Page 40 of Terror at the Gates

Gabriel and Esther made eye contact.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” said Gabriel. “I’m just surprised.”

“Zahariev gave me rules,” I said, though I wasn’t sure why. Maybe I thought it would be more palatable.

“Oh, I’m sure he did,” said Gabriel. He turned away to put his record on and a few seconds later, mellow acoustics echoed in the room.

I wished they’d just say they didn’t approve, but I knew them too well. Neither of them wanted to damage my excitement, though it was too late for that.

I brought Esther her tea.

“Thank you, my dear,” she said.

“Of course,” I said and looked at Gabriel. “Ready?”

He smirked, but there was no sparkle in his eyes. He just looked tired. This version of Gabriel made me sad.

“I’ve been ready, baby girl,” he said.

I followed him into a smaller room on the opposite side of the living area. The walls were painted a calming sage green, and a rocking chair and changing table were arranged around the room. There was a large space left against the wall for the crib, which was still in a box on the floor.

Gabriel pulled a folding knife out of his pocket and began slicing through the tape. I yawned as I knelt beside him.

“Tired?” he asked.

I hesitated to answer because I knew he was exhausted, and that was partly because of me.

“I…didn’t sleep very well,” I said.

“Bad dreams?”

I frowned. “How did you guess?”

He offered a brief smile. “You are strong, baby girl, but last night was hard.”

I swallowed the thickness that gathered in my throat.

“Have you been at Abram’s this entire time?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “The cleanup was minimal. The autopsy was not.”

“Autopsy?”

“Zahariev wanted him examined,” he said. “I had to oversee it.”

“What was found?”

“Cancer,” said Gabriel. “He was full of it.”

My brows lowered. “Are you trying to tell me that’s what killed him?”

“No,” he said. “I’m trying to tell you he would have died anyway.”

“Gabriel,” I said. I couldn’t hide the frustration in my voice. “Do you know what killed him?”

He shook his head. “Dr. Mor couldn’t say exactly. He ordered a few tests, said we’d know more in a couple weeks. He suspects something environmental.”

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