Love Roulette

37

Thirty-Seven
DELILAH

Gunner has always been the calmest one out of all of us. No matter the situation, he's managed to keep his head screwed on. Right up until now.

I have no idea what the phone call he just had entailed, but my guess is that it's not good because Mason and I are standing to the side watching as Gunner trashes up the office.

"When should we intervene?" I whisper to Mason as he watches with wide eyes and an open mouth. "I think we should do it soon because he looks about ready to pick up your desk and throw it at us."

"Gunner." Is all Mason says but it's too quiet for Gunner to hear over his rampage. "Gunner!" Mason exclaims over the sound of the printer smashing to smithereens against the wall.

Mason places himself in front of me so I peek around his body to see Gunner's chest heaving as he takes a short break from the chaos around him.

"Gunner, what's happened?" Mason questions him cautiously. The playful aura of Mason has completely disappeared as we both watch the man we love have some sort of breakdown.

It's only when the room has fallen into a silence that I can hear what keeps repeatedly falling past his pink lips.

"Gabriella, Gabriella, Gabriella." A frown falls on my own face.

Why is he repeating his late sister's name?

I move around Mason's tall frame and step forward, making sure to keep some distance from myself and Gunner. Now that I'm closer I can see that his eyes are red and built with tears, his tanned cheeks are flushed red and the dark hair on his head is a mess from the amount of time he's threaded his fingers through it.

"Gabriella, Gabriella, Gabriella. Alive...alive, she's alive." I can't stop the gasp from escaping my mouth at what he's just uttered.

"Gunner, what do you mean Gabriella is alive?" He finally looks at me and I'm taken by surprise when he throws himself at me and cries. He drops to his knees, taking me down with him and I try my best to comfort him. Gunner sobs into my neck and I feel Mason crouch down next to me and wrap an arm around him.

I silently question Mason with my eyes about what Gunner has just said, but all he does is worry his bottom lip looking painfully at the man who is sobbing into my neck.

"It's okay, Gunner," I whisper gently, but I think this has him crying harder.

I pull back slightly and grasp his tear-stricken face between my hands and brush my thumbs under his eyes. "Why are you crying, baby? That's usually my thing these days." I joke lightly and wait for him to calm down before he speaks. "Who was on the phone? Let's start with that."

"Felix." Gunner rasps and I nod my head, giving him a reassuring smile to tell him I'm listening.

"And what did he say?"

Gunner lets out a pained cry, looking up at the ceiling with his arms still tight around me and it doesn't seem like he's letting go anytime soon.

"Gunner, it's okay." Mason encourages him with a warm smile, his deep brown eyes filled with worry. "Talk to us. We love you and we'll be here for you."

Gunner's panicked face softens as he looks at Mason and he nods his head in understanding, taking a second to compose himself.

"I-I asked Felix the guest list for this game of Roulette next week, and he told me it was us, Damien, Alonso a-and... and Gabriella." His jaw tics and he looks down toward the ground.

"But Gabriella is dead. It could possibly be a sick joke, Gunner. Alonso and Damien want to wind us up as much as possible and they're succeeding." I reason but Gunner disagrees and shakes his head, standing up, and pulling me with him.    
"Fuck." He grunts, walking over to the cabinet that survived his outburst and rips the door open with his free arm — the other still being wrapped tight around me. I've also got Mason clutching onto one of my hands.