Chapter 21

Gabriel's POV

I frowned as I felt her mind closing in on me.

She was blocking me. Why?

I tried again but this time her mind was firmly shut. "Damn it." I muttered under my breath.

"What?" Fabio who was sitting next to me asked. Our Jeep was the first of three vehicles that were heading toward Eastlea, the hunters base. One of the vehicles was a truck full of supernaturals and we were going to get Santana and Finn back. I didn't care if it killed me, I want going to let them be sucked into the hunters system.

"She's shutting me out of her mind." I mumbled in response to his query. Why would she do that? Had Lucas already brainwashed her? Subconsciously, I stepped harder in the gas pedal.

"Easy easy. Maybe she is busy." Fabio said quietly.

I didn't ease up. I was livid. She has openly disobeyed me after she had given me her word. Now this. I stepped ever harder.

We were almost there and I could hardly wait to get her out of there. We took a detour and almost as soon as we turned I saw Santana's car packed down the road. My chest constricted in response. She was here.

This knowledge pushed me to hurry everyone up and quickly position the fighters around the parameters. We were going to try and negotiate first and if that didn't work, we'd call for backup.

Fabio, Farah, Jonathan, myself and six other supernaturals were coming with us to the negotiations. The walk to the gate wasn't too long and when we got there, as I expected there was tight security but that didn't matter.

The abnormally large man at the gate marched towards us as we approached.

"State your business." He demanded.

"I want to see Lucas Marino." I replied.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Tell him to stop hiding behind guards and come and give me what he took." I snapped.

The giant smirked. "Brute doesn't want to see you."

"He has no choice." I bit out. Impatience was getting the better of me.

"We come in peace. Please tell him we come just for talking not fight." Fabio butted in having noticed my mood.

The giant regarded Fabio coldly. "Nobody asked you to  talk, Blondie." He scoffed.

I squinted threateningly at him but before I could pounce, the gate opened and a boy came out.

"Yo Jim! Brute said stop aggrevatin' our guests and let them through." He yelled.

Jim scrowled as he grudgingly moved aside to let us pass.

"Too many." The boy said. "Only four of you can come in."

I had anticipated this so Fabio, Jonathan and Farah followed me inside while the others waited outside.

Three guards greeted us at the gate and led us inside the house , down a chain of corridors to a room with a closed door.

One of the guards knocked three times then opened the door. He didn't go in but held the door open for us enter.

The room was large and Brute was sitting on a large office chair behind a mahogany desk.

"Well, this is a surprise." He greeted leaning back on his chair with a smirk. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You took something of ours. I'd like it back." I said.

He squinted as though he was deep in thought. "I don't think I know what that might be." He mused.

"More like who." Jonathan spoke up.

"Hmm Gabriel, tame your dogs. In this house the right to speak is reserved." He threatened shaking his head.

"I don't want to fight, Lucas. Just give me what I came for and I'll be on my way." I said.

"She wants nothing to do with you. And neither does my son" he said swinging from side to side on his chair.

"I doubt that." I simply shrugged. Though my mind was telling me something else.

"Do you really think you can poison my own children against their father?" He asked his voice suddenly becoming angry.

"Not her father but the viscous evil man terrorizing our small community. The man who killed her grandmother." I snapped back.

"Well, then," he said standing up. "That viscous man is here today and he is not happy."

"That makes the two of us." I hissed through clenched teeth taking a step forward.

The hunters flagging all four walls of the room stepped in threateningly. I paused in my tracks.

Brute smirked. "You are on my turf, Gabriel. You play by my rules."

I simply glared at him as he made his way around to table to stand a several feet away from me. "You should have known better than to come here uninvited, Gaby. Because you are going to die. All of you." He paused for effect. "Even the troops you have hiding in my bushes."

Out of the corner of my eye i saw Jonathan's eyes widen in surprise. And Lucas noticed it too.

"Yes, Loose-mouth, I know you brought your troops. Do you thinking you can fucking bring troops to my property without me knowing?" He angrily pulled gun from his pocket. "I will kill all of you! Starting with you." He had walked towards me and pointed his gun at my forehead.

I stared blankly at him.

"Oh I could just pull this trigger now." He whispered. Then he lowered the gun. "But that's not nearly as satisfying as having your loyal dogs watch you beg for your life then watch you die slowly."

