Buying Gabrielle

chapter 2

Gabrielle's P.O.V.

"Come on. Get in." He says, his eyes starting to flash as I just stand there gaping at him with my mouth hanging open. Oh God, why do I have to be such a ditz?

I quickly climb in the limo, wondering what all of this could possibly mean.

Am I seriously sitting in a limo beside Evan Hunter? Even if I tell someone about this, no one will believe me.

"Nice to meet you, Gabrielle. I'm Evan Hunter." He says, staring into my face.

I smile. Does he really think anyone in this city doesn't know who he is already?

"Where's my dad? His note said to meet him in his office."

Evan flashes a perfect smile my way, and I feel myself blushing. He is even sexier than I would have imagined.

"I had him leave you that note. There are things we need to discuss, Gabrielle."

I blink at him and say, "What would we have to discuss? Is it my dad, is he okay, did something happen?"

I realize that there is no emotion in my voice, and that I wouldn't care if my dad was dead. What is wrong with me?

"Nothing is wrong with your father. Not yet, anyway. I, well, I'm not sure exactly how to say this to you. Your father, well, he got himself in a bit of trouble and was trying to fix it in an non-conventional manner..."

I cut him off to say, "Quit trying to baby me, just give it to me straight. He broke the law, didn't he? Was he stealing from you?"

I know my face is pale white, but I am so ashamed and angry. My dad had a good thing going, I should have known he would screw it up.

"No, he didn't steal from me. Not that I know of. It is very interesting that you jumped to that conclusion, though. Have you been aware of any unethical or illegal practices taking place?"

He stares directly into my eyes, and I get the sense that he is trying to stare into my soul. Looking into those blue eyes of his, I can do nothing but tell him the complete truth.

I sigh and say, "No, not that I'm personally aware of. He drinks and plays poker a lot, but I'm always happy on those evenings when he isn't home because I don't have to deal with him."

"Has he hurt you, or, uhm, tried to push you into unethical activities?"

He seems to be struggling to find words, which seems very strange to me considering who he is. It is probably my age and the fact that he doesn't know me well, and my father must have done something wrong for his boss to be interrogating me.

I look down at my feet, but he gently cradles my chin in one hand, turning my head up so that he can see my face again.

"Gabrielle, answer me. I won't judge you." He whispers the words gently.

"No, he hasn't hurt me. Well, he's smacked me around a few times, but that is the worst it has ever gotten."

His eyes start to gleam and his jaw settles into a hard line as he digests my words.

"I knew I didn't hit that bastard hard enough." He growls.

"What?" I exclaim.

"Where is my dad? What happened..." I say, starting to panic.

He places a finger over my lips to shush me.

"Relax, Gabrielle. Let me explain. I went into his office today, but I was about fifteen minutes late for a meeting, so he apparently decided to take a personal phone call. I overheard the tail end of the conversation.  He owed someone a lot of money, and they were threatening to kill him if he didn't deliver. I stepped in at that point."

She stared at him incredulously. This was very bad, even for her father.

"So what now? He's fired? But couldn't he have told me all of this himself? And what about the money he owes that man?"

Evan cradles my hand tenderly within his and says, "I paid the debt off. But the debt he owed wasn't the worst part. Your dad offered the man he owed something infinitely more precious in place of the money, and that is the reason why you are in a limo with me right now."

He stares into my eyes again as he adds, "There is no good way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Your dad offered to give you to the loan shark as payment, I kicked his ass over it, and made him sign over his rights to you in front of several of my lawyers in exchange for not making the situation public. I'm now your legal guardian, Gabrielle."

Evan's POV

I watch as my words sink in, surprise and shock evident on Gabrielle's face.

I wonder how such an innocent, sweet girl came from James. He hadn't managed to ruin her, and for this I am very grateful.

"My legal guardian? What does that even mean?" She finally whispers.

"I have legal rights over you until you turn 18, and it is my job to see to your welfare. You will live with me in my house, in the company of my live-in housekeeper so that no false accusations could be leveled against me. I am going to enroll you in a nice school, ensure you have the finest of educations and the best of everything, and pay for you to go to the college of your choosing. You need not fear me, Gabrielle. I just couldn't bear the idea of you being out on your own or shoved into a foster system, and I couldn't leave you with your father either, obviously."

"So, I am to be your charity case?" She hisses.

I blink. I just offered to give this girl everything that I had fought so hard to build from my teens on, and she is going to throw the offer back in my face?

Her green eyes are sparking with temper, and I can see that her pride has been injured.

Maybe the inferences I made about her character based on her photograph aren't far off.

She is as spirited as she is beautiful, and the very last thing I want is to break that spirit.

I grab her hand again and say, "Not my charity case, not at all. I'm sure you have heard I am a self made man?"

She nods her head and I add, "I didn't have a pretty childhood. I was forced to grow up long before I should have, and I had no one to lean on, ever. Zero of the advantages that everyone else had, and it hardened me, left me angry. Great motivation for achieving success, but I wouldn't wish that on you. I would never allow that to happen to you, Beauty."

Tears fill her eyes, and she manages to give me a tentative smile.

That smile starts to thaw my frozen heart around it's edges, and my throat feels full as I smile back.

"So if I'm the Beauty, that makes you the..."

"The Beast." I say, squaring my jaw and trying to harden my heart.

She's seventeen, innocent, and I best remember that, I tell myself.