Chapter 27 -
The words twisted something in Nia's chest. She wondered what kind of bad dreams a five-year-old in this house might have. What he had seen or heard that made safety such an important concept.
Gabriel patted the space beside him on the bed. "Sit here. Rosa always sits here."
Nia glanced at Rosa, who nodded encouragingly, settling herself into a comfortable chair near the window. "Go on, dear. He will not settle until he gets his story."
Nia sat carefully on the edge of the bed, and Gabriel immediately snuggled closer, his small warm body pressed against her side. He smelled like soap and baby shampoo, innocence and trust in physical form.
"What kind of story would you like?" Nia asked.
Gabriel considered this with the seriousness of someone making a life-altering decision. "One with a brave hero. And someone who needs rescuing. But not a princess. Princesses are boring. Maybe a knight. Or a dragon. Can the dragon be the one who needs rescuing?"
Nia smiled. "A dragon who needs rescuing. I think I can work with that."
She began to weave a tale, pulling from half-remembered fairy tales from her own childhood, mixing in elements from books she had read, creating something new. She told him about a small dragon named Ember who had gotten lost in a dark forest and could not find his way home. About a knight named Gabriella who was brave and kind and who decided to help Ember instead of fighting him like everyone expected.
Gabriel listened with rapt attention, his eyes growing heavier with each passing minute. He fought it valiantly, jerking himself awake whenever his eyelids started to droop, determined not to miss a single word.
"And then what happened?" he mumbled when Nia paused.
"Then Gabriella and Ember flew above the trees, so high they could see the whole forest laid out below them like a green carpet. And there, on the far edge, was Ember's home. His family was waiting for him, breathing little puffs of fire into the sky like beacons to guide him back."
"Did he make it home?" Gabriel's voice was thick with sleep now.
"He did. And Gabriella made sure he was safe before she went back to her own home. Because that is what heroes do. They help others find their way, even when they are lost themselves."
Gabriel was quiet for so long Nia thought he had fallen asleep. But then his small voice came, barely a whisper. "Miss Nia? Are you lost too?"
The question punched the air from her lungs. She looked down at the little boy curled against her side, his hazel eyes struggling to stay open, his face open and trusting in a way that made her heart ache.
"Maybe a little," she admitted softly. "But I am trying to find my way."
"Uncle Nardo will help you," Gabriel said with absolute certainty. "He helps everyone. He helped me when I had nightmares. He helped Mama when Papa was being mean. He even helps Uncle Micheal when he drinks too much and cannot walk straight."
Nia did not know what to say to that. This child's view of Leo was so different from her own experience. To Gabriel, Leo was a protector, a hero, someone who made things better.
"He is scary sometimes," Gabriel continued, his words slurring together as sleep pulled at him. "But only on the outside. Inside, he is good. Mama says so. She says Uncle Nardo has a big heart but he keeps it hidden because hearts are easy to break."
"Your mama is a smart lady," Nia whispered.
"Mmhmm." Gabriel's eyes finally closed. "Will you be here tomorrow, Miss Nia?"
"I will be here," she promised, not knowing if it was true, but unable to tell this child anything else.
"Good. I like you. You tell good stories. Better than Rosa's. Do not tell Rosa I said that."
"Your secret is safe with me."
Gabriel smiled, already drifting off. Within moments, his breathing had evened out, deep and peaceful. The sleep of someone who felt safe, protected, loved.
Nia sat there for a long moment, just watching him. His blonde hair falling across his forehead, his small chest rising and falling steadily, one hand curled into a loose fist near his face. So innocent. So untouched by the darkness that permeated the rest of this house.
She carefully extracted herself from the bed, tucking the blankets around him the way she remembered doing for the younger children at the shelter. Gabriel stirred slightly, mumbling something that sounded like "dragon," then settled back into sleep.
Rosa had been watching from her chair, and there were tears glittering in her eyes. "That was beautiful," she said softly. "He has not fallen asleep that peacefully in weeks."
"He is a sweet kid," Nia said, her voice rough with emotion.
"He is." Rosa stood, moving to the bed to adjust Gabriel's blankets one more time, the gesture so maternal it made Nia's chest ache. "It is not easy for him, growing up in this world. His parents' marriage, the constant tension, the things he sees and hears that no child should have to witness. But he is strong. Resilient."
"He reminds me of the kids I grew up with," Nia said. "Foster children. They learned early how to find happiness in small moments, how to protect their hearts while still staying open to love."
Rosa looked at her with new understanding. "You know what it is like, then. To grow up without the safety most children take for granted."
"Yeah. I know."
They left Gabriel's room quietly, Rosa pulling the door closed until only a crack remained. A nightlight in the hallway cast a soft glow, just enough to keep the monsters away.
"Thank you," Rosa said as they walked back toward Nia's room. "For reading to him. For being kind. You did not have to do that."
"I wanted to," Nia said honestly. "He makes this place feel less..." She struggled for the right word.
"Suffocating?" Rosa supplied gently. "Yes. He does. Gabriel is the light in this dark house. The hope that maybe not everything is broken beyond repair."
They reached Nia's door, and Rosa paused, her expression troubled. "Miss Wallace, I know it is not my place to say this. But I have worked for this family for fifteen years. I have seen them at their best and their worst. And I have never seen Leonardo look at anyone the way he looks at you."
Nia's heart stuttered. "I do not know what you mean."
"Yes, you do." Rosa's smile was sad. "I saw the way he defended you tonight against Santiago. The way he watches you when he thinks no one is looking. Leonardo DeSanto does not let people in. He has not, not since Andrea died. But you have gotten under his skin, whether either of you wants to admit it or not."
"That does not change anything," Nia said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I am still a prisoner here. He is still my captor. Whatever he feels, if he feels anything at all, it does not change the fact that he is keeping me here against my will."
"No," Rosa agreed. "It does not. But it might be the thing that keeps you alive."
With that cryptic statement, she turned and walked away, leaving Nia standing in her doorway with more questions than answers.