All For An Angel (4 page)

He kissed her forehead, rolled next to her
and pulled her in his arms. She was the love of his life and he
prayed to God their love would conceive a child.

Chapter 7

Amy sipped on a cup of coffee while Angel
ran around the tiny living room. Her mouth moved faster than her
short legs, talking about the things she’d done with Grandma and
Grandpa.

She should have known Angel would be hyped
this morning. A few hours of sleep would have been the smart thing,
but she’d get through this morning and grab a nap later with her
little munchkin. The memories she and Gabe made last night would
stay with her forever. They would have to. Losing Angel to a man
who didn’t want kids broke her heart more than a lifetime without
Gabe.

Angel ran into her leg and wrapped her tiny
arms around her waist. “I love you, Mommy.”

Her heart melted at the sweet words. “I love
you, too.” She bent down and kissed her forehead.

The choice was easy to make. Of course, her
daughter and Gabe’s safety came first. She smiled as Angel danced
off, giggling as she went. But inside, she wanted Gabe there,
watching with her. Sharing the parenting duties as well as the
joy.

What if those duties doubled in nine months?
She massaged her temples with her thumb and middle finger. Was she
crazy? No, she’d been wrapped up in the moment. The thought of
being his wife, having his babies had clouded her judgment. If she
was pregnant she’d love the child and share the happiness with
Gabe.

She had to stop thinking those thoughts,
they were done. Last night had come and gone. Now when she lay down
to sleep, she would no longer wonder what she was missing. She
would know. The knowledge hurt worse than the dream.

He had taken his time with her the first
time they made love. Made everything perfect. Twice more in the
night, he had taken her fast and hard. The sounds he made when he
came still echoed in her mind. She wanted to keep them there
forever, hear them over and over.

Listening to the echo of his moans became
impossible with people shouting outside her apartment. She went to
the door, intent on telling them to shut the fuck up. Opening the
door, she found a group of young males arguing. One group dressed
in black while the other had on yellow. Neighborhood gang colors.
Her gaze dropped to the sacks of cocaine in the guys’ hands to the
right of her. On the left, the men held guns. Fear gripped her.
She’d witnessed the scene too many times in the past, and it had
never turned out good. Adrenaline rushed through her.

Closing the door just in time, she ran to
Angel and scooped her up. Bullets whizzed through the window. Glass
shattered. Amy squeezed in the bedroom closet with Angel and
waited, praying they’d let the two of them live.

She hugged Angel in the dark and musty
closet while shots continued outside. The terrifying noises ceased
and everything went quiet. Angel’s tiny body trembled in her arms
and sobbed. Afraid they were looking for them, she rocked Angel to
keep her still.

They sat in the closet for so long, she lost
track of the time. Angel lay limp in her arms as she slept. Then
she heard voices. Still pumping with adrenaline, her heart pounded
in her chest, wondering which gang had survived and came looking to
keep her quiet.

She shifted Angel and whispered in her ear.
“Shh.”

“
Seawell police. Come out with your
hands up.” She heard a male voice call.

Hoping it was a cop, she took her chance.
“We’re in here, unarmed. Just a mother and her child.”

“
Come out, slowly.”

Amy crept open the closet door. She blinked
as her eyes adjusted to the light. “Oh, thank God,” she said when
the man behind the voice wore a blue uniform.

“
Are you okay, ma’am?” The officer
slid the gun in his holster and helped her up.

A few cuts and bruises and a bit shaken up,
but otherwise she was fine. Amy smoothed down her blouse and nodded
at the officer.

“
We’re going to need a
statement.”

* * * *

Gabe rubbed his eyes before looking at the
stack of paperwork on his desk. Thoughts of Amy refused to let him
work. She was everything he’d ever dreamed of and then some.
Voluptuous curves and soft skin. His dick hardened thinking about
her and their night together. The first of many, he hoped. Maybe he
could get her to move in with him and out of her nasty apartment.
Angel could have her own room. Maybe he’d fix up the third bedroom
as a nursery.

