Chapter 21: Can I Leave Now

Madison's expression changed. "Mom..." "Shut up." Lauryn cut her off and fixed Gabriel with an icy stare. "Well?" Gabriel nodded. "Fine. No problem." He fell silent, crossed the hall, and climbed to the second floor, slipping into the storage room next to Madison's bedroom. For three years, he and Madison had slept separated by that thin wall. He had never set foot in her room, never so much as touched her.  Lauryn loved to sneer that he was nothing but the family's guard dog. He had lost...