Love Roulette

42

Forty-Two
GUNNER

My sister has been awfully quiet which is understandable, but I can tell there is something she wants to say. She might possibly know something, but I don't want to scare her into telling me, she can't even look me in the eye without shaking and it doesn't help my whole body is tattooed which means she's intimidated.

"Gabriella," I say her name as gently as I can but the deepness of my voice still startles her. She casts me a wary look, playing with her fingers and looking anywhere but at me. Her breathing begins to increase as her eyes dart around every single man in this room.

"D-Delilah." She whispers with wide, blue eyes.

My back straightens and I shuffle a little closer. "What about Delilah, Gabriella?" I whisper.

"He was planning to take us back to Spain, i-if he's taken her, that's where they'll be." I want to wrap her in the tightest hug but I know I can't.

"I-Is that where you've been all these years?" My voice cracks midway through the sentence. Gabriella gives a subtle nod. "Do you... Do you know who I am to you?"

Her throat bobs up and down and she wrings her wrists, finally looking me in the eye. "You're my brother." I run my hands down my face and I can't help but smile.

"You're safe now, Gabriella. You know that right? I'll do everything I can to get you better." I open the palm of my hands up but make no move to grab a hold of her hands. I'll let her make the first move. She stares down at my open palms and she eventually places her small frail hands in my large ones.

"S-Safe." She whimpers. "N-No-one will hurt me a-anymore?" My eyes sting with tears.

"I won't let anyone hurt you anymore, Ella. That's a promise." She lets out a painful sob and rolls her lips, nodding her head. Her hands squeeze mine and I squeeze hers back with a reassuring smile.

Suddenly, the room fills with the sound of Mason's phone ringing and as I look over my shoulder I catch him glancing down at the screen with s harsh frown. "Who is it?"

I stand up and walk over to him.

"Unknown number. What if it's Delilah?"

"Well, you won't know if you don't answer it, brother." Miller pats him on the back, nodding to his phone for him to answer before it's too late.

He answers and we all stay silent.

Heavy breathing comes from the other side and I step closer, waiting. My heart is racing.

"M-Mason?" It's her.

Oh my fucking God!

"Delilah, where are you?" Mason questions over the sound of her heavy breathing that sounds quite erratic. She sounds like she can barely breathe. "Baby?!" He says in a frantic voice, staring at the screen with wide eyes.

"I-I...Fuck, Mason, I think I'm gonna die." I think my whole heart stops. "I-I'm bleeding out s-so, so bad and m-my hearing—" She starts sobbing and Mason looks traumatised at her response.

"You're not dying, baby. Where is Damien?" Mason swallows, putting on a brave face. When I take a glance at Phoenix I notice how looks quite concerned at hearing the sound of my girl.

"Dead. I think. Fuck, I d-don't know. I-I shot him a few times but then the building fucking e-exploded." She coughs after her sentence and I can hear the sound of sirens in the background. "T-There are police everywhere and I can't tell i-if they work for him or not."