The feud between him and Lou didn’t have to
stand in the way of him and Amy. Besides, it was high time Lou
stopped blaming him for Jenna’s death. It had been a freak
accident. What Lou had done was cruel and intentional.

True, Amy mothered his brother’s child, but
Lou could care less about either one of them. Couldn’t she see Lou
for what he’d become? Last night she’d made love to him, not Lou.
She’d cried the name Gabe when she’d came, again and again. He
remembered the sweet sound of his name from her lips. A shiver ran
down his neck and he shuddered.

“
Hey, Hawk. You’re looking a bit rough
there pal. Hard night?” Todd, a fellow officer, walked by his
desk.

“
Great night, really.” He took a sip
of his coffee then scratched his unshaven face.

“
Well, well. Hawk swooped down and
grabbed him some prey. Who was she?” Todd sat down on the edge of
Gabe’s desk. A smile formed on Todd’s face as he waited for the
details. Any other time Gabe would have told him everything, but
not about Amy. He wouldn’t do that to her.

“
It wasn’t like that, and I’m not
telling who.” He had a stack of work to get through, and he needed
sleep. Not to mention a reason to drop by Amy’s after
work.

“
Not talking about who you bagged? She
must mean something to you.” Todd’s jaw dropped. “Oh, shit! You
finally slept with Amy. Congratulations.” He slapped him on the
back, nearly spilling the mug of coffee.

His head snapped around, looking to see who
else was in the room. “Keep your damn voice down. I don’t need the
whole town talking about it.”

“
Fine.” Todd held his hands up and
backed away. “I hope she was with you this morning.”

He didn’t want to play games. The faster he
got Todd to shut up, the faster he could get work done. “Why?”

“
Why? Don’t you check the morning
reports? You didn’t read about the shooting this morning at The
Pharmacy? Three people were killed, others wounded.”

“
What the fuck? You’re sitting here
bullshitting with me, and you know Amy lives there!”

Todd mumbled something as Gabe grabbed his
keys and ran out the door, dialing her number on his cell. Shit,
disconnected. He had to get to his girls and make sure they were
safe. Then he would demand she pack her things and move.

Chapter 8

Amy tossed the last of the broken glass in
the trash. Good thing it was summer and warm outside. No telling
how long it would be before the landlord replaced the window. The
plastic, held with duct tape, would have to do for now.

Another knock came at her door. She swore
every tenant had stopped by asking questions. How many times would
she have to tell the same story?

She opened the door to find an identical of
Gabe; only, he wore a pompous smile and upscale clothing. Lou.
“What the hell do you want?” Earlier she’d taken a long hot shower
to calm her nerves and then put on her robe. Now she tightened the
belt, feeling vulnerable under Lou’s scrutiny.

“
Is that any way to greet the father
of your child? Damn Amy, start being nice to me.” He pushed his way
into the apartment. “So the news is true?”

“
What news?” Did he hear about the
shooting or her night with Gabe?

“
Don’t act stupid, bitch. People in
this town are loyal to me. They tell me everything.”

So he did know about her fling with Gabe
last night. How could she be dumb enough to believe otherwise? He
told her all the time how he chummed up to the judge and a few cops
on the force. Had her one selfish night cost her the dearest person
in her world? Her heart jumped in her throat. Over her dead body
would he take her child. She’d have to try to sooth his anger.

Lou looked around and kicked stuffing that
had flown out of Angel’s teddy bear after being shot. “This place
isn’t safe for my kid. Drug dealers shooting the place up and gangs
clashing. I didn’t want to do it, but you leave me no choice.” He
held out papers, but she couldn’t force her hand to reach for
them.

“
Whatever.” He dropped them on the
coffee table. “My brat needs a safe place to live, and you can’t
offer it.”

“
Lou, please don’t do this.” She
closed the door and stepped closer to him.

“
Where is she anyway?” He strolled
through the bedroom and bathroom and then came back to
her.

“
She’s at a neighbor’s, taking a nap.
Please, don’t take her from me. She’s all I have. Give me a month,
and I’ll be in another apartment. I swear. I’ve already looked at
it, and I almost have the deposit. It’s a nice two bedroom place.”
She reached out and grabbed his arm. “If you could give me some
money for a deposit, I could be out of here by the end of the
week.”

