Page 84 of Fragile

I needed no other offer, and I leaned up, planted a kiss on his lips and moved away.

“Oh, and Leonie,” he called.

“Yes?”

“Dream of me.”

And I knew that I would.

*****

After my bath, I still felt so drained. I wasn’t used to arguments, especially one as heated as the one I’d had with Gabriel earlier. I was proud of myself for resisting him as I had needed some time out. Gabriel appeared to be at the forefront of my every waking thought and I didn’t want to lose myself in him completely. I also didn’t want him to think he could just click his fingers and get what he wanted all the time. And then there was my body; I was also feeling quite stiff. Having class all day and then dancing a different technique had taken its toll.

I was dazing in and out of consciousness, wearing one of Gabriel’s old T-shirts and enjoying the way the cotton was soft against my body when I heard a thump. Checking the time on my phone, I could see that it was three in the morning. The witching hour, my mother would say when she’d read me scary stories as a kid.

THUMP. There it was again. I glanced at my door, the noise coming from way beyond there. Maybe Gabriel was getting a drink or Asher had come back from Mark’s?

Peeling back the covers, I slowly climbed out of bed and went to the door of my bedroom. Anxious knots continued to wind in my belly. Something was off.

The apartment was now deathly quiet, and I wondered if I’d dreamt the sound that had awakened me. I was a light sleeper, having lived for six months with Simon so close, I got used to keeping one eye open.

Slowly pulling the door open, I tiptoed outside, my eyes squinted as I attempted to see down the corridor. I could hear a shuffling noise and felt another flicker of unease as none of the lights were on. That was odd.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way across the floor, my eyes roaming over Gabriel’s door which was slightly open. Maybe he was up and in the kitchen, although if that were the case, why no lights?

I concentrated on putting one bare foot in front of the other, tugging my tee to check it covered my bottom. I should have pulled on a robe as tackling an intruder half naked probably wasn’t the best way to go.

A sliding noise suggested a drawer was being opened and my anxiety jumped up a notch. I then felt a surge of sheer panic as strong arms snaked around my body, dragging me back against a rock-hard chest. My cry was cut off as my attacker placed a hand over my mouth and I was helpless. Struggling, the grip was like a vice and my feet left the floor as I was pulled backwards.

I attempted to free myself against the strong bands wrapped around my body as I was carried backwards into Gabriel’s bedroom.

My feet hit the floor as I was released and spun around, my back meeting the wall, my mouth momentarily free before being trapped again. Relief pooled into me as I stared up into Gabriel’s stern face with wide eyes.

He had me pinned against the wall, his expression deadly serious, his palm still over my mouth. He placed a finger from his other hand against his lips, instructing me to remain silent and I nodded my head in agreement. Shit, what the hell? Did we have a burglar?

After a beat or two he lowered his hand and glanced towards the door. I kept my mouth shut, feeling so much better now I wasn’t alone. Gabriel must suspect we had an intruder too. Part of me hoped it would be Asher and we could all laugh about it in the morning but I knew that wasn’t the case.

My heart was thumping in my chest as Gabriel moved away, his expression ordering me to stay calm and silent.

I watched, feeling helpless and scared as he circled the bed and opened the drawer of his bedside table, his eyes never leaving mine. He turned away briefly, and my gaze flickered towards the direction of his hand.

When he drew a gun from the drawer, I thought my heart was going to stop. OMG, he had a fucking gun. My mouth fell open in shock. Gabriel’s eyes shot to mine, and he slowly shook his head, once again motioning for me to remain quiet.

In horror, I watched as he slid the top of the gun back, probably so it was loaded and ready to fire, he then shoved it into the back of his jeans and turned away. The butt of the gun peeked out from the waistband, sitting at the base of his bare back.

Gabriel’s shoulder muscles rippled as he tugged on a shirt, pulling the hem over the weapon to conceal it. Half buttoning it, he then approached me with an intense expression.

Panic beat inside my chest like angry fists against a wall. My breathing became ragged and I shook my head at him as he made a move to the door. I didn’t want him going out there. He could get hurt. Gabriel approached me with a reassuring expression as we both remained silent but tried to communicate with just our eyes.

He then placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and then slid the door of the mirrored wardrobe I was standing next to open.

Horror hit me as he clasped my other shoulder and started to gently manoeuvre me sideways towards the space.

I raised my hand in panic as Gabriel flicked his head to motion for me to get into that small, dark space that was the wardrobe.

Flashes of being trapped came back and I opened my mouth to cry out but Gabriel shifted quickly, jamming his hand over my mouth again and then physically placing me in there.

Raising his free arm behind my head, he shifted some suits along the rail to give me space and then positioned me beside them, his eyes never leaving my face. I could see he was sorry and that he felt this was the only option. He knew about what had happened to my parents after we’d had the blackout.

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