The world wouldn’t end if the coffee table or the dinner plates got destroyed.
Gabriel helped her from the SUV, his features stern and unreadable. She wanted to turn around and check to see if she had a huge black-and-white target painted on her back as she was ushered through the revolving doors and into the lobby.
She certainly felt like she did.
“G.”
Jak appeared and blocked their path. His appearance had Quan giving them a two-fingered wave before heading off. Changing of the guard.
“Furio?” Gabriel asked Jak.
“Nothing yet.” Tension suffused the group as they walked to the elevator, Jak easily shifting into bodyguard mode, eyes watchful, stance limber and ready. “Reaper showed about half hour ago. He’s upstairs.”
A boyish smile lit Gabriel’s face. “Did you know he was coming?” he asked Alek.
“Would Vincente let anyone know he was coming?”
“Reaper and V is the same guy, right?” Eva asked as they entered the elevator car and started their ascent. She moved a little closer to Gabriel to make room for a French-speaking couple chatting away beside her.
His hand landed on her hip, pulling her in until she was pressed to his side. The couple hadn’t needed that much room, but she wouldn’t complain. She liked Gabriel’s touch when he wasn’t holding her hostage. Which at this point, he wasn’t. After this morning’s visit to her house, she was happy to be here and avoid the danger lurking around them.
“Yeah. It’s Vincente.” Gabriel’s head was bowed slightly, as it had been on their first ride together. “We all share the house in Old Westbury, so you can say hi to your new roomies.”
Huh? Her brow wrinkled as the doors opened to let the tourists out on the twenty-third floor. Roomies?
She hadn’t agreed to go anywhere. In fact, she’d resigned her job at TarMor just last night.
An inexplicable sense of excitement mingled with the panic taking root in her chest, robbing her of her ability to breathe.
You can’t move in with him, Eva!
No. Of course she couldn’t. And if he was taking her to New York, it was only because he was protecting her from his brother.
But that wasn’t the way he’d made it sound just now.
What would it be like to be with Gabriel if this was about more than just his deal with her father? More than just this undeniable attraction they felt?
Waking up to his beautiful face every morning, lingering in his bed on lazy weekends. Sleeping next to him every night. An image surfaced of them lounging on the couch in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn between them, arguing about what to watch, her giving in to the football game just to make him happy, receiving a foot massage because she’d been so generous.
Stop it! There is no happily ever after here. He’s a mobster and you’re a . . . a . . .
A woman following in her mother’s footsteps.
She shivered and felt Gabriel’s arm tighten around her. She knew he watched her, but she kept her eyes on the floor. She wanted to question him about his plans for New York but wouldn’t. Not in front of his friends.
She returned to the safe social chatter. “Do you find it crowded living together?”
Alek shrugged. “We have over ten thousand square feet to float around in. Sharing saves us from having to keep places of our own. Maks—who you’ll have to learn to ignore if you want any peace—is genius with keeping out who we don’t want in. Vincente is a great chef when our housekeeper, Samnang, allows him to be. And your man does the financial thing for us. Made us all rich,” he added with a crooked grin as the doors slid open on the top floor and they got out, Eva reeling at the “your man” title her cousin had given Gabriel.
Jak hung back to speak with the two men who stood on either side of the elevator as she, Gabriel, and Alek continued on.
“Don’t worry, Eva,” Alek said good-naturedly. “The place is big enough that if you don’t want to see our ugly mugs, you won’t have to.”
Even though she had no intention of living in Gabriel’s home, she said, “Sounds interesting.”
They passed two more men stationed in the corridor. Sheesh, she was beginning to feel like she was on a movie set; this was so surreal. After Gabriel exchanged hellos, he swiped his key card in the door.
He held the door open and she stepped into the foyer. She jerked to an embarrassingly abrupt halt, startled, even though she knew the man from Caleb’s apartment the other day would be there. She’d forgotten what a daunting character Vincente was. Gabriel’s reassuring hands rested on her shoulders as she stared at the impressive figure slowly rising from the sofa.
Vincente wore a black leather duster that fell from his broad shoulders to his ankles—had to be custom-made to fit that big body so perfectly. Underneath, his tight black shirt showed hard abs, and his long legs were covered by a pair of distressed jeans. He wore the same kind of heavy motorcycle boots Caleb wore all the time. With all that thick black hair and those dark, menacing eyes staring at them . . . Eva suddenly knew why they called him Reaper.
Nika would adore that hair.
Her friend had always hated the vibrant colors in her own gorgeous mane, always griping about how lucky Eva was to have been born with such a “normal” hair color.
Alek moved around her and Gabriel and met Vincente in the middle of the room, the two of them banging fists before man-hugging one another.
She was in a world of giants, it seemed. These guys were freaking huge.
“Is it a prerequisite that your friends be so large?” she asked Gabriel.
“Hard to intimidate someone when you have to look up at them.”
And that’s what these men did. Intimidate people. All of them.
At her house, she’d watched Gabriel check his weapons, the fluidity of his actions proving he’d done the same thing more times than he could count.
Could she be with someone who carried a gun with the same ease with which she carried her cell phone? Could she forgive the lies he’d told her? Had she forgiven him already?
