Page 78 of The Bonus

11

Grace

Gabriel stumbles back as Dominic pushes him. “Get away from her,” he yells.

“Dominic,” I stammer. “Leave it, go inside the house.”

“No.” He stands between Gabriel and me. “Go away,” he demands.

Gabriel’s chest rises and falls as he struggles for air, his eyes are locked on Dominic’s.

“I. Said. Go. Away.” He grabs my hand and tries to pull me into the house. “Mom, come on. Don’t cry.”

The car door opens and Mark climbs out, my eyes flick to him. I didn’t even realize he was in the car. “Hi, Grace.” He smiles.

“Mark.”

Dominic pushes me toward the house.

“It’s fine, Dom, go inside. I know Gabriel. You need to leave us to talk.”

“No. He’s mean.” He stands in between Gabriel and me. “Come inside with me.”

Gabriel and Dominic glare at each other in a standoff.

“Gabriel, now is not the time,” I stammer nervously. “We’ll organize to meet and talk, but…not here and not now. Please?” I whisper, I gesture to the back of Dominic. “Now is not the time.”

“Let’s go,” Mark says.

Gabriel’s furious eyes hold mine, and I wither under his wrath.

“We’ll come back later,” Mark says as he opens the back door of the car for Gabriel.

Without a word, Gabriel turns.

“Don’t come back,” Dominic spits.

Gabriel turns and I can feel the thermonuclear energy about to blow, he is livid.

I grab Dominic and push him behind me. “Don’t be rude,” I warn him. “That’s not how we speak to people, you know that.”

With one last murderous glance, Gabriel gets into the car and we watch on as it slowly pulls away.

I close my eyes in relief…and then in horror. In all of the nightmare situations I could ever have imagined of how this day would go if it ever happened, that was the absolute worst scenario.

Fuck.

I pace back and forth in my kitchen as panic sets in.

Why did he come here? How did he find out?

My name is Lucia Porter.

Oh my god…he knows, of course he knows, the children are the spitting image of him.

Maybe I should pack up the kids and go on the run?

He won’t do anything, he won’t do anything…I try to tell myself.

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