Find me

Chapter 38

Gabriel POV

Aria and I just started watching the second Harry Potter movie when my dad barged into the house.

Aria flinched, not expecting the noise. I wrapped my arms around her tighter.

“It’s okay.” I whispered to her. “It’s just dad.”

Dad’s eyes found Aria, and he breathed out in relief.

“Hi, my baby.” dad said, walking toward us and reaching out for her. “Can I hold you, please?”

He looked broken. He looked angry. He looked like he’d been to hell and back.

What the fuck happened? What the fuck did he find out at the station?

Aria nodded, and dad sat next to us. He picked her up, placed her on his lap, and hugged her as tightly as he could.

“Oh, my little girl.” dad mumbled. “I love you so much. Nobody will ever hurt you again, I promise. I will always be here. Your dad will always be here. I will protect you until my last breath, I promise.”

Dad kept rocking her back and forth, kissing the top of her head, and running his fingers through her hair.

“Is everything okay?” she asked him softly.

“Everything is okay now that I have my baby in my arms.” dad said, kissing the top of her head again.

Aria glanced at me worriedly.

I was worried as well. What the fuck happened?

“Did my parents say something?” Aria asked quietly.

“They are not your parents, baby.” dad said, tightening his arms around her. “I am your dad.”

Aria took a deep breath and hugged our dad tighter.

“I know, I’m sorry.” she said. “I’m just used to calling them that.”

“I know, baby, I know.” dad sighed. “You don’t have to apologize, but I do have to tell you that those monsters aren’t your parents. I am your dad. Me. Not that fucker who hurt you.”

Aria glanced at me again.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Dad?” I called him softly. “What happened?”

Dad looked at me, but instead of answering, he reached out and pulled me into a hug.

“My bud.” dad mumbled, kissing the top of my head. “I love you, buddy.”

“I love you too, dad.” I said as I tried to get out of his grip. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Nothing.” dad sighed. “I just missed my kids, that’s all.”

Aria and I exchanged worried glances. Yeah, right. Something happened. They said something to piss my dad off.

“What do you want to eat, baby?” dad asked Aria as he stopped hugging us. “I promised that we would make lunch together.”

Aria looked up at him and shrugged.

“I don’t know.” she said, looking at me. “What would you like to eat, Gabriel?”

“He’s just going to say...” dad sighed, but I interrupted him.

“Pizza.” I grinned, finishing the sentence instead of my dad.

“I knew it.” dad sighed again, making Aria chuckle.

“It’s the best food ever.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“It’s not healthy.” dad complained.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Aria chuckled again.

“What do you say, baby?” dad asked, kissing Aria’s temple. “Pizza or something healthy?”

Aria looked at me and smiled. I winked at her.

“Pizza.” she said, looking back at dad.

“I knew it.” dad rolled his eyes playfully. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on? You two against me?”

“Yes.” I said, grinning. “I finally have someone on my side.”

Dad rolled his eyes again and kissed Aria’s cheek.

“Go get changed, baby.” dad said softly.

She was still in her pajamas.

Aria nodded and stood up.

“We will wait for you in the kitchen.” dad told her.

She nodded again, gave us a small smile, and walked away.

As soon as I heard her bedroom door close, I turned to look at my dad.

“What did they say?” I asked, clenching my fists.

Whatever it was, it broke my dad. I saw how badly he was hurt. I saw how much he needed to hold her. I saw his pain.

Dad sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. I noticed that his hand was a little red and swollen.

“Did you hit him?” I asked, staring at his right fist.

Dad flinched and looked down at his hand.

“Shit.” he mumbled. “I can’t let Aria see this. She will be scared of me. I can’t let that happen.”

His voice broke and he stood up, walking away.

I followed him to the kitchen.

He opened the fridge and grabbed an ice pack, placing it on his right hand.

“What did he say, dad?” I asked coldly.

I was getting more and more pissed off. My dad was a very calm man. Whatever the fucker said must have been terrible. My dad would have never punched him if it wasn’t.

“I don’t want you to hear that, bud.” dad mumbled.

“Did they tell you why they took her?” I asked. “What did they say, dad?”

Dad took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“They kept saying that she was their daughter.” he mumbled. “They kept saying that they didn’t take her.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. That didn’t sound like something my dad would hit the fucker for. I would, but not my dad. He was a lot calmer than me.

“Is that why you hit him?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“No.” dad mumbled, looking up at me.

I sighed and narrowed my eyes at him.

“Why then?” I asked.

Dad took a deep breath and looked back down at his hand. He tightened his jaw and closed his eyes.

“They wouldn’t tell me who took her.” he mumbled. “I told them that if they ever felt anything for her, they would tell me. I asked them to protect her from any more harm. I thought that maybe they loved that little girl just a little bit. I thought that...”

Dad’s voice broke, and he stopped talking. He took a deep breath and looked up at me.

“The fucker looked me in the eyes and told me that he did feel something for her.” dad said, gritting his teeth. “He told me that he felt that she would make a perfect little fucktoy. He told me that he would enjoy hearing her scream and beg him to stop.”

Oh, he was dead.

I was going to kill the fucker.

Dad clenched his fists and tightened his jaw to the point that I thought he would break it.

“I am going to kill him.” I said, not recognizing my own voice.

The anger exploded inside of me, and it fueled me up. I was ready to go to the station and strangle the life out of him. I would enjoy hearing him scream and beg. I would laugh in his stupid face as I watched him die.

“The fucker had the nerve to say that to my face.” dad said, slamming the ice pack down on the counter. “He had the nerve to look her father in the eyes and say that.”

I clenched my fists and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, a sickening thought came to me.

Did she tell us the truth when she said that he never touched her?

“Dad?” I called him, my voice trembling.

“Yes, bud?” he said, trying to control his anger.

“Do you think that she told us the truth when she said that he never touched her?” I asked him, tightening my jaw.

Dad’s eyes widened. He clenched his fists and tightened his jaw even more.

“I don’t know, bud.” he mumbled. “We will ask her again.”

“We need to be careful, dad.” I said. “We can’t hurt her. We can’t push her away.”

Dad took a deep breath and nodded.

“I know, buddy.” he said softly. “We won’t.”

I nodded just as we heard quiet footsteps approaching the kitchen.

Aria walked inside with a small smile on her face.

“Hi, baby.” dad said, reaching out for her.

She walked into his arms, and he buried his nose in her hair.

“Are you ready?” he asked her. “We have a lot of work to do, and we can’t count on your brother to help. He will blow something up, and I would like to keep my kitchen intact.”

Aria chucked, and I rolled my eyes.

“It’s pizza, dad.” I sighed. “There’s not much for me to blow up while making pizza.”

“I don’t know, bud.” dad said teasingly. “I think that somehow you would make the dough blow up. I can already see my kitchen covered in it.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled Aria to me. I kissed the top of her head. I needed it. I needed to feel her so I could calm down a little.

“Come on, sis.” I said, taking her hand and pulling her to the kitchen table. “Let’s start on the dough. Don’t listen to this big grump.”

Aria chuckled again and looked at dad. He winked at her and turned around to open the fridge.

I held my sister’s hand tightly in mine.

Did she tell us the truth? Did the fucker touch her? Did he hurt her like that?

I would find out. I would make sure that he paid for what he did. I would protect her from him and everyone else.

She was my sister, my twin.

They messed with the wrong man.