***He tasted like passion... a feral beast just waiting to sink its claws into its prey. Gabrielle felt it, savored it in the heat of his mouth, and pressed closer in search of more. She found it hard to stop once she started exploring, learning his flavor as she kissed him harder. She had done it all on an impulse- a crazy jealous-induced impulse. She had seen Angelo and the girl acting so cozy- his hand had been on her hair and just that image alone had poisoned her blood, so much that she'd almost pulled out her revolver and put a bullet in the girl's head. She still contemplated it, but the sensations that flooded her veins drowned the murderous thoughts out. Her finger dug into his skin, the presence of the girl still making her fury bubble in her chest. Why was she still standing there? Should she shoot her after all? It was startling, but Angelo brought out the worst in her. She wanted to stake a claim, let the girl know that she owned him and that only she had the right to
APRIL POV.I made an effort to regulate my breathing more naturally after she was gone. Angelo should have cautioned me that when he said she could be intense, he should have specified the actual level of intensity. What the hell was that? My heart rate still wasn't steady, but I was getting there. Standing in her presence had felt like I was on a trial with five judges preceding and staring me down as they threatened obvious death when it was just her, and her voice had been bone chilling frightening... It was also demanding. The way she worded her threat had been jolting but I was sure even if she'd said it with no inflection or fire, it would still have the desired effect. There was just something about that that made me want to do as she demanded of me, and it was so damn overwhelming, it was insane. It was a no-brainer that she seemed to think she owned Angelo which was not good for the investigation, considering how much effect she had over him.And now I knew it was not his
GABRIELLE POV.I strode towards my office, Angelo hot on my trail. He was seething and so was I, although I was pretty sure it was for different reasons, but he could seethe for as long as he wanted, it wouldn't change a thing.I didn't regret the kiss. He was mine, and he needed to get used to it. What I was fuming about were the looks my new death trap had been giving Angelo. I had wanted to wait for a perfect opportunity to get rid of him and do it painlessly, but if he continued to want to harm Angelo, I do not think I'd be able to restrain myself from putting a bullet through his skull.As we got close to the elevator, I glanced at the guard and then signaled for the two of them to take the other elevator. Massimo hesitated a bit but obeyed once he met my gaze. The fucking bastard. Exhaling my frustration, I punched the elevator button. It opened and I stepped in, my brows tilting in question when Angelo just stood at the door watching me with a contemplating look on his face. I
GABRIELLE POV.My motion detector turned on and I smiled at the sheer audacity of Angelo or was it, Blake. He had the nerve to go through my laptop while I was away. I wondered what he was doing... Was he at my desk right now? The camera to the office also seemed to be on replay, showing me that he was right at his desk. But I knew he was not. It got me thinking if he'd bugged my devices, or if he had any recording of my calls. I'd taken measures around him, but was it enough judging by the new development? Grandfather was right. I have been too lenient and careless. I knew Angelo was taking out his rage by doing this but it was not that funny since he was messing with my security system... but if my system could be so easily hacked then I needed new tech guys because the ones I had were clearly not doing their fucking job. Angelo- Blake- was sure to find something incriminating. That was if he knew to look in the right folders, but I bet he would because this was the sort of thing
***The drive towards the morgue didn't take long. Noah's body was cremated, and the ashes were thrown into the river, never to be found. The cloud was gloomy, and there was a bit of a rumble in the sky as the rain announced its impending fall. Gabrielle took out her lighter, holding a cigar. She placed the cigar between her lips, taking a long drag without lightening it. She grimaced at the empty feeling that seemed to settle in her chest as she stared into the horizon. "Such depressing weather" she muttered into the air , her gaze dropping to the lighter. The arrival of two cars jarred her from her thought and she released a shaky breath, stood straighter than before, and waited.The car ignition barely died before the two men rushed out of the car and toward her. Simone was the first to reach her. He almost forgot himself, going to take her hand, before he stopped. His eyes ran over her, looking for injuries."Are you alright? We got the incident report" he said, noticing the nas
***Blake relayed what he found to April, sending pictures, before exiting the files and deleting his activities. April would cover his track from the other end. As he shut the laptop, he felt like something was off. Everything felt too easy. It almost seemed Gabrielle had set a trap for him and he had easily fallen, victim. He quickly drafted up his resignation letter, waiting for her to come back to the office.He wondered if she would be quick to suspect. He tried to wave off his overthinking by getting his pending work done. He reasoned that Gabrielle trusted him more than he gave her credit for. They'd been working together for months anyway. He considered