Gabriel

Chapter 3

Avia

It's approximately 22 hours since my encounter with Gabriel, not including his phone call and I've done nothing but lay on the couch all day, mainly due to my pounding headache from drinking too much last night. I did manage to look at all the files I've put together regarding Luke's death but every time I think I've found a loose end it leads to absolutely nothing. This is what it has been like for the last 11 months; I think I'm making progress and then it just slaps me right back in the face.

Maybe I should accept Gabriel's help, he always had a way of finding out information that we shouldn't of known when we were kids and by the looks of him from yesterday, he's worked his way pretty high up into his fathers mafia. He told me he never wanted to be apart of what his father done, guess that's another lie that he let me and Luke believe. Dick.

The number of times his phone went to voicemail when he left us was like a stab in the back and now out of the blue he calls me? Who does he think he is? There is no way I can work with him to help solve Luke's murder, I don't think I would be able to tolerate being in the same room with him for 5 seconds. What does he expect anyway? For us to be besties again? Not a fucking chance.

I groan when I realise the time is 7pm and I've just laid around all day, so I decide to head downstairs to the shooting range within my apartment. Even though I'm no longer in contact with my parents, it doesn't mean Luke and me didn't have money for ourselves; we did our own deals that we kept on the down-low that brought in quite a bit of cash. We didn't tell our parents because we knew they would take it for themselves; they've always been like that, prioritising their work over the relationship with their own children but we got used to it because we had each other.

It was the final fucking straw when they threatened me (something I don't want to repeat) about keeping quiet about Luke's death. They said that they wanted to grieve in peace and the less people that knew the better. Grieve my ass, they didn't give a shit about him or me.

I spend the next hour practicing my aim and brushing up on a few pointers that Luke would always remind me of but I'm off, my whole game is off tonight because of one person running through me mind...Gabriel. What if he can help me? Or what if he leaves again? I don't know if I can go through that another time. Fuck him for showing up at the worst possible time.

I stare at my phone, fidgeting and drumming my fingers on my gun. Fuck it. I find his number in my recently called and call him.

Several seconds go by and it keeps ringing, it doesn't look like he's going to pick up, so instead I pick up my gun and aim for the target again, this time all three bullets hit the centre. I look down at my phone and realise that the line is on, I take a deep breath and put the phone to my ear.

"Avia where the fuck are you? Are you hurt?" His deep husky voice startles me.

"What do you mean?" I ask confused.

"Why the fuck could I hear gunshots?" He demands.

"Maybe because I was firing a gun?".

"You know how to use a gun?" He questions.

Right of course. 4 years ago me and Luke stayed on the sidelines but that's changed since then. He doesn't know what we got up to, "A lot can change in 4 years." My voice is sharp.

He changes subject, "You called?".

"I want to work together....to find Luke's murderer." I whisper.

He goes silent for a few seconds before saying, "Okay."

"Okay? That's all you've got to say?" He had so much to say last night and now he's giving my one word answers?

"I'm sorry, I thought you would of blocked my number let alone agree to work with me. But I'm glad you called me Avia."

Well he's not wrong, I did block his number when I hung up on him last night, "But I've got one rule; we aren't friends and we're not going to be so don't act like you know me because you don't."

I can feel him smirking on the other end of the phone, "You're right, I don't know you angel. But deal."

I hang up the phone on him, he use to call me that when we were kids because I was always happy and him calling me that now brings back happy memories that I don't want to remember because I don't deserve to be happy again.

I add his number to my contacts and send him a message:

Dick

Me: I'll come to your place tomorrow evening so I can show you what I've found so far. Send me your address.

Dick: I'm busy tomorrow evening ;)
What about in the morning?

Me: I don't want to know about your fuck schedule. Tomorrow evening or the deal is off.

Dick: Fine.

I can't believe what I'm getting myself into. You better not be laughing at me from up there Luke.

I decide to head upstairs for the night and take a bath, which has become my nightly ritual. It's the only way I feel close to Luke and I know he wouldn't want me doing this to myself but I can't help it, to not do it would feel weird. I no longer tremble of fear but anticipation of being submerged within the water. I know I'm addicted to the rush it provides me, the release to the emotional mess I've become and I don't care. It's not drugs. Just water. Sometimes I think I can see him, or maybe I've just gone crazy.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know this is a shorter chapter but they will get longer as the story progresses. We're still in the introductory stages of the story.

And I know there's no physical descriptions of Avia or Gabriel but that will hopefully come in the next chapter :)

Also, you will get to see how Gabriel copes with the news of Luke dying; I know atm he seems unaffected:/

Hope you like it!🩷🩷