“He deserves this,” Gabriel whispered, full of venom as he nodded back towards the way we’d come.
I thought of what I had seen. I thought of Amanda, the terrified teenager who had told me to save myself. Could I blame him for doing whatever he needed to help them escape? No, of course not. If I’d had a gun, I would have done the same.
But could I stand by and let Gabriel shoot someone in cold blood? I pictured him creeping into Domenic’s bedroom and standing over his inert body, knocked out by drugs, and sending a bullet into his brain. Or, more likely, my mother would scream and wake Domenic up and Gabriel would go to jail. I’d never get to see what our life could be like.
My pack, the voice in my head whispered. It was louder this time, and more insistent. I didn’t care that he didn’t feel the same. It didn’t matter anymore. I would love him however he let me and it would be enough.
“No,” I said, pushing his chest slightly. “We’re going home.”
“Carissima, he will not stop—”
“We’ll figure out another way. You’re not doing this.”
“He does not deserve your mercy,” Gabriel hissed, and I knew then this was not just about me, or the Omegas he’d saved. It was about Matteo. Domenic would be his revenge for the Omega hecouldn’tsave.
“It’s not mercy. I’d love it if he dropped dead. But you’re not doing this. Andrew would die if you went to jail.” I framed his jaw with my hands. I wanted to kiss him so badly it felt like my heart might explode, but I held back. “Please don’t make me fight you. I know some pretty good moves.”
His eyes flickered between mine and he didn’t crack a smile at my weak joke. Tension gripped his shoulders and for a moment his hands tightened almost painfully on my hips. “You are sure?”
“Yes,” I murmured. “We can’t do this without you.”
Gabriel’s shoulders relaxed. He didn’t look happy about it, but he pulled me out onto the street. “Then let us go home.”
Chapter 37 - Andrew
Gabriel never called. He never texted. The shades of anger and fear in the bond waxed and waned, but there was never a moment that I had any clue as to what was happening.
I half-heartedly suggested that we try to get some sleep but Nathan glared at me until I apologized. We had managed to keep somewhat positive as we built Bridget’s nest then choked down dinner, but with every passing hour it got harder and harder to sit in that fucking apartment doing nothing.
When two a.m. hit and there was still no word from Gabriel, I started to pace. It hurt like a bitch but I relished each grinding step as a way to keep myself awake and alert. I wanted to call him so badly it felt like denying myself water in the desert when I had salvation in my hand. But what if he was in danger and my call distracted him? No, better to wait until he called us.
“Weneedto call Maggie,” Nathan said at two-thirty. We’d all but agreed to be packmates a few hours ago, and my conscience told me I should listen to him.
I relented. “Give Gabriel thirty more minutes, and then we will.”
Nathan gave me a curt nod, but gratitude shone in his eyes. He was still sitting in the armchair, his hand clasped tightly together.
“Want another drink?” I asked.
“No,” he murmured. I didn’t really, either.
A cricket game from the other side of the world played on the TV, the sound muted. Neither of us were watching.
Just before 3 a.m., the front door opened.
Nathan met my eyes, his as wide as mine with panic. We scrambled for the door.
I saw Bridget first. I clocked the darkening bruise on the side of her face, the red marks around her neck, her rumpled clothes. But she smiled when she saw me and my inner Alpha took over.
I pulled her roughly against me. She held on tight as I buried my face into the crook of her neck.
“You can’t ever leave me again,” I murmured against her throat.
“I don’t plan on it,” she whispered after a moment.
Even as my brain told me to be cautious, to be rational, my heart said otherwise. What was the point of hiding how I felt? “You belong here. With me. With us.”
I felt her nod against me and I tightened my hold. I was probably hurting her, but I couldn’t stop. She was here, she wassafe.
