When he comes back into the bedroom fifteen minutes later, I’m sitting innocently on his massive bed. Deciding that leaving this room would be a good idea, I ask, “Now, how about that grand tour?”
Chapter 6
Gabriel
As we’re walking throughout the house and grounds, I notice that Anna seems genuinely interested. “Jeez, you look like you’re interested in buying the place.”
She glances at me with a blank look on her face. “No . . . but, my parents are in the market. It’d be useful to give them some input on what I think about the style of Miami homes.”
Yeah, that’s right, her parents are house hunting. I squeeze her hand. “Dinner’s probably ready.”
“So, how’d it go with Max?” she asks with a concerned expression on her beautiful face, her dark brows puckered.
I cringe inwardly, thinking back on my earlier conversation by the pool with Max. He said that I couldn’t keep walking all over him, expecting forgiveness. He asked me again to let him have Anna, since he wanted her for more than a fling. I told him that she wasn’t just a fling to me either. He didn’t believe me when I told him that from the moment I saw her at the club, I haven’t been able to think of anything but her. He asked if I even cared how he felt about her. I told him that there was nothing I could do. Anna was given two options and she went with me. I asked him if he really wanted a girl if he was her second choice. He then cursed at me and stormed off.
“It went fine,” I tell Anna, but she gives me a compassionate, knowing look.
When we get to the dining room my mom is already seated. She stands up when she sees us and holds out her hand to Anna. “Hello, I’m Gabriel’s mother, Mrs. Sanchez.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Anna Walker,” Anna greets her, shaking my mom’s hand.
“Oh wow, she’s beautiful Gabriel. You should keep this one,” my mom says with a wink. Wow, real subtle mom.
“I plan to, mother,” I reply through clenched teeth, thinking I was smart in the past by avoiding introducing any girls to my mom. I look at Anna and she has a smartass smirk on her face.
“Come, sit next to me, Anna. I want to hear all about you,” my mom says and I see the smirk leave Anna’s face. Now it’s my turn to give her the smartass grin. After dinner is served, my mom asks Anna, “So, tell me about your parents.”
Anna takes on a friendly air as she begins, “We just moved here from Hong Kong. We’re originally from Seattle, but have moved all over the world for my father’s business interests.”
“What does he do?” my mom asks, just as I’m wondering the same thing. Nosy moms can be useful after all.
“He buys failing companies, reorganizes them and then sells them for profit. He also invests in real estate,” Anna explains. My mom smiles and nods at Anna, but I’ve been watching Anna throughout this spiel and I sense that this is a rehearsed speech. But why would she feel the need to lie? She isn’t poor, staying at one of the most expensive hotels in Miami and driving a freaking Lamborghini. Who is Anna really? What is she hiding? Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m reading too much into something that’s actually nothing. This serious relationship thing is tricky.
Annabelle
Gabriel and I’ve been hanging out for a week now and each day I fall harder for him. Gabriel’s file said that he was a bit of a jerk, but I think you really have to get to know him to appreciate his sense of humor. He’s incredibly sweet to me, even if he likes to tease me. Whenever I pretend to be upset by his teasing, he coddles me and says, “Oh, I’m sorry, baby.” This feeling of being cared for is addicting. So is being with Gabriel. We spend all of our free time together, doing everything and nothing.
Max seems to have forgiven Gabriel in the past few days and they’re cool again. I’ve apologized to Max myself and he’s even hung out with us a couple of times. Gabriel says that he’s already found the new love of his life. Max claims that no one can replace me. Uh-huh, sure.
Halloween is next week and he wants us to get costumes and celebrate the holiday together. The only time I’ve ever celebrated Halloween was when I was eight and Jackson was ten. Jackson surprised me with a Disney Princess costume, I think it was Snow White, and took me trick-or-treating. Every other year, we were in countries with Simon where we were too busy to trick-or-treat, or the natives just didn’t celebrate it.
