Lead the Way (13 page)

              “Not that I can think of.”

              “Thanks for your time, Mr. Law.  We will be in touch.”

              “Thanks, Officer.”

* * * * *

              Eva sits on the living room couch.  She’s all dressed up and ready to go.  She wonders where Gabriel is.  He’s supposed to have some sort of surprise for her.  She’s been trying to call him, but his cell phone has been off. 

Before he left, he told her to be ready by eight o’clock.  She wasn’t going to get ready, when Gabriel didn’t answer her calls, but she decided that it wouldn’t hurt anything if she did.  If Gabriel doesn’t show up, she’ll simply just get undressed.  She’s sure that there is a reasonable explanation why he’s gone M.I.A.

              When the clock hits eight-thirty, Eva decides that Gabriel is going to be a no-show.  She kicks off her heels and is about to get off the couch and change into something more comfortable, when Gabriel comes rushing through the door.  She is shocked at his appearance.  He looks disheveled.

              “I’m sorry I’m late.  Something terrible happened and I wasn’t able to get away.”

              “Gabriel, you’ve been gone for like eight hours.  Why didn’t you call me?”

              “I didn’t want to worry you.”

              “Well, that didn’t work.  I was worried.  Tell me what’s going on.”

              “Listen, I’ve been planning this surprise for you for days.  Once we get where we’re going, I’ll tell you everything.”

              “Gabriel, you look terrible.  What happened when you went to check on Rosa?”

              “I promise I will explain everything.  Put your shoes on and let’s go.  I’ve got people waiting.”

              “Okay,” she replies, reluctantly putting her shoes back on.

              Eva is so worried about Gabriel that she hardly notices leaving the apartment building and getting into his car.  The look on Gabriel’s face and his lack of communication scares her more than anything else.  Her agoraphobia is the last thing on her mind.

              When they pull up to the beach, she is surprised.  She thought he would be taking her to some fancy restaurant.  “What are we doing at the beach?”

              “I told you it’s a surprise.  Put this on,” he says, giving her a blindfold. 

              She puts it on.  She just wants to get to the part where he explains to her what is going on.  She doesn’t like all the mystery and secrecy.  She wants to hear the truth and she wants to hear it right now. 

She listens as Gabriel gets out of the car and then opens her door.  He helps her

out of the car.  After a few feet of walking, she feels her heels digging in the sand. 

“Gabriel, where are we going?  I know we’re at the beach, but it’s the middle of winter.”

              “We’re almost there,” he says, continuing to lead her to their destination.  He leads her up a couple of steps and suddenly she feels warmth on her face. 

“Can I take my blindfold off now?”

              “Yes,” he says. 

              When she takes off her blindfold, she is definitely surprised.  They are in a gazebo.  There are candles set up and soft music plays.  There are plates of food and glasses of what appears to be champagne.  A heater in the corner pumps out heat, keeping the place toasty warm.

              “Gabriel, what is this?”

              “I wanted to take you out, but I wanted it to be somewhere private.  I thought a crowd with a lot of people would overwhelm you, so I came up with this place.  I hired some people to set it up and prepare the food for us.  Do you like it?”

              “Oh my gosh, it’s beautiful.  What you’ve done is so thoughtful,” she says, looking at him, wishing that he didn’t looked so worried and stressed out.

              “Let’s sit down,” he says, helping her take her coat off.

              “Look Gabriel, I appreciate all of this, but I really need you to tell me what is going on.”

              “Okay.  Please don’t freak out.”

              “I can’t guarantee anything.  Please, just tell me.”

              “When I went to check on Rosa, I found her lying on the floor, hurt.  She was rushed to the hospital and she had to have emergency brain surgery.”

              “Oh my God, Gabriel!  Is she okay?”

              “She’s in a coma.  They won’t know how much damage has been done until she wakes up.”

              “Why didn’t you call me?”

              “That’s not everything, Eva.”

              “What?”

              “On the way to the hospital, Rosa kept saying the name, Ryan.”

              “Ryan?”

              “They don’t know if it means anything, but I have my suspicions.”

              “Are you saying that Ryan Collins has something to do with what happened to Rosa?”

              “They can’t say for sure, but I think that he did it.”

              “I don’t understand.  How would he know where Rosa lived?”

              “I think that he’s been following me.”

              “How would he even know about you?”

              “That’s the thing.  I think that he’s been watching us somehow.”

              “What?  How is that possible?”

              “I don’t know for sure.  I think maybe the buildings across the street.  I don’t think that he’s been in the apartment.”

              “I don’t think he’s been in the apartment either.  I haven’t gotten that sense and I think that if he came into the apartment, he would’ve attacked me.  Oh my gosh, poor Rosa.  If something happens to her, I will never be able to forgive myself.”

              “At this point, I think it’s safe to say that Ryan Collins is around and he’s watching us.  I went to a security store and I bought you this,” he says, handing her a black square device.

              “What is this?” she says, looking at it closely.

              “It’s a tracker.  I want you to have it with you at all times.  If anything happens, I’ll be able to know where are you are.”

              “Gabriel, I’m scared.”

              “Don’t be.  Ryan Collins is going to show himself and when he does, I’m going to be there.”

              “I can’t believe this is happening.”

              “It’s going to be over soon.  I’m going to catch him and make him pay for what he’s done to you and to my Aunt.”

