Page 3 of Gabe

I breathed a sigh of relief. So long as we still had the spirit to keep going, any problem could be solved eventually. I held tightly to that idea, no matter how unrealistic. It forced me out of bed on my worst days and helped me support the patients who were too exhausted to help themselves.

Newt and I talked for a while. So much had happened over the last few days, there hadn’t been much time to just talk like we used to. We mostly stuck to shallow conversations that didn’t require much thought. Rosalind, Newt’s sister, was a popular topic. I’d never liked her patronizing attitude toward Newt. It seemed to come from a loving place, but good intentions didn’t change how she always made Newt feel worse about himself.

Because of that, I regretted missing the moment she realized her assumptions about Sebastian had been wrong. I couldn’t even imagine what her face must have looked like. The woman never admitted to any mistakes, and Newt’s description just wasn’t enough.

Maybe I could request the footage from the hospital security cameras. Such a sight needed to be seen with my own eyes, even if it was just on a grainy recording.

We talked so long that we eventually both ended up falling asleep on the floor, leaning against each other for support.

CHAPTER 2

Frankie

I awoke to the sound of arguing and instantly recognized both of the brothers’ voices along with Gabe.

“Really, guys. Isn’t there enough conflict in our lives already? Do you have to turn everything into a battle?”

I yawned so hard I feared my jaw would dislocate and scratched at my scalp. My braids felt dry and too loose at the root. They would have to be re-done soon.

“What are you even arguing about? Surely nothing bad has happened so soon. We just got here.”

Three different sets of eyes turned toward me in unison. All of them dark. All of them angry. It would have been a terrifying sight to wake up to, except for the fact that they obviously weren’t angry at me.

“Yeah, we just got here,” Sebastian agreed with me, yet it sounded like he was saying something else.

Next to me, Newt stirred but didn’t fully wake up. I moved his head off my shoulder and laid him flat on the floor. There was at least carpet, but it still didn’t look very comfortable.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

Sebastian, who was obviously still groggy and in pain from the pinched look on his face, glared at his brother. “Someone is being a hypocrite.”

Damien sighed and ran a tired hand over his eyes. “I’m not being a hypocrite. It’s a good idea and you know it.”

“I know that for literal months you’ve been telling me to stay put. Stay inside. Don’t go anywhere to do anything. But now that you’re confined to one place, you can’t even last a few hours before you’re trying to leave.”

I’d obviously slept through a significant conversation, but there was no opportunity to ask as the brothers kept arguing.

“Sebastian, you had to stay in the apartment for the sake of your injuries. That has nothing to do with why I’m leaving now.”

“Bullshit. Did you already forget how I got injured in the first place? There are people out there who tried to kill me. People who are just as much your enemies as mine. We fled to stay safe, again, so why are you trying to throw yourself right back into danger?”

Damien placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder in what should have been a comforting gesture.

Sebastian tried to shove the other man away, but the sudden motion made him gasp with pain.

“Idiot, you need to calm down,” Gabe scolded as he checked on Sebastian’s injuries. He seemed to know exactly what to look for, indicating that Gabe probably had medical training.

It was a blatant reminder that I didn’t really know anything about the man or his experiences before this whole fiasco.

Sebastian at least had enough common sense not to try and smack Gabe away as well. Instead, he just stared stubbornly at the wall. “Sure. Calm down. Easy for you to say. It’s not your family that’s trying to get themselves killed.”

Neither brother could see it since they weren’t looking at Gabe, but I had a perfect view of the pained expression that flickered over his face.

It was brief. Almost as soon as the emotion came, Gabe schooled himself back into his usual stoicism.

“Damien isn’t trying to get himself killed. He’s doing this so you can both live.”

Damien reached out like he was about to touch Sebastian again, but then changed his mind.

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