Burning Ember

Chapter 23-Hale

I drove Ember home and told her to lock the doors and set the alarm on the house as I left back out. Fury was pumping through my veins and all I wanted to do was rip Gabriel's head off. I would have too, if not for Ember and my mom being there.  I didn't want him anywhere near her, let alone looking at her. I was tired of her being afraid, holding herself back because of it.

Spencer already had his location and had texted it to me. Gabriel was staying at an inn just outside of town. Having grown tired of waiting him out, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike, I drove to the inn and parked. Wringing my hands against the wheel, I contemplated what I would do, how this would play out. Obviously, I couldn't just walk up in there and murder him, that wouldn't help things much, even if the thought was intriguing.

Steadying my breathing and willing myself to calm down, I got out of my truck and walked into the inn. Approaching the counter, I gave my friendliest smile to the young woman behind the counter. "Hi, a friend of mine is in town visiting. I seem to have forgotten my phone so I can't call, but I was hoping you could tell me what room he is in? His name is Gabriel Harding."

"Um, yeah. I guess I could do that." She began typing in her computer before she answered. "He's in room three, top of the stairs."

Patting my hand against the counter I said, "Thank you so much for the help." Dropping my friendly mask, I started for the stairs. Outside his door, I leaned close and listened for a moment before I knocked. All I could hear was a bit of shuffling, a few phone notifications that beeped, but nothing else.

Gabriel opened the door, his eyes drooping as if he had expected someone else. "Not who you wanted it to be huh?" I said as I pushed my way in and shut the door behind me.

"Definitely not. Though I can't say I would have minded much if it was Ember, but please, do come in," he said sarcastically. He had removed his grey blazer and was wearing a clean white button down with black buttons.

"So, tell me. What the fuck do you want with her? I mean she divorced you, ran thousands of miles away, cut all contact with you. Are you so pathetic that you can't realize she doesn't want you?" I paced slowly inside, cautiously watching him. There was always something that drove men like Gabriel, but there was something he hadn't let on about yet. The twitch of his expression, and I could see that part of him that he hid away. The anger. His dark eyes remained intent and focused as he tracked my every movement like a predator.

"Ember is my wife—"

"She's not your fucking wife," I raised my voice, cutting him off as anger bubbled hot inside me. The way he said it made it sound like she was his fucking property.

His eyes squinted as he cocked his head to the side and opened his mouth again. "Oh—but she is. And what I want is to take my wife home." Gabriel slipped his hands into pockets as he walked casually toward me, leaning in close as he said, "And rest assured, I always get what I want."

My teeth clenched with my weakening restraint as he walked to his black suitcase that was sitting on the foot of the bed and pulled out a manila envelope. "Look for yourself if you don't believe me."

I snatched the envelope as he held it out and unbound the top, pulling a stack of papers. It was the divorce papers, but there were other documents proceeding it. A court summons with the hearing date a few weeks after she had already arrived here.

He pointed to the document in question. "That was the subpoena for the second hearing. You see Ember, in all her rush to leave, forgot to sign. Then she changed her number, and her lawyer couldn't contact her. So, Ember was a no show. Instead of asking to default the divorce, I plead my case. Told him how much I love my wife. Told him how she was having second thoughts anyway, and that was probably why she didn't sign. The divorce got thrown out."

I shook my head, my fingers fumbling through the papers as if I could find the mistake and erase it. But I saw it, one document she forgot to sign. "No. You fucking did this. You're fucking sick. You beat her, cheat on her, manipulate and control her, and yet you're still coming back for more."

"I will always come back for more. She is my wife, you're just the man temporarily fucking her."

I lost all the control I had left and swung my fist as hard as I could at his jaw. Gabriel stumbled back a step; his hand reached to touch the corner of his mouth as his eyes quickly cut toward me. The mother fucker laughed, even as blood dribbled from his lip.

"Now, when you're sitting in jail for assault, I'll go pay her sweet little ass a visit," he sneered.

"Not if you're in the fucking hospital. Assault is assault no matter how bad I beat you. I'm sure you're already aware of that though. I'll get out of jail, but you might not make it to the hospital." Launching my left fist upward, I connected again with an upper cut. His teeth audibly clacked together with the force.

Gabriel faltered but came right back as his ringed fist solidly smashed into my cheek bone, splitting the skin on contact. Dodging the next swing he threw at me; I hooked left before grabbing his shirt as I pushed him back, knocking the bedside table over as I slammed him against the wall. A lamp fell to the floor, sending bits of blue glass scattering. One after another, swing after swing, I hit him until he was unconscious and bleeding.

He slid down against the wall as I stepped back, breathless and bloody. My chest heaved as I grabbed the manila envelope, then left his room before I hurried through the lobby to my truck. it was just a matter of time before the cops arrived, though they could be slow at times. But either way, I needed to get back to Ember and give this to her before I got arrested. I needed to tell her I loved her, and I needed to hear her tell me.

I was so angry when I saw him, my mind went irrational and the only thing that would calm me down was beating that mother fucker down, but now that the adrenaline and anger were beginning to subside, I knew I messed up. This should have been carefully planned, the way I usually do. Maybe it was because she was so close to me, but I just couldn't control my anger, and now because of that, I was going to go to jail. I wouldn't run from it; I would accept responsibility. This was my mistake, albeit satisfying, it was still a mistake.

Gabriel had gotten the better of my judgement. I just hoped that she could face him when it came to it.  There's always a confrontation.