              Panic starts to set in.  She starts to hyperventilate.  Up until now, the Detective’s warning was just that, a warning.  Now, his warning is the truth.  Ryan Collins is out to get her and he’s hurting people that she loves.  Who is he going to hurt next?  No one is safe. 

              “Eva, look at me.  Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth like I taught you.”

              “I think that I just want to go home.”

              “Eva, don’t let this guy ruin this.  We go home, he wins again.”

              “Okay, breathe with me,” she says, grabbing his hands.

              They breathe together until Eva relaxes.  When she is calm, they start to eat.  They eat in silence, both lost in their thoughts.  Gabriel breaks the silence. 

“I think that we should get you a gun.  I’ll teach you how to use it.  Now that Rosa is so sick, I need to go and see her.  I can’t be with you all the time.  I’ll feel better if you are armed during the times when I go and see her. ”

              “Okay,” Eva replies in total agreement.  She would definitely feel better being armed with a weapon.  She wishes that Gabriel wouldn’t have to leave her at all, but she knows that is an unrealistic expectation.  Rosa means everything to him.  She knows that he needs to be by her side while she gets better.

              “I’m really proud of you, Eva.  I didn’t think that you would be able to make it here tonight.”

              “Honestly, I was so worried about what was going on, I didn’t even think about what was happening.”

              “I suppose one good thing came out of what happened to Rosa.”

              “I guess.  I would really like to go home now, though.”

              “Okay, let’s go.”

* * * * *

              Ryan sits in his car across the street from the beach.  He followed Gabriel and Eva and he watches them in wonderment, as they make their way to the gazebo.  He is surprised to see Eva out of her apartment.  He knows all about her condition.  He checked her medical records. 

He knows that what he did to her caused her to be scared to leave the house.  Agoraphobia they call it.  It was something he had never heard off and probably wouldn’t have heard of, if not for Eva.  He doesn’t fully understand how the disease operates, but he knows that Eva hasn’t left the house in five years because of it.  When he got locked up, she got locked up too.  It’s a small reward and made him feel a little better while he was locked behind bars.

              He knows that Eva stopped seeing her psychiatrist a while ago, so he wonders what has changed that has allowed her to step outside her apartment now.  The only thing that comes to mind is Gabriel.  Gabriel has brought about some sort of change in Eva.  He has somehow been able to help her get past her fears and come to the beach.  What does Gabriel have that a trained psychiatrist doesn’t?  His only guess is good sex. 

              Eva’s life is changing and for the better.  He’s seeing it happen right before his very own eyes.  He doesn’t like what he sees one bit.  He doesn’t want Eva to feel a single minute of happiness or pleasure or joy.  He wants her life to continue on in the miserable state that it is been for the past five years.  He wants every minute she spends, up until her last breath, to be in despair. 

              He decides that he needs to speed up his plan.  He is going to put a stop to what he’s witnessing.  Eva’s time with Gabriel is coming to an end.  He hopes that she’s enjoying her time in the gazebo, because it’s going to be one of the last moments she is going to get with him. 

              He hopes that she is enjoying that meal because it is going to be one of her last.  He can’t stand the thought of Eva walking on the same earth as him any longer.  The fact that she continues to draw breath disgusts him.  He just wants to dispose of her and move on to his next target.

              After he gets rid of Eva, he will move on to the big fish.  That kill is the one that he really looks forward to.  She is the one who really deserves his rage and his wrath.  She is the one whom he will really enjoy watching bleed.  Spilling her blood will be an absolute pleasure.  He looks forward to it and counts down the minutes. 

              He can’t stand to watch Eva and Gabriel any longer.  He decides that his plan will go into full swing in the morning.  He can’t let another day pass by and him do nothing.  Tomorrow, he will get Gabriel out of the way and he will make Eva pay.

Chapter 11

              Gabriel watches Eva.  She keeps getting up and looking out the blinds.  She is incredibly jumpy and can barely hold a conversation with him.  Considering what has happened, he totally understands why she is behaving the way she is, but it doesn’t stop him from having doubts about where their relationship is headed.

              He has to give her credit, she has made some incredible strides in the past couple of weeks, but he can’t help but wonder what will happen if she gets well and then has a relapse.  Will he be able to withstand her disease?  Will he always be as understanding as he is now?  What if they end of having children?  Will she be able to properly parent a child? 

              There are so many unknowns where her disease is concerned.  He does want to be with her, but he knows it’s an uphill battle.  He questions whether or not he is a strong enough man to endure the ups and the downs.  He’s never been faced with anything like he’s facing with Eva.  He can’t be sure how he’s going to react down the road.  He doesn’t know if he’s going to be able to cope with Eva’s crippling illness in the long term.  Everything is so up in the air at the moment.  They’re just living minute by minute. 

              At the moment, he’s not going anywhere.  He has to protect her from Ryan.  Ryan creeping around and stalking them is not helping their relationship in the least.  Ryan’s presence has Eva’s illness ramped up to full intensity.  Gabriel is seeing her under unusual circumstances, so he can’t accurately gauge how well or how sick she really is.  Right now, her illness has a tight grip on her.  Once Ryan is out of the picture, he will be able to get a better sense of how they’re relationship and Eva’s illness is going to play out. Once Ryan is gone, he’ll have a better idea if their relationship will be a sustainable one.