GABRIEL (Killer Book 2) (12 page)

"I shan't shed a tear. Life is full of shocks of all descriptions and they have to be faced."

-Patrick Mackay

“Dani.” He rasps, causing my eyelids to flutter open.

He’s on top of me, peppering kisses across my naked skin. I sigh as I run my fingers through his hair.

“I need you.” He growls, and I nod hastily.

“Take me, then. However you want, take me. Use me to quiet your mind.”
I open my legs and he settles his hips between my thighs. His beautiful green eyes look so tormented. I would give anything to take away his hurt… his pain.

He places his hands on each side of my face as his forehead rests against mine.

“I’ll always be him.” He rasps, and I frown when a solitary tear runs down his cheek and drips onto my lips.

I reach up and wipe my thumb over the wet trail, slightly pulling his face back so I can look into his eyes. We stare at each other for some time, using only our eyes to communicate our wants, our fears, and the undeniable connection that lingers between us.

My breath hitches as he sinks into me. My fingernails rip across his skin as he takes me hard and unrelenting.

Nestling his head into my shoulder, his teeth sink into my shoulder harshly as he claims me as his own. And I am his. Whether I die here, or whether I live outside of this place, I will always only belong to him, my heart, my soul, and my body.

My legs wrap around his hips as I hold on with everything that I’ve got. I don’t want to let go of this moment. He’s allowing a closeness to exist between us, and I refuse to give it up. I’ve longed for this my entire life. To feel as he’s made me feel, whether it be pain or pleasure. He’s stripped me down to my soul, and he’s molded me into someone else.

As his thrusts become more frenzied, he released his jaw from my shoulder and pulls away. My heart screams for him to stay close, but he won’t allow it. When feelings become raw, he runs from them. He runs from me.

He wraps his fingers around my neck and squeezes. Even as the stars dance before my eyes, I will not break eye contact. His eyes have become clouded with his madness. The tenderness dissipated the second that he pulled away and left me bare below him as he continued to use me.

But I gave that permission, because I could care less about my torn and battered heart. I only care about his. It isn’t healthy. It isn’t warranted either.

My feelings for him pulse through every vein in my body. The need to help this beautiful monster has possessed my senses. My feelings for him have thrown my inhibitions out the window. Though I’m pained to admit it, I do love him. With every fiber of my being, I do.

His head flies back as he roars. His hips still, but his grip on my throat remains. I can’t distinguish whether I should be afraid or grateful. My eyes cannot leave his, though. And when the room around us becomes black, I only see his face. Little stars float around him as my mouth opens and closes, a breath never offering my lungs salvation.

I see his face morph from hatred to remorse in an instant. Finally, he releases his hold and leaves me panting for air.

Then, he leaves.

I’m alone as the moonlight shines across the room. I allow the tears to flow as I curl into a ball, fisting the blanket, my heart feeling as though it is going to break through my ribcage and catapult from my chest.

I allow myself to cry for my childhood, for my adulthood – because I’ve always been lonely. I’ve always been disregarded. I wish that he would have held on until my brain could take no more. I wish that he would have ended me once and for all instead of teasing me with the thought of death.

Yet, he didn’t. He wouldn’t allow it.

I don’t know how long I’ve been lying here. I listened to his faint screams as I stared at the shadows that the trees outside have cast throughout the room. They stretched and swayed, calming me as I listened to his breaking point.

He’s quiet now, but my mind is not.

I never thought in a million years that I would end up here, in this place with a man who has captivated both my body and my heart.

When my father vanished, I was thrown into the system.

I was left behind, and yet I didn’t know how to feel. My entire life, I’d felt not one sliver of love. My father didn’t have a paternal bone in his body, I know this now, but it still hurts so very badly. When I was younger, I couldn’t understand why he hated me so much.

Once I graduated high school, I worked my ass off. I worked in restaurants and retail stores. I was saving up. I wanted to make something of myself. I just didn’t know what.

I felt like life threw my destiny before me when a woman walked into the restaurant where I worked and handed me the brochure. “Fashion School” assaulted my eyes with its bright, pink font. My heart skipped a beat when I tore off my apron and ran back to my house where I dug out the jar with all of my earnings. It was more than enough to get me to Manhattan, where I would start my new life.

