"He fucked you, didn't he?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Oh please, he doesn't call people into his office without yelling at them. Well, he usually doesn't have people in his office at all. Even his employees."
"I-I-"
"It's fine. I won't say he fucks every girl he works with, because he usually doesn't like people. I am just trying to figure out why you are so different. I mean, Summer, she's hot...you're just cute...he doesn't go for cute." Leah said, tilting her head as she looked Ashley over.
"I have no idea what you are going on about ma'am, but-"
"You don't have to say he didn't. I'm a friend of Gabriel's, honestly I can't believe he didn't tell me about you. In reality you are very cute, why wouldn't he share you with me is really bugging me."
Ashley started to intervene again in the conversation, but somehow couldn't get past Leah, who stared over her with a puzzling, almost upset expression. "I need to get back to work."
"You know, Gabriel isn't someone who you should just play with. It won't end well for you. I am saying this as his friend, he doesn't do well with people like you. He loses his temper quickly."
"Ma'am-"
"So don't be playing him, and do actually go after him. He has his fun and then he will toss you away like he did with Summer. She is only here still because she has a lot of different clients that bring in good money. She is unique. While you are very plain and simple."
"I-I'm not playing at Gabriel, and I'm not after him either. Please move so I can get back to work."
"What's your name anyways?" Blocking Ashley again at the door with her arm, Leah only insisted again that she get her name.
"Please-"
"What is it?"
"Ashley. Now please, move."
moved to the other side of the hallway as quickly as she could before Leah had grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "I mean it. Stop while you are ahead Ashley. It won't end well for either of you, I am looking out for Gabriel."
Leah had let her go but small nail marks were left in her arm as Ashley quickly moved down the hall and to her office where she had people waiting already. Quickly working with the women and men who were there waiting to get checked in, Ashley moved quickly and started getting a lot of people back until she heard a faint yell of Gabriel and who she assumed was Leah.
It was faint enough to where the clients wouldn't hear it unless they really tried to eavesdrop, but then again Ashley was closer to the back then they were. Soon enough Leah was walking through the front doors to leave as Billy and Marco showed up to fetch their clients.
After that, the day went by quickly, people coming in and out all day. Ashley didn't even take a lunch break like she was supposed to. Sitting at the computer putting in things and finishing scheduling the few clients she didn't get to. She was emailing a few people back because of how booked the few weeks would be now that they had to cancel multiple sessions.
It was draining. Ashley had thought she looked like an old witch by the time the last person was leaving the building. From staring at a screen to dealing with people, who were happy to angry emotions.
Standing up and rubbing her face, Ashley groaned lightly as her phone chimed. It was well past five and all Ashley wanted to do was eat food. Ignoring the phone call, she decided that if someone really needed her that they could leave a message and that she would get back at them later.
Ashley had started for the back halls but she was stopped by Marco coming out of his office, a pleasant smile pictured on his face as he put his fluffy hair up in a big bun. "Ashley. Gabriel had said you need these for him! I got everyone's folders for you to take up."
"Oh! Thank you Marco, that is really helpful."
"Are you almost done?"
"I think so, everyone is gone. I'm gonna run these up to Gabriel and then leave if you all don't need anything."
"No, we are all good. Get some rest girl."
"I will, trust me." taking the folders from Marco and running to the back and up the stairs to Gabriels office, she barely knocked on the door before letting herself in, setting the folders on his desk with a small smile as he looked at her with a small shocked expression.
"Here. Everyone's....things from today." Out of breath, Ashley huffed out her words as she leaned on the wooden desk.
"Thank you."
"Do you need anything else?" Ashley asked, rubbing her arm as she looked at Gabriel with tired eyes.
"What did Leah say to you Ashley?"
"What?"
Her full attention went to Gabriel as he spoke again, "What did Leah tell you."
"Nothing much, just said she was a friend of yours and asked my name." It wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the full truth Ashley thought as she watched his face turn from straight to a frown and bored eyes.
"Ashley, I am not a deaf person. What did she tell you?"
"If you aren't deaf then why are you asking?" Standing up and walking around the desk, Ashley took a step back as she apologized for the comment almost instantly, "I'm sorry, that was rude. She didn't say anything Gabriel!" starting to freak out in her head at what she had just said, Ashley looked down and stuttered over her words.
For a moment he only started her down, making Ashley feel inferior to him, almost scared of him making Gabriel think of John for a moment. Her gaze went down again as he got closer to her.
Though she hadn't truly seen him upset, she knew that he was a person of control, and lying isn't a thing he appreciated. He wanted the whole truth right away, not to deal with someone who barely wanted to talk.
"Ashley, did she threaten you?" He asked calmly, softly even after her comment, his arms crossed against his chest as he stayed a small distance from Ashley. He saw the nerves run through her when she backed away and apologized.
He knew that he needed to step back, to not make her feel awful. Somehow, he knew with her he needed to stop and not scare her.
"No. Why would she?"
"I am just making sure. Are you feeling alright?"
"I just need sleep. I should get going-" A knock on the door interrupted them before Jack walked in with pink cheeks and a smile. He had only poked his head inside the door before looking at Gabriel.
"What Jack?"
"I j-just wanted to tell you that uh, Billy had to leave because his wife went into labor...." Jack waited as Gabriel ran a hand through his hair and nodded with a sigh, sending Jack out the door.
