Gabriel (Guardian Defenders Book 1)

by Kris Michaels

  “You? Never.” Gabriel pulled his keys out of his pocket as they exited the elevator.

  “Right? See, I knew you’d understand.”

  He barked out a laugh as the door opened to a male figure. Gabriel grasped his weapon and pointed, pushing Anna behind him. He loosened the tension in his finger when he recognized the man in front of him. “What the fuck are you doing here, Craig?”

  “Good to see you, too.” Craig snarled. His eyes snaked down to Anna, who he still shielded behind him.

  “Anna, would you please do me a favor and wait for me in the bedroom?” He smiled at her, although he was positive, he mangled the attempt.

  She nodded and hurried down the short hall. The door shut with a soft thud.

  Gabriel turned his attention back to the man who’d invaded his privacy. “You had better have a good reason for breaking into my quarters.”

  Craig sneered and shrugged. “The operation in Sudan tanked in the last four hours. I hit the ground three hours ago. The situation needs your immediate attention, and I don’t have the codes or the authority to dispatch the teams. I would never have interrupted your ‘private time’ if I could have taken care of the situation myself.”

  Gabriel lowered the weapon and uncocked the trigger, but did not return it to the holster. “I’ll meet you upstairs in ten minutes.” Gabriel caught his arm as Craig was leaving. “This is Anna’s apartment as well as mine. Don’t ever enter it unannounced again.”

  “Or what?” Craig threw the challenge back at him.

  “Don’t. Don’t press this issue, Craig, or you’ll be sorry.” Their friendship meant a lot, but Anna was quickly becoming his world, and Craig’s irrational behavior worried him.

  Craig huffed out a caustic bark before he slowly pulled his arm away. “I’m already sorry. Sorry for you, and sorry for your clients.”

  Gabriel watched until the front door to the apartment shut behind their late-night visitor. He holstered his weapon at the small of his back and headed to the bedroom. He opened the door to find Anna sitting on the bed with her arms wrapped around her.

  “I don’t like him.” She said the words as she watched the door to the hallway.

  “He’s gone. He won’t come back here without my permission.”

  “Right.” She acknowledged and took a deep breath. “I take it you’re going back to work?”

  “I am. Depending on what’s happening, I may have to go.” Sudan was a hotbed of horror right now. Getting aid and his teams to the area had been a nightmare. One he thought he’d smoothed out, but it looked as if the world was conspiring to pull him away from Anna.

  “For how long?” Her big brown eyes looked up at him.

  “I don’t know. Not as long as last time.” He’d make damn sure of that.

  “Okay. Well, I knew what I was signing up for, I can’t get all needy and act like a spoiled brat, now can I?” She stood and leaned into him.

  Gabriel took the kiss she offered. If his men’s lives weren’t on the line, he’d pull his support and let the nations of the world deal with the crisis. But he had teams committed. Men in harm’s way. Men who had families who needed them to come home and who had loved ones who were waiting for them. He lingered, not wanting to leave any more than she wanted him to go.

  Finally, with one final kiss, he spun and strode out of the apartment before his resolve crumbled.

  Chapter 33

  Anna listened as the apartment fell into silence. The distant sound of a lonely siren outside the building drew her attention to the window. She shouldn’t be upset. She knew what Gabriel did for a living. She understood his commitment to building his businesses. Hell, she was bitchy. She hated it, but it was true. He was doing good things in the world, and she was standing in a very nice apartment in the middle of New Orleans feeling sorry for herself. She flew here on a private jet! So Gabriel was gone for a few weeks or months? Sooner or later the missions would slow down, maybe stop. He said he was hiring more people.

  Anna listed off every reason she had not to be a total hose-nozzle. It helped. A little. She jumped up and swatted at Gabriel’s jacket, pulling it off and letting it drop. She swiped at her arms, freaking out. Something had tickled her arm. She jumped back and stared at the floor. Was it a wasp? God, not a spider. Please, not a spider.

