GABRIEL I admit to blanking out on the way up the steps and into the building since I could pretty much guess where this was going, and my mind was rightfully still back in that little grove where I'd last spoken to her. Lance's words were making me on edge a bit as well. Why did her grandmother have to come get her? Of course, I expect her to be upset, I'm upset at the situation, but the thought of her hurting so much she had to leave school is making me feel like even more of an asshole than I already do. Whatever this is Pop's about to do, I want over with, so I can get back to the house and have the twins go look after her. Levi, the snake charmer, met us inside the doors, and that's when my focus shifted. Why the heck is Pop bringing him in? Somebody's feelings are about to get hurt and hurt real bad. "Gabe, Lance, you boys have grown." Since when? He just saw us a few weeks ago at the twins' sweet sixteen. I didn't say a word, though, because he was wearing his yellow tie.

GABRIEL Nothing! I spent all night into the morning looking. It's like she never existed. There's no way she could've disappeared that fast on her own, but then again, she had help, didn't she? The contact I got from Diego is lucky she does good work for women in need, or I would've ended her already. She gave me nothing when I called and even refused to meet with me face to face. I've played around with the idea of holding someone hostage until I get some answers, but that's the monster in me. I have to keep that shit on lock, he's already cost me more than enough, but it's hard not to lose it at every turn. I even paid Felix a visit, but he had no idea where she was and was now spending his days worrying about her instead of the sentence he was facing. Good, the monster is very pleased that he's not the only one suffering. Her grandmother had returned home with a promise to come back soon. For some reason watching her go was like losing my last connection to Gianna. Now I'm beg

GABRIEL I stepped off the plane in Palermo and into the car that was waiting there for me. I'd planned ahead because even though I'd never been there before, I knew where I was going and that I needed to be there at a specific time. It had taken weeks of research to pin down the specifics once I came up with a plan. I couldn't act right away; I had to be sure before making my move. Now that the routine was set, I was almost certain, barring natural disaster, that my prey would be there when I showed up. I'd given myself a few days here just in case things didn't happen the first day because I know Pop won't let me out of his sight no time soon again, so there was no room for failure. No one back home knew where I was, but I'd brought the ninja turtles with me just to keep Pop off my scent for as long as I could. I could hear the four of them mumbling once we got off the plane, the words 'not again' were said plenty, but I ignored them, only talking to them long enough to send the

DRACO "Sofia, upstairs, now." Both she and Sheila, who was in the kitchen having one of their gabfests, turned to me in shock. I hadn't raised my voice, but it was obvious that I was pissed. I turned and walked away, heading up the stairs to our room. Like I said, I've never raised my voice to my wife, was never even tempted to, but when she walked into our bedroom, I was barely holding back my anger. "Draco, what's the matter? Did something happen?" "Do you know where our son is?" "Gabe? Did something happen to Gabe?" She walked towards me, and for the first time since we'd met, I stepped back away from her. I could see the hurt and confusion on her face. But I was way past caring at this point. Gabe is smart; he's the smartest person I know, truth be told, and I went to one of the leading Ivy League universities in the world. But he's a child, my child, and I can't help but hold her responsible for this. There's also the guilt of not stepping up and putting an end to this s

GABRIEL "Pop, I'm back." "Gabe, are you okay?" He looked me up and down as he came around from behind his desk, where he'd been sitting gazing off into space. His hug was meant more for someone coming back from war than a son who'd only been gone for a few days, less than a week, in fact. He pulled back and clasped my shoulders while looking into my eyes. "I'm sorry… "No, you're back, you're okay, that's all that matters. Are you going to tell me what you did over there?" "Not yet!" I could tell he had a hard time accepting that answer, but, in the end, he let it go. I already knew he'd gone to see nana; she's been keeping me up to date on his activities. "You needn't have worried Uncle Guy had someone on me the whole time I was there. I was never in any real danger." "You knew you were being followed?" "Of course!" "Ah, stupid question, sorry. So, you should go see your mother. She's been worried about you. And call Lancelot before he drives both his dad and I