Chapter 8 - The Ultimatum
The morning of their departure back to New York City was tense. Victor was loading weapons into the trunk of the SUV, while Gabriel sat at the kitchen table, finalizing the tactical blueprints of the underground casino.
Clara packed her small duffel bag. She knew her role was over. Gabriel was healed enough to fight, and he was returning to a warzone.
She walked out to the living room, holding her bag tightly.
"Victor can drop me off at the train station," Clara said, her voice trembling slightly. "I have enough cash from the envelope to disappear for a while. Until it's safe for me to go back to the hospital."
Gabriel stopped writing. The entire room seemed to freeze. He slowly set his pen down and stood up, his massive frame towering over her.
"You aren't going to a train station," Gabriel said, his voice a low, possessive rumble.
"Gabriel, I don't belong in a mafia war," Clara argued, tears stinging her eyes. "I’m a nurse. You need to focus on taking your syndicate back. I'll just be a liability."
"A liability?" Gabriel closed the distance between them, tossing her duffel bag onto the couch. He grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against his solid body. "You are the only reason my heart is still beating. You think I’m going to let you walk away and hide in some cheap motel?"
"It's not safe for me to be near you!"
"It is nowhere safer on this earth than by my side," Gabriel promised fiercely. "Leo knows your face. If you run, his men will hunt you down just to spite me. The only way you survive this is if I destroy the threat completely."
Clara looked up into his eyes, seeing the desperate, undeniable truth. He wasn't just keeping her for her safety. He was keeping her because he couldn't let her go.
May you like
"What do you want from me, Gabriel?" she breathed.
"I want you at the gala tonight," Gabriel murmured, leaning down to press a hot, intense kiss to the pulse point on her neck. "I want you to walk in there as my equal. And I want the entire underworld to know that you are untouchable."