"Well that's... good?"
"Yeah, you can leave now."
"O-Okay...are you sure you don't need-"
"No, but I will need you tomorrow to get Billy's replacement up to date with his clients." Gabriel stated as Jack had started to close the door, leaving Ashley and Gabriel back to a discussion that was pushed away now.
"His replacement?" Ashley stood there with questions as Gabriel grabbed his phone and went through it.
"Yes, he is going to be gone for two months now that his kid is here. I can't just drop his clients. I'll have someone here in the morning to take his clients." Gabriel had put his phone up to his ear and leaned against his desk, making Ashley think she should leave.
Which she did, closing the door lightly before walking down the stairs and to the front, it was starting to get dark outside already and everyone besides Gabriel had left already. Probably to go with Billy seeing as they were close like that. Grabbing her purse from the desk, Ashley quickly left the building and went to her car.
And without hesitation, her phone had started to ring loudly making Ashley stop and pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this ms. nichols?'
"It is." A lady had answered back to her as Ashley got into her car.
"Hello ma'am, I've been informed to tell you that John McAllen was released on bail, your lawyer had told me to tell you if anything happened. Your court date is set for next week monday, but Mr. McAllen is no longer being held here. If he does not show up to court he will be put on our watch list until he shows up to the scheduled court days. If you have any questions contact your lawyer from here on."
"um...T-Thank you." Ashley hung up the phone before tossing it on the seat next to her and staring at the steering wheel in front of her. Tears broke through her eyes and soon they were flooding down her cheeks as she only stared.
How could someone get him out of there?
Her hands gripped the wheel as she started to cry harder and hyperventilate, her chest heaving up and down as her vision blurred so much that she was forced to close her eyes, which only made so many new tears fall down her rosy cheeks.
The fear of him being free took over incredibly fast, the only thing in her mind was the fact that he was there. He was out there and was probably waiting for her at home, he was probably trying to find her.
She didn't realize how scared of John she had been up until now, now that he was out and roaming around with nothing but a court date on his shoulders.
Her hands started to shake as she reached for her phone again and started back out of the car and inside the sanctuary before locking the front door and running behind her desk.
Calling Danny with extremely shaking hands, Ashley attempted to quiet her sobs and cries.
"Hey, Danny here, sorry I didn't pick up the phone, leave a message and I'll get back to you soon." It went to voicemail almost right away, making Ashley worried as she tried to talk.
"D-danny please...please call me back s-soon. J-John is o-out a-and...and I don't know where h-he is. G-Go to Jacks or s-something just... p-please don't go h-home Danny!" Ending the call, Ashley closed her eyes as more tears crept down her face.
Those tears dripped down onto her hands and desk as she sat down and just cried. The fear was fully there, Ashley had told him off in the police station, and she wasn't the one to bail him out, she was the one pressing charges against him, she was the one he had hurt after all these years.
He was going to come for her, and if he didn't find her, he would surely go to Danny. John hated Danny as much as he now hated Ashley.
Breathing heavily at her desk while the tears continued to roll down her face, she didn't notice Gabriel come down the hallway to find a girl crying hard, her head in her hands as she wept, the fear that flooded her body over and over. Chills were visibly raking through her as he stepped into the room.
"Ashley?" Watching her jump out of her chair and hold onto her own body tightly, Gabriel took a step back as he watched her carefully. When she started to shake again, he went up to her and simply held her arms hard enough to where she let go of herself, where he could hold her somewhat to make her look at him.
"I-I'm so...sorry for b-being here s-still." crying harshly as she tried to speak, her words sounded babled and mushed together as she tried to breathe at the same time.
"What happened?" keeping a hand on her head and one on her arm, Gabriel was cautious of his movements by or on her, seeing as she couldn't control her emotions or her body at all at this point.
"H-He got released....o-on bail. He's...not locked up anymore." John knew where she worked and where she lived. He knew where her closest friend lived too. Gabriel knew that too.
Almost everything she was feeling was crashing down on her, her head starting to feel dizzy as she cried. She had just forgotten all about everything chaotic in her life for a mere day, and just as she thought it couldn't get worse, it had come crashing down on her.
Being, dehydrated and on an empty stomach made her feel sick as her head spun and her body shook as she cried in Gabriels chest now, leaning into him fully as her body started to give out.
"I-I tried calling D-Danny...he knows where h-he lives. H-He might go a-after him."
"Ashely. Look at me." Holding her face in both his hands, gabriel mentally sighed as he looked at Ashley, whose face was slightly pink from crying, tears running down her face still as she sniffled and blinked rapidly.
She had light mascara running from down her under eyes, tears running down her cheeks, red lips. She looked like a true mess.
"Sit down, I'm going to get some water for you and then we will try to get a hold of Danny." And they did just that, Gabriel made sure Ashley was seated on the couch with a glass of water in hand, and made sure she drank it all as he called Danny.
Instantly he picked up and Gabriel was the one to explain to him what was going on, it had freaked Danny out but at the end of the conversation he said he would stay with Jack for the night or two which made Ashley calm down a small bit as she sniffed and still cried more silently next to Gabriel.
"Ashley, do you have a place where you can go?"
"I-I don't know, I would...I would go to Danny's..."
"Then you are coming with me."
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