Page 56 of Stalked

I have no idea how he knows any of this, but I’m losing patience. Blake and Gabriel need the hospital. I need to tell Izel her brother made it and hope that Zion doesn’t kill me in the end.

“So, what’s the plan, kill us all?” I ask, finding my voice rough and coarse.

“Well, yeah.” He laughs. “I mean, you killed my sons. I think it’s only fair I take out the beloved one of Dimitri, Russian Mafia, and I mean if I can take out more of the retired old—”

Everything happens in a flash. A knife comes flying out, impaling Henry in the throat. All hell breaks loose. Everyone jumps for their guns, Zane shielding Blake with his body, and I backing Gabriel against the wall. My fingers reach for my gun, just as the crack of gunshots rings out. My ears ring, my body ignites, my stomach rolls. Billy and Nathan’s father lie on the ground, gasping for air, Henry dead on the floor.

Swinging around, I lock eyes with Gabriel. His breath comes in ragged, my eyes searching to see where he’s hit. “Fuck,” I mutter. I don’t see anything, only him standing with my father’s coat wrapped around his body. He’s safe.

He’s okay…He’s sa…

Breathing becomes painful, sweat beading at my forehead. I hear movement around me, but I can only see Gabriel. I only want to see him. My vision blurs. I’m not sure what’s happening, not when my knees buckle, and I go down like a sack of shit again. The last thing I hear is Gabriel screaming my name.

27

Gabriel

3 weeks later

“Hey.”

I look up from my sketchbook as Dimitri makes his way into the hospital room. I bite my bottom lip, worried today will be the day he will kick me out. It hasn’t happened yet, but there was no telling with him.

“Hello,” I mutter, sitting up, clenching my artwork to my chest.Please don’t make me leave. Please don’t.

“Nurse told me you’ve been here all night again,” he says, walking in towards Tobias.

I nod my head, even though he’s not paying attention to me. I’ve been here every night for the past three weeks since he was shot. Three long weeks of me sketching Tobias over and over again, never getting it right. And nighttime is when I break apart. It’s when his family goes home and I’m alone.

“They tell me you refuse to leave his side,” he states, blinking over at me.

“I won’t.” I don’t know where I find my voice but I can’t leave him.

Dimitri nods his head, glancing at his son before looking at me again. I squirm under his gaze. I’m the whole reason his son is in here. He never would have been in the basement looking for me or in this hospital if it weren’t for me.

“You love him?” he asks.

“Yes.” Because I do. I never got to tell him, and the fact I never got to whisper those words to him, it kills me.

“He’ll come back to you. He’s a stubborn man, Gabriel. He’ll come back,” Dimitri mumbles before heading back to the door. I think he’s going to say something, but instead, he shakes his head, opens the door, and shuts it behind him.

Pulling my knees to my chest, my watery eyes drop back to my love, lying in the hospital bed, Tubes running out of his body, a tube down his throat, and worst of all a ventilator being the only thing keeping him alive.

28

Tobias

3 weeks later

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The constant beeping shakes me awake, and I reach for whatever the fuck it is to shut the thing up. My side pitches in pain the moment I raise my hand. Fuck, even wiggling my finger causes my body to shake with pain.

What the fuck… what happened—Gabriel.

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