Page 64 of Gabriel

“He’s Gabriel now, huh?” I turned to face her, her eyebrows raised in challenge as she flicked the knife up and down, the metallic clink echoing ominously. “And how do you think this will end with that well-dressed cartel heir? Wedding bells? No,the moment this is over, Gabriel will demand all our heads on a platter.”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my jaw clenching. “If only we knew why Jet instructed us to snatch him.”

Elira leaned forward, her voice quieter now.

“We have a man you desire handcuffed to a bed. Do yourself a favor and make your journey to Albania slightly more exciting. Stop being so damn uptight.”

I could practically hear alarm bells ringing in my skull.

“Your contradictory actions make no sense.”

Elira smirked. “You’re a grown woman and you can handle yourself as well as the man you do or don’t fuck.”

Silence settled between us again and I watched her curiously, but then my phone buzzed.

I glanced at the screen: Mother Liana.

I winced. I should’ve known. She and my mom had been tag-teaming their concerned check-ins all month, thinking they were subtle.

Spoiler alert: they weren’t.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “This is going to be a nightmare.”

“If we don’t answer, it’ll be worse,” Elira muttered, already lowering her voice into pleasant mode.

I answered the call and tapped the speaker button. “Hello, Mother Liana.”

“Hey, Mom,” Elira chimed in, sugar-sweet and suspiciously cheerful. Much like me, she was terrifyingly good at being a trained killer one moment and a normal daughter the next.

“My darlings,” came her voice—strained, sharp, and wrapped in guilt. “Where in the world are you? I thought you were in southern France, but when I called the hotel, they said you never arrived.”

I glanced at Elira. She just shrugged and made a face.

“Southern France? Yeah… we’re staying on my yacht,” I said, like it wasn’t the dumbest thing I’d ever blurted out.

“Yacht?” Her voice pitched up. My pulse spiked and Elira shook her head, mouthing,Really?

“Hm. Yeah. We bought a yacht.”

“Just because?”

I dropped my chin to my chest.Shit. “Yeah.”

“Why haven’t you mentioned it before?”

I grimaced. “I probably forgot.”

“We’ve been super busy,” Elira chimed in, and I wasn’t sure which excuse was lamer.

“Don’t lie to me, you two. I expect better from you both,” she snapped. “What is going on? Why are you off the grid? And why is Jet still not answering his phone? Is he with you?”

I froze. My throat was dry.

“Yes. Jet’s with us,” Elira cut in brightly, and my head whipped her way with wide eyes. “You know him when he sleeps. It’s like he’s dead.”

“Ah, good, have him call me when he wakes up.”

I looked at her pointedly, but she just waved me off.