himself someone she could not easily dispose of. All they had to do was stakeout, and if it turned out that they were exporting and importing illegal drugs, humans, or weapons, they'd be arrested and taken for investigation. It would be even better if Gabrielle went there herself, with Luciano who was already a suspected drug
GABRIELLE POV.The sound of the cat o'nine tail, when I wielded it made me calm, but not on this occasion. I hit with a vengeance, the cracks on their backs mingling with their screams to create a beautiful melody that did nothing to ease the anger and frustration I felt. blood splashed everywhere as the whip wrapped around them like a lover's hug, but once I pulled it back, it took with it the piece of flesh it was entitled to. I alternated between the three men chained up.A Sheen of blood and sweat covered their worn-out skin, blood spilled out of the gnashes created by my whip, and they dangled weekly, their toes barely connecting with the ground. The image made me smile, but still, I wasn't satisfied.I felt like this was too easy for them. They didn't know real pain yet. I was all too familiar with the pain these whips inflicted. I still had scars to prove it, and I still remembered the way they hurt, but I needed these men to hurt worse. I wanted them to suffer, I needed them
GABRIELLE POV.Trackers, seven of them. He must have been really desperate to tie me to a crime. Shame, I thought we shared the same blinding passion."I got rid of the car. They will never be able to connect it to you since all the database has been wiped out" he reported, and I nodded, feeling tired of it all. "Do you need me to take care of him". Simone asked, watching me cautiously.My eyes flashed at the question. Take care of him? He was asking for permission to kill Blake and I didn't like the sound of it at all. I was the only one who had the right. No one else."Don't worry about that. I'll keep an eye on him. Also, Luciano has already scheduled new locations for the drops, so just let him be. They'll be running a fool's errand if they think they can catch me that easy. Just make sure grandfather does not go near him". He looked like he wanted to argue, then changed his mind at the last minute. Yet, he continued standing at the same spot rigidly, his fist clenching and uncle
PRESENT. BLAKE MORENO POV. Gabrielle Genovese was standing at my door- and she was real... the fire in her gray eyes was all too familiar and my heart nosedived. The woman I would have given up everything for was standing right in front of me. With a gun aimed in my face. My head spun even tho I tried to come off unaffected- but my throbbing heart was still racing and my breathing had accelerated so it was a wasted effort. The memories that I had tried to bury slammed into my head with an intensity that made me aware of every part of her. Her scent assaulted my senses, and every inch of her skin that I'd explored called to me fiercely until It was overwhelming. Her hold on the gun didn't waver and it looked as if she was contemplating just letting loose a spray of bullets in my direction. But despite the threat she represented, all I wanted to do was relive every moment I had spent with her. I wanted to touch her, wrap her in my arms, and run away with her to the ends of the
GABRIELLE POV.Everyone gathered to hear me dole out the new terms to my rule, and anyone who opposed was shot dead immediately, their body burnt into ashes and tossed into the sea, not that most of them had anything to say while they stared at the head of Genovese at my feet. I wanted to shame him, even in death. He didn't deserve a proper burial. I was going to feed his head to the dogs he kept. The people in the room grumbled when I raised their returns to sixty percent but an arch of my eyebrow shut them up. They should be happy I didn't take them all out. Death was what they deserved, so they should be fucking grateful that I was letting them live. Simone stood beside me, his mouth clenched shut all through the process, but even his presence irritated me... Everyone that reminded me of Blake irritated me. The family dispersed and I appointed spies to keep an eye on them and report back to me about any misconduct, or any act of rebellion. If anyone broke any of the laws I'd lai
GABRIELLE POV.I stared at Micheal, then at the gun that he aimed at me, waiting patiently for him to pull the trigger but he didn't. I waited until my fingers trembled. "If you're going to shoot an enemy, you should never hesitate"."You killed my father" he screamed, his hold tightening around the gun, his aim getting steadier. Yes, Micheal. Get mad, and put an end to all of this pain and suffering. "Yes I did, and I'll probably kill you too, so you better pull that trigger now that you have the chance," I said, meaning every word as I stared at him. His hands wavered, and then he lowered the gun as tears escaped an eye. I groaned inside, clenching my fist as we both stood in silence, his eyes fixed on mine. "Why didn't you let that guard kill me? Why did you save me? I don't want to be indebted to you for anything. Why did you do it?" He asked, meeting my gaze fiercely and I lost it. "I didn't do it for you! I killed him because that is only what I am good at. These hands only
