Page 77 of Creed

Get some sleep, beautiful.

We’ll talk soon.

Devin:

Goodnight, Jameson.

Me:

Night, baby.

I setthe phone on the nightstand and stared at the ceiling. I’d meant what I said. My bed felt empty without her. I needed to get a fucking grip. The fact was, she was it for me. Always had been.

And the time had come for me to do something about it.

The next morning, I took my time getting up. Took a shower and made some breakfast, and then, I got busy doing all the shit I’d been putting off. Laundry. The lawn. The dishes. Hell, the place was a mess, and it was almost noon before I got it all done. Once I started the dishwasher, I grabbed my cut and drove over to the Black Crown.

Sergei was still monitoring the situation with his Russian mafia friends, and from what I could gather, there hadn’t been any new revelations. They had interest in the casino. There was no question about that, but as of now, they hadn’t acted on it and there was a possibility they wouldn’t.

We were all hoping for the latter, but we were taking precautions.

Sergei and Viktor had upped the security, and we were doing our best to monitor things on our end. So far, all was well, so I was hoping for a quiet afternoon. I just planned to check in with the boys and make sure their shifts were covered, and then, I was going to head over to the Vault.

I’d barely made it through the front door when Memphis rushed up and said, “Hey, brother. I was just about to call ya. There’s a girl here to see you.”

“Who?”

“No idea,” he said, giving me a shrug. “But she’s in rough shape, man.”

“Alright.” My stomach tightened as I stood. “Where is she?”

“Took her to the staff lounge, got her something to eat and drink.”

“That bad?”

“Yeah.” He grimaced. “That bad.”

I didn’t waste another second.

I pushed through the door and down the hall to the staff lounge area. When I walked in, I found Gabby sitting at one of the tables. She was clutching a soda like it was the only thing keeping her upright. She looked like she hadn’t showered in days, and she had a black eye and a busted lip. Her clothes were disheveled, and she had no shoes on her feet.

Damn it.

I crossed the room and sat down in front of her, trying to keep my voice steady as I said, “Hey, Gabby.”

“Hey,” she answered, looking like she was barely hanging on. “I was looking for you.”

“I know. I’ve been looking for you, too. I was worried about you. I’ve been by your place a couple of times, but I haven’t been able to track you down.”

“I was lying low. Been staying with a couple of friends, but that didn’t stop him.” She looked up, and her eyes were red and filled with tears. “He still found me.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.” Her shoulders started shaking, and the tears fell. “I don’t know his name. I just know he’d been looking for me since that night. Been asking around my crew, trying to find out where I was. He kept flashing his badge and trying to scare them into talking.”

“This guy was a cop?”

She nodded. “He had a badge and everything.”