“
Always asking for money. News flash!
I work hard for my cash. Get off your lazy fat ass and get a better
job. I’m not supporting you. Or your brat, as long as she lives
here.” He jerked his arm away.

“
No, Lou! I’m begging you.” The tears
ran down her face. She wanted to be strong, but she had nothing to
fight him with. “Please. There has to be a way we can work this
out.” She took hold of his hands.

“
Well.” He licked his lips and stared
at her from her breasts to her toes. “I might be willing to work
out some sort of agreement.” He untied her robe and slid his hands
inside, groping her breasts.

She hated his hands on her, especially after
spending the night with the only man she could ever love.

Her breath caught as Gabe burst through the
door. “Amy!” He stopped cold when he saw Lou’s hands on her
body.

She pulled away from Lou and retied her
robe. Shit. The shock on Gabe’s face took her right back to the
lake when she gave her virginity to the wrong guy. Her heart
stopped and shame replaced the fear she’d felt moments ago.

“
Well, isn’t this cute. My big bad cop
brother rushing in to make sure the slut is okay.”

Gabe crossed the room in two steps and
delivered a punch, knocking Lou to his knees. “Get up. It’s time to
settle this once and for all, you jackass.”

Lou held his face where Gabe’s fist had
connected. Rage flamed in his eyes. Then he lunged at Gabe’s legs,
knocking them both to the floor.

“
Stop it! Both of you.” She tried to
pull them apart, but Lou pushed her. Before she could catch her
balance, her head slammed against the wall. Pain stabbed her skull
and the room blurred for a few moments.

Gabe threw a crushing blow to Lou’s nose.
When Lou dropped to his knees, Gabe came to her side and helped her
up. “You fucking asshole,” he growled at Lou. “You didn’t have to
push her.”

“
And you didn’t have to kill Jenna,
but you did. She was my world, and you took that away. So I took
your world.”

“
Jenna was killed by a mugger. I had
nothing to do with it.” He looked at Amy’s head where it hit the
wall, and then led her to the couch. “Damn it Lou, when are you
going to forgive me?”

“
Never! She thought you were playing a
joke on her, sending a guy to steal her brand new purse. She
would’ve never stood up to that bastard if you hadn’t teased her,
laughed at her for being too girly.” Lou scurried up and
straightened his designer suit. “I’ll never forget her.”

“
No one is asking you to forget her.
We’re just asking for you to end this feud. We used to be best
friends. Lou, we all played pranks on each other. We were kids. We
made stupid decisions,” Gabe said. “It could’ve happened to any of
us.”

“
But it didn’t. It happened to Jenna
and I’m left to suffer without her. It was your turn to pull a
prank. You teased her relentlessly over that purse. Then someone
tries to steal it? I hold you accountable. Jenna is dead and some
murderer is out there living free.”

“
Lou, you know Gabe pranked you with a
fake acceptance letter to Princeton.” She rubbed her head as a pain
shot through it. “Jenna was my best friend. Don’t you think I miss
her too? We all do, but this has gone on too long. You can’t keep
blaming Gabe for her tragic death.”

Lou wiped blood from his lip. “Yes, I can.
And you…” He nodded his head at her. “I told you to stay away from
him.” He pointed at Gabe. Walking to the door, he stopped and
turned around. “Don’t worry about packing any of Angel’s shit. I’ll
buy everything new for her.” Then he left.

“
Amy, what was he talking about?” Gabe
sat down beside her.

“
Nothing.” She choked out.

“
Bullshit. Are you moving in with
him?”

“
What? No. I—” She grabbed for him,
but he stood up and walked around.

“
Don’t lie to me. I walked in, and he
had his hands on you. You’re in a robe for Christ sakes. A drug
deal went sour outside your door a few hours ago and there’s yellow
tape everywhere. Instead of calling me, you called Lou, and he
rushed over here. Hell, you slept with me last night, and today you
sleep with him?”