  She toed the jacket when she heard the noise again. No bugs so far. The sound came again. She leaned forward and picked up the jacket with two fingers, carefully lifting it, ready to drop it on a second’s notice. She felt the jacket vibrate. She took a firmer grasp on the jacket, opened the front slowly, and patted the inside pocket. His cell phone. Dear God in heaven, what was it about phones today?

  She reached into the inside pocket and pulled the device out. She flipped the thing open, and a number displayed, but she couldn’t tell if the call was important… crap, every call he received was important. She’d never heard him just… visiting with anyone.

  Well, it was settled then. She needed to take him his phone. And the jacket. Anna took a deep breath and checked the floor for bugs again before she headed for the elevator.

  There was no one at the reception desk this time. The office area she’d been escorted through earlier tonight was dark. It didn’t matter. She was pretty damn good at directions. Usually. With only two wrong turns, she found the corridor that led to Gabriel’s office. Raised voices slowed her approach. Craig McNair’s carried clearly into the hall.

  “Where are your priorities? If this operation fails, the entire region could implode! Your dalliance with that country bumpkin has kept us two steps behind the combatants and smugglers and has cost millions! There are thousands of lives at stake, and you are out wining and dining a girl who does not have a clue what you do, who you are, or the impact you make on this world!”

  Gabriel’s response was very low, but Anna heard the snarled warning he gave Craig. “Back up and regroup Craig. You are walking on very thin ice. Pick your words with extreme caution.”

  “Caution? You want me to use caution! What is going to happen when your little tramp turns up pregnant? She will, Gabriel! She is like every other woman. She only sees a meal ticket. You and this entire company will be screwed! Are you going to buy her off like we did the Emir’s pregnant submissive? Or are you going to kidnap the child for its own protection? She could never keep her mouth shut about the baby’s father or keep the child safe from your enemies. She has no clue how dangerous your life is or how powerful your enemies are! Use your fucking head, Gabriel. She is a liability, and you are putting her and your inevitable bastard in danger!”

  His phone could wait. Anna spun on her heel and left. She could hear the low rumble of Gabriel’s voice behind her. Some say emotional pain doesn’t hurt the way physical pain does, but they were liars. Her heart ached. Why did McNair hate her so vehemently? At the main doors to the reception area, she realized she still had Gabriel’s jacket in her hand. She placed it carefully on the reception desk and walked out.

  The elevator call button received a vicious jab. “Asshole.” Anna stabbed the button again. “Hose-nozzle asshole.” She hit the button again. “What is his problem?”

  She stepped onto the elevator and spun, hitting the button for her floor. Not content to wait patiently, she paced back and forth in the small confines of the elevator. McNair’s accusations were stuck on replay mode. What was it about him and her getting pregnant? She was on birth control for God’s sake! “A meal ticket?” Anna threw up her hands in frustration. She had been taking care of herself for her entire adult life. So, Gabriel had money. So what? It wasn’t like she fit in with the money crowd anyway. McNair was a… jerk-face, hose-nozzle, dick-head, asshat.

  “Well, screw you, when Gabriel comes back to me, I will love him. And he promised he would come back to me. I will take all the time with him that I can get.” Her mumbled words as she stalked off the elevator and made her way back to the apartment. She fumbled with her key before the cylinder turned and then entered
the code to disarm the alarm but noticed the panel didn't light up. She tapped the code again. Dead. Great. She shut the door and flicked the deadbolt. Hopping on one foot, she slipped one of her shoes off and hobble-walked down the hall a few steps before she slipped off the other one.

  “Miserable jerk.” The expensive heels landed in a heap in the corner of the room. She heard the lock open and the door slam shut. Well, Gabriel was as pissed as she was. Good.

  Anna spun at the sound of him coming down the hall. Only it wasn’t Gabriel. She stumbled backward as Craig advanced.

  “Get out!” Strong and clear, her words echoed in the small room. Terrified, but refusing to show the angry man in front of her any weakness, she lifted her chin and stood her ground. He grabbed her arm viciously and shoved her into the wall.

  “You bitch! You are going to cause that man to throw away a lifetime’s work. Thousands of people are alive today because of him.” He grabbed her face and squeezed her jaw. “I would rather kill you than look at you, and if you think for a moment I won’t, just try me.”

