Raised by a distracted father after the death of his mother, Gabe learned early how to take care of himself. His uncle’s daughter Camilla, only a year older, lived in the same neighborhood and they were close. She was virtually his sister. He found her amusing but intimidating, challenging and maddening, and absolutely trustworthy. He had her back; she had his. From childhood to the day he disappeared Gabe considered Camilla the only friend he ever had.
Intelligent, analytical, cool under pressure, witty and flirtatious, he could be dangerous to cross but also unexpectedly kind. He was a lot of fun at parties. He wouldn’t remember your birthday and might take your gifts. In an usual twist he was a close friend of the Luca and Kenley Dirac and often attended their small gatherings at their home. Their daughters Fiona and Vivian knew who he was, and as they approached their teen years, found that friendship fascinatingly strange. He was unlike anyone they'd ever met.
A gambler and a con-man and a thief, he absolutely could not be trusted, and he enjoyed every minute of his life until he saw the end of it.
Gabe disappeared under
mysterious circumstances immediately after taking the time to send his cousin condemnatory information on his mother - a member of the elusive and powerful Westover family - an act that increased his risk but resulted in the death of the woman. Camilla insisted he did it for family, but
that’s unlikely. The sheer satisfaction of
taking down a powerful adversary he happened to despise was probably his major motivation.
Cornered and facing reality, Gabe said goodbye to Camilla, packed up what he had and disappeared. He left behind a few friends who did not ask questions, a family that did not miss him and were relieved to see him gone, and a larger than life mystique.
He
became a legend.
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