Read Freeing Her Online

Authors: A. M. Hargrove

Tags: #Thriller, #Mystery, #alpha male, #thriller and suspense novels, #broken alpha male, #broken characters, #steamy adult romances, #dark pasts

Freeing Her (7 page)

BOOK: Freeing Her
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She’d closed herself off from relationships.
Though she had a few friends—Case, Sky, Ryder, and Cara—those
closest to her knew very little about her past. She’d never had a
boyfriend. She’d dated a guy once a few times and had sex, or what
constituted as sex, but that was it. And afterward she thought it
was okay, but not enough to open herself up to getting hurt. And
the strangest thing of all was Gabby was so quick to recognize
these complex issues in other people. If only she would take the
time to look at herself, she could’ve healed the wound that had
been created years ago.

Case snapped his fingers in front of her,
trying to get her attention. She blinked a couple of times, then
laughed.


Sorry, I was on
Mars.”


I’ll say. What’s up with
you tonight?”


I’m super
tired.”


Well, I’m out of here.
Can I get you a cab?”


Oh, no. I’m taking the
train.”


No, you’re not. Not alone
at night.”

She didn’t have the extra money but was
embarrassed to tell him. “Case, it’s fine. I do it all the time.
Besides, I’ll get home so much faster.”


No. I know what happens
on those trains when they’re empty at night. You’re taking a cab.
No arguments.”


You’re like a
…”


Big brother. I
know.”

She didn’t say it but he was much better
than her real big brother. “All righty. Shall we?”

They walked outside, arm in arm, and he
hailed her a cab. When the ride arrived, she hopped in the back and
Case handed the driver some cash.


You don’t have to do
that,” Gabby called from the back.


You don’t have to give
your services to my people for free, either. The ride’s on me. Talk
to you later.” He tapped his hands on the roof of the car and it
drove away.

The city lights flickered by as the cab sped
toward the Upper East Side where Gabby lived. The NA meeting met
near the intersection of Bleecker and Bowery Streets, close to NYU
in Greenwich Village. Gabby loved that part of the city, but it was
a bit too hectic for her. She liked the slower pace and the
neighborhood feel of the Upper East Side, not to mention it was
much easier for her to get to work since her office was only twenty
blocks away from her apartment.

She huddled in the back seat as the chill of
the early spring night seeped into her. Ideas of how she could
stretch her monthly budget appeared in her head. She would have to
figure out a way to cut costs. Where the hell would the cuts come
from? It looked like peanut butter and bananas were going to be a
mainstay of her diet again, like they were in med school.

Brushing those thoughts away, she enjoyed
the scenery as the cab made its way uptown. The city sparkled with
lights and Gabby loved how people milled around at all hours of the
night. That’s one reason she adored New York so much. Growing up as
isolated as she was, she loved the fact that she was immersed in
Manhattan, a place that had a population of over one and half
million people. She never felt alone here. When the cab pulled up
in front of her building, she got out and marched to her cubbyhole
of an apartment. There was a reason she was here, a reason she was
doing all of this. And she was forging ahead with her dream. She
didn’t care if it took everything she had she would never give
up.

Chapter Six

 

 

The last few weeks
had been extremely busy for Gabby and she knew
she needed to trim back her schedule. A couple of weeks after her
encounter with Danny, she’d begun to relax, thinking perhaps their
most recent encounter had been nothing but idle threats. One night
after moonlighting at the clinic to make a little extra money, she
was so worn out, she didn’t bother eating dinner but got ready for
bed and fell promptly asleep.

Her alarm went off while the night was still
black as coal and it confused her. But it wasn’t her alarm after
all; it was her ringing phone.


Martinelli.”


Hi,
precious
. Are you sleeping alone, or
is your little
boyfriend
with you?”

Gabby sat up and her heart took off at a
sprint. She fisted her pajamas and tried to calm down. But every
damn time he called it was like this with her.


You gonna answer me,
cunt?” he hissed.


Y-yeah. He’s
here.”


Prove it. Put him on the
phone.”

Crap!


Well? I’m
waiting.”

Gabby could tell Danny had been
drinking.


He can’t come to the
phone right now.”

Danny laughed. “So, where
is he,
precious
?”

Gabby didn’t answer. It was no use. Danny
knew Kolson wasn’t there. She went to end the call when his voice
stopped her.


Don’t you even think
about hanging up on me, you stupid cunt.”


What do you want?” She
knew he could hear the tremors in her voice. It was no use trying
to hide her fear.


Do you really have to ask
me that question?” He laughed and her skin prickled.


I told you after the last
time, there would be no more.”

He cackled again. “Yeah,
well, you were wrong. There will be more. A lot more. Now that I’ve
found you again, you’re not gonna be getting away from me very
easily. So get used to it. You can tell your little
boyfriend
that I’m not
afraid of him, either. By the way, I saw your folks the other
night. Told them I was heading this way. You know what they said to
me? They told me to stay away from you. Said you were bad news.
Isn’t that sweet of them?”


Fuck off, Danny. You’re
nothing but a sick bastard.”


Maybe. Maybe not. But you
liked it when I fucked you hard. I remember how you
begged
,
Gabby.”

She threw her phone across the room and it
broke into several pieces. She didn’t know what time it was, nor
did she care. All she knew was she had to get out of there. In
minutes, the walls would close in on her. She tugged on a running
bra and shorts, a T-shirt and shoes. She didn’t even bother putting
her hair in a ponytail. Out the door she went.