“So, what do you want to go as?” Gabriel asks me from the opposite side of a rack as we’re browsing through a gigantic Halloween store.
“Um, I’m not sure.” Unthinkingly, I tell him, “The only time I ever celebrated Halloween, I went as a cartoon character. I’m too old for that now.”
“The only time?” he asks with his eyebrows raised. Dammit! This is not the first time I’ve let information slip that seems odd to him. Whenever I do, Gabriel just raises his eyebrows and makes a skeptical comment or teases, but doesn’t dig further.
Like yesterday, when he asked me if I was in love with some guy like every other teenage girl. I asked who the guy was and he teased me and made me promise that I wasn’t really a man in disguise. I later found out through Google that the guy is some famous actor. I can’t seem to help these little slips; I’m just too comfortable around him. I should have played along like I knew who that person was and claimed to have the guy’s picture on my desktop.
As I look at the costumes for women, I ask him, “Why do all of these costumes look like they’re for prostitutes?” I point to a few of them. “You’ve got hooker witch, hooker fairy, just plain hooker, hooker angel . . . hey! I guess ugly people in heaven need love too, huh? Jeez, you’d think it’d at least be free up there.”
Gabriel puts an arm around my waist and kisses me. “You have a naughty mind, Anna.”
“You have no idea,” I tell him, thinking about some of the thoughts I’ve had involving me, Gabriel and whip cream. “If all the other girls are going to dress as hookers, I have to one-up them. I can’t have any of them looking sexier than me. I’ll just wear a bra, panties, thigh-highs stockings and throw on a tiara. I can call myself a princess.”
“If you do that, I’ll have to lock you up in my room so no other guys see you,” Gabriel growls possessively. In response, I shiver. “No one else sees my hooker in her undies.” I should have seen that remark coming.
I lower my voice, “And I wouldn’t mind being locked up in your man cave. But I think I’ll just go with this hooker fallen angel costume. I look good in black. Plus, I think it’s perfect for me.” The costume comes with a black and white dress, a front lace-up bodice, black wings, a pair of gloves and a halo headband. I’ll just add a pair of fishnet stockings and some black heeled boots to complete the ensemble. Jackson will definitely have a laugh at my expense. The hater!
Gabriel hugs me to him. “Well, I think the white and silver costume here would suit you fine, because you’re my angel.” He’s pulls a traditional angel costume off the rack in front of us.
I start laughing. “Wow Gabriel, that was so . . . lame.”
He scowls. “See if I’m sweet to you again.”
I reach up and pat his cheek. “Oh baby, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Tugging me up against his chest, he squeezes hard. “Well, next time you better appreciate it then. Come on, I have to find a costume to go with yours.” How cute, he wants to match.
We look in the male section and he holds up a costume. “Look, since you’re going to be a fallen angel hooker, how about I get this ‘Pimp Devil’ costume?”
I make a disgusted face in the direction of the costume. “If you get that, I’m not going out with you. It’s hideous.”
He places it back on the rack. “All right, I’ll go with this one called ‘Handsome Devil’. That’s me after all.”
I kiss him on the cheek and grab his costume to take it up to the cash register. “You are a handsome devil.” His costume includes a full length red satin cape, brocade vest with attached black lace jabot and jeweled medallion, black gloves a
nd vinyl devil horns. Not too tacky.
After checking out, while walking out to his car Gabriel stops me on the sidewalk with a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, my dad’s going to be home on Halloween, so my mom is throwing a big party with all their friends. She wanted me to ask you to come so you can meet my dad.” I tense up, my fantasy erupting. As always, he senses my emotions. “What’s wrong, Anna?”
Making myself relax visibly, I calmly tell him, “Nothing, I’d love to meet your father.” I’m lost in my thoughts as we drive to his house. It’s back to reality. During the last week with Gabriel, I’ve been able to pretend that I’m just a normal teenage girl, crushing on her boyfriend. Hearing that Xavier Sanchez is coming back to town is a dose of reality that I badly needed. Halloween will be our last night together. That’s one more week that I’ll have with a guy I’ll never forget. I turn my face to look out the window while I fight back stupid tears. It was nice while it lasted.
