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Chapter 21
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2024-04-03 14:18:05
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The Life Sacrifice Chapter 22
GABRIEL The look of confusion on my followers' faces when we didn't head in the direction they expected was priceless. I'm surprised it took them this long to question the early morning outing seeing as how nothing was open this early except maybe cafes. But I'd decided to throw them off the scent entirely by waking them myself and inviting them to join me. Of course, I never told them we were going back to the catacombs; they just assumed since I'd made mention of finishing up my tour—a bit misleading but not an outright lie. But I'm sure they knew the place didn't open this early. They were even more flustered when the driver pulled onto the tarmac where the jet was waiting. I pretended not to notice their shared looks when the jammer in my pocket blocked them from making any calls. I'm sure they suspected me of sabotage, but what were they going to do? Of the five of us, only one of us is a level ten grandmaster, and besides, I'm the boss's son, they wouldn't dare lay a
Last Updated : 2024-04-03The Life Sacrifice Chapter 23
GABRIEL "Tell me!" If I were sitting down, I'd be at the edge of my seat. The fact that I'd imagined just this scenario wasn't lost on me. From the time I found out that she'd disappeared and when I'd tried to triangulate between her disappearance and his, but having nothing to go on, I could only speculate and surmise. Now I did sit down on the bench as my whole body felt like it was on fire, and I was in danger of passing out any second as the blood rushed from my head. "It was just a few days after the incident. I'm not sure why I kept going around them. I didn't want to be ostracized, I guess, didn't want them turning their hatred against me. I'm sorry I wasn't a better person back then." "They all moved on as if nothing happened, even joked about it amongst themselves in the following days. There were whispers around the village, so we knew word had gotten out somehow. Then one night, your grandfather Mr. Antonelli showed up at the place where we were all hanging out. It was
Last Updated : 2024-04-03The Life Sacrifice Chapter 24
GABRIEL "Hey, are you okay? So, this is why you've been acting so strange, huh." I knew she would come; knew she would search me out. I didn't reply when she rested her head on my shoulder, just kept gazing up at the sky where my attention had been for the last half an hour since I'd made my escape. I'm happy for Ma, grandpa, and even the twins. But his arrival means something totally different to me than it does them. My big dilemma now is that I'll have to change up my plan of attack. I should be happy that that'll mean I get to live longer, much longer, but I'm not, not really. I've had my mind made up long ago on what steps needed to be taken. I knew exactly what I was going to do. But now, not only are there more players than expected, but I also have to do more groundwork. Taking Ricci out would've been easy; what my mind has started formatting since talking to the nun is not. Now I also have to think really hard about what I want to do about her and I. It's not lost on me
Last Updated : 2024-04-03The Life Sacrifice Chapter 25
GABRIEL Grandpa fell in love with Sheila; I kid you not. I don't think he's ever seen a person of color before and treated her like some mythological Goddess, and of course, she was putty in his hands. Before we even got on the plane to head home, she was trying to teach him English, which is the family's new favorite thing to witness. She's been a rock for Ma this whole time, and the bond between the two women was never more evident than now. Even though I doubt she knows why my Ma was going from bouts of joy to having her dad back in her life to moments of anxiety and something approaching fear, she never left her side. It's no wonder that my family loves this woman the way we do. A lot has happened in the last four days, which is how long it took Pop to get grandpa's papers in order. Almost a miracle, but when you know who you know and all that. Anyway, that night after I left Pop, I'd gravitated to Gianna's room. She was already in bed asleep, tired from the day out, and know
Last Updated : 2024-04-03The Life Sacrifice Chapter 26
GABRIEL "Lancelot, you're still pissy, I see. I didn't go off with them to have fun without you, you know. Pop hired them to watch my back." He's such a damn wife sometimes. He's been pouting for days now, and even now that we're back, he's still giving me the cold shoulder. That hasn't stopped him from sticking close to me, though. "Why didn't you tell me you were looking for your grandpa?" "Is that what this is about? For the simple reason that I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up only to dash them when things didn't pan out." That seemed to unruffle his feathers a bit, and he gave me a softened look. "You wanna go shoot some hoops?" "It's cold as balls." "Downstairs, moron." "Oh, yeah, in that case." Anything to keep you from asking me any more questions. I should've known, though, that his nosy ass would jump from one topic to the next without fail. As soon as we suited up and got on the court, he went in. "So, what's with you and Gia?" Years of practice helped me
Last Updated : 2024-04-03The Life Sacrifice Chapter 27
GABRIEL I was not in the right frame of mind when I arrived at Gianna's place with her ice cream, but she sure did light up when she answered the door and saw me standing there. I studied her face, read her eyes, to see where she was at. There was no longer any redness around her eyes as there was the last time I'd seen her, so she hadn't been crying, at least not lately anyway. "Gabriel, you're here." Has her voice always been this breathy and light? Or am I just hypersensitive? I held the ice cream out to her, and she reacted the same way she always does, with glee and surprise, like I hadn't been doing it every single night since the first, even when we crossed continents. Well, except for a few that couldn't be helped. She dug in before turning her body sideways to invite me in. "Come in, grandma and the aunts went to bed early. They're tired." "What about your uncles?" "They had to leave a little early, but they promised to be back this weekend." Her face fell, and I ima
