Page 43 of Gabe (Blue Team #2)

“He’s gonna wake up,” Anaya said.

“I know.”

I didn’t know, but after two days, agreeing was easier. Agreeing meant my friend didn’t give me forlorn looks. It meant that Zane’s face didn’t get tight when he looked at me. Zane was worried; he didn’t need to be worried about me on top of Gabe.

“Go with Anaya and Kyle, get something to eat,” Cooper suggested.

The mere mention of food made my heart clench. It was silly, but I wanted Gabe to ask if I was hungry. I wanted him to scowl at me when I skipped a meal. I wanted to see his beautiful, soulful brown eyes.

I wanted him to wake up.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Eve—”

“Please drop it.”

Cooper snapped his mouth closed and narrowed his angry eyes. “Just so you know, I’m keeping track.”

“Keeping track of what?”

“All the times you’ve refused food. That way when Gabe wakes up, I can tell him.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” I narrowed my eyes in return .

“I would. And he’s gonna be pissed. You have to eat. It’s been two days and you haven’t left this room. Hell, you’ve barely gotten up from that chair. You need to—”

“I need to be right here, Coop. I promised him I’d keep him safe. I’m not leaving.”

Everything about Cooper Cain changed. His eyes turned soft and his face relaxed.

“You did, sweetness. You kept him safe. You did everything right. He’s here and recovering. But you’re doing yourself no favors by not eating. He needs you strong.”

I’d be strong when Gabe woke up.

“Would he leave me if I was the one in that bed? Would he go out with you and Zane for a bite to eat? No. He’d be right where I’m at. I’m not leaving.”

“Evette,” Anaya rejoined. “Honey, you need to—”

“He took that beating for me,” I cried. “He’s here because of me.

I know you all are looking out for me. But you weren’t there.

You didn’t hear it. He was…I heard…there was…

he was hanging from a chain. He knew I was listening to that.

Gabe knew that I could hear every punch.

Every grunt. Every sickening sound of that asshole’s fists hitting him.

My Gabe. He knew that. Fuck food. Fuck getting up.

I’m not leaving him. I’m never leaving him. ”

“Leave her be.” Zane’s rough voice boomed. “Kyle, bring her back something to snack on. Coop, go with them.”

Kyle and Cooper shuffled to the door and Anaya came to me.

“Yaya,” I warned when she opened her mouth to speak.

“I haven’t heard that nickname in forever.” She smiled then picked up my hand resting on Gabe’s hospital bed. “I just want you to know, I love you and I know a little bit about what you’re going through.”

She did. Anaya totally knew. She’d gone back to Timor-Leste after Kalee had been declared dead and Piper had returned stateside.

She went back to help shut down an orphanage that was a front for sex trafficking and she’d been kidnapped for her efforts.

Kyle had saved her. So she knew, but she didn’t.

Kyle hadn’t almost died while she was tied to a chair.

He hadn’t lain in a hospital bed unconscious .

“I love you, too. Thank you for trying to take care of me.”

“Don’t thank me, let me do it. You don’t wanna leave, fine. But please, honey, you gotta eat something. I’m getting worried.”

“I’ll eat whatever you bring back,” I whispered.

“Thank you,” she whispered back and let go of my hand.

Immediately, I found Gabe’s hand and curled my fingers around his, and did my best to ignore the angry welts around his wrist. Welts he gave himself when he’d tried to break free. Welts that were my fault.

“Evette?” Zane called my name.

“Huh?”

“Darlin’, look at me.”

“No.”

The big, tall, sarcastic beast let out a long-suffering sigh.

It could be said over the last two days I’d pushed Zane Lewis to the brink.

I knew I was pushing my luck but the problem was when he wasn’t being a big, tall, sarcastic beast he was kind.

He’d gone to great lengths to ensure I had what I wanted.

From the moment we brought Gabe to the ER Zane had been my champion.

Two days ago I learned that no one said no to Zane Lewis. Not doctors, not nurses, not anyone. Any time someone tried to remove me from the room, Zane snarled, grunted, growled, or some form of all three. After that, I was given a wide berth and free rein to be next to Gabe.

And like he did moments ago, he had my back. When Cooper, Owen, Natasha, Kyle, Anaya, or Ivy tried to get me to leave the room for fresh air he stepped in and told them to leave me alone. Once, he even had heated words with Kyle. I was grateful for Gabe’s friends and Anaya.

They meant well.

But Zane got it.