Gabriel
Anna acted a little weird after I told her that she was going to meet my dad on Halloween. This last week has been the happiest of my life. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. I always thought that being serious with a girl meant you were whipped. I think my dad will like her, because all men can appreciate a beautiful female. Plus, my dad admires strength and Anna is the toughest girl that I know. I mean, she carries knives on her regularly. She says it’s so that she can protect herself, because you never know. My father likes people who can take care of themselves, instead of relying on others, which is why he had me study martial arts growing up.
I think she’ll like him too since my dad’s a people person. I get my charming personality from him. It’s helped him get a long way in business. He’s also a hard worker, always traveling, looking for new business opportunities. He’s worked hard so his family can have a good life. My dad also leaves us with bodyguards, so my mom and I are safe while he’s away. Of course, he also keeps the bodyguards around when he’s here. He used to have security drive me to school and even posted outside of my school when I was younger, but I put a stop to that once I got to high school. My mom still always has at least one bodyguard with her when she leaves the house, usually to drive her. I guess there are a lot of creeps out there who would kidnap the wife or child of a wealthy businessman.
Anna still doesn’t talk much about her past. Sometimes though, she makes comments that make me think that she’s had an unusual childhood. I mean, she’s traveled more than anyone else I know our age. Her parents give her a lot of freedom too. She never has a curfew and they never make her call to check in. And I thought I had easy parents. It must have been kind of boring for her growing up with no siblings, though. At least I had Max, who has always been more of a brother than a cousin.
Max seems to have come to terms with Anna choosing me. He’s actually having fun teasing me about having a serious girlfriend. I tell him that I’m still a player, but I’ll just be playing with one girl from now on.
And I mean it when I say that I plan on keeping Anna. Every day I spend with her is better than the last. I don’t want to be premature in this, but I think I’m falling in love with her. I think she was as much of a player as I was before we got together, so I’ll keep things light for now. Not that I like the thought of her being a player. When the time is right, I’ll tell her how I feel. The way I figure it, we have all the time in the world.
Chapter 7
Annabelle
After shopping with Gabriel, when I get back to the hotel and enter the suite Jackson is on the couch watching some reality show on MTV. I see some guy hit a girl on the face on the show. I’d like to teach her how to hit him back hard enough so he doesn’t try that again. “This is getting pathetic, Jacks. I’ve never seen you watch so much TV.”
“I’m so bored, Annie. I’m not used to this long of a break in between jobs.” He looks like a sloth lying on the sofa like that, with take-out cartons on the coffee table and the remote balanced on his stomach.
“Well, why don’t you call Simon and tell him you’re available?” I suggest, wishing he’d leave and not be here to bear witness to my stupidity with Gabriel.
He looks at me through narrowed eyes. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I have a feeling that I should stick around here and keep an eye on you. You’ve been acting strange.”
Crap! “What are you talking about, Jackson? I’ve been on my own for a long time now, I don’t need a babysitter.” Setting my shopping bag on a chair, I act as if nothing’s the matter.
“I know that, but do you usually walk around with a smile on your face after you spend time with a target?” he speculates condescendingly.
“Gabriel is the target’s son and I am not walking around with a smile on my face.” The last thing I want is Jackson knowing that I’ve developed feelings for Gabriel. I trust him not to tell Simon, but other than that I don’t know how he’d react.
“So you aren’t falling for him?” he asks while keeping eye contact with me.
I sigh as if annoyed. “Jacks, I’m just enjoying doing regular teenage stuff.”
“Are you thinking about quitting the killing biz and living a normal life?” He practically chokes on the last words. Jackson loves being an assassin as much as I do.
