COUNTERPOINT
An original romantic serial

From Alina Adams the author of "When a Man Loves a Woman" (DELL 4/00), "Annie's Wild Ride" (AVON 8/98), "Inside Figure Skating" (METROBOOKS 11/00 & 9/99), "Thieves at Heart" (AVON 12/95) and "The Fictitious Marquis" (AVON 6/95)

Available weekly by e-mail from http://www.AlinaAdams.com

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Dedicated to Helping Children All Over the World

CHAPTER 45

      Nicole called and left messages on Gabriel's answering machine all through the night. Now, it was his turn not to respond.
      The next morning, for the first time in his career, Gabriel called in sick at the clinic, and, instead, headed for the gym, where he spent close to two hours walloping an unforgiving punching bag until his knuckles bled and dripped crimson spider webs down his wrists. Sweat trickled into his eyes, blurring his vision. Which was why Gabriel actually heard her voice, before he saw her standing to the side of the punching bag.
      "I need your help, Gabriel."
      He rubbed his face against his shoulder, shaking it like a dog trying to shudder off excess water.
      "What?"
      "I need you to come with me to talk to Robin."
      "Why?"
      "To tell him what happened. To explain why I did what I did."
      "Okay. Sure." Gabriel offered the bag a right hook for the road. "It'll be my pleasure to facilitate your reconciliation with Robin Cooper."
      "Don't be like that, Gabriel, please."
      "Listen, sweetheart, I said I'd do it. Civility is going to cost you extra."
      "I'm sorry."
      "Whatever. I need to shower and change. Give me a half hour, okay, Vicky?"
     
      They drove to Robin's hotel in silence, Gabriel staring moodily out the window, fiddling with the bandages he'd awkwardly tried to apply across his own knuckles.
      When they got to the Fairmont, he broke his code of silence to indicate the lobby and remark, "Pretty swanky."
      "Would you like Robin better if he lived in a box on the street?"
      "Maybe."
      Victoria pushed the elevator button. "You know, poverty doesn't always equal strength of character."
      "No. But, wealth almost always suggests a lack of it."
      "He can't help having been born rich."
      "He can help what he's done with his life since then."
      Victoria and Gabriel stepped on to the elevator. "The Elizabeth Fund -- "
      "Is a rich man's toy. And all the charitable contribution in the world can't make up for the way he's treated his daughter. Or his wife. No wonder Nicole felt she had to do what she did."
      Victoria kept her voice down so as not to involve their fellow passengers in the discussion, and hissed, "I can't believe you're defending her!"
      "I'm simply saying that she had her reasons. Robin drove her to it."
      "And involving you in her battle with me?"
      "Omelets. Eggs. Gotta break some."
      He didn't believe it, of course. But, Gabriel needed some way to express his displeasure at the entire situation.
      They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the plush hallway to Robin's door. It took three knocks for him to answer, and, when Robin did, the first person he saw was Gabriel.
      "Oh, God, not you, again."
      "Robin," Victoria said softly, and stepped into his view.
      Cooper jumped, as if electroshocked, and, for the first time, in spite of himself, Gabriel was forced to admit that, other charming personality traits aside, the jerk did seem to be deeply affected by Gabriel's sister.
      "What are you doing here, love?" Robin asked, "Are you all right?"
      "We need to talk to you."
      "We?"
      "Please, Robin, can we come in?"
      He looked suspiciously at Gabriel, but there was obviously no way Robin could say no to Victoria. He opened the door wider, and stepped aside.
      His suite was in its usual state of pre-room service bedlam. Clothes thrown every which way, steam escaping from the shower. Gabriel distastefully pushed aside an empty crystal tumbler to press both palms into Robin's dresser, and jump up to sit on it, his back to the mirror.
      Robin said, "Make yourself at home, Dr. Scott."
      Gabriel asked, "Did you know I'd met your wife, Mr. Cooper?"
      That certainly got Robin's attention. He even stopped staring hungrily at Victoria, to whip his head around, and demand, "Nicole?"
      "How many wives do you have?"
      "Gabriel, please," Victoria begged, and her brother dutifully shut up.
      "Sorry, Vick. Force of habit."
      Robin turned his attention back to Victoria. "Is something wrong?"
      "No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know. It depends."
      "Yes," Gabriel summarized.
      Robin's concern deepened. "What is it?"
      The question was aimed at Victoria, but Gabriel helpfully took the lead. "Remember your wife? The aforementioned Nicole? Well, it seems she's been a busy little bee. My arrest a few weeks back, any recollections of that night?"
      Much to Gabriel's shock, Robin Cooper actually blushed. And, for the first time since they'd come in, he avoided eye-contact with Victoria. He cleared his throat. "I remember."
      "Well, turns out, that was all Mrs. Robin Cooper's doing. She stole files from my apartment, turned them over to the D.A., got me arrested, then blackmailed Victoria to stay away from you in exchange for having the charges dropped."
      "WHAT?" Robin's query was part gasp, part roar.
      Victoria said, "I had no choice, Robin. You understand, don't you? I had to do what she said. I had to protect Gabriel."
      "So you sacrificed me instead?"
      "Why, no, Mr. Cooper," Gabriel replied courteously, "Jail wasn't too unpleasant, thank you for asking."
      Robin asked Victoria, in what seemed to be more of a flat statement, "You chose your brother over me."
      "I -- no -- It wasn't like that. I -- "
      "Jesus Christ, I am so Goddamn tired of this crap."
      Even Gabriel, whose general assessment of Robin Cooper started with "spoiled" and ended with "brat," thought the young heir was overreacting just a tad. It was almost as if Robin were having a different conversation from the rest of them.
      "Hey, Cooper, chill out. She's trying to tell you why -- "
      "You stay out of this!"
      "Robin, please, if you'll just let me -- "
      "What? If I'll just let you what? Explain to me in great detail why the wonderful and saintly Dr. Scott's happiness is so much more important than mine?"
      "It isn't that."
      "I should have known I couldn't escape it. If it isn't Douglas going on and on about Dr. Scott's virtues, it's you!"
      "Douglas?" Now, Victoria felt totally lost. "Robin, what does your father have to do with Gabriel?"
      "Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel. That's all I ever hear these days. Do you have any idea how sick and tired I am of constantly coming in second to my saintly brother?"