Sin 4: Logan's Pride

“Once upon a time, there was a brave knight. It was his job to protect the king. Every morning, he would put on his armor, grab his sword, and stand at the king’s side. One cold and dark night, a fire-breathing dragon entered the kingdom. It was enormous and extremely frightening. People fled into their homes and nearby buildings for shelter. The dragon trudged and stomped through the kingdom, destroying everything in its path. The brave knight knew it was his duty to step up and fight the dragon. Walking out of the castle with his sword held high, the knight made his presence known. The dragon’s long neck whipped around to look at the knight. It slowly moved forward, huffing as smoke billowed from its nose. A low, sinister purr vibrated the ground. Opening its mouth wide, the dragon let out a loud rumbling roar as fire covered the area. The knight quickly jumped to the side, almost getting torched by the flames. He looked into the dragon’s lava-colored eyes and knew this would be a fight to the death.”

“What happens next, Mommy?”

Gabriella D’Angelo smiled down at her son. She swept his soft hair to the side and kissed him on the forehead. “You tell me.”

Logan giggled. “I don’t know.”

“Well,” she kneeled down next to his bed, “what would you want to happen?”

He shrugged. “I guess it depends on whose story it is.”

Beaming at her son, Gabriella felt a swell of pride. Logan would grow up to be a smart, strong, and determined man. She knew it in her heart. As long as his father didn’t crush his spirit first.

“It’s time for bed now. We can read more tomorrow.”

With that, she gave him one more kiss and left his room. Standing outside his door, Gabriella took a deep breath before heading downstairs.

“Are you still telling him that ridiculous story?”

Gabriella glanced over at her husband. He was still an attractive man, but the love was gone. Although she knew what she was getting into marrying him, she never expected a loveless marriage.

“He likes it.”

Lucas shook his head. “It’s absurd. He should be learning about real life, not fairytales.”

Gabriella didn’t even respond. He wouldn’t listen, anyway. Lucas always had the last word. There was no point in arguing. She may have told it like a fairytale, but there was meaning behind her story. Even though her husband couldn’t see it, she hoped one day Logan would.

“You are his mother. You’re supposed to teach him.”

She squinted at him. “I am also your wife. You should trust me. We are supposed to be a team.”

“A team? My wife?” He tilted his head, eyes darkening. The laugh that erupted from him was pure evil.

“We are not a team. You do as I say,” he growled as he gripped her arm, “I am the one who puts food on the table and pays the bills.”

“That’s because you won’t let me get a job!” She tried to tug her arm away, but he just held on tighter.

“Your job is to please me, to obey.”

Before she could respond, Lucas threw her onto the floor. She instinctively rubbed her arm. There would be a bruise, there was no doubt about that. She could feel the tears build up, but refused to let them fall. Lucas thought crying was weak. She didn’t need another lecture from him.

He crouched down, grabbing her jaw, forcing her to face him, “You will obey me. If not, I’ll take our son and leave you here to rot.”

“And if I take our son?” She knew better than to push him, but she did it anyway.

She saw the sinister look in his eyes. She tried to scoot back, but Lucas kept his tight grip on her jaw.

“Then I will find you. I’ll take you apart piece by piece while Logan watches.” He stood up and looked down at her like she was nothing. “Try me.”

Gabriella watched as he walked away. As soon as she knew he was gone, she let the tears fall. Lucas hadn’t always been like this. When they first met, he was the sweetest man. He took care of her and made her feel safe. As soon as they had Logan, things changed. She wondered if that’s all she was to him, someone to give him a son. A son that would take over after he was gone.

Lucas wasn’t completely to blame. She knew what he did for a living when they met. Hell, she met him through Sergio Stoll. Lucas was nothing like him. She saw how attentive Sergio was towards Derrick. How he adored his wife and kept the family safe. Lucas was not Sergio, though. She never should have assumed he would be.

She knew she had to do something. She couldn’t live the rest of her life like this. She also couldn’t let Logan grow up thinking this was how men should act. She needed advice, but it was hard to know who to trust. If she went outside of the family, it would be seen as a betrayal. If she talked with someone in the family, Lucas was sure to find out. It was a no-win situation, and Gabriella was running out of options.

She got up from the floor and went into the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face, then looked at herself in the mirror. She would figure something out. She had to. She also had to protect her son. So, whatever she decided to do, she had to be smart. She couldn’t afford to get caught.

