Diavolo Ch 04

She couldn't sleep. Abigail tossed and turned, every once in a while she'd glare at the phone Gabriel had given her accusingly. After closing the photo gallery earlier, she'd set it on her nightstand.

She hadn't expected him to call her soon, but it was already past midnight. How far away did he live anyway?

Can I call you tonight?

His deep gravelly voice haunted her, the memory of his lips and hands sent a cascade of goose bumps over her skin and an uncomfortable clenching throb low in her belly. Abigail hugged herself, clenching her thighs against the ache with a frustrated moan.

"Oh, what have I gotten myself into," she huffed, reaching for the phone again.

As soon as she touched it, it flickered on. With a sigh, she drew her finger over the screen and tapped the gallery again.

Slowly, she scrolled through the pictures until sleep finally did claim her.

Gabriel came to her like the wet dream he was. His mouth clamped over hers as he pressed his body into hers. Again, she felt that obscenely large bulge he had in his jeans press against her abdomen. His kiss tasted like salt water and she gripped his hair to push him away.

Gabriel stared down at her in the darkness.

"Why are you all wet?" she asked as he dripped seawater over her.

His cold fingers traced the contours of her cheeks before moving away from her.

She watched in confusion as he straightened, realizing he was truly soaked down to his biker boots.

"Gabriel?"

He looked sad, the dim moonlight illuminating half of his beautiful face.

Without uttering a single word, he turned on his heel and walked out through the open glass doors of her terrace.

"Gabriel," she called following him out.

Thick fog rolled across the terrace, enveloping him until he was nothing but a barely distinguishable silhouette.

Fear gripped her for him. Where was he going? Why was he soaked to the bone?

"Gabriel, please. Come back. Gabriel?"

Her bare feet descended the terrace steps, but instead of encountering soft grass at the bottom, she winced when her toes touched asphalt.

Through the thick mist, she heard the faint rumble of Gabriel's motorcycle. She could almost make out the shape of it as well as him sitting astride. The headlamps glowed through the fog like a beacon. Loud music cut through the fog.

"Gabriel," she called out again.

As she approached, she heard the sound of another vehicle speeding closer.

He just sat there, his bike idling, as if waiting for her.

There was so much mist, the other person wouldn't see him in time.

Abigail began to run. Or, at least she tried. Her legs felt sluggish.

"Gabriel," she cried out, "get out of the way. There's—"

The vehicle smashed into him. Abigail watched, horrified, as the bike skid across the road, sparks flying, and then he sailed over the guardrail in slow motion. She screamed, did her best to reach the now broken guardrail.

The debris the Harley had left behind littered the steep incline. Furious waves pounded the rock a few scant feet from where Gabriel's body lay, twisted and broken.

Abigail sat up in her bed with a terrified gasp. Her heart was pounding against her ribs as she cupped her throat and tried to get her frantic breathing under control.

The sky was already brightening with the first rays of sunlight visible through the glass doors of her room.

She pressed trembling fingers against her mouth to stifle the little sob that was threatening to bubble up her throat.

It had only been a dream.

The sound of loud rock music made her yip in fright, her eyes darting to the phone on her nightstand.

Gabriel?

She knocked over a glass of water in her haste to answer it. There was a picture of Angelo, eyes wide and tongue lolling out of his mouth on the screen with the word Retard underneath.

Abigail frowned and tapped the green phone symbol on the screen.

"H-hello?" she answered shyly.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Well, shit. Abigail, is that you, sweetheart?" Angelo's gruff voice slurred.

She swallowed. "Um...yeah."

He muttered under his breath and Abigail could make out the sound of rustling bed sheets. "Well I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but tell that horny son-of-a-bitch he'd better call his granma before she has another heart attack."

Abigail's adrenaline shot back up as she shifted to sit at the edge of her king-sized bed. "B-but I don't know where Gabriel is," she blurted.

Angelo moaned, as if stretching. He sighed out loud. "What? Baby, put that idiot on the phone, will-ya."

"Angelo, Gabriel isn't here with me."

Again, silence for a long while. "Why do you have his phone?"

Abigail stood, her hands trembling again. "He said he wanted to call me, but I don't have a phone. He gave me his, but he never called me."

Angelo let out a foul word under his breath. "Listen here, baby-doll. I'll call you in a few minutes, okay?"

Abigail nodded before realizing he couldn't see her. "Yes-yes. Please. Please call me back." She left out the fact that she was scared

The phone went dead and she stared at the screen with a frown.

