He’s about as far from the Gabriel Easton I first met that day in the parking lot as he can get, when he thought a blow job in exchange for saving my father’s life was an acceptable launching point for negotiation.
What’s even more shockingly different is how he’s divulging the inner workings of his and Caleb’s scheming to me without hesitation.
“So you’re basically saying those women and that child are going through all this because of me.”
“You can’t think like that, Mercy—”
“But it’s true.”
“No, it’s not. This is all on Vlad. Everything. I’m just trying to mitigate the damage he can cause.” There’s a sharpness in his tone, and his jaw is tense.
“You hate that you had to do it, don’t you?”
After a moment, he admits, “It made me sick. But we didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t do this, Bane would have hurt you. After he went for them.”
I shudder at the thought of Bane with that little boy in his van. I’m not going to pretend to agree with his rationalization, or condone it, but I need to trust that what Gabriel’s doing was the best option for these people. “They’ve been treated well, at least?” Not locked up in a windowless room and slapped around?
“They’ve got everything they could possibly want and need while they wait this out. No one’s laid a hand on them,” Gabriel confirms. “Even when Puff’s mother stabbed Moe in the forearm with her crochet needle, no one so much as raised a finger.” He shakes his head. “She looks so sweet and innocent. No one expected it.”
The genuine perplexity in his face sparks a bubble of laughter inside me. It escapes in a deep cackle that I can’t seem to dull once it starts. “Poor Moe. He keeps getting the short end of the stick. Or should I say needle.”
Gabriel’s eyes linger on me.
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s nice to hear you laugh. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever hear it again after what you’ve been through.” He glowers at the dark bruising around my wrist. “How long did Bane leave you hanging there?”
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “It was a while.” My muscles still ache from the strain. Tomorrow will likely be worse. But I’d rather think about anything other than my ordeal. “So now what?”
“Now we hide you as long as we can and figure out a way to deal with Vlad. He’s well protected in there.”
“You mean kill him, don’t you?” I ask softly. Vic was right about that much; they do have a plan.
He weaves his fingers through mine, studying our joined hands quietly for a moment. “It’s not something I ever imaged myself being a part of, but we don’t have a choice. He’d burn the whole damn world down if it means winning. Getting rid of him is the only way you’ll ever be truly safe. And when that problem is dealt with, we can release Puff’s family and be done with this world once and for all. Start a new chapter, you and me. Live a normal life.”
His promise sounds nice.
But can life with Gabriel ever be normal?
Or will it simply be different degrees of shadiness?
How do you shed the identity of a notorious crime family? Will Caleb and Gabriel be satisfied with doing business legally? Will they accept that they can’t just get everything they want, how they wanted? It’s all they’ve ever known.
I can’t believe we’re talking about killing someone. Not just someone… Vlad Easton. I think back to all those bones that belonged to all those people Vlad had Bane kill. And he knew what Bane was, what he was capable of. They all knew. “Realistically, how long before he knows I’ve escaped?”
Gabriel purses his lips. “Hard to say. Now that my uncle is out of the picture and he thinks we’re obeying him, Vlad has no reason to call Bane for the foreseeable future. He’s using other guys to deal with the cartel. But the real issue is that damn agent, Lewis. She’s been by a few times. She thinks I found out you two were talking and killed you. She’s banking on bringing me in for your murder.”
“She’s determined to arrest you any way she can.”
“Yeah. And she’s been by to talk to your boss.”
I curse under my breath. Martha has stood by me through the entire case with my father. I don’t know if she—the director of a drug rehab center—will be as sympathetic if she finds out I’m in love with the son of a criminal overlord, known for ties to the drug world.
“And when she checks in again with Mary’s Way tomorrow morning and your boss says you’ve called in sick, because you are calling in sick”—he caps that off with a glare that warns me to not challenge him—“she’ll come straight here. If I don’t produce you, she’ll arrest me and likely storm in with a warrant. If I do produce you, my dad will likely hear about it through his contacts. And if that happens….”