Daniel arrived with an entire entourage of medical personnel. Abigail was pretty sure he paid the hospital a good amount of money to let her go into his care. She might have protested, but he'd told her Mikayla was dead.
As she gaped at him in utter shock, a nurse jabbed her with a needle and her thoughts became fuzzy.
What happened next was very confusing. She drifted in and out of consciousness, tears wetting her cheeks the entire time. There was the sensation of being lifted, and then seeing the bright Texas sky above and the sound of helicopter blades chop-chop-chopping away at the hot air.
When she finally came around fully, she was tucked away in a sumptuous bed in the Montenegro estate, the last rays of the sun filling the room with a soft golden glow through filmy white curtains. Next to the bed was a Franciscan sister, dressed in her black jumper with short white sleeves covering three quarters of her upper arms. She had what looked like a bible in her hands but was nodded off asleep, her soft snores coming intermittently.
The second Abby tried to straighten though, the woman was on her feet, pale blue eyes leveled at Abby.
"Don't try to get up," she snapped.
Abby froze, looking up at that stern face. "I-I was only trying to get comfortable," she croaked out.
Her throat was dry. The nun immediately grabbed a glass of water at her bedside and offered it to Abby.
She drank gratefully and said as much when the sister pulled the glass away a bit.
"More?" the nun asked.
"No, thank you," Abby said shyly.
She looked around and her gaze was caught mostly on the strap binding her arm to her chest.
Diamond...the hotel...she tried to kill her and...
"Gabriel," Abby said on a choked sob as she finally remembered the rest of what happened. Had Daniel actually told her Mikayla was dead?
"I think you need another sedative. You're working yourself into another bout of hysteria," the nun said with distaste.
Her silver hair glinted from beneath her white headband.
Abby shook her head, but the ensuing headache that assailed her had her groaning in misery instead.
"Let me have a few minutes alone with Abby, Sister Laboria."
Daniel stepped next to the bed, handing Abby a handkerchief he'd retrieved from inside his pocket.
Sister Laboria frowned at them both and stalked from the room.
Abby dabbed at her eyes and stared earnestly at Daniel.
"Mikayla?"
Daniel looked away, a slight crease forming between his tawny brows. He cleared his throat and stared at Abby again, his brown eyes unwavering. "She apparently had too much to drink and decided it was perfectly fine to go and ride the new mare my mother had acquired for our stables."
Abby gasped. That sounded just like Mikayla.
"Morning Star threw her off not far from the stables."
Abby shook her head at the horror of it all. "Oh, Daniel..." She gripped his arm with her free hand. "My mother? Where is she?"
Daniel's gaze hardened then. "She chose to go live in the house Gabriel bought for her. Neither my mother nor I know where that would be because she didn't even show up for..." He huffed out a sigh, patting her hand. "None of that matters, Abby. She is well as far as I know, and I'm going to make sure you're taken care of as well."
Abby pulled her hand away from his clutching one.
"Why did you bring me here? Seeing after me is my husband's responsibility."
Daniel's face grew cold. "You don't need Gabriel's charity. I won't have him belittle you, Abby."
Abby straightened out more on the bed, feeling her anger grow. Gabriel and her needed to talk, but that was none of Daniel's business. Daniel had dumped her for her sister and now that he was a widower, he was not going to use her as a replacement for her dead sister.
"Gabriel would never belittle me. He loves me and I need to go back to my own house."
Daniel snorted. "You mean the mansion he put up for sale yesterday?"
Cold seeped into Abby's veins.
Daniel grinned and stood. "That's right. All your belongings are in a storage." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a key. "He gave me the address and the key. The house you had was put on the market yesterday. He intends to sign over every last penny of its sale to you and wash his hands of you for good."
Abby shook her head. She couldn't...she wouldn't believe such a thing.
Why? Why would Gabriel do such a thing.
"I took the liberty of purchasing new things for you." He strode to a pair of double doors at the far end of the room before throwing them open. There was another room there, a closet, filled to capacity with clothing, shoes, a jewelry armoire, and a vanity brimming with makeup. It might have been every woman's fantasy, but not Abigail's.
"You can have your marriage annulled. I see no reason why that wouldn't be granted to you since legally you married Gabriel Montenegro and he just rejected that last name and took Raven as his legal name now."
Abby shook her head, the information more than she could handle right now.
She needed to call Gabriel.
"My phone. I need my phone."
Daniel scowled. "You're going to call and beg? Really, Abigail. I'm appalled, and what's more, I won't let you do that to yourself."
Abby stared at him in shock. "Where's my phone?" she demanded more forcefully.
Daniel's reply was to put on a calm face and softly close the closet doors. Carefully adjusting the sleeves of his white shirt, he strode to the opposite end of the room.
"Daniel?' she said, eyes wide as he opened the door to let the nun back in.
"She's ready for that sedative, Sister Laboria. Remember what we discussed."