And what would it mean to her future if she had?
“What the hell are you doing here, brother? Didn’t think your leash reached this far.” Alek taunted Vincente with a sly grin.
“Tether snapped.” His fist met Alek’s left pec with a love tap that had to hurt.
When Alek’s eyes narrowed, Gabriel knew they were thinking the same thing.
“What do you mean the tether snapped?” Alek asked before he could.
“Later,” Vincente said.
Gabriel shifted Eva to his side and grinned at the spook, the close connection they’d always shared nailing him in the chest.
“How you doing, my brother?” Their hands came out at the same time to clasp together. “Look at you. You’d make the devil himself shit his pants.” He hugged him hard, getting the air squeezed out of his lungs in return.
They separated, and V gave Eva a respectful nod. “How you holding up, squirt?”
Her fingers toyed with the ends of her hair where it lay just at her ribs. “Better now that I know what’s going on.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. Couldn’t do much more than I did to let you know things would work out.”
“Of course not,” she said, offering one of her smiles. “As confusing as it was, thanks for trying.”
The scent of well-kept leather wafted around them as Vincente reached out and tipped her chin up, turning her face left, then right. “Fuuuck. You’re your old man, only prettier.” He let go and it was Gabriel’s turn to take a hard one on the pec before the guy went over to join Alek on the couch.
Now why didn’t Vincente’s appreciation of Eva’s looks bother him the way other men’s did? All about trust, he supposed.
Before he could figure it out, a tap dance sounded on the door.
Vincente looked at his watch. “That was quick.”
Gabriel’s brow we
nt up in inquiry.
“Won’t be Maksim yet,” Vincente continued. “Probably Paynne. Not that Maks would knock.”
“Why is Maks coming? And how do you know I told Paynne to come over?”
“Because, and I just do.”
Gabriel’s lips tightened. Guy still loved his toddler-like answers. Worse than a three-year-old.
Nodding to Jak, who motioned he’d get the door, Gabriel nudged Eva in the direction of the wingback next to the fireplace. He took up sentry next to her as Jak and Paynne entered, and then got the ball rolling. “Fill us in, V.”
Instead of giving up the deets, he got to his feet. “Paynne, glad you could make it.”
“Yeah. This is what I live for, pleasing you, asshole. Like my makeup?”
The room stilled and the air thickened. Gabriel slowly twisted his head, giving the biker an are you fucked? look before righting himself so he’d have a good view when the action started.
There was no way V was going to let this biker talk shit.
But Vincente was grinning. “Sorry, brother,” he said, actually sounding as if he meant it. “Keeping up appearances, you know? You check on your sister? She okay?”
Feeling let down, Gabriel interjected. “Tell me what happened. You said Stefano came by your place waving a pic of Nika around?”
“That’s what the papers he left on your counter were? Photos of your sister?” Vincente asked with a disgusted nod. “I was curious about that.”
“You were with him?” Gabriel questioned.
V nodded once.
“He said he’d go there if he had to,” Caleb said, referring to Nika’s photo, which caused Eva’s nails to start that nervous tapping.
“I thought he’d drop the idea of using her after I talked to him.” He reached out and put a halt to the nervous gesture. “I’m sorry she got involved, Paynne. Where is she, by the way?” Gabriel had thought the girls wanted to get together.
“She texted and said she had to get home,” Eva answered with clear disappointment in her voice.
Paynne crossed the room and squatted in front of her, his knees cracking like a cap gun. He spoke quietly, his words meant for her alone.
“I heard the asshole making a stink about her leaving this morning, so she went home to keep the peace. She felt like shit. Said to say sorry.” He grinned. “Actually she said, ‘Tell her I’m really, really sorry, Caleb. Really sorry.’ ”
Eva smiled and covered his fist where it was resting on her leg, her fingers plucking at a worn leather strap he wore on his wrist. “Thanks, Caleb. And I’m so sorry you guys are involved in this.”
“Hey.” He waited until he had her attention and then said, “You don’t have any control over what’s going down here, so don’t be sorry. This isn’t on you.”
Eva nodded, and the biker thumped his fist on her knee before he straightened.
Gabriel was just glad he’d cleared the air with Eva about Paynne. Had he not, he’d have punted the asshole into the hallway after watching that show of intimacy.
He believed the two were platonically close, but he didn’t like it. He looked to Jak. “Send a quad to Nika’s place.”
“We have a couple of our boys there already,” Paynne informed him.
“So do I,” Vincente added as he tapped on the buttons of his phone. “I sent a deuce in when Stefano first mentioned her.”
Of course he had. Good man. “Extras won’t hurt. Address?” The biker supplied it, and Gabriel turned back to Jak. “A pair will do since there are others. I want Tox leading, though. Let him know he has free rein on whatever methods he wants to use to keep her safe. And, not that you should have to, but tell him to stay hidden. Stefano’s people aren’t stupid. You two might want to let your boys know to expect them,” he told Vincente and Paynne. The biker nodded.
Vincente flashed his phone. “Already did.”
Jak moved to Gabriel’s side. “Free rein?” he questioned under his breath. “No offense, but, this is Toxic were talking about.”
