Page 36 of All Your Lies (All or Nothing #2)

twenty-nine

Alexa

W ith a single fluid motion, Gage flips us over, leaving me straddling him as our bodies remain intertwined. My eyes widen as I feel him even deeper than he was before.

I gaze into his eyes and gave him a questioning expression.

The right side of his upper lip pulls into a smirk before his firm hands grab onto my hips, and he rocks me forward onto him.

A little bundle of nerves in me gets hit, making my back arch and my eyes roll into the back of my head.

It’s a dangerously delicious sensation, a high I never want to come down from.

“Eyes on me, beautiful.”

With my hands resting on his muscular chest, I can feel his heartbeat against my palms as he skillfully guides me back and forth while my half-lidded eyes remain fixed on him.

His face contorts as I use my strength to match his.

He reveals a blend of bliss and intense focus as he clenches his lower lip between his teeth and grips my hips tighter.

Witnessing him unraveling beneath me fills me with an overwhelming sense of empowerment. He makes me feel confident, sexy, and strong. I love the way he makes me feel. I love him .

The truth settles upon me like a warm blanket as I come to terms with what has always been—my undeniable love for this man.

My body presses against his as we kiss, and I savor the sensation of my clit grazing his lower stomach.

“I love you,” I moan as I gaze into his deep-blue eyes.

His eyes widen, and a startled breath escapes his lips before his hands shoot out to grasp my face. “I love you, Lex, so fucking much.”

My body rocks harder against his as I’m consumed by a fiery sensation, causing me to moan once again as the pressure builds. “I’m going to come.”

As Gage shifts, we align ourselves into a sitting position, our bodies still connected while our hearts throb in unison.

As he bites down on the side of my neck, he whispers, “Be a good girl and come for me.” His powerful arms enveloping me in a tight hug as he thrusts deeply, igniting a rush of inexplicable sensations.

I come with a scream that has me seeing stars as I feel him thrust twice more before coming inside me with a groan.

We continue to hold each other with our bodies intertwined until our erratic breathing subsides and there’s nothing but silence in the room.

“Come on, I want you at home in our bed so I can worship you more.”

The word ‘our’ no longer sounds awful. It sounds like a new beginning and happiness.

Ten minutes later, we step out of the club with Gage’s arm secured around me. The refreshing chill of the early morning air greets us. I inhale and let a smile creep onto my lips.

“What?” Gage asks as he smirks down at me.

“I never thought it would feel like this.”

His dark eyes twinkle with my words as he bends and kisses the side of my head. “I knew it would, and this is only the beginning, Lex.”

We make it five steps out when we come to an abrupt halt.

Brad stands ten feet away with a gun aimed in our direction. His hair is in complete disarray, extensive bruising mars his face, and his clothes are in tattered shambles.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Gage yells.

“It was supposed to be me. You were supposed to end up with me. I watched you for months. Even tried to protect you that night from my brother.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Your father killed my brother the night he chased you. I told him I would keep you. And he wouldn’t let me. I always knew I would get you back.” He smiles and then fires the gun.

I drop to my knees as Gage grunts out in pain and falls back while holding his stomach.

“My... gun...” Gage rasps.

I pull it from the holster on his side and turn, but Brad is already gone.

“Help!” I scream as I hold pressure against his wound. “Help!”

Gage looks up at me with a grimace before his hand reaches my cheek. “I will always love you, Lex.”

And then his hand falls to the side.

Two days later

A whirlwind of emotion chokes me while I lie on the small, uncomfortable hospital bed next to Gage.

My eyes close as the sound of him flatlining twice in the back of the ambulance rings through my mind.

Unbelievable, gut-wrenching despair echoes in that sound, which will forever haunt me.

When he flatlined for the second time, a wave of distress washed over me, and dark, unsettling thoughts crept into my mind.

He isn’t allowed to leave me when we barely got our second chance.

I made a solemn promise to myself that if he didn’t survive, I would willingly follow him into the afterlife. Wherever he goes, I go.

I open my eyes and wipe a lone tear as I gaze up at Gage.

Even in his medically induced coma, he still looks just as handsome and lethal as always, even though the bullet bounced around in his body, causing substantial damage, and the doctors say it will take months to heal.

He has a long road ahead of him, and I will be there the entire way.

From the door, a distinct click reaches my ears, causing my gaze to fixate on Vic and Trey walking into the room.