There were four missed calls. Heart pounding, she tapped on the missed calls symbol.

All four calls were from Mamá. His grandmother?

Abigail looked around her room. It was only half past six in the morning. She'd never be able to go back to sleep. She had planned to go into the nearest town and find a nice church she could attend, but with this mess with Gabriel...she'd have to do it later when he turned up.

He was fine. He had to be.

She went into her bathroom, taking the phone with her. Jumping into the shower, she cleaned up quickly. Wearing a simple white button-up blouse and a pair of faded jeans with black flats, she was in the process of pinning her hair into a bun when the phone sounded again.

It was Angelo.

"Did you find him?" she blurted.

"Eh...no, sweetums, but I'm on my way to pick you up. You decent?"

Abigail snatched her glasses off her bureau and slipped them on. "Uh, yes, but where are we going?"

"We're all meeting up at Mike's place."

"Okay," Abigail said already grabbing a purse. "I'll be out front."

"See you in a few minutes. I'm almost there."

She hadn't eaten, but doubted she could down anything with her stomach tied in knots as it was.

There wasn't much movement within the house, just a few of the cleaning staff moving about, dusting, and placing fresh flowers in the vases.

Abigail rushed through the front doors, making her way up to the driveway. The air was cool and crisp. The slight breeze rustled the trees in front of the mansion as she neared the end of the driveway. Farther down the road, she spotted a black Audi Q7 approaching.

Her eyes strained, searching for the familiar red Ferrari, but the SUV stopped in front of her instead.

Angelo got out and approached. "Hey, sweet stuff," he said grabbing her in a bear hug before leaning back.

Today, he wasn't his usual smiley, flirty self. Abigail bit her lower lip as he proceeded to open one of the back doors for her.

Her eyes widened when she saw the elderly woman pictured with Gabriel sitting near the other door.

"Hey, Abs. This is Gabe's granma, Ana Maria. Ma, this is Abigail. She's Gabe's new girlfriend."

Abigail felt her face flame with shame at the lie. She wasn't Gabriel's real girlfriend, but the woman's eyes welled up, her gnarled hands were already reaching for Abigail as she climbed into the vehicle next to her.

"Oh," the woman cooed in wonder, "but you're so beautiful. You look like such a sweet girl."

The tears spilled over softly lined cheeks from startling blue eyes. Abigail was pulled into a warm embrace before the woman pulled back to look deeply into her eyes.

"Gabriel gave you his phone, yes?"

"Um..." she nodded, unsure what to say.

The woman smiled and wiped her tears with a nod.

Abigail noticed another man in the vehicle. It was the dark-haired, slim guitarist. He reached a hand back to her, his dark eyes piercing. "I'm Rafael Diangelo. Nice to meet you."

Abigail nodded as he squeezed her hand in his larger calloused one.

The SUV was already moving. Abigail strapped herself in just as the sound of a phone chirped merrily through the sound system.

"Mike, what's up," Angelo said after tapping a button on the steering wheel.

"Got a call from Diamond. Head to over to Kaiser," said a very deep bass voice over the speakers.

Abigail stiffened, her eyes going round. The hospital. Next to her, Gabriel's grandmother closed her eyes and made the sign of the cross.

Abigail reached for Anna Maria's hand. She gripped it tightly, giving Abigail a tight-lipped smile.

"He is a strong boy. I have faith he is fine," the woman said with conviction.

Abigail just nodded. Good-God, what had happened?

The call was cut without another word, Angelo accelerated, turning off Park Avenue onto Third Street, and then onto Laguna Canyon Road.

All was quiet during the drive. Anna Maria rested her head against the back of the seat. She was a delicate woman with fair complexion. She wore a light blue dress with a cream-colored sweater over it. Square-toed loafers in beige matched the little coach handbag tucked next to her. She hadn't let go of Abigail's hand.

"How did you meet my grandson?" she suddenly asked, looking at Abigail.

Abigail swallowed before answering. "At Ariel's house."

"I wanted her for myself, but she went and picked Gabriel, Ma," Angelo piped up from the front. "Go figure," he scoffed.

Anna Maria smiled and shook her head. "Ah, she is a smart one then." Gaze going back to Abigail, she added. "You did good to stay away from this one. He's crazy."

"Ma," Angelo whined, looking back at her with hurt puppy-dog eyes.

"Keep your eyes on the road," the older woman scolded.

