Retaliation (2) ✔

E P I S O D E - 8

"Episode 8 - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"Yes, we are well. Thank you." Whispers of one sided conversation flowed through the haze of sleep.

"I was just surprised to see that. Elena recognised him. I doubt he does but he's suspicious." Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I blinked. He was in lounge; the bedroom door was left ajar. It's been a couple of weeks since we had dinner at Xavier's house. Things felt a little out of place and nothing seemed real about this set up.

Xavier called Gabe last night, asked us to come into his shop because he had something for us. He received a decorative piece from his workshop and wanted us to check it out. It was the weakest excuse to get us to his store and I refused. I didn't know what the hell he really wanted. Gabe wasn't backing down and he was going to take me with him so we weren't ambushed or separated. It was in town any ways, so he couldn't hurt us.

Stretching, I reached for my phone, I pressed the home button to check the time. It was past 11:30 but the lack of light coming from the tiny gaps in the curtain suggested that it was either snowing outside or about to. Gabe hasn't been going easy on me at all. My whole body was aching. He was teaching more hand to hand combats and we started going making daily visits to the gun range. My aim was getting better.

Rolling off the bed, I took a long warm shower, before opting for long pyjamas. Following the smell of bacon, I found him in jogging bottoms and a long sleeved dark grey t-shirt, making scrambled eggs.

"You did sausages too?" Eyes widening, my mouth watered.

"You've been really good lately. Pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion. Today we can rest. Take a trip to Xavier's store." He pulled out two plates from the cabinet.

"I want to fight back." I took a seat on the bar stool.

"We will." He severed the contents on the plates.

"You finally got in touch with Ross?" I asked, stuffing my mouth with bacon.

"I had to call Jake first. He encrypted my laptop and only his contact was on it. He got me the number. I had buy to a burner and call him." He started stuffing his own face.

I couldn't help but smile, a fluttery feeling attacked my chest. He used an electric shaver to shorten his beard. He even got a haircut but nothing too drastic. It just didn't reach his shoulders any more. The gold band on his finger stood out form his dark attire. Sometimes, it blew me away that he was mine. Even though our marriage was a fake, my feelings for him were far from that. What I felt for him was dark and dangerous.

His muscles stretched his t-shirt. I loved the of his skin under my fingertips. The uneven levels of surface because of raised scars, the rivers of veins swirled under this skin, the tightness of his muscles. I loved everything about it.

"Babe. Are you going to eat or just stare at me?" He pointed his fork at me.

"Like you don't stare at me." Rolling my eyes, I carried on eating.

Huffing, he went back to his food.

"SO!" I urged. "What did he say?"

"Oh! Yes. Ross knows that Xavier is alive." He said that in such a matter of fact way, it took me back slightly. These people faked their death to survive and now the FBI knows. If they knew, then who's to say the Mafia won't find out?

"Since when?"

"Since they got back from Maldives 3 years ago. Even though they used an alias, they didn't change their faces or anything. It's matched on national database because there's an active file for Jude Capone since the only witness who testified against him is now dead. The FBI is trying make something against him. Homeland Security is also involved as he was spent many years in different countries with questionable acquaintance.