The nun nodded and strode back toward Abby.
"Daniel," Abby exclaimed as he sauntered out.
Sister Laboria shushed her as she prepped a syringe.
Abby gasped, alarm shooting through her. "Wait. You can't do this. I want to go back to..." Was Gabriel really selling their home? Daniel had never lied to her before, but why would Gabriel do all this?
"I don't need that," Abby insisted.
"Yes you do," the nun replied, her frown firm.
Abby tried to shy away from her, but she grabbed her arm hard and jabbed the needle deep.
*******
"Do they have dogs?" Mike whispered.
Gabriel grit his teeth in irritation as he leveled his leg over the stone wall. "I don't think so."
It was a long fall down. They'd hiked up the steep side of the hill, leading up to the back portion of the Montenegro estate.
"Hope not," Mike grumbled next to him. "Shit."
Gabriel grimaced as well. The entire back wall was covered in rich thick Bougainvillea.
"If I lose an eye, I'm kicking your ass," Mike said tightly before jumping down.
Gabriel winced when he heard the crash and moan, following by much cursing.
Already his leg throbbed and he hadn't even jumped. Christ. It wasn't fully healed. What if the metal spike in it shattered the bone from the impact of the fall and he bled out?
It was dark below and he couldn't gauge how far away he was from the ground on the other side of the wall.
Light flickered. Mike lit his lighter, giving Gabriel a clear view of the garden ground.
Gabriel launched himself. He dropped eight feet, getting snagged by thorns on the way down. Mike, bless his big heart, broke his fall.
They tumbled into a heap of arms and legs with a grunted "oomph".
"Fuck," Gabe panted, his head feeling a bit scrambled. "Thanks."
Mike shoved him off his body and sat up, his shoulder-length wavy hair a leaf-strewn mess. "Yeah-yeah. Just don't try to kiss me in gratitude."
Gabriel rose to his hands and knees and snorted a laugh. "Don't you wish."
He dusted off his clothes, wincing at the burning sensation in various parts of his body here and there. Mike lifted his arms with a grimace marring his face. Gabriel saw the welts of blood welling upon his skin. The deep scratches covered his forearms as well. He could just imagine his face.
"We're going to look like hell for our show tomorrow."
Gabe shrugged. All he cared about was getting Abby to his grandmother's house until the stupid tour was done over...unless...he quit. Let someone else become lead.
"Hey," Mike said nudging him. "Are we doing this or not?"
Gabriel nodded and walked briskly onto the garden path.
Low lights illuminated the way, around a small pond with a gazebo and through a small maze, right up to the back of the L-shaped mansion.
Most of the lights on the main floor were lit. Gabriel looked up to the second floor. In which room did that son-of-a-bitch Daniel have his wife?
Movement from the main room had him and Mike ducking behind some shrubs near a corner of the house.
Daniel lounged on the bench of the piano in the parlor as Paulina paced back and forth before him. Her voice though muffled sounded like she was angry. Daniel caressed the keys of the piano in careless indifference.
Mike prodded him again and pointed to the side of the mansion.
Gabriel followed him. They went around the side where there was more landscaping. Mike gripped a trellis that flanked one wall.
"They're down here. Let's look upstairs and see if we find her."
Gabriel nodded. He still hadn't figured out what the plan was once they found Abby. What had his brother told her? Would she even want to leave with him if Daniel had spilled the beans about his plan on divorcing her after the tour?
Now, in hindsight, he realized how much of a fucking coward he'd been. He couldn't walk away from Abby...ever. It was actually easier for him to leave the music business behind. Anything to keep Abby safe if that's what it took.
Limbs still stinging from being shredded by the Bougainvillea, they made their way up the vine-covered trellis. At least it wasn't covered by another thorn bearing plant.
Up on the second floor balcony, they tried some closed French doors, but they were locked.
Mike walked further down and tried another set of doors.
Locked.
Gabriel huffed in frustration.
Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny object. Gabriel watched in fascination as he jimmied the lock and opened one of the doors.
He grinned at his friend with newfound admiration.
"Where'd the fuck you learn to do that?" Gabe whispered.
Mike just grinned, the mirth not quite reaching his eyes.
Right.
They slipped into the darkened interior of the room. Gabriel used his phone to light the interior, searching for the bed.
They were in a sitting room of sorts. Gabriel moved deeper into the room, the light of his phone illuminating a gigantic cherry wood sleigh bad. The deep green covers were undisturbed and the scent of masculine perfume permeated the cool air circulating around him.
He turned to check on Mike and stumbled back in terror. His phone went flying away as he accidentally knocked over a wooden horse from a nearby table.
Standing in the doorway had been a woman with red hair.
"Shit," he heard Mike curse. "Can you possibly make anymore noise."
Gabriel panted, his forehead damp with sweat as he blinked in the direction he swore he saw the woman.
