Gabriel was furious. He wanted to beat the shit out of Alexander saying her name in his presence. What was he thinking? He knew how much he blamed himself for what happened to Lisset. Hell, Alex received the quarterly statements.
Lisset Benoit was a young, vibrant, flirtatious schoolteacher, who played them both for fools. Of course, at the time, they did not know that she was seeing other people. When they found out, they broke off the relationship and even went as far to find her another Dom. What they didn’t know was that the Dom they found for her had beaten her to a bloody pulp and left her for dead. An in-house resident discovered her three days later when he heard her whimpers. By the time she received medical treatment, it was too late, and the doctors could do nothing about her eyesight. She was permanently blind.
Gabriel spent months trying to find her a doctor who could restore her eyesight, while Alex made sure the Dom paid dearly for his sins. During the aftermath, the bickering and fighting began. It started out as snide comments, then jabs. It finally escalated when Alexander blamed him for being so closed off and emotionally unable to commit. Alex blamed him for Lisset’s wandering eyes, and when all was said and done, Gabriel did blame himself. If he hadn’t been so controlling and told her how he truly felt, she wouldn’t have sought comfort somewhere else.
What happened to her was his fault.
Gabriel knew it.
The only problem was he did not know how to go about fixing it.
For the last ten years, he had loved only one woman and trusted only one friend with his life. In less than one hour, both had connected in a way that brought about feelings he was unable to discuss, let alone understand. He loved Antoinette. He just had a hard time opening up and expressing it, but he knew if he wanted to keep her, he was going to have to try.
Gabriel knew there was no way he could ever walk away from Antoinette again.
He had caused this mess. He created it three months ago. He didn’t have the courage to walk away then, and he could not do it now. The only problem now was Alexander was involved.
God, why did he have to show up?
Gabriel had known Alexander since he was five. They grew up together, played together, and got in trouble together. When his parents died, it was Alexander who got him through the whole mess. After Gabriel was shipped off to live with his grandfather, it was Alexander who helped him survive. Through it all, Alexander had always been by his side. Even when he decided to open the Pleasure Cave in Montana, it was Alexander who agreed and even offered to stay behind and take over his private estates, giving him the freedom to be who he wanted to be.
Alexander had always understood him when others hadn’t, and Gabriel was grateful for that. It wasn’t easy being different. There was a time when Gabriel thought he was a deviant, a sadist, someone who should be locked up in an insane asylum. It was Alexander who made him understand that he was normal, that there was no shame in what he desired.
Leaning forward, he placed his head in his hands. Gabriel felt like weeping. So much had changed, and nothing was ever going to be the same. He needed Antoinette like he needed air in his lungs, yet he could not see his life without Alexander in it.
His trusted friend, his confidant, his brother.
That was the crux of the matter.
Sighing, Gabriel stood and began pacing. Should he tell him? Would it make a difference? Would Alexander want to know the truth?
It was only after Gabriel’s grandfather passed and he was sitting with his solicitor that the truth came out. At the time, he was happy and excited not to be left in the vast world alone. Every time he went to tell his best friend, the words would not come out.
Alexander lived a fabulous life with parents who loved him dearly. He had everything he could have ever wanted. His whole life was a lie. His parents were not his parents.
Alexander was Gabriel’s half brother.
Older by one month, his father met and bedded a woman the night before he married Gabriel’s mother. When Gabriel’s grandfather found out, he placed the infant child with adoptive parents. A well-known family, the Ellises descended from a long line of royalty. Though no longer titled, the family was still prominent within the social circles of London.
When Henry and Adeline Ellis realized they were unable to conceive, they retreated to the country, and that was where they were approached by Gabriel’s grandfather.
Gabriel did not know why his grandfather did what he did. His grandfather was a bastard. Heartless and uncaring, he never liked Gabriel, making his life a living hell. Sent away to Eaton for school, he cherished the time away from his grandfather. The time he had with Alexander made up for everything he endured.