I laugh at that. “Are you kidding me? I think I’d get bored pretty quickly, just like you are now.”
“Okay,” he says slowly, seeming to accept my words. “As long as that’s all it is, how about we spend some quality brother and sister time together?”
I smile knowingly. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I could use a little exercise.” He grins mischievously.
“I’m up for it, and yeah, you could use it.” I’m practically jumping in anticipation. “I just need to change.”
Less than an hour later, I’m walking alone on the streets of one of the worst neighborhoods in Miami. I’ve changed into jeans, a tank top and leather jacket. It’s not too hot in the evenings this time of year, so I’m okay with using the leather jacket to hide my weapons. Though, I probably won’t need them.
Seeing a group of five tough-looking guys across the street, I cross so that I’ll walk right past them. While doing so, I make sure to not even look their way. I want to be sure that they deserve what’s coming to them, if they do what I think they’ll do.
And they do it. Only a few feet past them, one of them calls out, “Hey sexy, why don’t you come back and hang out with us?”
I grin evilly before turning around, my face now expressing innocence and a hint of fear, bait for the predators. Who’s afraid of the big bad hoodlum? “No thank you,” I answer shakily then continue walking. One, two, three. Someone grabs me from behind.
The grabber whispers in my ear, “I think you should change your mind.”
Pretending to struggle, my voice conveys suitable panic, “And I think you should let me go.” The thrill of giving jackasses what they deserve never gets old.
“Fine, we’ll do this the hard way,” he says and drags me into an alley, with the rest of the guys following, my fear exciting them.
I’m still pretending to struggle pathetically when Jackson arrives at the entrance of the alley. Making a tsking sound, he warns them, “Unless you all want to get your asses kicked, I suggest you let the girl go.”
“Fuck off before we beat the shit out of you!” one of them yells at Jackson.
“You asked for it.” Jackson shrugs negligently, playing his part.
“I agree,” I say, causing the guy holding me to squeeze tighter.
Jackson brings both of his hands up in the air and lifts on leg, doing the famous The Karate Kid pose to make me laugh. His favorite movie when he was little. The thugs start laughing too and the one holding me yells, “Piss off, punk!”
“Quit playing around Jackson, this guy smells bad,” I joke. This is so much fun.
“Ready when you are,” he says.
“Okay, but play fair this time. No che
ating,” I warn him. “Now!”
The thugs look confused until I do a back head butt on the guy holding me. He stumbles back, screaming, “You bitch!” Uh-huh, I’ve heard that before, in many languages.
I spin around and hit him on the nose with the heel of my hand. Then I kick him hard enough in the gut for him to fall back against the wall of the building. I walk over to where he’s slouched over in a daze and grab him by his greasy hair. Kneeing him in the face, he’s down for the count.
“I’ve got one down!” I shout out to Jackson, wiping my hand on the material of my jeans. So gross!
“No fair! The other four are all coming at me!” Jackson shouts back. Then he says in a mock-distressed voice, “I’m scared!” The bad guys always see Jackson as more of a threat than me. Big mistake.
I take a few moments to watch my brother work. Focused, he kicks one, while backhanding another. It makes a little sister proud. Every time he gets one on the ground, another one is coming at him.
“I want to be just like you when I grow up!” I yell at Jackson, laughter in my voice.
He laughs in a short burst, starting to get tired. “How about being like me right now?”
Sighing loudly, I act put out. “Oh, all right, if you really need me to save you.”
“Watch this!” I shout and grab a big guy around the neck from behind, in a chokehold. I’m using my other arm to twist one of his arms behind his back. Unfortunately, that leaves his other hand free to claw at the one I’m using to choke him out. I twist his arm more, almost to the point of breaking it. When he finally passes out from lack of oxygen less than a minute later, I let his body drop to the ground. What a weakling. Simon taught Jackson and me to hold our breath for up to two minutes. Of course, I didn’t give the guy enough warning to take a deep breath. Something to try in the future . . . .