As if Gabriel needed the reminder that their most recently acquired—a nephew of one of their veterans—was a chemist at heart and liked to experiment with the shit he whipped up in his backroom laboratory. The guy was actually talented as hell, holding a master of science in chemistry from the University of Toronto, where he’d studied his ass off in the Molecular Genetics Department. It wouldn’t surprise Gabriel in the least if he popped in at his place one day and was greeted at the door by the Incredible Hulk himself.
“Free. Rein,” he repeated.
“Shit just got real,” Jak muttered as he wandered off with his phone to his ear.
Paynne spoke to Vincente. “Are we making plans today, or can I head back to Nika’s? I’d feel more comfortable being there to watch over her myself.”
Curiosity was soup de jour on the Reaper’s face. “Why am I getting the feeling there’s something other than Stefano that’s worrying you when it comes to her?”
He swiped his hand through his short hair. After a brief eye-meet with Eva, Paynne said gruffly, “We’re looking into it. I’ll know soon enough.”
What the fuck. Gabriel watched Eva’s fingernails start tapping anew. He reached out and gave her shoulder a light squeeze. Something in his chest warmed when she covered his hand and then clasped his fingers. She didn’t let go.
“You need any help with whatever you find, let me know,” Vincente said.
Coming from V, the offer wasn’t a surprise, especially considering how he’d lost his own sister.
“Thanks,” the biker said with a brisk nod, “but I won’t be sharing this one if anything turns up.”
Gabriel yanked out his phone again and shot Maksim a text with Nika’s info, asking for a full rundown—criminal record, if any, bank records, hospital visits, credit check. It was amazing the things one could piece together with a little information. If the redhead was in some sort of trouble, there was no sense in her going it alone. He got a response within seconds.
On it
Check Kevin Nollan too. Same addy
Got it. See you in a few
Vincente bumped him in the shoulder. “You have a private room downstairs where we can meet up for an early lunch tomorrow?”
Gabriel glanced at Eva and noted her skin had grown paler as the conversation wore on. She was scared for herself and scared for her friend. This whole scene was completely foreign to her. And even though she was doing the best she could to keep up, it was taking a toll.
She’d had enough for one day.
“I’ll book a small meeting room,” he said. So much for getting it over with now. Impatience ate at him. Had shit not blown up last night, he’d have made that trip to New York, dealt with his brother, and this could be over by now.
“Good. Let’s move.” Vincente motioned to Paynne and Alek to follow him out. The three of them nodded good-bye to Eva before they disappeared.
Their eyes met and they stared at each other for a few beats before she broke the contact. “I don’t know about you”—she got up to snag the TV remote from the small table next to the couch—“but my brain is ready for a vacay. Wanna veg with me?”
Something was on her mind, and she was trying to hide it. “I’d love to. Just let me book the room for tomorrow and I’m all yours.”
He did what he had to do and was back in front of her within minutes, reaching out to free her bottom lip from where she was nibbling at it again. “Talk to me.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jak silently head for the study that was off the dining room.
Maybe now she’d talk.
CHAPTER 18
Eva observed the steel-like tension in Gabriel’s body and hated to add to it, but she had to ask. “Was sending Caleb to New York really the only option?”
A sheet of frost fell over his eyes, and he stayed silent for a stretch, just staring at her, searching her face for who knew what. “It made se
nse to send someone you already knew, rather than a stranger. I knew you wouldn’t find his constant presence suspicious. Though, had I known Alesio was going to cozy up to you, putting Paynne in place might not have been necessary.”
She gaped. “You know Alesio?” One of her friends from school. She’d met the easygoing playboy only a few months before she’d graduated. He’d dated—slept with—one of her roommates and had stuck around when the breakup had been an amicable one.
“He’s my little cousin.”
“Really. And did he become my friend because you made him?”
“There is such a thing as coincidence. That was one.” He chuckled. “He’s not a prostitute, Eva. I didn’t force him to screw your roommate just so he could keep an eye on you, if that’s what you’re implying.”
Her cheeks heated. “By the sounds that used to come from Tyla’s room, I don’t think there was any forcing going on,” she muttered before going back to their original subject. “I feel terrible that you made Caleb give up his life here in Seattle just so he could watch my back. Nika needed him here.”
He had the grace to look sheepish. “I didn’t know that at the time. Though, to be fair, Caleb had mentioned Vex was getting impatient to have him back in New York, so it wasn’t all because of you. There were other factors in his decision. And I did make sure he was unattached.” He ran his palm up her arm and a rash of goose bumps rose up on her skin. “If he’d had a wife or child I would’ve gone with plan B.”
“Plan B?”
“Getting you kicked out of school and sent home.”
Her jaw dropped open as shock ricocheted through her. “What?” she jerked away and put some distance between them. “How could you have possibly done that?”
He stalked her, pushing a lock of hair off her shoulder and following it with his fingers as it fell down her back. “It would have been easy,” he stated as he studied the strands still in his fingers. “But I knew you’d worked your ass off to get there. Really, it would have been a very last resort.”
“But it’s Columbia University,” she insisted, as if he didn’t already know that.
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