I wasn’t leaving Gabe’s room until he left with me.

“Why is it you’re always telling me no? You’re worse than my wife,” he grumbled.

“Ivy tells you no way more than me.”

“Right, but she’s never threatened to shoot me.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I returned .

Zane’s rich, deep, rumbling laugh filled the air and it felt like sandpaper grating my skin.

No one should be laughing while Gabe lay motionless.

No one should be happy while Gabe had a needle in his arm, monitors on his chest, an oxygen cannula in his nose.

I didn’t want to see or hear a single person's happiness until Gabe’s eyes were open.

It was selfish. But it was honest.

And as the hours ticked by the more on edge I became. Not even the beeping rhythm of his heart brought me peace. Nothing would until he woke up.

“All right, darlin’, the time has come,” Zane said, all humor gone.

“Time for what?”

“Honesty.”

“I don’t—”

“I know you don’t but straight-up you need it. I’ve given you two days.”

“How big of you, two whole days,” I sneered.

The moment the words escaped I regretted them. Zane didn’t deserve my attitude. He’d done everything he could for me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “That was uncool.”

“In case you missed it, Evette, I got broad shoulders. You need to get the poison out before it takes over. You bottling it up and letting it fester isn’t helping.

You’re pissed and scared and you have every right to be.

The two men who took you are in lock-up.

Neither look as bad as Gabe but they’re not sitting pretty either.

One you did in, the other Coop took care of. They can’t hurt you or Gabe.”

Zane had explained on the way to the hospital that when he and Cooper got to the cabin the man I’d hit in the back of the head was still out.

And it was plain good timing that the second guy had been leaning over his bud when Cooper had snuck up behind him.

Zane hadn’t gotten into specifics with me but I did get the impression that both Coop and Zane got some licks in before both men were cuffed and Coop called the police.

Zane had taken to the woods to find Gabe and me.

When we got back to the cabin, I didn’t see Cooper.

Zane loaded Gabe in and we took off. It wasn’t until hours later when the police had shown up that I saw Coop for the first time.

Seeing him had led to my second and final breakdown.

As soon as Cooper wrapped his arms around me I broke into sobbing hysterics.

Then he held my hand while I told the police everything I remembered.

Once I was done telling the story, I shut down.

No more crying.

No more sobbing.

I had to be strong for Gabe.

Zane also explained that two men were hired by a company called BZ Systems. They took us to find Delilah Watts, which was something I knew since that was the only question they asked—repeatedly. Further, Zane told me that Delilah was still missing but Kevin and Myles were looking for her.

“The threat’s not over,” I reminded Zane.

“It is for you.”

“How can you say that? Abrams is behind—”

“Trust me, Evette. It’s over for you. Completely and totally.”

“How can that be?”

“They wanted the intel, not you. We made it clear we had the intel and after Abrams learned what we knew and how much dirt we had, they decided it was in their best interest to back off. It’s over for you because they now understand you’re off-limits.

One move near you and we release what we have to the public. ”

All of that sounded good. I could see how Abrams wouldn’t want their dirty business aired in public but there were still loose ends.

“And Timor-Leste. They just get to go in and ruin more lives?”

“No, Evette. Part of the deal is they abandon the lease deals. Again, they saw the wisdom in not having government payoffs go public. But more, they don’t want Dr. Gates’ research in the hands of their competitors.

” Zane stopped and let out one of his long exhales that told me he was digging deep to pull up the patience he needed to deal with me.

“I know you wanted justice for Kalee. I understand the need to make someone pay for the harm they caused. But in this case, you’re gonna need to accept that Kalee’s home with her dad—with Phantom, and the family they’ll create is gonna hafta be enough.

Kalee Solberg won. And every day she wins more. ”

Zane was right. It was going to have to be enough. Phantom had pretty much told me the same thing. His focus had always been on Kalee, never on the rebels or revenge. He loved Kalee and she loved him back and that was enough for him. So, it would have to be enough for me.

Not only that but what I’d done had put myself in danger and ultimately almost cost Gabe his life. I was done playing amateur sleuth. I was not in the business of crime-solving, I was in the business of reporting. I needed to remember that.

“What about Delilah?”

A shadow darkened Zane’s crystal blue eyes and his jaw clenched. I didn’t like this new look. This new look made me nervous. They weren’t gonna help her.

“Delilah’s not your business.”

“Wrong,” I snapped and stood. “She’s absolutely my business.”