Poker Face ✔

Chapter 5

I stood in line for about five minutes, waiting to buy a plane ticket. I hated standing around waiting — especially because my family were ten or so minutes behind me. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand grip my arm and pull me out of line. I looked beside me to see a man that I thought that I'd never see again.

He didn't say anything, instead I followed him through the airport willingly.

"How did you-" I asked, looking him and up down.

"Listen carefully" Gabe started as we stopped in our tracks. "Your dad has been moved to London...No one knows but your uncle Nate and now the two of us"

"I watched you get shot" I furrowed my brows, disregarding what he had just admitted. 

"My grandfather went to med school" he explained, "taught us all everything he knew" Gabe pulled down his Black T-shirt, exposing the white bandage on the left side of his chest.

"Gabe" I gasped, placing my hand on to his chest.

That bullet should have killed him, but instead, it just missed his heart. Gabriel flung back his T-shirt than we continued walking through the airport.

"If you want to find your dad, you have to leave now" he ordered.

He knows my dad's location? How?

"Wait, How do you know where he is?" I asked him.

"It doesn't matter" he shook his head.

First red flag.

Gabe seemed to have the same gift as Uncle Nate. Both somehow always knew what was going on when no else did. My uncle is good that he can predict when bad things are going to happen.

"Do you know what he's done? Why your family's trying to kill him?" I asked.

I place my hand onto his arm, stopping him from walking away. Gabe examined me for a moment, his eyes telling the story of a boy who was terrified.

"You think my family's trying to kill your dad?" He stepped closer in surprise.

It then hit me, why my family put me in a safe house and why I was in holding cell. My memories of the last few days then come back scrambled as I put together the pieces.

"How many times do we have to tell you not to go there"

"And what if you did? Huh? you wouldn't be here right now"

"We don't have much time! They knew you were coming! they're waiting for you at the casino and they've got eyes on you as we speak! you were ambushed"

That's when I realised exactly what was happening. The moment felt just like when I'm painting one of my forgeries. When I'm standing so close, all I can see are the fine details, it's only when I step back where I can see the full picture.

"They don't want my father" I shook my head at Gabe, "they want me?"

Gabe nodded slowly.

"I thought you knew" he admitted, "your dad is nine hundred thousand dollars in debt with my family....he has no way of paying so they're going to get their money's worth out of you"

Money's worth out of me? I don't even want to think about what that means. How the fuck did my dad get into that much debt with these people?

"How did he rack up such a debt?" I asked him.

"A poker game," he said simply, "In Vegas"

"When?" I clenched my jaw in anger.

"Three months ago" Gabe sighed, "he had a four weeks to pay it off"

I shook my head. "Why isn't my a family doing anything?"

"Your dad didn't tell them until a few weeks ago and now its too late" Gabe explained, "my family are no longer interested in money" he looked away.

"Than why the fuck is he in hiding?" I cried in anger. "Shouldn't he be here trying to fix his damn mess?'

My dad was just being his usual selfish self. I'm not sure why I expected any different.

"Look I don't know what's going on within the Ashton home right now but I do know that your father in London and we have to leave right now" Gabe looked me straight in the eye.

"We?" I cocked a brow, "you're coming with me?"

"Obviously" he rolled his eyes, "what don't you trust me?"

I didn't understand it then. Why Gabe, a Larrunzario was helping me, an Ashton. Sworn enemies.

"I don't even trust my own father" I folded my arms.

"Well he is a gambling addict who seems to attract trouble where ever he goes, so yeah I don't think anyone would" he smirked.

"My father does not have a gambling problem" I rolled my eyes, "and he doesn't always attract trouble and I don't need your help" I cried, turning around and walking quickly back to the line.

I knew everything thing Gabe said about my father was true. I just couldn't admit it at the time.

"My family wants to use you as a sex slave, store your head in their refrigerator and bury the rest of your body six feet under an abandoned town in Mexico!" Gabe yelled as following me to the line.

"I'd like to see them try!" I snapped, moving up space in the line.

"What is the matter with you?" He gritted his teeth, "Can't you see I'm trying to help you?"

"Yeah, and why is that?" I raised a brow, "huh?"

He must hav an alternative motive. Why else would he want to help me?

"Because I'm not like my family" he looked down in shame, "my name may be Larrunzario but I'm definitely not one of em"

"So what, am I supposed to let you help me?" I narrowed my eyes.

"If you want to live" his eyes look up at me, glaring into my soul.

"How do I know that I can trust you?" I asked, "you could be leading me straight into a trap for all I know"

"If I wanted to harm you, wouldn't I have done it by now?" Gabe pointed out.

"True" I nodded slowly.

So we bought our tickets and ten minutes later we were sitting on an airplane. My family stormed the airport seventy seconds after we boarded.

"I take it you don't like planes" Gabriello looked beside me, as I sat, squeezing the armrests.

My mother died in an airplane plane crash. I had always been told that she was knocked unconscious due to impact and drowned in the Atlantic ocean, her body was never recovered.

"Nah where did you get that crazy idea from?" I said sarcastically as he just smirked at me.

This is going to be a long flight.