Even when my life was completely crazy, the dull hum of the needle as it bobbed up and down was my therapy. The way the sharp point would stab the fabric resembled the way life had repeatedly sunk its teeth into my heart.

I allowed my dream to swallow me entirely, because the past was just too much to bare. The memories had claimed my mind, and I was eager to shake them off, to allow myself some solace, because I deserved it.

But that didn’t keep the memories from haunting my dreams every single night.

My eyes flit to the door and I watch as it sways slightly. He left it open in his haste to leave me alone. He’d gotten so close, and then shoved me away once more.

I trace my fingers around the collar that secures me to this prison. The collar intended to make me remember why I’m here. I’m an object, not a person.

Bailey peers in and his eyes glow in the moonlight. He’s a majestic animal, fit for my tormented master.

I hold my hand over the edge of the bed and the husky slowly makes his way over to me, bowing his head as I scratch behind his large ears.

“What do you make of this, Bailey? You must think that I’m mad.” I whisper, causing his blue eyes to meet mine once more.

My eyes grow wide as his ears pin back and he snarls, but I realize that it isn’t me that he’s snarling at when he turns quickly and runs from the room.

I begin to step from the bed and stop suddenly when I hear Bailey whimper followed by a thud.

When I hear the humming, my heart sinks to the lowest depths of my stomach. The words that I hear threaten to permanently steal the breath from my lungs.

“Dani girl, my beautiful blue eyed Dani girl.”

“This isn’t real.” I whisper as I back against the headboard and pull my knees to my chest.

The door creaks loudly as it opens wider, and his large form stands in the doorway.

I shake my head as the tears run down my cheeks. “No.” I say as he steps forward.

“Did you miss me?” He asks, tilting his head to the side.

When I don’t answer, he quickly walks towards me. I roll across the mattress and jump to my feet on the other side of the bed.

He chuckles as he grasps the chain and yanks it, causing me to lose my footing. “So stubborn. Where is the girl that would roll over for me at the snap of my fingers?”

“Leave me alone!” I holler as I grip the chain and tighten my fingers around it.

He yanks the chain, sending me flying across the bed and crumpling at his feet. I have no time to block myself before one of the steal toed boots connects with my side, causing me to roll over onto my back.

Kneeling down, he brushes my hair from my face. The moonlight shines against his scarred cheek, and the flecks of grey in his hair stand out.

My side is throbbing, and when I reach down to cradle it, he pushes my hand away.

“Why… why are you doing this? Please, just leave me alone.” I plead, but I should know that it isn’t any use. This man has no heart. He has no soul. He’s the devil that walks this earth, claiming the innocence of others.

I only see his silhouette, the rest of his face is dark, but I know that those eyes are watching me.

“Why would I do that?” He responds flatly.

As he stands, he tangles his fingers in my hair and pulls me to my knees. My body shakes as he sets me up for more abuse. I want to scream for Gabriel, but he will kill me if I do.

“Go on, you know what to do.” He says nonchalantly, and I reach forward with shaking hands, undoing his button and the fly. I pull his jeans over his hips and swallow hard as I release his erection.

“No teeth.” He growls as he pushes my mouth onto him. I try to keep the bile from rising in my throat, but I can’t keep it down. My disgust threatens to give way at any time.

I begin to weigh out my options. He’ll kill me either way. If I’m going to go down, I’ve got to go down fighting.

So, I bite him. My jaw locks down onto his cock and my teeth dig into the skin. My ears are ringing as his fists connect with my head, but I don’t let go. I’ve already opened up this can of worms, any other option has flown out the window.

He presses his thumbs into my cheeks, causing my jaw to unlock. I can’t see the damage that I’ve done, and my confidence dissipates when he yanks my hair and throws my head against the tile floor. What little vision that I have in the dark room becomes blurred as he beats my body repeatedly.

I’m flung stomach down onto the bed, and cry out when something rough and dry is shoved into my anus. I feel like my insides are being shifted as he abuses me with the object.

Suddenly, I hear the object fall to the floor as he leans over me.

“That was a bad idea. I’ll see you next time, princess.”

