Page 31 of Gabriel

Only then did I see he was holding the backpack I abandoned what felt like hours ago.

“Last I heard, my business wasn’t yours.” I snatched it from him, lowering my gun by an inch. “And aren’t you too old to be stalking?”

He smiled again. Lazy. Unapologetic.

“Like I said, you’re on my territory now, Amara,” he stated, voice low and even. “Everything you do is my business.”

Gabriel

Surrounded by bodies and blood-soaked dirt, I stepped closer to the woman who had fascinated me from the moment she started at D’Arc.

Her breaths were still sharp and ragged, blood smearing her cheek. Her hands trembled slightly, but I’d witnessed firsthand how steady and lethal she was when in motion. She was dangerous, not only due to her skills but also because of who she was.

As Killian Cullen and Emory DiLustro’s only child, and adoptive daughter to Liana Volkov, nobody sane would fuck with Amara Cullen.

It was a good thing I wasn’t exactly sane.

We locked eyes, and she stared back at me with that stubborn chin tilted up.

Amara was unlike any woman I’d ever met and had been the subject of my fascination. Or, as she called it,stalking.

Until her cursed brother involved Anya.

“Put the gun down,” I said quietly, careful not to startle her. “We both know you won’t kill me.”

Alas, it wouldn’t be because she valued my life, but rather to avoid a war between our families.

In our world, loyalty was a currency more valuable than gold and as rare as diamonds.

“And I won’t kill you,” I added.

Her eyes narrowed as she lowered her gun, letting it hang by her side. “As if I’d ever have a chance.”

I gestured behind me, back in the direction I’d come from. “We should get going. You’re covered in blood, and if someone shows up, trouble is bound to find you.”

She laughed. “I think it already has.”

I held out a hand, but she looked at it like it was a snake.

“Amara, you need my help. Stop being so damn stubborn and take it. I’m offering you a ride.”

Her eyes flickered between my hand and the jungle around us. “And what else?”

I smiled.

“That’s up to you.” She said nothing, so I added, “Maybe you can tell me why you’re here.”

We both knew she wouldn’t, andIknew it had everything to do with Jet.

She didn’t take my hand but she jerked her chin. “Lead the way, Santos.”

We walked back the way I came, leaving the container and bodies behind us. I already dropped the location to my cleanup team.

“You handled those men very effectively. It was pretty amazing to see.”

“I’m pretty amazing.”

“That you are.” I chuckled. “Although it hasn’t escaped me the way you’re dodging my questions.”