Page 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

His leg was vibrating. Gabriel startled awake and opened his eyes. The room he was in was dark, and at first he wasn’t sure where he was, but as he fully awoke he realized he was back at home in his apartment, in his own bedroom.

Running his fingers over the coarse material of his jeans, Gabriel dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Sitting up slowly, he stared at the bright screen and saw that he had a message from Enzo. Hey, wanna go out for drinks?

What was there to lose? Gabriel had nothing better to do and he wanted more than anything to see his best friend. Besides, he knew sitting in his apartment all alone would probably be more depressing than ever, especially after all those weeks as a captive. Gabriel couldn’t help but to feel unease at the memory, and he didn’t want to think about that now—or ever. He needed a distraction, and a few drinks would definitely help him to forget it all, even if it was only for a night.

Gabriel replied. Yeah. Where to?

The three dots appeared as Enzo typed, before the message arrived. I thought you were gonna snub me again! I’ll pick you up in half an hour.

Snub him again? Gabriel frowned. He was very close with Enzo, and he’d never actually snubbed him before. But then it dawned on him. He knew Viktor would have been replying to the messages while he had his phone, but at least Gabriel knew Viktor hadn’t said anything to push his best friend away from him.

He guessed he was going to eventually find out what excuses Viktor had used for his sudden disappearance, because as much as Gabriel already knew, the police had never been called while he’d been gone. At least, that’s how it appeared, considering how normal and untouched his apartment was.

As he thought about the police, it dawned on him that he could call the cops right now and report his kidnapping. He knew his kidnapper’s name, and that it was mafia related. Gabriel swiped out of the messaging app, opened the call log, and dialed 911. But before he could tap the green call symbol, he froze.

This isn’t a good idea.

Gabriel clenched his jaw. He stared intently at the three numbers on the screen before him for a moment, then deleted them and set the phone down on the bed. He rubbed his face with his hands and groaned. As much as it frustrated him, he knew calling the police would just further complicate things.

Viktor had already let him go. Why drag it out? Why, when he would just have to relive everything when the detectives—or whoever—questioned him about his kidnapping? And besides, the cops would eventually find out that Viktor had been keeping Gabriel alive and around as his personal fuck toy. The thought of being mocked about something like that was mortifying. And what was even more disturbing was the obvious fact that Gabriel had actually liked it. He’d even fallen in love with Viktor during the whole ordeal.

Picking up his phone, Gabriel went back into the messaging app and replied OK to Enzo before dropping it on the mattress again and getting up to leave his bedroom. The bathroom was immediately next door, and he walked in and stripped out of his clothing before opening the glass door to the shower and standing under the spray.

For a while, all he did was stand there and let the warm water seep deep into his muscles. When he closed his eyes he saw Viktor’s face, his icy blue eyes, and remembered the way he’d looked at him with intense desire. Gabriel shook his head and opened his eyes to stare down at the slick, white tile floor.

Despite being free for merely a couple of hours, Gabriel knew that he couldn’t keep thinking about Viktor. He couldn’t keep bringing that man back into his mind. Gabriel was not going to see Viktor again. Not now. Not ever. It was over . Gabriel had to move on, he had to go back to the life he once had, and it did not include Viktor.

His stomach clenched and his chest felt hollow. It all sounded so easy in his head, but he wasn’t na?ve enough to think it would be easy to forget about Viktor.

They went to a bar close to Gabriel’s apartment and sat at a two-seater table by an indoor brick wall. Music played in the background, and since it was a weekday, there weren’t many people there.

Gabriel held his cold glass against the surface of the table, feeling the condensation transferring to his fingers as he gazed down at the ice-filled, peachy-colored liquid.

“What was going on? I haven’t seen you in an entire month,” Enzo said.

Gabriel sighed. “Yeah... I’m sorry about that.” He took a sip from his glass and watched Enzo over the rim, seeing the concern in his brown eyes that now appeared black from the dim yellow lighting inside the building. His best friend had obviously been worried about him, and it wasn’t common for them to go an entire month without catching up or seeing each other in person.

Setting down his glass on the table, Gabriel stared at his drink for a short moment before looking at Enzo again. Since his best friend already knew he was a mafia boss’s son, Gabriel knew that being honest was the only option for everything to make sense. Besides, who else was he going to talk to about what had happened to him? He knew without a doubt that he could trust Enzo—he always did.

“I was kidnapped by one of my dad’s enemies,” Gabriel said.

Enzo’s eyes widened, and he stared at him for a few tense seconds. “What the fuck, are you serious?”

Gabriel swallowed roughly, feeling his throat tighten up. “Yeah.”

“Shit.” Enzo was speechless for a moment. “Are you okay?”

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay, I just...” he sighed. “Now I’m just trying to get back to normal.”

Enzo nodded slowly, looking down at his own drink for a few moments. “I came around a few times. After a while I just... stopped. I feel like an asshole, but I thought you up and left without saying anything. Took the hint. At least, I thought that’s what had happened.”

Gabriel nodded. It made sense why Enzo had never called the cops about his sudden disappearance, and he couldn’t blame Enzo for thinking what he did.

“How did you get away?” Enzo asked.

“The guy who kidnapped me... he just let me go. Turns out I wasn’t much use to him, since my dad didn’t give him what he wanted.”

Enzo’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. He understood, and there was no need for elaboration. “I’m glad you’re back. I really thought I’d lost you. I didn’t know how serious it was.”

“Yeah.” Gabriel took another sip, almost finishing his drink. He felt emotionally drained, like the joy of life had been zapped out of him. Was he depressed? Had Viktor changed him? Was Gabriel damaged goods? His stomach did a flip-flop, and he suddenly felt sick. He didn’t want to be here anymore.

Gabriel felt guilty for wanting to run home and hide under the covers. He was glad to be spending time with Enzo because being with his best friend gave him a sense of comfort, but he was also starting to regret coming out here in the first place.

When Gabriel lifted his head, he saw a figure standing on the other side of the room by a table, a drink in hand. Gabriel gasped at the stark similarity, but this man... he wasn’t Viktor. The stranger had a buzzcut and a similar build to Viktor, but Gabriel knew without a doubt it wasn’t him. Despite that, his heart hammered, his chest felt like it was tightening up, and he thought he might pass out.

“I—” Gabriel stood abruptly, almost knocking over the glass cup. “I should go.”

Enzo also stood, and seeming to understand straight away, followed Gabriel out of the bar.

“Sorry,” Gabriel said once they were outside in the crisp fresh air and walking towards Enzo’s car. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.”

“It’s alright.” Enzo unlocked the car, and Gabriel almost threw himself into the front passenger seat.

They didn’t speak during the drive, and Gabriel couldn’t help but feel antsy as they headed back to his apartment only a few minutes away.

When they got back to Gabriel’s place, Enzo stopped the car on the side of the road. “Want me to come in?” ke asked.

“It’s okay,” Gabriel assured. “I’m just going to go straight to sleep.”

“See you later?” Enzo said.

“Yeah, we’ll keep in touch,” Gabriel said before he got out. He shut the door and looked into the car as he spoke through the open window. “Thanks Enzo. I really appreciate that you understand.”

Enzo smiled. “Always. I’ll message you.”

“Okay,” Gabriel said before he turned and walked up the short steps to his front porch and unlocked the door with his key, letting himself inside.