As soon as she hit the lobby, she took off
like a rocket. It was either really late or really early, because
no one was out and about, which was totally unlike New York City.
She spotted an occasional man or woman, but she kept on running.
When she arrived at the border of Central Park, she decided against
going into the park itself. That wouldn’t be smart. Being out at
this hour was pretty damn stupid as it was, but right now she was a
pressure cooker and this was her release valve. She’d take her
chances.

There had to be a solution for all this.
There had to be a way for her to be rid of Danny, once and for all.
The scars on her wrist tingled briefly, reminding her of what had
been her solution in the past. She wasn’t going down that road
again. She was determined to find another way, because she had a
mission to complete.

The wind whipped her hair around her face,
but she barely noticed. She hardly felt it when it stung her
cheeks, either. Her shoes chewed up the sidewalk and she ran and
ran until her legs felt like jelly and the sky was lightening.

It wasn’t long before the streets were
shredding the loneliness of the night as people emerged from their
apartments. More runners and walkers appeared, some with dogs,
others just out to pick up coffee or breakfast, perhaps for family
members or loved ones. As Gabby moved along, the aroma of coffee
brewing and freshly baked bread wafted in the air around her. It
occurred to her then just how abnormal her life was. She should be
out here picking up breakfast, instead of running to expunge her
crazy-assed cousin from her head. Fucked up beyond anything, she
thought.

Danny was the root of all her issues. He had
warped her life until she felt she had no other choice than to try
to end it all. The last holiday she’d spent with her family was
when she was seventeen. That was right after her final attempt.
They didn’t even want her there because she was an embarrassment to
them. She had been the unwanted piece of furniture that no one
wanted to sit on. Shunned by those who should’ve loved and
protected her, she never spent another holiday with them after her
release from the hospital.

When she came home, they isolated her in her
room and avoided her like she was diseased. If only she’d known the
proper way to slit one’s wrist, she would’ve been out of their hair
long ago. It was odd to her that she spent so much time thinking
about the people who had ripped her heart to shreds. Why was that?
Why couldn’t she move on and forget about them? Just go forward and
not live through those hateful memories again?


He hurt me! He raped me.
Did awful things to me. Why won’t you believe me?”


Gabby, quit telling those
lies! Danny wouldn’t do those things. You need to stop making those
stories up. Get your head out of those books you read and get a
grip.”


Dad, I
am
telling the
truth.”


There you go, being
difficult again. Drop it, girl!”


Gabby! What the hell are
you doing out here? All alone?”

His voice jolted her out of her horrid
memory. It was Kolson.


Um, running.” He was
dressed much like she was—running attire from head to toe, except
he wore fancy earbuds and carried a phone.

Chestnut tendrils swept over her face, and
she pushed them away. Her breathing was heavy from running and he
fixated on her mouth … the one that was slightly too wide, but in
the dim light, all he wanted to do was touch it, lick it. Her pink
tongue poked out to dab her bottom lip and it nearly undid him. He
wanted to bind her hands behind her back and bury his own in her
dark strands. Then he wanted to haul her body up close so he could
bite her wet lips. Hell, his dick was probably making a damn show
in his shorts right now.

He clamped a hand around her arm and pulled
her to the side of the walkway. “Are you intentionally trying to
put yourself in danger?”

Who was this guy and why was he doing this
to her? “Why are you so interested in my welfare?”

Kolson stared at her for a
moment. Her question caught him off guard. He had to admit he
couldn’t come close to having a good answer for her. Why
was
he doing this? He
couldn’t very well tell her he wanted to fuck her. Nor could he
tell her that he felt like they were kindred souls. She would think
him crazy.


Because someone has to,
damn it. It’s obvious you’re oblivious to the dangers around you.
Your cousin Danny could be out here. Or have you forgotten
already?”


Of course I haven’t
forgotten!” How could he possibly think that?

She tried to snatch her arm out of his
grasp, but he only tightened it. “You seem to be some kind of, oh,
I don’t know, magnet for danger. Or maybe you’re one of those women
who seeks out danger. Are you, Gabby?”


No! I can’t believe you
would even suggest that.”


What would you think if
you were in my shoes? Look around you. How many single women do you
see out here jogging?”

She took a quick look around and didn’t see
one.


That’s right. There
aren’t any. Do you have any pepper spray with you? Anything to
protect yourself with?” He shook his head. Then he marched her in
the opposite direction of her apartment. She had to jog to keep up
with him.


Let go of me.”

He paid her no attention. They entered a
large, beautiful building and she remembered it from the other
morning. It was his building.

He punched the elevator button with the side
of his fist. When the doors opened, he nearly threw her inside.
That’s when he released her to enter a series of codes on the
elevator panel. No doubt she would have a bruise where he’d held
her. But worse than that, he frightened her. Lids dropping to
half-staff and mouth forming a thin crease, his nostrils flared as
he stared her down. She backed into the corner, afraid he was going
to hit her.

When the doors opened again, they were in
his penthouse. “Come on,” he said, voice curt.

Shaking her head, she said, “I’m not going
in there. You could be a lunatic.”


If that were the case,
you would’ve seen crazy way before now.”


I’m not going and you
can’t make me.”

He glowered at her and said, “Oh, yes, you
are.” He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She kicked
and pounded her fists into his back, but it didn’t faze him in the
least.

Gabby wasn’t sure whether she was more
frightened or infuriated by his actions. When he reached the den,
he plopped her on to the sofa. She scrambled to her feet, spitting
fire.


What the hell was that
all about? You can’t just pick me up and toss me around like you
own me!”


I told you. You have no
business being out and about like that, all by yourself,
unprotected.”


And just who do you think
you are? My dad or something?”


I would like to think
your father would protect you better than that.”

BOOK: Freeing Her
12.84Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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