Regretting his actions, regretting what he’d done to Gabe’s childhood…the way his shrink had said he one day might?
I don’t want you to be upset when I say this, Stefano. But I think you’ll one day see that you caused your brother to suffer, simply because you were. It’s not uncommon for a child to want to share their misery. To not be alone in it.
A sneer curved his lip as he remembered the compassion in her tone, the empathy in her clear eyes. What the fuck would she know about his reasons for doing what he’d done?
A lot, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. Because she’s the only one you’ve ever shared them with.
† † †
Impatience had an actual taste, Gabriel realized as he looked at his watch again.
They now had the location of the cabin—from the first call Vincente had made. A guy who, at the time of the call, just so happened to be standing in the woods behind said cabin taking a piss. Quentin, better known as Q-tip, was part of the crew Stefano had brought to Enumclaw.
As he wondered where the fucking choppers were, his phone vibrated in his hand; another private number displayed. Why did he bother looking anymore?
“Yeah.”
“They have reached the cabin.” Lucian’s voice was difficult to hear over the sound of blades spinning in the background. “I have someone with her who will prevent her from being killed, though, if things take a turn, he is far from bullet proof.”
As Gabriel’s molars ground to dust, Jak motioned they had to go.
“I assume you know that we have landed above you, Gabriel. Are you coming?”
To prevent being shot in the face the minute he reached the Romanian, he swallowed a mouthful of orders and demands and hung up as he hauled ass down the corridor with the boys on his heels. Their choppers, Lucians, who fuckin’ cared which of them supplied the ride. As long as he got to Eva before—
He cut the thought off as they arrived on the roof to see two sleek choppers on the pads. Gabriel ducked under the blades and went straight for the one that held Lucian. The dark-haired ballbuster threw open the door of the Sikorsky to admit him, Vasily, and Vincente. Maks, Alek, Quan, and one other man disappeared into the second bird. The others were already on the road, driving to their destination.
“Go!” Gabriel snapped before the door was even closed.
Lucian’s personal guard handed out headsets before closing the door and double-tapping the pilot’s seat to signal him to move.
“Welcome home,” Lucian said to Vasily before nodding at V. Then, as the roof of the hotel shrunk and they rose into the sky, he turned to Gabriel. “There is a clearing approximately one mile from the cabin. There are two vehicles waiting for us. As we are far from home and short on time, I could only send two bodies ahead of us. They are currently getting into position around the perimeter. It is unfortunate that my transport is more efficient than yours.” His smile was chilly but held a glimpse of humor. “I imagine you would be in those woods without proper backup as we speak.”
Of course he would be. But then, his own boys were all the backup he needed.
Keeping that to himself, Gabriel pressed his lips together to prevent himself from speaking at all. One didn’t cross the lines Lucian Fane drew in the sand. You just shut up, graciously accepted the Romanian’s help, and hoped you never ended up on his bad side.
TWENTY-FOUR
Awareness came back to Eva in a blinding rush that felt unnatural.
When the first thing she saw on opening her eyes was Furio straightening in front of her with a syringe in his hand, the rapid awakening was explained.
“Welcome to the party,” he muttered, throwing the needle to the side and falling into a chair in the corner. He wasn’t so much the smug bastard anymore but an annoyed one.
How much had she missed? Where were they? Who was here?
Unsure what to focus on first, she took a second to get her bearings.
She was propped in the corner of a tattered sofa that sat in the center of a one-room cabin. The paint was peeling off the walls, the few faded pictures of doe-eyed deer hanging askew. There was a dust-coated coffee table directly in front of her and a beat-up chair that matched the sofa on the other side of it. Across the way