He kisses my cheek and then I hear my name being called faintly.

Rough, abusive hands are replaced with warm, loving ones.

“Dani.” Gabriel whispers, pulling me into his arms, “What happened? Tell me.”

I’m alternating between consciousness and unconsciousness as he rocks me back and forth, repeatedly asking me who hurt me.

My eyelids flutter, threatening to fall shut at any time. Finally, I find the words before sleep calls to me.

“My f-father.”

"After my head has been chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from my neck? That would be the best pleasure to end all pleasure. "

-Peter Kurten

I massage my temples with my fingertips as the computer screen illuminates the surface of my wooden desk. 

I can’t find him. Not a fucking trace of the man that hurt Dani. Her
father
, if you could even call him that.

Antonio LeBlanc
is basically non-existent.

Her small body is black and blue. The bastard sodomized her with a fucking broom – the same broom that I’d used to clean up the mess that she made.

She’s been comatose since the attack. I can’t even coax a word from her. It’s been days since it happened. The only time she makes a sound is in her sleep, when she kicks and claws and screams as the nightmares cloud her mind. All I can do is hold her until she wakes. Tell her that I’m here. That it won’t happen again.

The questions have not left my mind. How in the hell did he get into my home to begin with? How in the fuck did he find her?

“You’ve failed the only thing that you’ve ever cared for, Gabriel.”
I lean back in my chair as I let his words soak in. He’s right. He may be a fucking shadow, but he knows me better than anyone on this earth.

He knows my faults, my fears, my transgressions.

“What have I done bringing her here? I should have left her alone.” I whisper.

I feel his presence behind me, but there’s no use in looking. He’s never changed. Not once. He’s always been the hooded entity that’s followed me my entire life – making me see and accept who I was bound to become.

He places a hand on my shoulder. “You brought her here. You must finish what you started.”

“Kill her?” I snap, turning to face him.

He removes his hand and steps back into the shadows where he’d been standing.

“Do you have any other ideas?” He asks sarcastically.

I exhale as I shake my head slowly. “I could let her go.”

He ticks his tongue. “Let her go? Gabriel, she will destroy you. She will tell everyone who will listen to her. No. You’ve got to end her. If you end her, her lips will remain sealed forever.”

I startle when I hear Dani’s screams from above. Leaping to my feet, I flee my office and run up the stairs.

She’s soaked in sweat as she sits up in the bed. Her fingers are wrapped around the sheets as her chest heaves up and down.

“Shh.” I soothe as I scoop her into my arms. “It was just a dream, Dani.”

Sobs erupt from her as she grips the back of my shirt while her tears soak the fabric over my chest. “H- He was never supposed to come back. He… he was n-never supposed to hurt me again.”

I kiss the top of her head as I smooth my hand over her hair. “I’m so sorry, Dani.”

She pulls away and her sky blue eyes meet mine. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Shaking my head, I run my thumbs over her cheeks. “Yes you can.”

“No,” She whispers, clutching the fabric at my chest in her little fists. “End me. Make it go away.”

I shove her away as I jump to my feet. “I won’t!”
She bares her teeth as she grabs at her hair. “Why? Why can’t you just give me that, Gabriel? How much am I supposed to take before the sweet voice of death finally calls me home? He’s proved that he will always find me. He’s proved that he will always hurt me.”

“No! He will never hurt you again. I swear by it!” I exclaim. I’m not angry with her. I’m angry with myself for allowing what happened to occur in my home, under my watch.

More tears escape her sad eyes as she slowly shakes her head. “You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

I breathe deeply to steady my emotions before kneeling down and grasping her hands in mine. “Then tell me. Tell me everything you know, and I will do everything that I can to make him go away for good.”

A faint smile sweeps over her face, but the sadness doesn’t leave her eyes. “He’s like a ghost. He knows how to fly above societies standards while he stays hidden in the sewers with the rats. You will never find him. No-one will ever find him.”

I give her hands a gentle squeeze. “What does he look like?”