  She lifted a knee sharply, but he deflected her attempt. Her fists flew against him, and she tried to scratch his eyes. She screamed in rage. No, she wasn't going to let him do this to her again. The pain from his grip intensified. She ground out, “Then you better kill me now. When I tell David what you've done, you'll be dead.”

  Anna saw him move. The reach back and the swing forward. The closed fisted blow sent her tumbling to her hands and knees.

  McNair grabbed her hair and lifted her to her knees. “He is getting on a plane in ten minutes. Thanks to you leaving his phone in the fucking lobby, I’ve removed your only way to contact him directly. You won’t be able to reach him for months, and if I have my way about it, you’ll never see him again. Consider this your final warning. If I see you again, I’ll kill you. He’ll never know it was me, but I’ll take pleasure in making you suffer until you die.”

  Anna struggled to move away from him. He flung her down when she scratched his wrist. She crab-walked backward. “He’ll kill you for this.” She lunged from the floor and tried to scramble past him.

  “He’ll never know.” He picked her up by her hair again. “You say anything to anyone, and you’re dead. You understand that, bitch? I have people watching you. You reach out to anyone, and I mean anyone, and I’ll kill you and hurt the people you love. Your brother? Your parents? Your friends upstairs? No one will be safe. Killing is a skill I excel at. He. Is. Not. Yours!”

  Anna cried out as he shook her violently by the hair. His shoulder pulled back, and she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the blow. Pain burst through her face and head and consciousness faded as darkness consumed her.

  Craig kicked her in the ribs and left the bitch lying on the floor. The thrill was over for him as soon as she passed out. He wanted to see the fear, to hear her scream in pain. He stared down at the heap of worthless flesh at his feet. Maybe he should just kill her and get it over with. He considered the logistics. Disposal of her body would take too long. If he had a half an hour? She’d be dead in some dumpster. The whore had almost cost him everything.

  The worthless bitch had warped Gabriel's thoughts. He wasn’t thinking straight. Gabriel had lashed out at him. Threatened to kill him, threatened to remove him from Guardian. Remove him! Him! He, who’d protected Gabriel and his secrets for decades. He’d always thought if he could only be patient enough, Gabriel would someday see him, acknowledge him… and love him back. Then this bitch showed up and was like the last twenty years never happened—like he’d never happened. No. Some whore was not going to take his place. With her out of the picture, their life would return to normal.

  He had months to convince Gabriel this slut was trouble. He had assets. His threats weren’t empty. He’d see to it that the very people assigned by Gabriel to watch over her reported to him. Not Gabriel. He’d release the information he wanted Gabriel to see and hear. She wouldn’t take Gabriel from him. No one would. By the time the assignment was over, Gabriel would know with certainty the woman had walked away from him. Gabriel would never grovel to get her back.

  Craig spat on the bitch and adjusted his suit before he walked out of the apartment. He had six minutes before he needed to meet Gabriel out front. He’d stand guard outside the apartment until the last possible second to make sure Gabriel didn’t decide to return for one last moment. If the whore woke up and tried something before they left? He’d kill her.

  Anna awoke to a sound. She cried against the pain in her head. The tears fell from her eyes even though she refused to open them. Her body hurt. She listened carefully and tried not to change her breathing in case he was still in her apartment. Finally, unable to bear the pain, she opened her eyes and with effort, crawled to the bed and pulled herself up.

  She fingered her ribs. She assumed one or two were broken, but she could fill her lungs with air. Raising her arms to unhook her halter top was a gauntlet of pain. She stood and carefully walked to the bathroom where she could see the damage Craig had inflicted. The top of the dress fell, and the skirt dropped to her feet. The bruise on her ribcage was dark red and would no doubt darken as the blood settled. Her face had a nasty bruise along the jawline and neck, and she had a lump on her head. She checked her pupils, making sure they had equal responsiveness. Her arm would have another massive bruise on it. With keens of pain, Anna tightly wrapped her ribs with an ace bandage left over from Gabriel’s injury. With halting fingers, she checked for sexual assault. Finding no indications of rape either from the feelings of her body or torn undergarments, bleeding or fluid, she went to the dresser and carefully put on one of Gabriel’s t-shirts. Going to the front door, she threw the deadbolt. Anna stopped at the bar and poured a double whiskey with ice. She didn’t like it, but she needed it. Gulping the brown liquid down in two huge swallows, she refilled the tumbler and placed the cold glass against her jaw.