GABRIELLE POV TWO WEEKS EARLIER.Footsteps approached my room and I braced myself for whoever was going to step in through the door. The door flung open and two people stumbled in as they were shoved viciously. They dropped to their knees right in front of me and I jumped back, my gaze darting to those of the culprit. Burn stepped in behind them with a sick smile on his lips, the two guns he held pointed at the back of their head. "I brought some audience for our little show".I stared at Keenan who couldn't meet my gaze then at Micheal whose little body shook in tremors as he looked up at me to deliver him. But he was wrong, I didn't save people, I only destroyed them, just as I had done to Blake.I met Burns's amused expression. "There will be no show," I told, my voice so quiet, it sounded eerie even in my ears.Burn quirked an eyebrow. "Is that a no, Pet, because I get trigger happy every time someone says no to me and I really don't want to have to blast Keenan's head off or th
BLAKE POV.The raw pain in her voice carried through the room, the agony of it rending through my heart like sharp-edged darts as I listened to it, then the call ended and April glanced in my direction. My grip on the chair handle I sat on tightened as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. "It's done. She thinks you're dead now. Do we proceed with our plans. Do you want her behind bars... We can have her arrested with the evidence we have on her"."I don't know" I got out, my voice hoarse as my eyes lingered on the phone, willing it to ring again just so I could hear her voice. I was crazy. Crazy and bloody stupid, but I couldn't stop myself from longing for her, especially after listening to her. What if, no, it wasn't speculation at this point, she'd shot me not to kill me but to save my life? If she'd really meant to kill me, I would be dead. But then I remembered her voice, the way her gaze had brightened as she conversed with Burn on how she'd lost interest in me, how it w
GABRIELLE POV.Stepping into the house I swore I would burn to the ground once I took over made me feel like a failure but I was not going to be so easily defeated, especially now that I might have nothing left. The pain of the unknown was terrible and my head hurt- the misery making my vision blurry, as I thought back to the bridge. What if I had miscalculated the angle of the shot as I aimed for Blake... maybe I'd hit one of his organs and he'd bled to death, and if that didn't happen, maybe April hadn't been able to save him, maybe she hadn't even been able to find his body.My heart constricted, the realization that Blake might really be gone from my life hitting me hard until it felt like I would collapse. I don't. Instead, I forged on, forcing my legs to move even tho all I wanted to do was crash against the floor and just cry for all the injustice I'd been dealt with. But those scenarios were all what-ifs. I had to believe that he was still alive.Blake was tough, and I hadn'
"No!" April gasped as she rushed into the murky river and searched blindly for the body of Blake. Was this what Gabrielle had meant when she said she could have him back? Why had she shot him... Just why, especially after keeping him alive for so long? "Blake! Blake, where the hell are you? Blake!" April screamed, crying as she searched blindly, the water tossing her from every corner until her eye caught a movement just ahead of her. April squinted, blinking the murky water from her vision and she saw him floating, red blood circling his midsection. Was he alive? Please let him be alive. April pushed at the water, gasping in frustration when it seemed as if she was moving in slow motion. Kicking through the murk, she finally reached him, and heaving a sigh of relief she wrapped her arms around him, and dragged him ashore, her chest heaving once they were in the safety of the dry land.Catching her breath, April let go of him and quickly pressed her finger to his wrist, then his nec
GABRIELLE POV.Blake coughed, grunting beneath me and I released a whoosh of air I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Simone pulled me up and helped Blake to his feet and we ran down the corridors. I kicked the door open to the garage to meet some of the soldiers waiting there for us."Let's go. And once we're within a safe distance, hit the self-destruct buttons, got it" I yelled over the roar of the car as I turned the key on the ignition... The other cars followed suit as the rebels rushed the entrance firing rounds at us but the bullets just bounced off our bulletproof van as we sped off Into the night, the house turning into balls of flames behind us as my soldiers carried out my instructions. I smiled as I watched the house burn, sure that no one had been able to get out alive. I turned to face Blake who was already staring at me, a smile on his lips. I reached with one hand for his shirt and yanked him to me as I rediscovered his taste once more, kissing him like the air I need
GABRIELLE POV"Who the fuck did he call" I growled into the phone, my heart rate increasing by the seconds and threatening to come out my chest. The soldier muttered his reply but it all sounded like a freaking broken record that had me flinging my phone at the wall in anger.I should have fucking known Keenan would do something like this. It was like I could never get through to him about the dangers of making impulsive decisions. Did he call grandfather, if he did then he was just going to expose himself to danger, something that I had been trying to avoid from the get-go. If only he'd just listen! Ugh. I switched on the voice transmitter in my room. "Prepare to leave. I want everything ready in half an hour" I ordered, then switched it off. Taking a deep calming breath to ease my frayed nerves, I opened the closet, then hit the button for the secret chamber. It swished open, and I stared at my collection of weapons, all armed and ready for use. I trailed my finger over my revolve