Page 24 of Ice-Cold Obsession

I saw enough to know this wasn’t his first time, but I can’t believe he’d do that. I thought he was just an arrogant asshole who manipulated people and ruined their lives for his own entertainment or benefit, but selling drugs at parties? That’s a different level of low.

What the hell happened to him?

Gabriel turns a corner, and I follow, pressing myself against a building to catch my breath before peering around the edge. He’s still running, his pace relentless.

I push myself off the wall and keep going, my legs burning and my lungs protesting. He’s fast, and I’m struggling to keep up.

It’s getting harder to stay hidden, but Gabriel doesn’t look back. He just keeps running, like he’s racing against a clock.

Finally, he slows down.

I duck behind a parked car and crouch low, watching through the windows as he stops. He bends over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

I stay crouched, my heart pounding in my chest. My legs are starting to cramp, but I don’t move.

Gabriel straightens up and pulls out his phone, checking the screen. His face is tense, and even from here, I can see the way his jaw is clenched.

An SUV pulls up. It’s black with tinted windows, and it just glides to the curb, the engine idling softly.

Gabriel looks at it, and his whole body tenses.

The back door opens, and two men step out.

They’re wearing dark suits that look expensive even from a distance. Both of them are tall and built like guards, moving with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing they’re in control. One is broader in the shoulders, and the other leaner but just as intimidating.

Gabriel approaches them, and I press myself lower behind the car, my breath catching in my throat.

I can’t hear what they’re saying, but as I take a peek, I can see the way Gabriel is standing. Stiff and tense, like he’s trying to hold himself together.

One of the men says something, and Gabriel nods. The man gestures toward the SUV, and Gabriel hesitates for just a second before climbing into the back seat.

The two men get in after him, and the door closes with a solid thunk.

The SUV doesn’t move. I stay crouched behind the car, my legs screaming in protest. My mind is racing, trying to piece together what I’m seeing.

Gabriel ran here like his life depended on it. He met two men who look like they could break him in half, and now he’s sitting in their car while they’re not going anywhere.

Who the hell are these people?

I shift my weight, trying to get more comfortable, but my back is aching. I can’t see anything through the tinted windows.

Minutes pass. So Gabriel isn’t just a manipulative asshole and a drug dealer. He’s working for someone. Someone powerful enough to have guards in suits to meet with him in the middle of the night.

And I want to find out who it is.

Chapter 13

GABRIEL

I’M IN THE BACK OFthe car, and there’s a black panel separating me from the front seat. I can’t see through it, but I knowhe’s there.

The two guards are on either side of me, and their size makes the backseat feel smaller than it is. They don’t look at me, just stare straight ahead, silent and still.

The speaker crackles, andhisvoice fills the car.

“Your image suffered because of your mistake with Zyair.”

I clench my jaw.