Disclaimer: This story is of my own imagination, strange as it is. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Rating: PG-13
Chapter 6
After seeing her mom and Abigail safely on the plane at the airport the next morning, Rachel headed over to the ticket counter and bought a ticket on the next flight to Atlanta. With an hour to kill before her flight left, she located a bar and ordered a martini. She needed it, she was going to confront Martin with the evidence, and then she was going to go to the police. Why she felt she needed to confront Martin on this, she wasn?t sure, but she needed to see his face when she gave him a copy of the cassette. Rachel wasn?t stupid though; she had dropped a copy of the cassette in the mail this morning to the police. That way if Martin tried anything, the police would know whom to look for. Rachel gulped the martini down and sat back in the chair and let the alcohol do its thing. After a moment, her body began to relax. She closed her eyes and wondered where Gabriel was and what he was doing. Why did she have to fall in love with him? Rachel still couldn?t believe this was happening to her. Opening her eyes, she gasped softly. Gabriel was standing before her leaning against the bar studying her intently.
?What are you doing here, Rachel?? He asked softly.
Rachel?s mouth was dry as she stared at the gorgeous man before her. He looked terrible. She could tell he hadn?t slept; there were dark circles under his eyes. Rachel noticed his right hand was wrapped with a bandage, ?What happened?? She asked pointing to his hand.
Looking down at his bandaged hand, he shrugged, ?I had a fight with the wall in my apartment and the wall won.? He looked back up at her, ?I asked you a question, Rachel. What are you doing here??
Rachel looked away from him, her heart constricting, ?I don?t think that is any of your concern.? She said, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.
Gabriel reached out and caught her chin with his left hand and forced her to look at him. ?You will always be my concern.? He stated, his dark eyes boring into her. ?You wouldn?t be thinking of going to Atlanta to confront your husband, would you??
Rachel pulled her chin away from him and glared at him, ?So what if I am?? She spat. ?This is my problem now, and I will do as I see fit.?
Rachel stood and left the bar heading towards the boarding area for her flight. She knew Gabriel was following her, but she ignored him.
?This is not a good idea, Rachel. He?ll come after you. Do you want to leave Abigail without a mother?? Gabriel asked, his long strides quickly catching up to her.
Rachel stopped and spun on him, tears spilling down her cheeks, ?You leave Abigail out of this. You have no right!? Gabriel started to reach for her, her tears tearing him up inside. Rachel jumped back out of his reach, ?Don?t you dare touch me.? She hissed. ?Leave me alone.?
Rachel turned and walked away. This time Gabriel did not follow her. He watched her go. She was right though he had no right. He turned and left the airport. It was time for him to leave. He would return to the apartment, pack his stuff and head for Cancun. George was already there waiting for him. Five minutes later, Gabriel found himself standing in line to buy a ticket on the next flight to Atlanta. He cursed himself for his weakness, but the fact was there was no way he could leave the States until he knew that Rachel and Abigail were safe from Martin Stone. And if that meant following her to Atlanta and playing bodyguard, then he would. If it meant he had to take out Martin Stone, he would. Of course, he couldn?t let Rachel know that he was there; he would have to stay hidden.
In Atlanta, Rachel rented a car for the day. She wouldn?t be long; her return flight was for five o?clock that evening. She drove across town to Stone Enterprises and parked in the underground parking lot. Taking the elevator up to the twenty-third floor, she entered the offices where her husband worked.
?Mrs. Stone, I didn?t know you were in town.? Tina, Martin?s secretary stood as Rachel approached.
?Is he in, Tina?? Rachel asked as she began to pass Tina and head towards Martin?s door.
?He?s on a conference call, Mrs. Stone, you can?t go in there.? Tina tried to stop her.
?I
can go where ever I want.? Rachel answered as she opened Martin?s office door and walked in.
Martin sat at his desk with his feet up talking on the phone. When he saw Rachel, his face paled and he nearly fell out of his chair. ?I?ll have to call you back, Richard.? Martin said quickly and hung up. ?Rachel, what a surprise.? Martin stood as Rachel approached his large mahogany desk.
?What?s the matter, Martin? Did you think I was dead?? Rachel smiled coolly.
?Well, of course not.? Martin sputtered, clearly confused. ?Why are you in Atlanta, dear??
?I want a divorce, Martin and I want it now.? Rachel stated simply.
Martin?s handsome face hardened, ?I told you before, Rachel that I would not allow that.?
Rachel reached inside her purse and withdrew the audiocassette. Leaning across the big desk, she slapped it down in front of Martin. ?Oh, but I beg to differ.?
?What the hell is this?? Martin asked picking up the cassette.
?I believe it?s an audio recording of you hiring a hitman to kill me, my dear sweet husband.? Rachel answered sweetly.