He was jealous.
Jealous that Alexander had the life he always wanted. Jealous that Alexander received the love of two adoring parents who worshipped him, jealous that his grandfather paid more attention to him, and mostly, Gabriel was jealous that Antoinette wanted him.
Fuck!
He had to get a hold of himself. He was close to the edge, and if he could not control his emotions, he was in danger of losing everything, and that was something he would never accept. He needed Alexander, and he wanted Antoinette. Could he have them both? Could he tell the man who had been his best friend his whole life that the life he had known was a lie? Could he do that to Alexander? What would Antoinette think? Would she care?
More confused than ever, Gabriel walked to the back cabin and slowly opened the door. Leaning against the wall, he looked at the two people he loved more than life itself as they slept curled into each other, sleeping peacefully as if nothing were wrong. They looked as if they belonged. Gabriel knew deep down that they both belonged to him.
They were his.
They needed him, and he needed them.
Resolved to that fact, Gabriel slowly closed the door and began to outline what he needed to do next. It was at that moment when the phone rang. Hitting the speaker button, he answered, “Sexton.”
“You piece of fucking shit!” Jeff shouted into the phone.
“Hello, Jeffery. How are you on this fine day?” Gabriel smiled as he leaned back into the leather chair. This is what he needed- something to take his mind away from the present. He could handle Jeffery. This he knew he could do.
“Don’t you Jeffery me, you piece of festering British pond scum. Bring my sister back this instant and I won’t cut off your balls and deliver them to Peaches!”
“My, my, that sounds interesting, but I think I’ll pass. Besides, I thought Peaches was going to be a gift to the newlyweds from the McDaniels? I don’t think the brothers would appreciate that you want to feed my balls to their wedding gift. However, now that I think about it, Charlotte would get a good laugh out of it. Besides, it doesn’t matter because Antoinette and I have some unfinished business to attend to. As soon as everything is settled, we will be returning. Until then, I give you my word that I will treat your sister with the respect of a young lady,” Gabriel advised.
“You lay one finger on my sister, and I will cut your body into little pieces and bury your body from here to kingdom come. You hear me, Gabriel? Bring her home, now!” Jeffery shouted loudly.
* * * *
Annie slowly woke to the low hum of an engine. Her body ached everywhere. Looking around her, she did not recognize a single thing, but the man sleeping beside her she did. Smiling, she reached over and lightly touched his face.
His dark hair curled and was a mess. A slight five o’clock shadow graced his strong chin. His was sturdy and strong, like Gabriel, but yet different. When Alex smiled, his bright silver eyes twinkled brightly with mischief, where Gabriel’s were hard and calculating.
Alike but different.
Leaning up on her elbow, she studied the man before her. His sharp English nose was prominent, like Gabriel’s. From his high cheek bones to his long dark eyelashes, Alex was beautiful. There was something about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but as much alike as Alex and Gabri
el were, their mannerisms were different. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear that they were related. But how could they be? Shrugging off the thought, she slipped from the bed.
Reaching her hands above her head, she stretched and moaned because her whole body ached. When Alex did not move, she slowly managed to get to her feet. Walking toward the door ahead of her was hard enough, but after a couple of steps, she had made it and opened the door, only to hear her brother and Gabriel arguing.
What the hell?
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think needs to be done. She is my sister and what I say goes!” Jeff’s shouts could be heard.
“I love her, or have you already forgotten I said that!” Gabriel argued back.
“Hang on, give me a sec.” She heard Jeff speak. “Yep, already forgotten!” he shouted again.
Oh this wasn’t good, Annie thought as she walked into the main cabin.
Looking up at Gabriel, she could not read him. His face was expressionless. Void of everything. His mask was firmly in place, and she just looked away and took a seat and listened to the conversation.
“Out of all the women in the world, why Annie?” Jeff asked.
