Chapter 32

Paige continued doing up her coat and walked over to Gabriel. She placed her hands on his hard chest and looked up into his eyes. She was not going to let him have his way on this.

"I carried Lorenzo for nine months. I felt him growing inside me. I am his mother and you will not stop me from going with you."

Gabriel's heart was pounding, he didn't like when anyone questioned him. But as usual, he couldn't refuse her. Placing his hands on either side of her face used his thumbs to caress her skin.

"OK, you are his mother and you should be with me. God, how I love you," he says, pulling her face closer he lowered his mouth to hers, his kiss hot, passionate.

When he finally released her he took her hand, looked at Mitch and nodded for them to go.

"Wait," Paige cried out.

Going over she picked up the baby blanket from the bed and going back to Gabriel took his hand and followed the men out.

Mitch drove and Paige and Gabriel sat in the back. His arms wrapped protectively around her as she laid her head on his chest, the blanket clutched in her hands.

"It's way past his feeding time" she said sadly, lifting the infants blanket to her nose.

"I'm sure they are feeding him," he said, stroking her head, his heart breaking.

"Yes, but from a bottle, he needs my milk. What if he won't take my breast after being given a bottle?"

Gabriel for the first time felt lost for words, he didn't know what would happen.

"I don't know angel, let's worry about that when we get him back."

He took a hold of part of the blanket and took a sniff. It still had Lorenzo's scent on it. It broke his heart, their baby should be in it and in their arms.

Just knowing that someone had his son made him angry, angrier than he had ever been and once he got his hands on them he would kill them.

As they pulled into the driveway of where Gabriel's parents live she felt his body tense up, his lips pressed together and his eyes turned dark.

A sure sign he was furious and ready for a fight. She turned his face towards her, looking into his eyes pleaded silently with him to stay calm. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before taking her hand and helped her out of the car. She held his hand as they walked up the steps to the front door.

Gabriel didn't bother to knock, he just barged right in but the butler was there when the door opened.

"Where is Sergio?" he snapped at the man.

"Mr.Maestri is out sir, but your mother is in the library."

With Paige's hand in his and Mitch following right behind they hurried to the library where his mother was sitting, reading a book. He could see the worried look etched on her face.

"Where is my son?" he shouted at her.

She stared into his eyes and saw the fury and she was scared, more than she had ever been.

"I don't know," she answered.

The veins in his neck throbbed as he dropped Paige's hand and moved closer.

"Where has that bastard taken Lorenzo?"

Kaia's eyes widened. "You named him Lorenzo, why?"

Gabriel frowned, wondering why she looked so surprised.

"I don't know, I just liked the name. Tell me will my son is or I swear to God I'll kill you" he said, pulling the gun out and pointed it at her.

"I really don't know what you are talking about."

"Stop playing dumb, you know he has stolen my son. Sergio is a sick bastard and has taken him to teach me a lesson. Lorenzo is just an innocent baby, you may hate me but don't let Sergio hurt my son."

When she said nothing he pointed the gun at her and put his finger on the trigger.

Paige stepped in front of him, putting her hands on his chest.

"No Gabriel, you can't. Let me talk to her," she says, tears filling her eyes. She sighed in relief when he lowered his gun.

She walked over and stood in front of her mother-in-law.

"Mrs. Maestri, please tell us where my baby is."

When Kaia refused to answer and looked away Paige got down on her knees. She wanted to be brave, didn't want to cry but the tears came anyway. Her sobs were gut-wrenching in between speaking.

"I carried Lorenzo for nine months. I felt him growing and moving inside me. I'm his mother, I love him. You are a mother and I know deep down that you loved Gabriel when he was born. Can you remember what it felt like when he laid inside your womb? and how it felt when you held him for the first time in your arms? Please, tell me where he has taken my baby, I'm begging you. If you ever loved Gabriel tell us."

She was exhausted, she laid her head on the older woman's lap. Her hands clutching Kaia's dress, making it wet with her tears. Then she felt a hand stroking her head.

"I did love Gabriel, I still do," Kaia said as a single tear slid down her cheek.

"Yeah right," Gabriel scoffed.

Seeing Paige crying he wanted to go and wrap his arms around her, to comfort her. But if anyone could get through to his mother she could so he stood quietly next to Mitch.

"I do Gabriel, I always have."

"You have a hell of a way of showing it, mother. You never once held me or told me you loved me and you let that monster beat me, kill my pets. What kind of mother allows that to happen?"

"You don't understand, I couldn't show you love or affection."

Gabriel got close and bent down, his face inches from hers. "Why the hell not?"

"To protect you."

"Protect me from what?" he snapped and moved away.

Tears filled her eyes.