“Is Rosie safe?” I ask Vic.

“Yeah, we have people with her right now.”

“Good,” I say as I nod. “I want him found and brought to a secure location. I don’t want him roughed up too bad before I see him. He worked with me at Brilliant Hearts Charity, so there should be some kind of information on his whereabouts.”

“We’ll let you know when we have something.”

“Thank you,” I say, directing my attention back to Gage.

It’s odd giving someone orders, but it seems appropriate, especially if it leads to the apprehension of the person responsible for harming Gage.

As the guys leave, I glance at Marco, slumped over in the rigid, uncomfortable chair. Since they let us into his room after his eight-hour surgery, he has been reluctant to leave Gage’s side.

I know Gage wouldn’t want anybody to see him like this, but I couldn’t say no to him or his mom.

With as much grace as I can muster, I slide off the bed so as not to wake Gage and make my way over to Marco. I gently nudge him, causing him to wake abruptly. I quickly place my finger over my mouth, signaling for silence, and then turn my gaze back to Gage, who is still peacefully sleeping.

“There’s somewhere I need to be. You need to stay with him and don’t let anyone in.”

“It’s not safe for you to be out by yourself,” Marco says.

“Don’t worry about me right now. Worry about protecting your brother. He’s the top priority. Call me right away if he wakes up.”

I slowly retreat to the bed, gently pressing a kiss to Gage’s cheek before whispering in his ear, “I’ll be right back. I love you.”

When I walk out of the room, Vinny is right next to Gage’s mom. “Keep him safe.”

Vinny nods his head while I give Gage’s mom a quick hug.

As I drive to my apartment, tears stream down my face.

The strange blend of numbness and despair that’s been my companion for the past couple of days are suffocating me.

I need to feel something besides a chaotic void, and I believe only one thing will help ground me and make me feel like myself again.

Showing everyone a strong, calm facade has been exhausting because, on the inside, I’m quaking with feelings of the unknown. But I’m determined to be what Gage needs since he became what I needed.

My eyes shift to my rearview mirror on my second-to-last left turn before I get to my condo.

A spine-chilling sensation runs through me as I notice a navy-blue SUV following me extremely close.

I gas it and pass my condo while watching my company keep pace behind me.

Gage’s gun sits uncomfortably behind my back in the waistband of my pants, but it’s a welcome sensation.

“Alexa...call Vic,” I say.

“Calling... Vic.”

“Is he okay?” Vic murmurs into the other line with worry clear in his voice.

“He’s still sleeping. I had to leave, but I think I have company.”

“You left? Where are you?”

“West Adams and South Jefferson.”

Vic murmurs something to someone on his end while I continue to check behind me. With glasses adorning their face and the car’s visor lowered, it is difficult to identify the figure in the dimming sunlight of the afternoon.

“Julian has eyes on you through the traffic cams. Someone reported the SUV behind you stolen yesterday. You think it’s the guy we’re looking for?”

“Could be,” I say as I make a right and punch it. My gas light pings on, and I close my eyes in resignation. Fucking great. “My gas light just came on. I need to—”

The back of my car gets rammed, and I let out a startled gasp as I grip the wheel tighter.

“What happened?”

“They hit the back of my car. I need—”

A wave of frustration washes over me, causing me to pause and shake my head.

I can’t continue to have someone come to my rescue every time I’m in trouble.

I need to find the strength and resilience in myself to become my own hero.

My own protector. I need to stand on my own two feet and prove why I’m capable of being one of the first female capos of the Chicago Mafia.

“Look, I’ll give you my location if I need cleanup, but I have to go,” I say as I hang up while he yells something from the other end.

Zooming through an alley behind a chain of restaurants, I decide to come to an abrupt halt next to a green metal dumpster.

As the SUV screeches to a stop behind me, I yank open my door and retrieve Gage’s gun, ready for whatever may come.

I squint through the headlights of the SUV as I point the gun at the driver behind the wheel.

The door creaks open and Brad casually steps out as if he didn’t almost run me off the road.

His long-sleeved blue button-up is untucked from his wrinkled khaki pants and seems to be askew, as if he didn’t line the buttons up correctly.

But what makes my hand tremble is the unhinged expression in his eyes.

“Alexa. I’ve been waiting for you,” he says as he advances on me.