Next to Angelo, Rafael chuckled.

Again, they were quiet, except for Angelo who tapped his fingers restlessly against the steering wheel of the Audi.

It took almost twenty minutes to reach the large hospital.

Abigail's hands began to sweat as Angelo let them out before the main entrance. Rafael pulled on a baseball cap and sunglasses before stepping out and opening the door for Abigail. Angelo helped Anna Maria out on the other side. Overhead, helicopters flew, one seemed to be hovering just over the hospital.

"I'll park this and find you guys inside."

Rafael nodded, but he was already on the phone with Mike.

Abigail took Anna Maria's arm and they made their way inside. The lobby was enormous and cool. A guard made his way toward them and spoke in a low voice to Rafael.

The uniformed man led them to an elevator toward the back of the lobby after signaling to the attendants at the reception desk.

They went up three floors before exiting. Glass lined one side of the corridors, giving a panoramic view of the city around the hospital. The floors gleamed and the lighting was pleasant. Halfway down the corridor a tall, dark-haired, lumberjack type man started toward them.

Abigail recognized him from the video. He had thick, straight brows that almost touched over his short blunt nose. Piercing golden eyes scanned each of them, pausing on Abigail before finally settling on Rafael. Abigail got a sense of authority from him despite the ponytail, faded Kiss t-shirt and jeans.

"What happened? Where is he?" Rafael asked immediately as the big man's arms swallowed up Anna Maria in a bear hug.

His golden eyes flicked curiously over Abigail again before he looked at his brother and answered. "I heard they're bringing him in right now. Helicopter."

Abigail's heart sank remembering the chopper hovering over the hospital outside.

Michael continued, face grim, "Looks like his bike skid on the stretch just past El Moro Canyon Road. He went over the guardrail there. They found him about a half an hour ago."

Abigail's mind reeled. She'd dreamt about he accident. Gabriel had even come to her. A shudder of fear crept down her spine. As if sensing her distress, Anna Maria patted her forearm where she had it gripped.

Angelo suddenly came up to them, a little out of breath. "What the hell happened? Security had to escort me up the back way. Said there's a veritable circus setting up outside in front."

Michael frowned at him. "Looks like Gabe lost control of his bike past El Moro. Went over the guardrail."

Angelo was bouncing around on his feet. "Shit. Was he drinking?"

"He had a little wine with dinner at the Montenegro estate, but he seemed fine when he left," Abigail volunteered.

The tall guitarist nodded. "He isn't an irresponsible drinker." He stuck his big hand out to Abigail then with a tight smile. "I'm Michael Diangelo, by the way."

Before Abigail could say anything, Rafael hit his forehead. "Where are my manners? This is Abigail, Gabe's girl."

Abigail smiled as Michael's hand swallowed up hers in a firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you despite the circumstances," he said with a nod.

A very thin girl with bespectacled huge grey eyes and light brown hair approached them.

She held a steaming mug of coffee and had two boxes of Kleenex under her arm. Swaddled in a long, grey sweater, dark blue skinny jeans, and black suede boots, she ambled toward them staring at Abigail with an unsure smile on her face.

"Erica, this is Gabe's new girl, Abigail," Michael said. "Abigail, my girlfriend, Erica."

The girl's friendly expression fell, her eyes growing bigger as she quickened her pace toward Abigail.

Her boxes of Kleenex thudded to the floor as she gave Abigail a one armed hug.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said before hugging Anna Maria also.

Michael bent over to pick up the boxes of tissues for the girl.

Her enormous eyes went from Anna Maria to Abigail. "We're just waiting for the doctors to come out and let us know what's going on. Diamond is here somewhere too." Erica craned her neck to look around their little group, up and down the corridor.

"Come-on. Let's go into the waiting room before someone recognizes us," Michael muttered, gesturing to the left.

They shuffled into a smaller waiting room with gleaming bland, off-white floors and beige seats.

"Diamond?" Angelo grimaced. "Who called her?"

Michael huffed out a breath, shoving his hands deep into is pockets after setting the tissue boxes on a seat next to them. "She actually notified me first. The police called her to let her know they'd found Gabe. Someone reported the accident at one of the gas stations along the road. They had to fly him out via helicopter here."

"Do you want some coffee?" Erica asked, looking hopefully at Abigail and Anna Maria. The older woman declined but Abigail accepted.

"Mike, take this. It's too cold anyway," she said handing the still steaming mug to Michael.

