Page 36 of Battle Scars

“No shit,” he bites out, and then he leans into me.

I think he’s going to kiss me, but then the door slams open, and Gabe and I jump apart as Manny walks in.

“It’s all clear,” he says. “There’s no sign of the shooter.”

“Weapon?” Gabe fires back.

“Gone,” Manny responds.

“Fuck!”

“That about sums it up,” Manny agrees. “The cops want a word.”

Gabe looks back at me, and I do my best to fade into the wall, which is not like me at all. I was born under a spotlight thanks to who my parents are, and even who my grandfather was. I’ve never been selfish or conceited, but I’ve never been a shrinking violet either. So, I make a mental note for when the bullets are done flying and the smoke has cleared, to put some thought into how Gabe makes me feel about myself. And how not great that probably is.

“I’ve got this covered,” Manny says.

Gabe leans into me and whispers, “Be good, fresa.”

And then he’s gone, the door closing softly behind him before I even have the chance to utter the word never.

“It’ll be all right,” Manny says gently.

I turn to look at him.

There are a lot of things I should be concerned with right now, but the one thought that flits through my head over and over is the word that Gabe keeps calling me. I have no idea what it means, but I can’t help but feel like it’s important. So, I open my mouth and ask.

“Manny?” I call out softly.

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you a… umm… question?”

“Yeah,” he replies gently, but the laugh lines around his eyes tighten and he looks watchful. Almost wary.

“Umm… what does fresa mean?”

“Literally, it means strawberry,” he says.

That’s not bad at all. Strawberries are sweet and everyone loves them. They’re one of the best parts of summer.

I was right; it’s a term of endearment. Maybe I’m beginning to mean something to Gabe too. I mean, why else would he have asked me to call him by his first name the other night?

“But it’s also slang for spoiled bitch.”

Yep, that tracks with my life.

“Oh.” My reply comes out in a rush of breath.

Wow. That hurts more than I thought it would.

I’ll always be the girl in Daddy’s shadow, the one no one thinks worked her ass off to get where she is.

That’s cool, it’s all cool. Now I know where I stand. I mean, I got the memo when he didn’t even wait for his dick to soften before he pulled out and pulled up stakes, so I know he just wanted to hit it and quit it. Maybe when the job is done, he’ll move on to somewhere else. Someone else too.

Love that for him.

“I’m sure—” Manny starts, but I cut him off.