Page 14 of If You Could Only Feel
“I can give it to her,” I immediately jumped in to defend myself against the unknown competition.
Mason’s brows rose. “I have no doubt you can, Gabriel,” he agreed. “But I suggest you get on a planenowand start doing it before she has a chance to meet someone else.”
I let his words bounce around in my head and I knew that if Justice did move on, it would be nobody’s fault but my own. “I really fucked this up, huh?”
And the reason we all still looked up to Mason, even though we were all grown men, was clear with his next words. “Yeah, you did,” he agreed. “But once you fully accept that Dad’s not running the show anymore, I have every faith you can fix it.”
I stood up and handed Mason his phone back. It had been pinging with emails and messages all this time, but, not once, did he ask for it back. “I should have married her years ago, Mason,” I told him, even though he already knew that to be true.
“I know, Gabe,” he said solemnly. “She’s a good girl and we all kind of suck for not making the effort to pull her in before now.”
I loved how he was sharing the responsibility for the mess I created. In every aspect of his life, Mason was ruthless, except when it came to us. The fact that he took time out of his day to alert me to the fact that Justice was in Vegas and how, now, he wanted me to fuck off the rest of my first week at work to go get her was just another example of how much we mean to him.
Many people would think we were pussies if they knew the dynamics of our relationships, but I didn’t hesitate when I walked over to my brother and hugged him. “Thanks, Mase,” I gruffed out.
He clapped me on the back. “No problem, Gabriel.”
When I released him, I stepped back and asked, “Can you let Michael and Aiden know-”
He waved his hand at me. “I’ll let them know,” he assured me. “Just get going before she does something you’re going to regret forever, Gabriel.” I nodded and then left Mason’s office like the devil was nipping at my heels.
It kind of felt that way.
It felt like I was in the race for the rest of my life.
I knew I fucked up. I knew I should have treated her better, but it never occurred to me that Justice might be unhappy or feel unfulfilled.
She never fucking said anything.
Now, I know that’s not an excuse for my insensitive behavior, but…fuck, maybe Michael was right. I’m able to read everyone else like a fucking book, but Justice never gave anything away. And I didn’t bother to look too closely. I was just happy as fuck when she finally let herself become my friend. And I sure as fuck didn’t want to jinx anything when she finally let herself become much more.
I should have eloped with her the second Shane came into the picture and Mason dethroned our father. Fuck, I should have done a lot of things differently.
But now riding in the car to the airport, I prayed I wasn’t too late. Could I forgive her if I got there, and she told me I was too late?
Jesus.
The thought of another man’s hands on her was sobering. I knew she hadn’t gone out with Nathanial the same way I would be able to find her in Las Vegas. Justice had her locations on her phone turned on, and as illegal or questionable as it may have been, we had someone on retainer who was…uh, crafty with things like cell phones and all that and I had him alert me of where she’s been since I left her Saturday morning. Her phone showed that she’d only been home and to work. I think she hit the grocery store a couple of times too.
I was boarding the company jet when I realized this was the first time I’ve ever been grateful for the opulence BI afforded us. If I had to have used an actual airport, it would have taken forever for a last-minute flight. And I didn’t want to drive the million days it would have taken me to drive there.
I sat down, and dropping my head back against the headrest, I was finally able to take a breath and calm myself. I had to get a plan of action in place, and the first part of that plan was to stop at the first jewelry store I came across and buy a goddamn diamond.
Chapter 9
Justice~
The music was lively, and the people were…well, they were in Vegas. Enough said.
I picked the first bar I found in the first casino on the strip. It was still early by party standards, but it was still crowded enough to feel the dancing and drinking vibe.
I sipped on my margarita, having already taken two shots of tequila, I didn’t want to be fall-down drunk before I had the chance to meet someone and see my plan through.
It’s true what they say. Las Vegas is unlike anyplace else in the world. Its reputation gave even the shiest people the balls to do shit they never would have imagined themselves doing. You could truly drink yourself stupid and it wouldn’t be anything this place hasn’t seen already.
No one judged and if they did, they kept it to themselves. Vegas was, both, alluring and dangerous. If there was ever a time or place where I could be a straight up whore, it was here and now.
Not that I planned on being an outright hoebag, but I needed to start somewhere. I needed new penis, and with that, the hope I can shake Gabriel Buchanan and find some sort of happiness.
