Page 25 of Trig

I start to move around him, but he leans to the side and blocks me again.

“Move, Gabriel. You don’t want this smoke. Trust me.”

“You’re injured, brother. Not good timing.”

“Not good timing? This shit needs to end. As long as he’s alive it’ll never be over.”

“I know.”

“No. You don’t know. I was this close to losing Nine.” I pinch my thumb and pointer finger together. “I tossed her out of a two-story window into a pool knowing she was too weak to swim in a desperate attempt to save her from a bullet party while retrieving my daughter. You ever have to make a decision like that? Have you?”

“Tensions are high. Emotions are high. I get it but—.”

“No! You have no idea what we have been through,” I shout.

“Oh really! Carmen killed my wife. I know exactly what you’re going through. Shit, Trig. You think yours is the only life he’s destroyed.”

My anger settles down. I stare at him in silence. He takes a few seconds before speaking.

“We were planning to leave Vegas. She was pregnant. I needed to get her away from all the danger. Carmen found out we were going to run and…he came and…” Gabriel drew a long breath before finishing. “He set her on fire, baby and all. He called me so I could listen to her screams in the background. He told me if I ever accomplished running off, I better never fall in love, because he would find her, fuck her, and then burn her like he did with Jayleen.”

We both just stood there by the door, staring a hole into the carpet.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I say. “I had no idea.”

“Noted. Now go sit down, asshole. You need to heal. You ain’t shit with your leg all fucked up.” He pauses. “Oh hey! When those neck tats heal soon, hit up my boy Z, he’ll hook you up, get that shit removed off your girls. He used to work in the game, but owns a laser tat removal company now. His wife runs it. Very discreet couple. Just send him a pic of that tat. He’ll know exactly who you are.”

Gabe hands me a card. I nod in respect, as I limp back to the couch and sit down. Mya runs over not even five seconds later and jumps into my lap. I groan in pain.

“Daddy. Daddy.”

I squeeze her tightly into my chest. She squeezes back.

“Last night when you and Mommy were sleeping, Uncle Gabriel made me pancakes and we watched cartoons. He’s really funny.”

“That’s very nice of him,” I say, as I look up at Gabriel who looks away. God forbid hitmen show any tenderness.

“Hey, Mya. I’m going to ask you some questions and if you don’t feel good about answering them, just put your right hand up and I’ll stop asking them, but Daddy needs to know everything that happened to you at Carmen’s house.” I pause, as Mya looks down. “Did he hit you?” Mya shakes her head. “Did he touch you in private areas?” Mya shakes her head again. Did he do anything that made you feel icky?”

“He…yelled at me. He said bad words. He smelled my hair and kissed my cheek.”

“Anything else, Mya?” I softly ask, worried that she’ll shut down.

“Three men held me down, and poked my neck a bunch of times. They said they were going to kill you and Mom and then sell me, and if I didn’t listen, they’d…umm…they’d drown me in a big fish tank.”

I look up at Gabriel. He leans down into my ear. “We’re going to filet that motherfucker.”

Right then a loud crashing sound comes from Nine’s room. Mya jumps off my lap.

“What the hell was that?” The doctor says.

“Mommy was waking up, but she was acting funny. She has owies everywhere.”

I jump up and try to limp as fast as I can, but Gabriel and the doctor get there first.

“Back the fuck up,” I hear Nine yell.

I attempt to push through them as they stand there gathered, blocking the doorway.

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