at the
hospital, Frey was already waiting at the emergency room entrance
with a sick looking Michael.

When Jasper turned into the parking lot at
the hospital, he noticed Abbi wasn’t behind him. She drove right up
to the entrance and jumped out, motor still running. He got out of
his car just in time to hear her yell at Frey, “I thought you could
keep us safe!” Frey reached out for her, but she twisted away and
continued on into the hospital.

Jasper told Frey, “Go after her. I’ll park
her car.” From the look on Frey’s face, Jasper probably needed to
run interference between him and Sixx. They would have to work that
out between themselves, though. Jasper had two vehicles to get out
of the way.

Frey wanted to pound his fellow Gargoyle
into the ground, but more than that, he wanted to comfort his mate.
Sixx had already explained what happened, and it couldn’t be
changed. All they could do now was damage control. Frey didn’t wait
on Sixx or Jasper. He strode into the emergency room where a
frantic Abbi was disappearing through a set of double doors. When
he started to follow, a nurse stopped him. “I’m with Abbi,” he told
the short, stocky bull of a woman standing in his way.

“
She said she didn’t have
any other family, and only family is allowed in there.”

Frey pulled out his phone. When recent
events outed the Chief of Staff, Joseph Mooneyham’s true identity
as Isabelle’s father, Jonas Montague, all the Gargoyles put his
number on speed dial. “Joseph, sorry to bother you. I’m at the ER
with my uh, good friend, Abbi. Nurse…” Frey looked down at her
security badge, “Nurse Benson won’t let me go back with her.”

“
I take it this Abbi is
your mate?” Jonas asked. “What is going on with the fates? Why are
you all finding your mates all of a sudden?”

“
Joseph…” Frey admonished
the doctor who tended to ramble.

“
Yes, yes, put her
on.”

Frey handed the phone to the nurse. “Here,
Dr. Mooneyham wants a word.”

The nurse grabbed the phone and listened.
When she was finished, she shoved it back in his hand. “Follow
me.”

By that time, Sixx and Jasper had caught up
with him. “They’re with me,” he thumbed over his shoulder.

The nurse, who hadn’t been intimidated by
Frey, just looked at the other two large Gargoyles and shook her
head. “Of course they are,” she mumbled under her breath. She
opened the door and said, “Third room on the right.”

The three Goyles silently strode down the
hall to the waiting room. Abbi was pacing the floor, arms wrapped
around her waist. Frey’s heart knew hers was breaking before he saw
the tears falling from her eyes. “Abbi,” he whispered. When she
noticed the three large men, her eyes widened for just a second
before they narrowed accusingly. Before he could stop her, Abbi
flung herself at Frey, beating on his chest.

“
This is your fault. You
said you’d keep us safe, and now Matthew is fighting for his life!
Damn you! Let go of me! Get your hands off me!” Abbi was screaming.
If he didn’t get her under control, they’d all be kicked out. He
wrapped her in his arms, pinning her arms between their
bodies.

“
Abbi I…”

Sixx interrupted him, “No, this is my fault.
Abbi, I take full responsibility. I was the one who was supposed to
be watching Matthew. Geoffrey isn’t to blame.”

Abbi stilled in Frey’s
arms as she glared at Sixx. “Then what the hell happened?
How
did this
happen?”

“
I was sitting in a booth
facing the kitchen. I didn’t want to disrupt Matthew’s work by
sitting in the kitchen with him. Now I know I should have. Every
time the door opened, I could see him at the sink, washing dishes.
The waitress brought me a coffee refill when I heard the manager
yelling. He had sent Matthew to take the trash out. I never thought
someone would be waiting on him out back. I’m so sorry.”

Abbi wrenched out of Frey’s arms. “If this
is how you keep someone safe, I’ll take my chances at home. I want
you all to leave.”

“
Abbi, no. You have to
know that Troy is responsible for this. Please,” Jasper
pleaded.

“
You’re probably right,
but if I had stayed home, Matthew wouldn’t be here. This is my
fault, I never should have left.” Abbi turned her back on
them.

Frey knew the moment she retreated into
herself; the moment he lost her. He motioned toward the door with
his head, and Jasper and Sixx left the room. He closed the distance
between them, but didn’t touch her. “I hope you change your mind,
but I understand we fucked up. You will never know how much I
regret not being there for him today. If either of you get into
trouble and ever need my assistance, just call. If I’m not close
by, someone will come to your aid, no questions asked. I’m sorry,
Abbi. I never meant for this to happen, I only wanted to keep you
both safe, and I failed miserably. Just know that I will always be
there for you. Today, tomorrow, a week, a year, twenty years from
now. Always.” When Abbi refused to look at him, Frey retreated from
the room.

Jasper and Sixx were waiting in the hall.
Sixx looked like a man who was facing the firing squad. Frey did
the only thing he could at the moment and walked away without
looking back. As he was headed toward the exit, Jonas was walking
his way. “I got here as quick as I could. Tell me everything you
know.”

Frey quietly told the doctor what had
transpired, from meeting Matthew at the gym, to the attack earlier.
“That bastard did this to him; I feel it in my gut. Now Abbi
doesn’t trust me. She was going to file a restraining order and let
you document her bruises. Now she doesn’t want anything to do with
any of us.”

“
I will go check on
Matthew. Once he’s in a room, we will station one of our own
outside his door so no one but his sister can get inside. As for
your mate, let me handle Abigail. You hang tight and don’t give up
hope.” The older Goyle patted him on the arm and strode toward the
room where Abbi was waiting. Alone. All Frey could do was trust
Jonas to talk some sense into her. Frey walked out into the bright
sunlight and closed his eyes. He wanted to stand sentry at
Matthew’s door, but that would cause too much heartache for both
him and Abbi. He called Urijah to take the first shift.

“
Frey, wait up.” Jasper
jogged to the Jeep before Frey could climb in. “What can I do to
help? I want Abbi away from this dickhead, too.”

“
Get with Dane. Find this
bastard and follow him. I don’t want him taking a shit that we
aren’t right there watching him wipe his ass.”

Jasper dug a set of keys out of his pocket.
“These are Abbi’s. I forgot to give them to her.”

Frey took them from Jasper. “I don’t think
she’ll be needing them for a while, but I’ll make sure she gets
them. I’m glad you still have them. If she plans on going back
home, she’s going to need her stuff from my house. I’ll go get her
things and put them in her car, just in case.”

“
I’m calling Dane now.
Just yell if you need anything.” Jasper clapped Frey on the
shoulder and turned toward his car. He stopped when he noticed Sixx
standing a few feet away, head down, hands in his pockets. Jasper
asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like the lead singer
for Cyanide Sweetness?”