Poker Face ✔

Chapter 6

It was around two am when we arrived in London. At night, the city was beautiful, the bright buildings were always my favourite part of visiting London. However, that morning we weren't their for the view, but for business.

"So where do we start?" I fold my arms.

"We're not gonna be able to find him this morning," Gabe told me. "We might as well check into a hotel and start when the sun rises"

I shook my head violently. "My family will be here by sunrise"

"How could they? They don't know you dad's here" Gabe pointed out. "They have no idea which plane you boarded"

"They will" I assured.

Uncle Nate was always five steps ahead of the rest of us. I knew that would find me.

"So what's your plan?" Gabe cocked a brow, "search all the casinos in town until we find him?"

"Do you have a better one?" I raised my brows.

"Yes" he nodded, "how about we get some sleep and look for him in the when the sun comes up"

My family will be here by morning. Sleep isn't worth it. I haven't slept in days and I'm not planning on it until we find him.

"I haven't slept in days," I admitted, "And I'm not gonna start now"

"Taylor, your not gonna find him right this second" Gabe firmed his voice.

"You don't know that!" I exclaimed.

"Come on, you'll feel a lot better once you get some sleep" he placed his warm hand onto my shoulder.

"I can't sleep," I told him honestly but he just looked at me with a confused expression. "I haven't been able to sleep since Jason was killed, I've been relying on sleeping pills since the funeral"

My cousin Jason and I were partners in crime. Everyone had a family member with whom they pulled most of their jobs with. Usually, whoever they worked best with. They didn't send me out into the field too often, but when I did, it was always with Uncle Nate's son Jason.

I couldn't sleep after he was murdered. My thoughts would start racing whenever I laid in bed, confronted by the overwhelming sound of silence. That's when I started taking the pills in secret. I knew my family would judge me or try to take them from me, as per uncle Nate's strict no drug rule.

"Oh" Gabe nodded slowly, "well how about you check into the hotel and I'll go get you some sleeping pills?"

Gabe said it so casually, like its no big deal but to me it was. No one in my family knew about my insomnia or the anxiety I got whenever I was out in the field.

"I'll meet you at the hotel down the road," I nodded slowly, stunned by his lack of reaction. "I'll use the name Mr and Mrs Murphy"

Murphy was the alias Jason and I would use whenever we would go undercover. Old habits die hard.

"Alright, see you in about twenty or so minutes," he said as we begin to walk separate way.

Gabriello doesn't seem so bad. Is that wrong of me to think? After all, he's the enemy. He comes from along like of ruthless mobsters. The Ashton's are crooks, but we don't kill unless we have to. 

Gabriel was different.

I had heard other name Gabriello Larrunzario ever since I was a kid, he had been in and out of jail since he was twelve for all sorts of crimes. He most likely had killed a man but he didn't have the eyes of a killer — that's what makes him truely dangerous.

I checked into the hotel. I was placed on the sixth floor, room 324 and I told them to leave a key card at the desk for my 'husband'.

I slipped my key card into the slot than pushed the door open. I flicked the light switch, allowing myself to observe my surroundings. I shut the door then took a deep breath. The room was carpeted and contained a bathroom near the entrance, a wooden desk about ten feet away from the queen size bed, and two nightstands on both sides of the bed.

I dropped Gabriello's suitcase near the entrance. My duffle bag was in a locker at JFK airport, I brought half the money and a fake passport/ID but the rest I left at the airport - Just in case I need to make a quick escape.

I stood at the tail of the bed than just dropped on to the cold quilt. I looked up at the white ceiling.

Dad, what the hell have you gotten yourself into. I thought.

After a ten minutes, the door swings up, forcing me to sit up quickly.

"You took your time" I snapped coldly.

"It's hard finding a store" Gabe admitted, throwing me the tubes of sleep pills and a bottle of ice tea. "Are you hungry? I can get dinner"

He stands there calmly, his voice soft and almost caring?

"No...thank you," I shook my head, twisting the cap off and quickly grabbing a few pills. "The sooner I go to bed, the sooner I'll wake up," I said as placing the pills onto my tongue than sipping the tea before swallowing hard.

"Alright, fine," Gabe nodded, walking to the bed, taking a seat beside me and began removing his shoes.

"What do you think you're doing?" I glared at him viciously.

If he thinks he's sleeping in the same bed as me, he has another thing coming.

"Getting ready for bed" he said simply.

"Your sleeping here?" I arch my brow.

"Would you rather me sleep on the floor?" He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah actually" I folded my arms.

If my family found out that I slept in the same bed as a Larrunzario, they would have killed me.

"Fine" he rolled his eyes, grabbing a pillow from the bed, "I'll take the floor"

Gabriello walked over to the door and shut the light. He then removed his T-shirt before dropping to the floor beside my bed.  He slept shirtless with only a white hotel pillow and his jeans. It was like he was teasing me but I was one who doesn't get teased easily. Even though he was handsome, and his body was chiseled — he was the enemy.

As I felt the effects of the sleeping pills, I laid down on my back and squeezed my eyelids shut.

I was surprised that Gabriel didn't put up more of a fight for the bed. I wondered if he didn't mind sleeping on the floor or perhaps he was just used to losing battles? Neither would surprise me in the Larrunzario household.

That's what I was thinking about until the sleeping pills eventually knocked me unconscious.