"From the same fate as your brother."

An eerie silence filled the room before Gabriel spoke.

"What brother? I don't have a brother."

Paige stood up and listened, her eyes going from Kaia to her husband and back again.

"He was born three years before you."

Tears ran down her face as she stared into space as she thought back.

"I named him Lorenzo, I was shocked to hear that you named your son that."

Gabriel felt sick, this was the first time he'd heard of a brother. "What happened to him?"

Kaia continued speaking in a trance-like voice.

"He was so beautiful. I loved him so much and that made Sergio angry. You know how he feels about loving someone or something. One morning I went into his room and found him dead in his crib. They called it SIDS, but I knew better. I know Sergio killed him but there was no way of proving it. So when I got pregnant with you I would talk to you and tell you how much I loved you when you were in my womb. I could only do it when Sergio was away. I couldn't let him know I loved you."

"You never once told me you loved me, even when he was away, which was often. You could have shown me love, or held me when he was gone."

"No, I couldn't. If I had and your father might have suspected that I loved you. You were a child and wouldn't have understood why I was cold one minute and warm the next. The only way to keep you safe was to ignore you."

"That's bullshit," Gabriel snapped. "You could have left him after what he did to your first child."

Kaia stood, her face flushed, breathing heavily. "I tried leaving him but he had control of the money, isolated me from my family and friends."

They all stood speechless when she started undoing the buttons on her blouse. Turning around she pulled her top down to reveal a back full of old scars.

Paige gasped and grabbed Gabriel's arm.

"This is what he did to me when I tried to leave him," she said, putting her top back on she turned to face them.

"This is only half of what he did to me. He said now no one would ever want me. I was trapped and then you came along, the only good thing that came from my life of hell. I know you hate me Gabriel, but that's a small price to pay for keeping you alive."

Gabriel's head was spinning, this was all too much.

Learning he had a brother who his father murdered, and learning his mother did love him. But he didn't have time to grasp it right now, he had to save his son.

"Where has he taken my son?"

"To the cabin in the woods."

"What cabin? What woods?"

"You know Gabriel, he took you there when you were fourteen. He wanted to teach you to kill, do you not remember it?"

The memories slowly started coming back. His father had forced him into their car and drove them to a small log cabin hidden deep in the woods.

There he was given a gun and told to shoot any wild animal he saw. When he refused to kill a living thing he was kept there for several days and was beaten, denied food and water until he finally gave in and started shooting.

Rabbits, birds and other animals. He was made to watch as they bled to death and was not allowed to show any emotion.

"I remember," he said somberly. It's almost an hour drive from here."

"You must hurry Gabriel. I overheard him on the phone, he's having someone take the baby to Australia to be raised. You were never meant to see him again."

Taking Paige's arm he turned to Mitch. "It's an hours drive, can you make it in less than that?"

"Just tell me where and I'll have you there in no time," Mitch answered.

The three of them went to leave when Paige stopped, leaving Gabriel ran over to Kaia and putting her arms around her gave her a hug.

"Thank you," she said.

Letting go went back over to the men.

As they were walking out he glanced back at his mother. He wasn't sure how to feel about her now. He didn't know whether to keep hating her or feel sorry for her.

Could he ever forgive her for not doing something to protect them both? Or would he continue to hate her?

Mitch took off, tires spinning as he put his foot down on the gas.

Gabriel held Paige close. He wasn't worried about the speed that Mitch was driving since the man had skills when it came to driving fast. He would have them there in half an hour tops.

She touched his face, stroking it with her fingers.

"Are you OK?" she asked, seeing the haunted look in his eyes.

She knew that hearing how he had a brother, and seeing the horrible scars that covered his mother's back was a shock to him. He may not have had the best of childhood, but it was nothing compared to what she went through.

He gave her a weak smile, the palm of his hand rested on the side of her face.

"I will be once we have our boy back." He pulled her up against his chest, his mouth came down on hers.

His kiss was forceful, demanding. All his pent-up anxieties went into that kiss. He needed the release from the pain and worry that plagued him. He felt her hands on the back of his head as she held him close, she too needed that closeness.

Mitch kept quiet, he could hear them kissing. Knowing they were both hurting he was glad they had each other and knew Gabriel would kill his father. He just hoped they got there before the baby and whoever was with them took off.

They made it in thirty-five minutes, he turned off the car's headlight and came to a stop.

"Now what boss?" he asked.

Gabriel looked around, he didn't see a car or any signs of Sergio.

"I can't find his car but there are lights on in the cabin. Keep the lights of the car turned off, drive around to the back. We'll put the car out of sight and sneak up on them."

His heart felt as though it was going to burst from worry.

What if they had left already with the baby?