He back paddled. "I admire your calmness in the face of death though."

"That's because I'm not going to die today." I smiled.

"I also admire your ability to dream." Lucas said with a laugh. Then he turned to his guards. "Kill the extras." He ordered.

The door burst open and Santana jumped in closely followed by Karen Marino.

"Stop!" Santana's Voice boomed over everyone.  Invariably, the supernaturals immediately succumbed to the authority in her voice and so did some of the hunters who were supernatural.

"Get out of the way!" Lucas hissed waving her off the middle floor.

"No! Just stop!" She stood her ground while she glared at her father.

"Santana, dont make me hurt you." He warned.

I took an involuntary step forward. What was her angle?

"Go ahead, Dad. For the greater good. But how many lives are you going to take 'for the greater good?'. " she asked him.

"Just his. He stole my daughter." Lucas pointed a finger at me.

"No. I went willingly. If this fight is because of me then you better put your weapons away. I make my own decisions and no amount of fighting will make me want to choose either one of your groups." She started determinedly standing her ground.

"I'm afraid you don't have that liberty, cara." Fabio put in.

"I'm afraid I do, Fabio. Nothing is ever black and white because there are so many different shades of grey in-between and right now, I choose to be neither black nor white." She stated.

"Santana-" I started but she raised her hand to silence me. Was she doing what I thought she was doing? Was she rejecting the hunters and the supernaturals too?

"Thanks to you, my life and Finn's are a mess. I mean both of you." She had to add when Lucas stared pointedly at me.

"Baby, you belong here you aren't going anywhere." Lucas said.

Santana shook her head. "No, I'm don't." She turned around to face him. "I hate this man that I have found out that you are. I hate everything he stands for and I don't know if I'll ever see him as my father again." She whispered with so much pain in her voice my heart ached.

Karen let out a whimper at her words.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Lucas said looking at her square in the eye. "But I'm still your father and you will do as I say."

She glared at him then let out a sigh. "I told you, there is no way in hell I'm joining the hunters."

"Here's what's going to happen, princess, you are going to go up to your room and let us finish this like men." Lucas said controlled anger lacing his voice.

I saw Santana's jaw clench and unclench as she tried to control her own anger. "No no. Here is what really gonna happen. I am going to freely walk out that door and out that gate and with me I'm taking Finn, Cedric and all the supernaturals that came after me today." She paused. "And you are going to let us."

That was not received well by Lucas. "Are you out of your mind?" He yelled taking several steps towards her.

Again instinctively, I stepped forward too.

"If you put up a fight and do so much as scratch one of my friends here, you will never ever see me or Finn again." Then she stepped closer to Lucas and smirked.  Karen whimpered and Lucas's expression turned from rage to bland.

Santana back paddled several steps to her original position then she crossed her arms over her chest. "Your move, Daddy" she smirked.

"You are begging for trouble, young lady and trouble i will deliver." He threatened softly.

"Oh, Lucas!" Karen interjected before with father or daughter could speak. "Just stop. You are killing our family. You can't continue doing this. And you know Santana and Finn are way too young to be in this business. And they are free to decide for themselves what they want, Lucas. We can't  force them to do what they don't want to do. I can't let you force them, honey. They are our children not some random people we don't know and found lurking in or properties. Santana and Finn are our children. Let them go. Please." She spoke softly tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Mum..." Santana whispered as she walked over to her mother and wrapped her in her arms. The love between them was heartwarmingly obvious. None of us could tear our eyes away including Lucas. Santana may look like  Lucas but she got her good heart from Karen. I looked away as my heart swelled up with an unnamed emotion.

"Please." Karen's calmer voice made me look back at them. Santana had released her but remained standing next to her.

"Karen, you know not to get involved in men's business." Lucas said though his voice was surprisingly soft.

"I can get involved if it's about my children." She replied. "Let them go."

"You know I can't let these trespassers leave." He argued his voice still mellow

"You will get plenty of chances to fight again but today is just not that day." She said imploringly. "Do it for our kids."

He walked over to Karen and Santana and spoke in a low voice but I could still pick up the words he was saying.

"I don't have a choice." He said to his wife.

"There is always a choice. You can choose not to make your children killers. You can choose not to kill your children's friends! Just for once, Lucas, do something for someone else. Please, sweetheart let them go." She begged

Lucas stared at her for a long moment then he turned and walked towards me. I tensed.

