Embrace the Night

Page 110



"Don't be coy, Sara Jayne. You know very well who. Gabriel. He's out there, isn't he?" "I don't…" She nodded her head, knowing it was useless to lie. "Yes."
"You can't mean to meet him!"

"I do."

"I won't permit it."

"I think you forget yourself, Maurice."

"I forget nothing! I remember how frightened you were when you left his hotel the last time. I remember the nightmares that haunted your sleep, that made you afraid to be alone. He was the cause of that fear, those nightmares. And now you mean to start it all again!"

"I'm sorry. I have to see him, at least one more time."

"Why?" Maurice's voice and expression were filled with anguish, with a deep-seated need to understand. "Why, Sara Jayne? What hold does he have over you?"

"None, it's just that I owe him so much—"

"You owe him nothing!"

"But I do. Don't you understand? He's given me everything I have. Everything! My apartment, my clothes, my dancing, I owe it all to him."

"And what does he expect in return?" "He's never asked me for anything."
Maurice made a low sound of disbelief.

"It's true! He's the nearest thing to family that I have, Maurice. I can't hurt him."

With a sigh of resignation, Maurice turned away, his steps heavy as he left the stage. He had never thought of himself as a brave man, or a foolish one, but surely what he was contemplating proved that he was the most courageous of men or a complete and utter fool.

Sara studied Gabriel carefully as they sat in their favorite cafe later that night. Earlier, she would have sworn he had been ill. His skin had been stretched taut over his skull, his eyes had burned as with a fever, his voice had been harsh and edged with pain. But now he looked strong and fit. He was clad in black, as usual. There was a ruddy glow to his cheeks, a gleam in his eye. Sara shook her head. Had she imagined it all?

"Something troubles you, cara?" he asked, and his voice was as deep and resonant as always.