Martin blinked and began to turn red with anger. He grabbed at his dict-a-phone and crammed the cassette in and hit the play button. His face paled again as he heard his voice coming over the player quite clearly as he made plans to have Rachel killed. He growled as he reached over and grabbed the dict-a-phone and threw it across the room. It slammed into the wall and shattered into a hundred tiny pieces.
?Oh don?t worry, I have several more copies, including the one that is on its way to the police.? Rachel smiled.
?Where the hell did you get that?? Martin turned on her.
Rachel turned to leave, ?Oh, let?s just say my guardian angel was working overtime. Goodbye, Martin, see you in prison.?
?You bitch,? Martin, screamed at her, ?I?ll get you for this! You have no idea who you?re screwing with!?
Rachel?s heart pounded in her throat as she breezed past Tina. ?I don?t think he?ll be needing you anymore, Tina.? She laughed as she sailed towards the elevators.
Martin grabbed the phone and dialed the number he?d gotten to get in touch with George. He cursed and picked up the phone and threw it against the wall when he heard the recording come on saying that the number was no longer connected.
?Tina!? Martin screamed furiously.
Tina ran into his office, clearly shaken by her boss?s anger. ?What happened Martin?? She asked.
Ignoring her question, Martin barked at her, ?Get me on the next flight home. I?ve got some unfinished business to attend to.?
Tina nodded and turned and quickly left Martin?s office, closing the door behind her.
Rachel headed towards her car exhilarated. She had Martin between a rock and a hard place. She wished that she could be a fly in his office right now watching him squirm. She unlocked her rental car door and slid inside. She still had a couple of hours to kill before her flight back, so she decided to do some shopping while she was here in Atlanta. As she left the parking structure, she never noticed Gabriel watching her from the shadows of his own rental car, nor did she pay attention when he pulled out behind her and began to follow. If Gabriel had waited fifteen more minutes, he would have seen Martin leaving the building, get in his car and head for the airport.
Chapter 7
Later that evening, Rachel pulled into the driveway of her house. After parking the car in the garage, she lugged her packages to the front door and unlocked the door. Piling the packages in the entryway, she closed the door and locked it behind her while flipping on the entryway light. Turning she made her way through the dinning area, not noticing Martin sitting in the front room in the dark. She flipped on lights as she made her way to the kitchen and got a drink of water. Martin moved to the dinning room table and sat down, laying his gun on the table before him. Rachel came out of the kitchen with the glass of water and she gasped when she saw Martin sitting at the dinning room table with the gun before him. The glass of water slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor before her.
?Hello, my dear wife. I decided it was time I came home for a visit.? Martin looked anything but friendly. His neatly cut blonde hair was combed and his mustache was trimmed. He looked like the perfect husband, except for the cold, deadly gleam in his blue eyes and the gun that lay before him.
?What are you going to do, Martin?? Rachel asked, her voice shaking slightly.
?Why, I am going to take care of what a professional should have taken care of. I am going to kill you, Rachel.? Martin stood and picked up the gun. He rounded the table and approached Rachel. Rachel stood frozen, her limbs refusing to budge.
?The police will know you did this, Martin. They will have the cassette.? Rachel tried to distract him.
Martin stopped before her and sneered, ?They will never convict me. I?ll have the best lawyer money can buy.?
Tears welled up in Rachel?s eyes, ?What happened to us, Martin? We used to love each other. What did I do to make you hate me, so??
Martin?s face softened for a moment. He reached up his left hand and caressed her cheek, wiping a tear away. ?I have forgotten how beautiful you are, Rachel.?
Rachel wanted to shrink away from his touch, but forced herself to stand still. She had to buy some time, to distract him long enough so that she could escape. Martin suddenly leaned forward and kissed her. Rachel closed her eyes and forced herself to return his kiss. He forced his tongue into her mouth, pushing Rachel against the wall. Rachel wanted to gag, but played along. She prayed that Gabriel was near by and that he would come. Martin?s left hand dropped to her side and grabbed at the hem of her dress pulling it up, he slid his hand across the back of her thigh and pulled her hips into his. Rachel gasped in disgust, but Martin took it that she liked it and continued on. His hand slip up further across her ass and began to knead it. Rachel heard the gun drop to the floor as his right hand came up and cupped her breast with the palm of his hand.
?My god, Rachel, you feel so good.? Martin was lost in his lust. He would have her one more time before he killed her.
Rachel reached her hand down between them and rubbed against his erection. She wanted to get him so excited that when she kneed him, he would be in too much pain to pursue her. She heard Martin groan. He was as hard as a rock. Rachel knew that it was now or never. If she waited any longer, he?d have her on the floor. She positioned her knee between his legs and with as much force as she could muster she brought it up hard into his crotch. Martin grunted grabbed himself and fell to the floor in pain.
?You bitch!? He groaned.