"Well, it seems like you have spread your disgusting 'hero mode' all over my daughter. Congratulations. But I assure you, Gabriel that this battle is not over. There shall be reckoning for everything you have done." He threatened vehemently with his teeth gritted he turned away and looked at Fabio, Farah and Jonathan in turn. "You have 5 minutes to get the fuck out of my house."

I gritted my teeth to control the anger that was raising in me because of the way he was talking to me. I had not come here for a fight. The last thing I wanted was for Santana to get hurt because my pride had been injured.

I watched as she leapt up victoriously and she lunged herself into her mother's arms.

I turned to the others and nodded for them to start walking out.

"Until next time, Brute." I promised and he smirked in response.

I turned and followed Fabio, Farah and Jonathan out the door.  Finn was waiting outside sipping juice from a cup.

"What happened?" He jumped up the minute he saw me.

"We are leaving. All of us. Are you alright? Where's Cedric?" I asked.

"Really? Where's Santana?" He craned his neck to see inside the room.

"She's saying goodbye." Jonathan responded.

Finn nodded. "You go on ahead. Santana and I will come out with Cedric." He said before he disappeared into the library.

We were led out of the house by armed guards and right out of the gate where our other troops were hiding.

Bring the car.

I minklinked to Chris who was waiting in the car a few meters away.

"That was okay, yeah?" Fabio asked as we waited in front of the gate.

Yes it went well but I couldn't help but feel like something was amiss. Santana hadn't looked at me once since I came plus she blocked me out of her mind. I was almost positive Lucas told her about my... former adventures. If that was the case I would understand that she felt like she couldn't trust me. But it was still frustrating especially since she has been mad with me since that ill-timed kiss.

I nodded. "Yes, it was okay." I replied Fabio's question. I should have told her everything before all this.

"At least no one is getting killed." He mumbled.

I nodded absently.

"The...how you say...likeness between Santana and Lucas is striking." Fabio commented casually.

Again I nodded my eyes trained to the gate. If she didn't come out in the next five minutes I was going after her.

Just when I was about to go back in, the large gate swung open and Santana and Finn emerged hair carrying, half dragging Cedric. I ran forward to rescue him from their arms, so did three other supernaturals. Ced was unconscious.

The three supernaturals carried him to the car which had just pulled up.

I turned around and there she was.

Without thinking, I reached over and pulled her into an embrace. For a brief second she  relaxed into my arms and hugged me back but that second was gone and she became tense. I pulled away.

"Are you alright?" I asked looking her over. She looked like she had just showered. But her face was bleak like she was tired - really tired.

She sighed then nodded.

"Did he hurt you?" I quizzed.

"No." She replied and tried to move past me.

"What were you thinking coming here by yourself?" Now that I had established that she was okay I allowed myself to be angry.

She stopped and glared at me. "I was thinking I need to save my brother, something you weren't doing."

"I was working on it." I bit out.

"For how many more years?" She snapped her eyes flashing.

"You were supposed to trust me, Santana." I hissed shocked by her anger. I was supposed to be the angry one.

She laughed. Much like the laugh she did when I first told her about Shelly - mirthless. "Trust you? That's rich." She scoffed.

My nostrils  flared slightly. I knew where this was going. "What do you mean?" I asked anyway.

"You have not been completely honest with me, have you Gabriel?" She looked me square in the eye as she folded her arms over her chest.

He told her. I could see it in her eyes. What could I possibly say to that? I had lied to her. "Don't be too rash to make conclusions."

She scoffed. "That's what I thought you'd say." She turned away from me and walked towards Fabio. He smiled when he saw her approaching and opened up his arms which she rushed into.

They exchanged a few words during their embrace which I couldn't hear. Pulling away, i watched was she hooked her arm with his and led him to the car.

No amount of training in the world could have prepared me for for this gut wrenching pain that was in my chest.

Santana's POV

Gabriel's hooded gaze drilled holes in my back as I walked away from him into Fabio's waiting arms.

"Cara. I'm happy you are okay." He said as he hugged me.

"Thank you for coming for me." I whispered as I withdrew.

"It was you who saved us, cara."

I linked my arm with his. "Fabio, I found something inside my father's office." I started as we walked towards the car.

"What is it?" He asked.

Lowering my voice so that only Fabio heard me. "I know where Shelly is."