Last Updated : 2024-04-03The Life Sacrifice Chapter 28
GABRIEL After sending him off to bed, I went back to the computer where Memnon's message was waiting for me. I didn't expect him to get back to me this soon, late as it was, but I appreciated it. The sooner I enlist his help, the sooner I can start the process of setting my plans in motion. There was just one thing bothering me now, though, something I hadn't thought of when I messaged him earlier. Because of what he knows about my past, from that one little slip up so long ago, I have to be careful how much info I share with him so that he doesn't discover my identity. So now I'm faced with the question of how much I should tell him without giving too much away. He already knew about the martial arts competition, but I'd felt safe sharing that much because, luckily, my participation and placement weren't publicized and won't be ever. Not unless I wanted it to be. I didn't do it for any glory; it was just something I wanted to do for my own satisfaction, so whereas most wanted th
Last Updated : 2024-04-03The Life Sacrifice Chapter 29
GABRIEL My phone went off in the middle of biology class, and seconds later, I saw Lance remove his backpack to fetch his. Pop! I looked over at Lance, who was looking back at me quizzically. Poor Lance got caught in the middle of my family's drama a few years ago when the schools first started cracking down on cell phones. Pop lost his shit! According to him, his kids will always have their phones on them when away from home. When he was reminded that there were no cell phones when he himself was in school and he turned out fine, his answer was that somebody somewhere realized the need, and that's why they exist now. I wasn't there for the showdown with the headmistress and whoever else sat in on that one, but the end result is we have our phones on vibrate and have the respect not to use them during class and only answer if there's an emergency. Since we're all here except for our parents and grandparents, any incoming call is an emergency as far as I'm concerned because who el
Last Updated : 2024-04-03
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The Life Sacrifice Chapter 39
GABRIEL "Pop, I'm back." "Gabe, are you okay?" He looked me up and down as he came around from behind his desk, where he'd been sitting gazing off into space. His hug was meant more for someone coming back from war than a son who'd only been gone for a few days, less than a week, in fact. He pulled back and clasped my shoulders while looking into my eyes. "I'm sorry… "No, you're back, you're okay, that's all that matters. Are you going to tell me what you did over there?" "Not yet!" I could tell he had a hard time accepting that answer, but, in the end, he let it go. I already knew he'd gone to see nana; she's been keeping me up to date on his activities. "You needn't have worried Uncle Guy had someone on me the whole time I was there. I was never in any real danger." "You knew you were being followed?" "Of course!" "Ah, stupid question, sorry. So, you should go see your mother. She's been worried about you. And call Lancelot before he drives both his dad and I
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 38
GABRIEL I wasn't surprised at the results the next day, but I was by the fact that Sal cried. He never stopped thanking me and was already making plans for me to come to his palazzo and meet the rest of his family. I begged off with the excuse that I had to get back home. "Ah, it's Alonzo; you do not want to meet him yet. Still, this is your home, the home your great-great-great-grandfather built, and where all the eldest sons have continued the line." "Yes, but I'm not part of that." "Who says? You are the eldest grandson; of course, you must come." "Doesn't your sons have any children?" I knew, of course, that Alonzo had a son and a daughter. "Si´ but you are the eldest; this is the way it's done." "Do you really think that's fair? I'm not here to take anything away from your grandson. My father has more than enough.…." "No-no, this cannot be. I won't have it." I wore a confused expression, but in reality, I already knew this. I knew that his sense of honor
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 37
DRACO "Sofia, upstairs, now." Both she and Sheila, who was in the kitchen having one of their gabfests, turned to me in shock. I hadn't raised my voice, but it was obvious that I was pissed. I turned and walked away, heading up the stairs to our room. Like I said, I've never raised my voice to my wife, was never even tempted to, but when she walked into our bedroom, I was barely holding back my anger. "Draco, what's the matter? Did something happen?" "Do you know where our son is?" "Gabe? Did something happen to Gabe?" She walked towards me, and for the first time since we'd met, I stepped back away from her. I could see the hurt and confusion on her face. But I was way past caring at this point. Gabe is smart; he's the smartest person I know, truth be told, and I went to one of the leading Ivy League universities in the world. But he's a child, my child, and I can't help but hold her responsible for this. There's also the guilt of not stepping up and putting an end to this s
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 36
