Found in Darkness

Chapter 20-Part 2

FEDERICO

I pat Elenora as she coughs, choking on the cake she was eating. I glare over at Gabriel who smirks back at me. Elenora pushes my hand away and Gabriel seizes the moment to hand her a drink. Fucking asshole.

"God, you really are the devil, how can you do that to your own cousin, he's your family!" Elenora glare is mixed with disgust.

I give her an indifferent stare and shrug. "We were sixteen, he dumped her and she came to me crying."

"What about bro code?"

Gabriel laughs at her logic. "Right? Rico had come to the states to visit for the summer. We all hung out, got along well. Too well it seems. Angela and I had a fight one night, but I went to tell her I fucked up and found him going down on her in her car."

"I was trying to make her feel better."

"How disgustingly chivalrous of you." Elenora attempts to get off my lap but I keep a firm hold of her.

"Rico did me a favor, Nora," Gabriel says even though his eyes say different.

"So the fact that they stayed in contact this whole time doesn't bother you?"

Gabriel shrugs. "You never forget your first love. We started 'dating' or more like became boyfriend and girlfriend when we were thirteen; but that was a long time ago. And from what I hear she hasn't done much with her life, which is a shame. She had goals of becoming a Kindergarten teacher; she always loved kids."

He leans back on the couch sighing. "Her life went to shit for a while; going in and out of treatment centers. Then she seemed okay for a while, but never had that drive to go after her dreams anymore. As long as she's happy, who am I to judge?"

"Excuse me, I need to go use the bathroom." Elenora stands, but I hold onto her hand.

"Why?" I mentally berate myself for sounding so stupid.

"I guess I could puke all over you, and to be honest, that would make me feel a helluva lot better." Her appearance does look sickly under the fluorescent lighting.

I shift her off of my lap and she walks toward the hallway.

Gabriel stands, too. "I'm going to go see if she's alright. And since you're into double dipping, I want to see how many times I can get Nora to come before the night ends."

I react out of instinct as I launch myself towards him, tackling him to the ground and reign down punches on him.

He blocks a punch and connects with a hit of his own on the side of my head. We struggle getting position over each other, trading blows and cursing at each other, but I push away from him at one point.

"You fucking ruined her, asshole!" Gabriel shouts before he lands a couple of punches, but I retaliate by kicking and knocking him to the ground.

"It was you who ruined her, fucking own up to it!" I hit him a couple more times before we are pulled apart. I shove Domani away who's holding me around my chest and pull my gun on Gabriel. The succession of several guns unholstering echoes in the room. Many are aimed at me, but the same amount, if not more, are pointed at Gabriel.

"Rico, stop this!" Zia Rosetta shouts, pushing her way through the crowd. Serafina is sobbing somewhere behind me.

"You know you took advantage of her," Gabriel seethes.

"We both know what really happened, Gabe."

He glances around and then his eyes settle on someone behind me. I don't have to turn around to know who it is from the smirk on his face. "Maybe I'll get the chance to return the favor, cuz, and take your girl. Nora doesn't seem like she'll need much convincing."