Page 66 of Twisted Truths

I don’t say anything. There’s no point. He and Gabriel need to work out their issues themselves. All I can do is be here for him.

“Nash, you should know?—”

I’m cut off when he lifts our entwined hands and presses a finger to my lips. “It’s been an emotional day. We should get some sleep.”

We lay there in silence, both lost in our own thoughts. I need to tell him about his nephew, and also about me beingGabriel’s Chosen, but I’m scared of how he’ll react. The last thing we need is for him to go rushing into the Circle and trying to get Franklin out with brute force. I don’t think Seraphina will hurt Franklin, since she believes him to be Gabriel’s son, but I do believe she’ll hide him if she thinks we’re coming for him.

I also need to talk to Gabriel about my feelings for Nash. Because I feel a connection to him, which is growing stronger by the day. Not only am I attracted to him, my body thrumming to life every time I’m close to him, but he makes me feel safe in a way I’ve never felt before. At least not since Madeline was alive.

My eyes grow heavy, and I blink once, twice.

Right before sleep pulls me under, Nash leans in and presses his lips to my forehead.

“I’m glad you’re here, Hadley,” he whispers.

Chapter Twenty-Four

NASH

Iwake up to the warmth of a body pressed up against mine, and the sweet scents of lavender and mint permeating my senses. Slowly opening my eyes, I look down at the woman nestled in my arms. During the night, we’ve somehow become entangled in one another, and I’m in no hurry to let her go.

As my eyes wash over her effortlessly beautiful face, I marvel at how at peace she seems in her sleep. When she’s awake, she has a small crinkle in the middle of her brow, as if she’s constantly worrying about something.

Careful not to jostle her, I gently lean in and press my lips to that space now, free of lines, free of worry. There’s a fierce need deep inside me to protect this woman at all costs, and I don’t know when she went from being the enemy to something … more.

My heart clenches at the memories she shared with me of her family. She’s just as broken, just as lonely as I am. I hate that she’s been through this pain I am now going through. Hadley lost her parents at a young age, but she still had her sister, until she was taken away from her, too.

Anger surges through me. The Circle may not have taken her parents, but they took Madeline in the same way they took Tom. By preying on their innocence and emotional trauma. The only thing I can’t figure out is how they got to Zara. What happened to my sister that she couldn’t tell me? How did she get caught up with them when she knew how dangerous they were? She saw what happened to Tom, yet she still chose to trust Gabriel.

I saw the photos Grimshaw sent through of the two of them, the way she looked at him. She trusted him to take care of her, and he failed. But who was the hidden figure in the background? Who was watching them?

I need answers.

With one last glance down at Hadley, still fast asleep in my arms, I carefully extricate myself from her, unable to resist another quick brush of my lips over her smooth brow. She stirs, but doesn’t wake, burying herself deeper into my pillow with a soft sigh.

She’s so fucking beautiful, it hurts.

I quickly change out of my shirt and suit pants, slipping on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, then slip out of my bedroom.

My eyes lock on Zara’s closed door as I pass, but I’m still not ready for whatever I’ll find in there.

Heading straight for the sitting room to confront Gabriel and ask him to tell me everything he fucking knows about my sister, I stop short when I hear noises coming from the living room. The sounds of something being dragged, then a soft grunt.

I freeze.

What the hell?

I haven’t been in there since I came here with Levi. When I came back to collect the paperwork from Paul’s officefor Grimshaw, I avoided all areas of the house steeped in blood and memories. I didn’t need to relive them again.

My stomach clenches as I push open the door.

Gabriel’s on his knees in the middle of the living room, his sleeves rolled up as he pulls back a section of the carpet.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snap, my voice sharp and loud.

He jerks upright, his face pale as he puts his splayed hands up in front of him. “Nash?—”

I step into the room with my fists clenched by my side. “Trying to cover your parents’ tracks? Or is it your own? Is this why you’re really here?”