“Yaay!”
Roman left his desk when Imani left with their sons. His plan was to greet Gabriel with a proper hug.
“Was she here?”
“Who, Grek?”
Gabriel’s shoulders slumped further in defeat. “I thought she might have come here, I...” the words rushed out on a sigh. “I knew she didn’t I-I could see it on Imani’s face when she opened the door.”
The calculating glint in Roman’s onyx stare sharpened. “What’s goin’ on, Grek? Why don’t you sit down?”
“I c-can’t, I-” Gabriel shook his head decidedly. “I have to find h-her.”
“Grek?” Roman put his hands to Gabriel’s shoulders as if to steady him. “What’s wrong, Gabe?”
Roman moved back suddenly when his big brother burst into tears. “Gabe what the fuck...? Where’s Giselle? Where’s the baby?”
Gabriel sniffled loudly and pulled all ten fingers through his hair. “I haven’t seen her in two days. I kissed my wife goodbye when I left for work and I haven't seen her since.”
Roman forced himself not to look panicked. It was the last thing Gabriel needed to see. “Where’s Brogue, Gabe?”
“With Ma.”
Roman nodded and then paced the room as he mulled over what he’d been told so far. “Have you talked to Rena? What about her family?”
Gabriel bit down on his fist and shook his head. “Not since the first night when she didn’t come home. They didn’t know anything. I’m going to see them when I leave I-I didn’t want to worry them again until...”
“You guys have a fight?”
“Dammit Ro! Didn’t you just hear me say I kissed her bye?” He broke down again, taking a knee next to the big wooden desk in the corner.
“Hey?” Roman went to squeeze the man’s shoulder.
“She was still naked when I kissed her goodbye. We...we made love that morning-” he started to cry again.
“Listen Grek? Grek? Tell me about her plans for the day?” Roman urged, hoping to give Gabriel something more productive to do besides sobbing.
Gabriel sat on one of the leather chairs in front of Roman’s desk. He repeatedly pushed shaking hands through his hair. Roman went to the cooler behind the bar and withdrew a couple of beers. He pushed a bottle into Gabriel’s hand and waited until they’d each swigged at length.
“Where was she goin’, Grek?”
“She uh,” Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as if to focus. “She dropped Brogue off with Ma and went to see her family. After that, she was going to talk to Humphrey about this fucking dinner.”
Roman sat his elbows to his knees and watched the bottle of brew swing between them. “Did you talk to Hump?”
“He says she never came to the office to see him. There’s no record of her signing in over there either. Where is she Ro?” Gabriel’s voice trembled on the cusp of another sob. “Where is she? What if-?”
“Stop.” Roman went to sit on the arm of Gabriel’s chair. “Listen to me now. We’ll find her-”
“How?! No one’s seen her! It’s like she just walked off the face-”
“Hey? Stop now,” Roman took Gabriel’s shoulder, gave him a hard shake. “You came to me. I’ll take it from here,” he squeezed Gabriel’s knee. “We’ll find her.”
~51~
“I trashed my place last week.”
Candace shifted to her other side and faced Pitch in her bed. “Why?” She asked in the same lost tone he’d used to make his confession.
Pitch reached to take a lock of her hair between his fingers. He studied the soft crinkled strand as if he’d never seen anything like it. “I don’t think I can do what my dad wants. I’m no good at the fake shit like Ari is. I’ll screw this up, no question. I’m all over the place in my head, Candy and I...”
“Need time,” she brushed her thumb across the alluring curve of his mouth.
Pitch took her hand and peppered it with patient kisses. “I love you, you know?”
“I know.”
Pitch suddenly looked reluctant to go on. “This isn’t me being a typical Tesano here.”
Candace laughed. “Care to explain that?”
“This isn’t about me taking what I want, what I...fantasized about having from you since I met you and then walking away.”
“Oh, baby I know,” she soothed, “I’ve known it for a while. This isn’t about whether you love me, but whether you can love yourself.”
Pitch rolled his eyes. “Sappy shrink talk,” he rolled to his stomach and rested the side of his face on his fist.
“Maybe it is,” Candace nuzzled her head in the pillow. “But some of it has merit...doesn’t it?”