Abigail frowned at the steaming cup of coffee. Michael just shrugged and began to sip it gingerly. The girl looped her arm through Abigail's as if they'd been best friends for years and led her to another alcove with coffee machines and snack dispensers.

After a few minutes, they both had fresh mugs of coffee and were back on their way to the third floor waiting room.

Abigail made herself comfortable next to Gabriel's grandmother. Erica handed her hot cup of coffee to Michael and excused herself to the restroom.

Minutes turned into an hour. Abigail couldn't help noticing how nurses kept walking past the lounge, staring curiously at the band members of Diavolo. One particularly young nurse skittered in and asked for autographs. She giggled and gushed, staring nervously over her shoulder until a stern-faced older nurse appeared and glared at her. The young girl, called Heather, snatched her sheet of paper, and scurried out, head ducked in mortification. The older woman, obviously the head nurse, apologized to the band members for the girl's impropriety.

The guys chuckled to themselves after she left, except Michael. He shoved to his feet and stalked out of the waiting room. Rafael and Angelo looked at one another before heading after him too. Just as they were on their way out, Ariel sauntered into the room, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed.

"Just got the message. Where is he? Is he okay?"

"I think Mike's gone to find out," Angelo said grabbing the bass player's arm and dragging him in their wake.

Abigail twisted her fingers in her lap. Erica hadn't come back from the rest room, and Anna Maria was very quiet, her eyes on the flat screen in the corner of the room.

Abigail finally gave the television screen her attention and gasped. They were showing an aerial view, apparently, of where Gabriel's accident had occurred. There was a tiny picture of him in the corner of the television. The rest revealed a steep, rocky incline, pieces of motorcycle scattered everywhere. Just like in her dream.

Abigail blinked back her tears and gave a sideways glance to the woman next to her.

Anna Maria reached over, her eyes never leaving the television, and patted Abigail's hand. "He'll be fine. You'll see," she said softly.

A tall blond woman swept into the waiting room, her hazel eyes fell first on Anna Maria, and then Abigail. Her smile looked forced as she glanced back at Anna Maria and rushed over to greet the woman. Behind her, the rest of the band members of Diavolo followed.

"Anna Maria. So good to see you. You look wonderful," the woman said enthusiastically.

"My grandson?" was all Anna Maria said.

"He's resting. The doctors have a few papers for you to sign. I tried to convince them that I could sign too, but they insisted it had to be a family member." The woman shook her head and laughed bitterly. "So ridiculous. We're all like family anyway."

"No doctor has spoken to me about my grandson yet."

"Well," the woman smiled, "I'll go get one for you."

Anna Maria stood. "No. I want to see my grandson. Now."

The woman sputtered, her eyes darting to Abigail coldly.

"Diamond, this is Abigail," Michael stepped in. "She's Gabriel's new girlfriend."

If anything, the woman eyes grew colder. Her eyes flicked over Abigail dismissively. "Really?" She laughed, looking back at Michael. "Seriously, how could you guys bring Gabriel's flavor of the week here, and with Anna Maria present."

Abigail felt her face go hot. About to excuse herself, and sit back down, Anna Maria gripped her arm and glared at Diamond. "Do not refer to my grandson's girlfriend in such a disrespectful way. Now, tell us where Gabriel is."

A tall man with sharp grey eyes and a thin nose walked in. The nametag on his pristine white lab coat read Dr. Klein. He approached them immdiately, the overhead lighting glinting off his swinging stethoscope and bald head.

"Morning folks," he said shaking everyone's hands before focusing on Anna Maria. "I assume you're Mr. Brink's family member. Michael told me you're his grandmother."

Anna Maria nodded and Abigail could see the worry she'd manage to squelch until now surface in her eyes. "How is my Gabriel?"

"He's doing fine considering he fell from a cliff."

Abigail's heart stuttered before racing in terror. As the doctor continued, she hung on to every word.

"He was lucky the tide was receding and landed on the beach below. We have him sedated right now. He's suffering from a concussion, as well as various fractured ribs, collarbone, and his right femur. We put his leg in traction for now and have him resting in his room. He seems very confused and doesn't remember what happened, but hopefully he'll regain his memory soon."

Anna Maria closed her eyes. "He has amnesia?"

"It's a symptom with concussions. We x-rayed him from head to foot and he doesn't have any skull fractures. The helmet he was wearing apparently saved his life otherwise I don't think he would've survived the fall."

"Can we see him?" Michael asked.