She looks down at her lap, “He’s very tall, very muscular. He’s older, but you wouldn’t know that he’s in his sixties just by looking at him. His hair has flecks of grey, but it is mostly blond. I always thought he’d be a handsome man if not for the pure evil that ran through his veins. His eyes are a strange shade of blue. I’d always thought that I got my blue eyes from him – but there was something off about his. The color… it always seemed like he was hiding something.”

“Good job Dani.” I whisper. “Is there anything else? Did you ever become acquainted with any other family members?”

She smiles, and it seems that she recalls a fond memory. “My uncle. I saw him once, but he had the kindest eyes.”

“What was his name?” I ask.

She shakes her head, “I don’t know. I would only refer to him as Uncle. You have to realize that everything was a secret when I was growing up.”

I bow my head.

“They… they would talk about a meeting place when my uncle called my father. I’d overhear them. My father called it the house. That’s it. I’ve never seen it, but it sounded like it was far from where we lived. He would lock me away when he would go there, and he’d be gone until the early morning hours.”

“The house.” I murmur.

Sighing, she nods slowly, wrapping the blanket tightly around herself.

I run a hand through my hair as I look up at her, “I can’t leave you here alone anymore.”

A lone tear rolls over her cheek and nestles itself into the crevice of her nose. “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

My eyes travel over to Bailey’s. Luckily the bastard only hit him with a tranquilizer the other night. He’s been a little fidgety since, but he’s okay.

I pull my phone from my pocket and sort through my contacts. There’s only one person that I can think to call, the only person that I can trust right now.

“Hello?” He says in his exhausted state. It’s past ten, so he was probably just lying down.

“Dad. I need your help.”
I hear him shuffling around when he responds. “Sure. What’s going on, son?”

I explain what happened to Dani, and express that I need someone to stay with her.

“Where did you find this girl, Gabriel?” He asks flatly.

“We’re… friends.” I respond, my eyes landing on hers.

He sighs. “What’s her name?”

“Dani LeBlanc.” I respond.

“Wait…” He responds, “Dani LeBlanc?”

I nod, “Yes. I know she’s been missing, but --”

“No, it’s alright. Listen, I’ll have your mother go and stay with her while you’re gone.”

I frown. “I was hoping that you could come stay with her while I get some things sorted out.”

He laughs. “Son, you know that I can’t. I’m busy. Your mom will be fine. She’ll keep her company.”

I shake my head. “What if this guy comes back? He’s supposedly huge.”

“Gabriel, she’ll be fine. I’ve got to go.”

I hang up and look into Dani’s blue eyes. “My mother will be here on Monday. I’m going to sort all of this out. I promise.”

She tucks her hair behind her ear, “I won’t tell anyone… about anything.”

I stand and sit beside her on the bed. I wrap an arm around her and she lays her head on my chest. “I couldn’t blame you if you did.”

“Did you really plan on killing me?” She whispers, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

“I only kill people to help them. At least that’s what I tell myself.”

She tilts her head and looks into my eyes. “And you thought that I needed help?”

I nod. “Yeah, you were on that site. In the chat room, “Where the Lonely Ones Roam”.”

She frowns and shakes her head. “No, I wasn’t. I’ve never even been in a chat room before.”

Laughing nervously, I turn to face her. “You were. I know it was you. Dani Blue. You told me that you were ready to go. I did the search and it took me straight to you.”

“Dani Blue?” She whispers, tears rising to her eyes.

“Yes. That was your user name.” I pause and retrieve my phone, “See. That was you.”

She looks over the screenshots of the private message. “Gabriel, that isn’t me. I’m telling you, I didn’t do that.”

I massage the back of my neck as I stare at her.

“If it wasn’t you… then who was it? Why were they in your home using your computer? That’s the only way that the search could have led me to you.”
She places the phone next to her and wraps her arms around herself. “I don’t know.”

“There is one person…” She says, diverting her eyes. “My father always called me that. Dani Blue.”

My eyebrows furrow as I look down at her black and blue body. “Do you think that he set us up?”

Her eyes meet mine once more. “I… I don’t know.”

Running a hand through my hair, I stand. “I’m going to go run you a bath.”

I almost make it to the bathroom door when she whispers, “Gabriel.”
“Promise me that if you can’t end him… that you’ll end me.”
I bow my head as I contemplate her words.

“I promise.”