I left pretty much the way I came, and we headed back to the car. I had an adrenaline rush that ramped up the more I thought of what else I should’ve done to the witch while I had the chance, but I couldn’t be gone too long. Gabriel was under the impression that I’d gone out for ice cream.
He’d insisted on getting it himself the way he has been every night since the first time; even when we were on holiday, he did the same, which is beyond sweet. I’d had to do a lot of fast-talking, and the twins convinced him that we were going to talk about our upcoming trip and would be discussing things he had no interest in.
To further convince him, I’d asked him to look online for new luggage for me. Knowing him and how meticulous he is about stuff like that, especially when it’s for me, I was sure it would take him a while. I’d done this for another reason as well. I know from binge-watching cop shows in the past that his time online could be traced. I’m pretty sure that Becky would try to blame him for this, so this was my way of protecting him from suspicion if and when she called the police.
“Where are we going?” I was suddenly nervous when Anna took the turnoff going in the opposite direction to home.
“We have to go to the ice cream parlor, or no one would believe we went there.”
“But…”
“You don’t know my brother.” That’s all she said, and I kept my mouth shut.
Of course, the line was long, and I about peed myself waiting to order before we could leave. We pulled through the gates to see flashing lights, and my heart almost dropped to my knees.
“Stay calm; we expected this remember. No doubt she sent them after Gabe.” That’s what I was worried about. I don’t want there to be the slightest chance that he could pay for something I did.
I was out of the car before it came to a full stop. Gabriel and his dad were standing on the steps talking to the two officers, and I could already tell from the look on their faces that it was not going well. When Gabriel saw me, I saw him visibly relax as he ran his eyes all over me from head to toe as if looking for signs that I was hurt. Damn, there’s no way he can know already, is there?
“As I told you before, my son never left the house.”
“We have no way of knowing that, Mr. Russo; we’re just doing our jobs.” He sounded nervous. The two cops barely paid attention to the twins and I once they noticed our arrival, but it was obvious they had Gabriel in their sights.
“What’s going on?” My voice trembled slightly as I went to Gabriel’s side, where he’d beckoned me.
“It’s nothing. Did you get your ice cream?” His words were directed at me, but his gaze was on his sisters.
“Come back with a warrant; then we’ll talk.” Pop continued talking to the cops.
“That’s not necessary; I can show the officers where I’ve been online for the past hour and a half. I just placed an order; the receipt’s in my emails.”
“That would be enough; thank you so much.” I felt sick in my gut when Gabriel reached for his phone. The guilt was overwhelming; here, he was being treated like a criminal when the one responsible didn’t even warrant a second glance from the cops. The cops seemed satisfied for now and even apologized for disrupting the evening. My guilt only went up a notch when Pop promised to have a word with the commissioner. I hope I didn’t just get these two fired.
We headed inside together, and the only ones who seemed unaffected were the twins. “Rosa, Anna, let me see you for a minute.” It was then Pop seemed to catch on and, with a shake of his head, went off in the opposite direction while the four of us headed upstairs. “Wait for me in my room.” He didn’t even look at me. Maybe I shouldn’t have got his sisters involved, but it wasn’t a well-thought-out attack. The idea just came to me, and before you know it, the twins were planning the whole thing, almost as if they’d been waiting for just this moment.
I looked after them as they headed down the hallway to the girls’ room before entering Gabriel’s, where Thor was waiting for me, yapping away joyfully as soon as he saw me. I had yet to come down from my high after beating the heck out of Becky, but now my tummy was tied up in knots worrying about what Gabriel was going to do.
GABRIEL
“How dare you?”
“What?”
“Anna, don’t play with me. What the hell were you thinking?”
“So, you know.” I just gave Rosa a look, which seemed to be all that was needed for the two of them to drop the act.
“Are you two crazy? Didn’t I tell you to watch over her? In what universe is taking her there taking care of her?”
“She was fine. We stood outside the door the whole time; nothing happened to her, we promise.”
“That’s not the point. The point is you should never have taken her there. I would’ve taken care of it myself.”
“You’re not the one who lost a mother to that bitch.”
Her words brought me up short. She’s right; how could I have overlooked that one pertinent point? Me, the one who’s lived his whole life plotting revenge, should understand more than anyone how she must feel. But I don’t want her hurt, don’t want her anywhere near this shit. It’s double thinking, I know, but I can’t see it any other way. I have plans for Becky; she’s already on the hook for the counterfeit money and the grand larceny for selling the car. As to the murder, Pop and I have someone working on it as we speak, so there was nothing for Gianna to do.
“I had it under control; there was no reason….”
“No reason? Imagine this was mom; what would you do?” Another zinger.
“It doesn’t matter what you say; you should not have taken Gianna into danger.”
“Well, Gianna wasn’t in any danger, and Gianna, wanted to do this, and we supported her because we agreed with what she wanted. You always taught us….”
“I know what I taught you, Anna.” But it wasn’t for you to use against me, brat.
“Fine, I’ll think of a fitting punishment for you two.”
“We accept, don’t we, sis?”
“Yep, bring it on. But whatever you do, don’t tell Lance. Oh, come on, Gabe.” They rushed me when all I did was smile. I hadn’t thought of it, but that’s a great idea. One of his lectures goes a long way to making them feel three years old, which to them is tantamount to destroying their favorite Hermes bag. “I make no promises.”
I walked back to my room feeling less stressed than I had when the cops first showed up at the door. Not for me, but because I knew right away that it was her. I found it strange when she asked me to find her luggage like she hadn’t already shown me what she wanted. She tried playing it off as getting me to pay the thousands of dollars it cost, but I knew even that was a lie.
I didn’t quite put her little game together until the cops showed up, and since she’s not as sneaky as the twins, I put two and two together and figured they were the masterminds. Until she came back safe and whole, I don’t think I breathed once. Even when the cops were trying to pin it on me, I didn’t worry because Pop was in their ass; he has a thing against authority.