"Gabriel, you're hurting me." Her hands clawed against the fingers holding her neck in an unyielding grip. "Stop it, please."
Gabriel's hand seemed to tighten of its own volition as his face darkened in response to her pleading, daring her to take matters into her own hands. Just as she was drawing upon the energy to free herself, his grip slackened, and she ripped his hand off her neck, shoving his chest with both hands. He staggered back a few feet, but what scared her most wasn't the expression on his face after she had pushed him, it was the way he looked at her, as if she were nothing, as if she no longer existed.
Gabriel backed away slowly watching her with open loathing before he abruptly turned toward his car. Without a backward glance he jumped in and sped away, the tires screeching in protest against the asphalt and leaving black tracks in their wake.
Victoria slid down the side of the wall, her body shaking from the shock of the confrontation. That was something she had never expected, not from Gabriel of all people. His cold, almost inhuman rage had scared her. The virulent look in his eyes had chilled her to the bone, leaving her with little reservation about how he felt about her. She shivered remembering the look on his face as he had walked away. Hate barely did it justice.
He despised her.
VICTORIA DIDN'T GET out of bed even though the sun was streaming through the windows and she knew it was mid-morning. She buried her head under the covers, giving in to the only sanctuary she had left.
She opened bleary eyes several hours later as Tony left a desperate-sounding message on her answering machine, checking to see if she could work an emergency shift that night. She squinted at her watch, it was three in the afternoon, and as much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn't stay in bed forever.
At least at the Black Dog she'd be able to distract herself and not focus on what had happened with Gabriel or with Christian. She showered and dressed, missing Leto terribly. His gift for comfort would have been useful, but they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms since he'd found out about Christian. She'd been the one to suggest that they take a break and he stay at Holly's. She concentrated on healing, taking slow long breaths as she dressed, wishing fervently that she could just go back to bed instead.
Tony gave her a grateful smile when she arrived. The Dog was short-staffed again, but it wasn't too crowded, she noticed thankfully, as she hopped behind the bar. Her stomach sank as she registered who was in the far right corner. Seriously, if she had noticed his car out front, she wouldn't have thought twice about calling Tony from the parking lot and canceling. But she knew that she couldn't leave him stranded now that she was already here. Victoria bit her lip and put her head down. She had a job to do.
She tried to pass the time joking with the other people in the bar as best as she could, but she couldn't shake the sour, sick feeling that rested in her stomach. Every time she heard the loud laughter from that corner, she had to force herself to not look in that direction. Even Tony noticed that she wasn't her usual jovial self and came over to ask her if she was all right.
"I'm fine, just a little stomach bug I think," she said. "Don't worry. I'll still be able to help you out."
Distracted by his parting comment about his special cure for stomach bugs involving Jagermeister, a loud peal of laughter drew her attention and her eyes flicked over automatically. They locked with a pair of cold black ones and her heart froze in her chest at the hatred she saw reflected there. She couldn't pull away from Gabriel's stare, and in slow motion she watched him pull a willing Charla onto his lap and kiss her, all while staring at Victoria.
It was ugly, sordid. She felt sick, her breath coming in short silent gasps—she could feel his lips on hers, the violence of them grinding into hers, bruising and punishing. He smiled.
Victoria dragged her eyes away with considerable difficulty, grasping the top of the bar for support, as she felt curiously weak and almost drained from the effort it had taken to pull away. Black spots danced in her head. She sank to the floor, assuming that it was stress from the shock of yesterday's confrontation with him. Without warning, a wave of nausea overcame her. She started retching as she ran for the employee's bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and heard the door open as she wiped her face with some paper towel.
"I'm fine, Tony, just need five minutes," she said, not bothering to look up.
"Really? I wouldn't quite say that you're fine."
Victoria's head snapped up warily. She didn't know how much more she could take before she cracked. She gritted her teeth and swallowed, her throat dry.
"This is the employee's bathroom," she said in a flat, emotionless voice. Gabriel nodded smiling. It was an ugly smile, much the same as the one he'd worn earlier.