Page 17 of The Captive Missing

“Isn’t that why?” Val watched the side of his face, searching for a tell in the moonlight.

“No, that’s not why.”

“Then what is it?”

“I got fixed.” Gabe let out a rueful laugh before tilting his face up to stare at the sky.

“You did what?”

“As soon as I could, I went to a doctor and got a vasectomy. I just don’t know how to tell her.”

“Why? Why would you do that?” Val reached for the bottle and choked down a shot of whiskey.

“I have over thirty children out there that I’ve left unprotected and without a father.” Gabe closed his eyes. “How could I bring any more into the world?”

“But Bee doesn’t have any,” Val snapped. “You didn’t even talk to her about it. You’ve taken away that possibility for her.”

“No, I’ve taken away the possibility that she would have one with me.”

“Of course she wants one with you. Who else would she be with?”

“Hence why I haven’t trapped her in a marriage.” Gabe’s voice tinged with sadness, but no regret. “It’s my body. Well, at least for now it still is. I do not want any more children. How could I face the ones that I’ve abandoned while giving a free life to more? It’s not right.”

“You didn’t abandon them,” Val protested. “They’ve been kept from you, and you have no legal right to them. You’re still fighting for a legal right to yourself.”

“I haven’t even tried to fight for them,” Gabe countered. “I’ve been too busy running scared. Now it’s time to face it. At least Cambric won’t get any more out of me.”

“Can’t they reverse the procedure?”

“The doctor prescribed me a round of medication to help with that,” Gabe said. “I shouldn’t have any swimmers left to swim.”

“And you expect me to keep this from Bee?” Val caught his gaze, held it.

“I will tell her.” Gabe nodded, expression steady. “But until then, yeah, I want you to keep it to yourself.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“If you can tell me honestly that you’ve never prevented a pregnancy that Jason wanted, then you can go ahead and tell Bee.”

For a moment, Val’s heart stopped. Had Bee told him? She had sworn that she wouldn’t. She promised. But how else would he know?

“That’s what I thought,” he said, responding to her silence.

Sighing, Gabe grabbed the bottle back and tilted it up for another swig. When he was done, he passed it over. Val yanked it from his hand before downing a few more gulps. This time the taste had a warming effect.

“How did you know?”

“Jason and I talk a lot these days because of business and such.” Gabe shrugged. “He mentioned you were having fertility issues. You and I both know that Cambric screens for that type of thing and if you actually had any problems then they would’ve dealt with it a long time ago. I know you have a clean bill of health and you had Jace. So…”

“You didn’t say anything did you?” Val’s voice hitched.

“No, I didn’t,” Gabe assured her. “Because I’m a good friend that happens to share the same problem.”

“Except we don’t have the same problem,” Val corrected. “I don’t want any more children because each one that I have is not safe. It doesn’t matter what order they’re born in, if Cambric can’t get at the first one, then they’ll conscript the second or the third.”

“You and I both don’t want any more kids and we are both actively preventing it behind our partner’s back. If that’s not the same problem then I don’t know what is.”

Silence ensued.

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