Son, I know you’re angry.”
“ Oh, I am so beyond angry. I want to
smash his fucking face in and I want to keep beating him until we
don’t look alike anymore!”
“ Well, I suspect you do, but it
wouldn’t help the situation.” His dad lit a cigar.
“ Have you tried to talk to him, you or
Mom?” Maybe their parents could talk some sense into Lou. Nothing
else had worked.
His father slapped him on the back and
squeezed his shoulder. “As much as I wish that would work, it
wouldn’t. Your brother is head strong about this. But, on the other
hand, so are you. Both of you are so much alike. Somewhere along
the path, Lou lost his way. I don’t know what to do about it
anymore. We’ve tried to talk to him.”
“ Then that’s it? We sit and wait for a
judge to tell us the fate of a little girl.” This was not right.
For a split second, murder crossed his mind. He shook his head to
think straight again. He had to be able to do something short of
killing him.
“ I’m afraid so.” His father puffed on
his cigar. “It’s been close to a week. Has Amy heard
anything?”
Every muscle inside him tensed and he
clenched his jaw. “She won’t return my calls. When I go to the
diner, she refuses to come out from the back. Joe asked me to
please stay away for now. She’s blaming herself and the feelings
she has for me.” Pain welled up inside. He swallowed the tears and
turned them into rage. “Damn him!” His arms trembled as he gripped
the railing tighter. Splinters bit into his flesh. “Damn him.”
“ Gabe, I wish I could take your pain
away, son. I know you love Amy, and she’s a wonderful young lady.
What Lou did was utterly wrong. He stepped between you two and
ripped what you had apart. I’ll never make an excuse for that, but
what’s done is done. There’s a child involved and maybe you should
back off and let them work it out.”
“ How, Dad? God, I don’t know how to
live without her.” He needed her worse than air. She’d been in his
arms, in his bed, making love to him. She’d confessed to loving
him, to dreaming about him. He’d backed away to where he hadn’t
protected her against Lou’s advances. Pain stabbed him in the gut.
He was a fucking cop and he’d done nothing to shield her. Nothing!
“I fear I’ll go mad if I don’t do something. I took an oath to
protect and defend the innocent, and I failed the love of my life.”
He hung his head. “Do you know he forced her to sleep with him,
over and over?” This time the tears overtook him, no matter how
much he wanted to hide them.
“ Dear God!”
“ How do I swallow that, Dad?” he
choked out.
“ I don’t know, my boy. I don’t
know.”
Just then, high pitched squeals came from
inside. They turned and looked at each other then dashed through
the back door.
“ Mom, you got to do something. She
won’t stop.” Lou’s voice came from the living room.
Turning the corner, he spotted Angel lying
in the floor thrashing her arms and legs.
“ I want Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” Her
little head rolled back and forth. Her hair was a tangled mess.
Tears streamed down her dirty face.
What the hell had he done to her? Lou would
pay big time for this, but right now he needed to calm Angel down
before she made herself sick.
He entered the room and knelt down in the
floor beside her. “Angel, honey,” he coaxed in a soft, loving tone.
“Angel.”
She quieted her squeals to moans as
recognition of who called her name washed over her face. Sniffing
she called out, “Uncle Gabe?”
“ That’s right sweetheart. Please calm
down.” He bit back a tear.
“ What the hell?” Lou started to
advance toward them, but their father caught him by the
arm.
“ Come on, it’s working.” Dad pulled
Lou from the room.
She gave a final kick of her legs. “I miss
my mommy,” she sobbed.
Pulling her up, Gabe settled her on his lap,
straddling his legs so he was face to face with her. “I know, baby.
I miss her, too.” He drew
“ Oh, I am so beyond angry. I want to
smash his fucking face in and I want to keep beating him until we
don’t look alike anymore!”
“ Well, I suspect you do, but it
wouldn’t help the situation.” His dad lit a cigar.
“ Have you tried to talk to him, you or
Mom?” Maybe their parents could talk some sense into Lou. Nothing
else had worked.
His father slapped him on the back and
squeezed his shoulder. “As much as I wish that would work, it
wouldn’t. Your brother is head strong about this. But, on the other
hand, so are you. Both of you are so much alike. Somewhere along
the path, Lou lost his way. I don’t know what to do about it
anymore. We’ve tried to talk to him.”
“ Then that’s it? We sit and wait for a
judge to tell us the fate of a little girl.” This was not right.
For a split second, murder crossed his mind. He shook his head to
think straight again. He had to be able to do something short of
killing him.
“ I’m afraid so.” His father puffed on
his cigar. “It’s been close to a week. Has Amy heard
anything?”
Every muscle inside him tensed and he
clenched his jaw. “She won’t return my calls. When I go to the
diner, she refuses to come out from the back. Joe asked me to
please stay away for now. She’s blaming herself and the feelings
she has for me.” Pain welled up inside. He swallowed the tears and
turned them into rage. “Damn him!” His arms trembled as he gripped
the railing tighter. Splinters bit into his flesh. “Damn him.”
“ Gabe, I wish I could take your pain
away, son. I know you love Amy, and she’s a wonderful young lady.
What Lou did was utterly wrong. He stepped between you two and
ripped what you had apart. I’ll never make an excuse for that, but
what’s done is done. There’s a child involved and maybe you should
back off and let them work it out.”
“ How, Dad? God, I don’t know how to
live without her.” He needed her worse than air. She’d been in his
arms, in his bed, making love to him. She’d confessed to loving
him, to dreaming about him. He’d backed away to where he hadn’t
protected her against Lou’s advances. Pain stabbed him in the gut.
He was a fucking cop and he’d done nothing to shield her. Nothing!
“I fear I’ll go mad if I don’t do something. I took an oath to
protect and defend the innocent, and I failed the love of my life.”
He hung his head. “Do you know he forced her to sleep with him,
over and over?” This time the tears overtook him, no matter how
much he wanted to hide them.
“ Dear God!”
“ How do I swallow that, Dad?” he
choked out.
“ I don’t know, my boy. I don’t
know.”
Just then, high pitched squeals came from
inside. They turned and looked at each other then dashed through
the back door.
“ Mom, you got to do something. She
won’t stop.” Lou’s voice came from the living room.
Turning the corner, he spotted Angel lying
in the floor thrashing her arms and legs.
“ I want Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” Her
little head rolled back and forth. Her hair was a tangled mess.
Tears streamed down her dirty face.
What the hell had he done to her? Lou would
pay big time for this, but right now he needed to calm Angel down
before she made herself sick.
He entered the room and knelt down in the
floor beside her. “Angel, honey,” he coaxed in a soft, loving tone.
“Angel.”
She quieted her squeals to moans as
recognition of who called her name washed over her face. Sniffing
she called out, “Uncle Gabe?”
“ That’s right sweetheart. Please calm
down.” He bit back a tear.
“ What the hell?” Lou started to
advance toward them, but their father caught him by the
arm.
“ Come on, it’s working.” Dad pulled
Lou from the room.
She gave a final kick of her legs. “I miss
my mommy,” she sobbed.
Pulling her up, Gabe settled her on his lap,
straddling his legs so he was face to face with her. “I know, baby.
I miss her, too.” He drew
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