GIANNA Traumatized! What made me think I could do this on my own? Giving birth was the easy part. Connie yelled for them to give me every drug available once the pain started. Well, not exactly easy, but the pain was nowhere near what I expected. But once the ordeal was over and I could breathe again, the real fear set in. I spent the first few minutes after marveling at the fact that I'd given life, imagining it and living it are two separate animals altogether. But once the adrenaline wore off, all the fears came at me hard. I'm terrified. I'm giving serious thought to going home, or at the very least to grandma's. One minute I wished Gabriel was here, I wanted to share this with him, and the next, I was mad at him for not being here. I hid my fear well once I was allowed visitors, and Connie and Ron came into the room. I didn't correct the staff who thought they were grandma and grandpa, but it reminded me that my parents weren't here. That thought only made me break down ag
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 35
GABRIEL I stepped off the plane in Palermo and into the car that was waiting there for me. I'd planned ahead because even though I'd never been there before, I knew where I was going and that I needed to be there at a specific time. It had taken weeks of research to pin down the specifics once I came up with a plan. I couldn't act right away; I had to be sure before making my move. Now that the routine was set, I was almost certain, barring natural disaster, that my prey would be there when I showed up. I'd given myself a few days here just in case things didn't happen the first day because I know Pop won't let me out of his sight no time soon again, so there was no room for failure. No one back home knew where I was, but I'd brought the ninja turtles with me just to keep Pop off my scent for as long as I could. I could hear the four of them mumbling once we got off the plane, the words 'not again' were said plenty, but I ignored them, only talking to them long enough to send the
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 34
DRACO "So, where we at now? Still nothing?" All four of them shook their heads at me the same way they've been doing every time I asked for the last eight months or so. I'm beginning to think we're never going to find this kid, and I'm not sure what that means for my son. Watching over him is like babysitting a tiger; you never know when but there's always the possibility that he'll strike. For the first few months, when we all held out so much hope of finding Gia, he was able to keep an almost positive outlook on things. But, somewhere in the last couple of months, he'd switched into some sort of mode that not even I recognized. Of course, life for everyone else has moved on, but my boy, I don't know what's true and what's not. He tells me daily that he's fine. He'd thrown himself into his new studies at my old alma mater even though he'd opted into studying from home instead of heading to campus. His mother and sisters spend almost every day worried about him, and since he move
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 33
GABRIEL Nothing! I spent all night into the morning looking. It's like she never existed. There's no way she could've disappeared that fast on her own, but then again, she had help, didn't she? The contact I got from Diego is lucky she does good work for women in need, or I would've ended her already. She gave me nothing when I called and even refused to meet with me face to face. I've played around with the idea of holding someone hostage until I get some answers, but that's the monster in me. I have to keep that shit on lock, he's already cost me more than enough, but it's hard not to lose it at every turn. I even paid Felix a visit, but he had no idea where she was and was now spending his days worrying about her instead of the sentence he was facing. Good, the monster is very pleased that he's not the only one suffering. Her grandmother had returned home with a promise to come back soon. For some reason watching her go was like losing my last connection to Gianna. Now I'm beg
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 32
GABRIEL It only took five minutes into the car ride back home for me to realize what Pop had said to my Uncle Marvin, or at least for me to get the gist of it. He spent the time switching off between trying to comfort his son and keeping me calm. I don't know why they thought I would do something; I hadn't said a word, and Lance didn't give a shit about some low-wage scumbag with one too many bags of Doritos under his belt using some outdated insult that really just boils down to calling him lazy. And as if to prove my point, Lancelot said just as much to his dad. "Dad, that word doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to the people on television and in the news. Gabe and I defanged that word when we were about ten." "Oh! How did you do that?" Lance looked at me as if to ask if I wanted to explain. "You do it." "Okay, remember how Gabe and I met? When those kids used to bully me? Well, when Gabe went back to New York that time, I think we were like seven, he did some res
The Life Sacrifice Chapter 31
GABRIEL I admit to blanking out on the way up the steps and into the building since I could pretty much guess where this was going, and my mind was rightfully still back in that little grove where I'd last spoken to her. Lance's words were making me on edge a bit as well. Why did her grandmother have to come get her? Of course, I expect her to be upset, I'm upset at the situation, but the thought of her hurting so much she had to leave school is making me feel like even more of an asshole than I already do. Whatever this is Pop's about to do, I want over with, so I can get back to the house and have the twins go look after her. Levi, the snake charmer, met us inside the doors, and that's when my focus shifted. Why the heck is Pop bringing him in? Somebody's feelings are about to get hurt and hurt real bad. "Gabe, Lance, you boys have grown." Since when? He just saw us a few weeks ago at the twins' sweet sixteen. I didn't say a word, though, because he was wearing his yellow tie.