  She sat in the huge recliner and allowed herself a moment to cry. She didn’t indulge herself. God knew she felt bad enough. If she started to cry, she may never stop. Did she believe McNair would make good on his threats? She closed her eyes and leaned back against the overstuffed chair. Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt, she believed the man would kill her.

  The night’s darkness lifted, and the first rays of the sun painted the wall in front of her. Anna blinked at the wall, no closer to knowing what to do than she’d been hours ago. She had no way of contacting Gabriel. No, that was wrong. She could take the elevator upstairs and go to the reception counter, give her name and tell them that she needed to talk to Gabriel. And then what? Tell him that Craig had beaten her and threatened to kill her?

  It was the only thing she could think to do, but what about Craig’s threats? Could he really hurt her family? Jackie and Deacon? Would he?

  Would it be better to wait until Gabriel reached out to her? If she could talk to him directly, she’d be safe, and she knew Gabriel could protect her family. So, she did nothing?

  Anna growled. She hated that option. Hated it, but the ‘what-ifs’ plagued her like a disease. What if Craig did have someone watching her? What if she reached out to Gabriel and Craig found out? What if something “happened” to her mom and dad? To Nathan? She shook her head slowly and tried to think of another option.

  She could go to the police, but what would she tell them? That her attacker was now somewhere overseas? That the argument was over her dating a reclusive billionaire whose identity could not be verified? She’d be laughed out of the station. Reporting the attack would leave a paper trail. Yeah, and what good would a police report made here in New Orleans do for me in Denver, Colorado? She closed her eyes, feeling the grit of tiredness burn. She shuddered as her mind replayed Craig’s attack–the picture of his red face, the spittle flying from his mouth as he threatened her and the people she loved. What chilled her to the core was his eyes. She could doubt everything except the single-minded intent in those eyes. McNair had not lied to her. He would kill h
er and her family if she tried to contact Gabriel. She drew a deep breath and turned to look out the window. If it were just her? She’d throw down with that bastard and reach out to Gabriel, but she couldn’t risk him going after the people she cared for.

  Anna stared at the skyline as it lightened. The darkness turning into light on Jackie’s wedding day did nothing to sweep away the darkness that had settled around her heart. She shook her head. She’d have to put on a good front. Hopefully, Jackie would be so distracted today she wouldn’t notice.

  The wedding was classic and beautiful. Anna wore her golden column dress, the princess neckline and half sleeves covered the majority of her bruises. The ones the dress did not cover and the ones on her face she covered with a heavy application of foundation. Deacon’s brother was the best man, and his family was huge and loving. His parents had never visited his company in New Orleans, and they were very impressed by the opulence that Deacon’s successes provided. Anna figured they were rather like her, ignorant of wealth and what it could buy. Like the limo caravan to the venue. They were wed at an antebellum cotton plantation in Mississippi with huge live oaks and Spanish moss draping from the ancient branches. The reception was elegant and understated, just like Jackie and Deacon.

  Anna watched with her brother Nathan as Jackie and Deacon danced their first dance as man and wife. She saw Jackie lean into him and whisper in his ear. Deacon immediately stopped dancing and looked at her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. Anna’s eyes teared up as she knew Jackie had told him of the child they were expecting. Deacon held her in his arms in the middle of the dance floor, oblivious to everyone and everything except each other.

  She watched the newlyweds leave in a black limo traveling to their future before she and Nathan traveled two hours back to the Longline building. She had just enough time to pack and catch her original flight to Colorado. She stared at the small apartment. It held so many memories. Good and bad. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Nathan was waiting to take her to the airport. She touched the couch on the way past and couldn’t help the feeling she’d never come back.