Rachel kicked her shoes off and ran for the front door. Struggling with the lock, she finally got it opened and ran outside. She could hear Martin struggling to get up, cursing. Running out into the street, Rachel saw a pair of headlights rushing at her. She screamed as the truck skidded to a halt.
?Rachel?? She heard a familiar voice.
?Gabriel!? Rachel rushed into his arms. ?It?s Martin. He?s in the house and he has a gun.?
Gabriel held her tight; her body was shaking violently against his. Anger stirred deep within him. Martin Stone was going to pay dearly. Gabriel saw movement out of the corner of his eye. His head turned just in time to see Martin staggering out of the house with his gun raised. Gabriel pushed Rachel down to the pavement as a bullet whizzed by them. Rachel screamed.
?Get in the truck.? He whispered roughly and pushed her towards the passenger door as another bullet struck the truck just above his head. ?Son of a bitch!? Gabriel growled as he looked at the bullet hole in the frame.
Gabriel looked up and saw Martin bending over and puking into the bushes and he used the opportunity to climb into the cab of the truck. Throwing it into drive, he hit the gas pedal and his tires screeched as they sped away. Glancing into the rearview mirror, Gabriel saw Martin stumble into the street and fire off a couple more rounds, but they were too far away now. He made a couple of quick turns and after a few minutes; he pulled into a parking lot and parked the truck. Turning the engine off, he turned to Rachel.
?Are you alright, cara?? He asked softly as he gathered her into his arms. Rachel pressed her face into his chest and began to cry. Gabriel held her for a long time, stroking her hair, comforting her. Finally, after she had quieted he lifted her chin to look at her face. ?Come on,? he said quietly, ?let?s go inside.?
Rachel looked around, ?Where are we??
?My apartment.? He answered and opened the driver side door. He slid out and put out his hand to help Rachel out. She took it and slid across the seat. Lacing his fingers through hers, he led her to his apartment door. Unlocking it, he led her inside, closing the door and locking it behind them. ?We will be safe here. Martin doesn?t know who I am.? Gabriel reluctantly released her hand.
Chapter 8
Rachel just stood there, her eyes staring at nothing. Gabriel fixed her a drink and brought it to her. ?Here, take a drink.?
Rachel took a sip and shuddered as the whiskey burned its way down her throat. She finally looked up at Gabriel and her heart swelled with love. ?I prayed that you would come.? She whispered after a few moments.
?I would have been there sooner, except my truck was parked in the farthest lot possible. It took me forever to get out of there.? He smiled. ?Can you tell me what happened??
Rachel shuddered at the memory of Martins hands on her body. She could still feel them on her and she felt dirty. Gabriel took the glass of whiskey away from her and sat it down. ?Talk to me, cara. What did that bastard do to you??
Rachel looked up into Gabriel?s face; she saw vengeance in his eyes. ?He touched me.? Rachel began. She saw Gabriel stiffen and hurried on, ?I think he would have raped me, but I kneed him. That?s how I got away.? She finished.
Gabriel chuckled softly, ?So that?s why he was puking in the bushes.? His smile faded as he thought about Martin?s hands on Rachel. He reached out his hand and caressed her cheek. Rachel leaned her face into his hand. ?He?ll never hurt you again, cara. This is my vow to you.?
Gabriel couldn?t help himself he pulled her close. To have her near and not be able to touch her was more than he could bear. ?Rachel.? He whispered into her hair. Then he heard the words he thought he never would hear.
?Make love to me, Gabriel. I need you tonight.?
Gabriel needed no further prompting; he swept her up into his arms and carried her to his bed. He laid her down and attacked her mouth with a vengeance. Gabriel couldn?t wait his need was too great. His hands trembled as he swept her underwear away. Rachel seemed to be just as desperate as she tried to help him fumble with his pants. His pants down, he pushed her dress up over her hips and thrust deep inside her. Moments later they both cried out and Gabriel collapsed on top of Rachel. Rachel wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Gabriel lifted his head and kissed her.
?Sorry. I didn?t mean to be so quick.? He said softly.
?It?s alright. I needed it that way.? Gabriel smiled and rolled away. Rachel heard a thud and cursing.
?Gabriel, are you alright?? She asked as she reached for the bedside lamp. Switching it on, she saw Gabriel sitting on the floor next to the bed and she began to giggle.
?It?s not funny.? Gabriel growled. He still had his shirt on and his pants and boxers were pushed down around his boots. Rachel fell back onto the bed and howled with laughter. Gabriel smiled, her laughter sounded beautiful to him. He pulled his boots off and his pants. Standing up, he pulled his shirt off. Rachel gasped at seeing the beauty of his body. He helped her remove her dress and they both slid under the covers. Gabriel made love to Rachel again, but this time he took it slow, bring her to climax several times, before seeking his own release. Finally, they lay spent, entwined in each other?s arms.
?I love you, Rachel.? Gabriel whispered as Rachel drifted off to sleep.