Annie knew eventually she was going to have to explain everything to her brothers, but when Gabriel silently shook his head, she kept her thoughts to herself.
She had prepared for this conversation several times in her mind, but faced with the reality before her, all thoughts fled.
“She is mine, Jeffery,” Gabriel firmly stated.
Annie shivered as she looked into his stormy silvery eyes. Sighing, she fell back against the soft, plush leather seats and closed her eyes. Gabriel Sexton was not a man who married and lived happily ever after. He was a world unto himself, and he let nothing in. Not once had she ever seen him truly smile. Oh, he looked as if he was, but his smiles never reached his eyes. There was too much deception in that smile. Only his brooding stance, the harshness of his voice, the firm grip on all of those around him was what she remembered. Except for that one night, when he lowered his defenses, and she saw the man beneath. The man she knew was within him. That was the man she fell in love with.
Their argument continued, and Annie tried desperately to push the hateful words from her mind. She couldn’t stand it anymore. This was too much. She never wanted this. Tears ran down her face as she stood ready to defend herself. The only saving grace was when Alexander appeared and stopped her. She looked upon his face, which was sorrowful. Somehow he knew what this was costing her, and she could not stop herself. She leaned into him and allowed him to comfort her as Gabriel and her brother argued.
One thing she never expected was to feel his arms come around her. She had just ruined her brother Jeff’s friendship—the only friend Gabriel ever had. This was all her fault. Hugging Alexander, she allowed him to hold her. That was when she felt Gabriel’s hand on her back.
She knew it was him coming to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. That was what he did. He tried to make everything better for her. She appreciated that, but at this moment she could handle it. She didn’t want his sympathy. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were.
Silence descended into the cabin as Annie turned and looked up into Gabriel’s eyes. The hunger she saw there floored her. She couldn’t help but smile at his soft, complacent look. So much like that night, he had lowered his defenses again and showed her the real man that he was.
“I am demanding you keep your word, Gabriel,” Jeff shouted, breaking the moment.
When she went to speak, Gabriel silently shook his head no. She watched as he went back to his seat, never taking his eyes from her.
“Somebody better start fucking talking!” Jeff demanded.
“Jeffery, I must ask that you watch your language,” Gabriel ordered in that dominant voice of his. Gone was the gentle man she loved. Before her now sat the hardened man she knew all too well. He was once again Gabriel, the Dom.
“I want an explanation, now,” Jeff yelled into the phone.
Annie knew eventually Jeff’s anger would subside, and the only way for it to do that was to give him the specifics, nothing more.
“The McDaniel party last October,” Gabriel admitted.
“Fuck!” Jeff growled.
“As much as I enjoy these family conversations, this is getting us nowhere,” Gabriel said nonchalantly, picking an imaginary piece of lint off the leather chair.
“All right, dumbass, just what do you suggest? Because I am for beating the crap out of you.”
“Jeffery, please pay attention. Now, as much as I enjoy our conversations, I must get off. I have given you my word that I will treat Antoinette as a lady, but as for my future wife, she is no longer your concern.”
“Your wife!”
Chapter Seven
The room was silent as Jeff set the phone back on the receiver. Looking around the room, he was grateful for all the support. So many friends and family had shown up to help him recover his sister. Looking at the faces before him, he did not know what to say, let alone do.
From the very beginning, they had always stood together when needed, and right now, he was going to need all the help he could get.
“Jeff, what did he say?” Janie asked.
The room was quiet. All eyes were looking directly at him. He didn’t understand. He didn’t know what to do. For the first time, he was at a loss for words. He was still having trouble assimilating the information, and the conclusions he was coming up with were not what he wanted to think about.
“Where is my daughter?” the distinctive firm female voice said, bringing him out of his stupor. He watched as all eyes turned to the back of the room, and that was when they saw her. Margaret Hicks had arrived with a vengeance, and she was furious.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Caleb asked, getting to his feet.