A few days later, Gabriella stood in the kitchen, mindlessly stirring some sauce. She was waiting for Logan to get home from school. They needed to meet Lucas at the Stoll residence for their weekly dinner. Since Lucas worked so closely with Sergio, the two families were together often. They made it a point to have a “non-working” dinner once a week. Just two normal families getting together for a fun, social night.

Gabriella rolled her eyes at the thought.

Their families would never be normal. She hated they pretended they were. She guessed it was Sergio’s idea. Sergio, minus being one of the biggest crime bosses in the area, had always been a family man. At least, that was how he presented himself. Gabriella would soon find out, looks can be deceiving.

When she heard the front door open, she stepped out of the kitchen. Carter, the personal bodyguard assigned to Gabriella and Logan, was holding the door open for him. Logan came darting in, threw his backpack down, and ran upstairs.

“Hey! Wait! How was school?” Gabriella yelled up, trying to get his attention.

Logan yelled back, slightly turning his head to the side. “It was good. I need to get my video games to show Derrick.”

She smiled and shook her head before turning to Carter. “How did everything go?”

“It was fine, ma’am. Routine, just like any other day.”

Carter was an insanely good-looking guy. His eyes were so blue it was almost hypnotizing. He was always running his hand through his hair, which gave him a slightly disheveled look. The darkness of his hair contrasted with his blue eyes, making him look almost exotic. He was always wearing a suit, at least when he was on duty. Gabriella could only imagine what his body looked like. Given his build and broad shoulders, it wasn’t hard to picture.

Feeling flushed, she cleared her throat. “Great. We should be leaving shortly.”

Carter nodded. “I’ll be sure the car is ready.”

As he turned to leave, a high-pitched sound echoed throughout the house.

“Shit!” Gabriella ran into the kitchen. Carter was not far behind her.

She completely forgot about the sauce, which had now exploded. She quickly turned the stove off, then let out a sigh. She had two choices; remake the sauce again and arrive late, or don’t bring any at all. Either way, Lucas was not going to be happy.

Carter turned off the smoke alarm and started to help Gabriella clean up.

“You don’t have to do this. This is my fault.”

He looked at her, confused, “Just because it was your fault doesn’t mean you have to clean it on your own. I can help.”

Reaching to grab a couple of towels, Carter slipped on some sauce and fell to the floor. Gabriella couldn’t help but laugh. As soon as he looked at her, she snapped her mouth shut, trying to stop. He gave a mischievous smile before pulling her down with him. Not expecting it, Gabriella let out a squeak. They started to laugh, both covered in sauce.

Almost as if they realized it at the same time, they glanced at Gabriella’s arm, still being held by Carter. Within seconds, the atmosphere in the room changed. The air felt thick and warm. Gabriella found herself struggling to breathe. Her body reacted to his touch in a way she didn’t expect. He held on when she tried to move away. His expression telling her everything she needed to know. He wanted her. His eyes revealed a desire in them she’d never seen before. No one has ever looked at her like that. She knew he was going to move in closer.

“What happened?”

Logan’s voice made them both jump and scramble to get up.

“I forgot about the sauce,” Gabriella smiled at her son.

“You made a mess.”

She laughed, “Yes, I did.”

She wasn’t just thinking about the kitchen, though. She was thinking about her life.

“Mr. C, I got my games ready.”

Wiping the sauce off his hands, and as much as he could off his pants, Carter turned to Logan. “Awesome. Let’s get you packed up.”

He gestured to Logan to leave the kitchen. He started to follow, but not before giving Gabriella one more look.

As soon as they walked out, Gabriella put a hand on her chest and let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.

I must have completely lost my mind, she thought as she finished cleaning up. What was I going to do? Kiss him? My bodyguard?

She didn’t even want to imagine what a catastrophe that would be.

Knowing she was already late, and now needing to change, she decided to pick up the ingredients to make the sauce at the Stoll’s house. Lucas would be upset, but she could make up an excuse. She could also just tell the truth. She didn’t do anything wrong. The fact that her first instinct was to lie to her husband made Gabriella’s heart hurt. She had become one of those women she pitied. Someone stuck in a loveless relationship. Someone who went through each day without actually living it.

Gabriella had been hanging on by a thread for some time now. That thread was about to snap, and she needed to have a plan ready when it does.