Chapter 35

GABRIEL

After my little talk with Pop, I was still nowhere near close to being calm, but I was able to speak without grinding my teeth. "You can call him, let him know she's fine, but it's going to be a while before I can get to him. I've gotta get back to her; she should be finished with her bath by now."

I started to leave to go back to her. I've been nervous the whole time away from her, something else that's new. I don't do nervous energy.

"By the way, I've got the guys working on fixing the door." It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about.

"It might be a wasted effort."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no need for a door if the house is no longer standing."

He muttered the word ‘fuck' under his breath, but I heard him all the same. I wasn't interested in hiding my anger this time, wasn't in the mood to wear the mask of tranquility that usually shields my inner thoughts. In fact, I haven't handled any of this with my usual practical calm.

Even as