“Shut up, Caleb. I’m not in the mood for your mouth,” Margaret venomously said, ignoring him. Jeff watched as many of the town’s patrons moved out of his mother’s way as she walked toward him. “Where is Antoinette, Jeffery?”
“On a plane headed to England with Gabriel and Alexander. They’re getting married,” he told his mother, who just stood there before him, taking in all the information.
“You have to stop them. They cannot marry,” she said sternly.
“It’s too late, Margaret. They already have a four-hour head start,” Janie softly offered, stepping close to Jeff.
“Find a way, Jeffery. Gabriel cannot marry Antoinette, ever,” Margaret insisted, looking at him. It was then that Jeff saw something flicker in his mother’s eyes, something unknown. Something she wanted kept hidden.
“Margaret, if you know something that can help fix this, now would be the time to say it,” Matthew Jenkins asked, making his voice heard.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Matthew,” Margaret said, never taking her eyes off her son.
“Enough, Maggie.” Another voice entered into the conversation. Jeff looked up and froze, along with every other person in the room.
Walking into the room was none other than Anne Conner, along with Sophie Kincaid, Margaret’s last remaining sisters.
The town of Treasure Cove had many secrets, but none more shocking than the Romanov Sisters. In the beginning, there were five of them, all beautiful and extremely powerful. Married into some of the wealthiest founding families of Treasure Cove, the Romanov sisters were a force to be reckoned with. Over the years, as some of the towns secrets came to fruition, the Romanov sisters rallied together to save the day and keep the details hidden, but even the darkest secrets were buried so deep that not even the living could guess what the real truth could be.
“Everyone, please sit down,” Anne asked softly as she and Sophie stood next to their sister Margaret.
“This is not going to help anything, Anne. We have to stop them, or all will be ruined,” Margaret said.
“We are goin
g to help. Time has had her fun, but now, there is nothing we can do to stop it. We have to protect them,” Sophie said cryptically.
“I am tired of keeping secrets, Maggie. Let’s just tell them what they need to know. This will affect them all,” Anne said, looking at her sons, Steven and Neil, and smiling lovingly.
“Mom?” Brannon, Conner, and Daniel Kincaid said in unison.
“It’s all right, boys. All will be okay, I promise,” Sophie said, looking at her boys.
“What the fuck is going on, Margaret?” Caleb shouted, getting her attention.
“How I raised such an ungrateful brat, I will never know,” Margaret chided Caleb.
“I learned from the best. Start talking,” Caleb shot back.
“Caleb, sit down and let them speak,” Matthew said, placing a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. When Caleb sat, Matthew looked at the woman. “Please continue. Why can’t Annie marry Gabriel?”
The three sisters looked at each other, and when Margaret’s shoulders slumped and she nodded her head, Sophie said, “If Antoinette marries Gabriel, the town of Treasure Cove will revert to its original owner.”
“That’s why the founding families were extremely particular about keeping the town and land within the family. You must understand why they did what they did. It was to keep what was rightfully theirs away from the man who technically owned everything,” Anne added.
“What my sisters are trying to say is that if you, Matthew, had looked into the family genealogy of the whole town more carefully, you would have been able to put the pieces together rather quickly. Since you never considered Gabriel a true member of the founding families, you never found what you were looking for. What you failed to realize was that Gabriel Sexton is a true member of this town. Only, he is so much more. Gabriel Sexton, His Grace, the Duke of Avalon is the direct descendent of the original owner,” Margaret said to a shocked room.
* * * *
The rain was coming down softly as the plane landed at Heathrow. Covering Annie well, Gabriel and Alexander led her to a waiting car near the tarmac. Neither of them had said a word to each other since his declaration of the impending marriage. Though Alex desperately wanted to talk, he figured that silence was better than realizing that Gabriel was only marrying her so he did not have to explain how he truly felt.
Gabriel's Heart [The Men of Treasure Cove 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8