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Before Dante can respond, I butt in. “Umm, excuse me. I can handle myself just fine. It must have slipped your mind the way I dealt with one of your guys the night you kidnapped me.”
He throws his head back against the pillow, swiping a hand down his face. “No, I haven’t forgotten, and you can obviously handle yourself when you need to, but you have enough men falling at your feet that you shouldn’t have to.”
Hmm, I didn’t think of it like that. I guess he does have a point.
“We were out trying to save your ass,” Dante sneers.
“And one of you didn’t think to stay behind to protect the woman you supposedly love? Have you not learned anything from my mistakes?”
He shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut like it’s painful to look at Dante.
I grab Gabe’s chin, forcing him to look at me. “Hey, I’m okay.” I wave my free hand over my body. “I’m right here.”
He grabs my hand, kisses it, then brings it to his chest. “You said they were the end game, Sweetheart. I stepped away because I thought the four of them could protect you better than I could. But here you are, beaten and bruised. Now I’m questioning everything.”
Fuck.
Dante scowls at Gabriel, who meets his gaze with disappointment written all over his face.
“Says the man who kidnapped her, shot up her workplace, and almost got her killed in an alleyway,” Dante bites back.
I throw my hands up in the air. “Can we please not do this?”
“No, I think we should.” Gabriel scoots up further in the bed. “She was never in harm’s way. Angel knows that, don’t you, little monster?”
I fold my arms over my chest, tipping my head to the side as I meet his stare.
No, I wasn’t hurt, but he damn sure scared the life out of me on multiple occasions, starting with the night he snuck into my room.
“I’m not having this conversation. Not now, not ever.”
“Why? Scared you might hurt his feelings? Gabriel does what Gabriel wants, consequences be damned,” Dante shouts.
My heart rate picks up, and my skin feels like it’s on fire. The air in the room thickens, making it hard to breathe.
This isn’t what we came here for. I don’t want them fighting. My vision starts to blur when they continue arguing.
“Angel isn’t scared of anything. And don’t try to change the subject. Why the fuck did you boys leave her alone?”
“We shouldn’t have, alright. Is that what you want to hear? We fucked up!” Dante shouts, pacing the room.
“No! I want you to do better. Protect the woman you love the way I should have with your mother!” Gabe’s face turns red with anger. I swipe away the tears falling from my eyes, but neither of them seems to notice. The ringing in my ears picks up again, getting louder by the second.
Dante thrusts a hand through his hair. “That’s it, get mad, boy,” Gabe mocks as Dante flips him off.
“Don’t bring her up.”
“Why not? It’s the truth. I left the door open for King to creep in and destroy our lives, and that’s exactly what happened. Now you’re doing the same by leaving her unprotected,” Gabe huffs and shakes his head, balling his fists up on top of the covers.
“We were trying to catch him off guard. Which we did, but then shit went sideways. How were we supposed to know he’d go after Angel?”
Gabe purses his lips. “You’re supposed to use your fucking brain and realize this fucker has been ten steps ahead every step of the way. He’s caught us all slippin’ and nearly took Angel’s life.”
“I’m right here,” the words come out barely a whisper because I can’t seem to force the air into my lungs. They don’t hear me because they’re too focused on one another.
“I agreed to what she asked of me because I thought it was best for her. But it’s clear that isn’t the case. The four of you can’t be trusted to put her first. To protect her above everything else. I should’ve never agreed to such a silly thing to begin with,” Gabe admits. His eyes burn into me the way they always do.
“Fuck off, old man!” Dante shouts, causing me to jump.
