Page 156 of Healed

And then I heard Rachel laugh.

I turned around slowly, feeling almost feral.

“Is something fucking funny?”

“Not particularly,” she smirked. “It is highly amusing to watch you panicking, though.”

“Dante,” I warned.

Dante nudged her with his elbow and jutted his chin at me. Rachel sighed dramatically.

“Do you really have that little faith in me, hair buddy? Do you really think I’d let you down again?”

I winced at her words.

She had never let me down. None of this was her fault.

I felt my shoulders deflate as some of my anger left me.

“She’s in the garage, you dramatic bastard,” Rachel said, rolling her eyes at me. “She’s Tools’ new apprentice. She—”

I was out of the door and racing on foot to the garage before she’d finished her sentence. Though I did hear her mocking laughter behind me, followed by Dante telling her off.

I pushed open the garage doors, almost knocking down a startled Gemma, and then my knees almost gave way for a completely different reason.

Because there she was.

My girl.

And she was…

Hang on, she was fucking shouting.

“For the last time, Tools. No. No is a complete fucking sentence.”

“It’s your fucking job, woman!”

“Oh, don’t you ‘woman’ me, you sexist pig!” she yelled back, brandishing a wrench in his face. “My job is to be your apprentice. To work on the motors. And I will do so happily. What I won’t do is bring you a brew—”

“And a Kit-Kat. I asked for a Kit-Kat.

“You can shove your Kit-Kat up your fucking ass, mister!”

“So… should I make the brews then?” Tools asked, looking utterly forlorn.

“That would be nice,” Gabriella replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “And don’t forget the goddamn Kit-Kats.”

Tools slumped off, his shoulders hunched, muttering under his breath.

I watched with fascination as Gabriella tipped her head back and laughed.

Really laughed.

A laugh that started at her toes and flew out of her mouth with abandon. She laughed until her greasy arms wrapped around her stomach. Until her oil-coated fingers curled into a fist, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hands.

She laughed until she hunched over, her hands on her knees, cackling like I had never heard before.

And then, when she was done, she straightened up and took a deep breath, shaking her head at her hysterical laughing breakdown.