Page 15

15: Tori

The moment the front door flies open, time snaps into hyper-focus.

My breath stills in my throat as men in dark clothing rush in, armed and raging like the Hulk. My body reacts before my brain catches up—I lurch to my feet, heart pounding like a war drum.

Gabe is already moving, placing himself between me and the intruders. His hand flies to his waistband, drawing his gun with a sharp, fluid motion. His voice is a snarl of command, deep, gravel.

Okay, dragonborn. Geez.

“Touch her, and you’re dead.”

The lead guy—big, bald, looks like he scares small children for fun—raises his hands like he’s dealing with some scared civilians instead of a trained soldier and a not-in-the-mood-for-this-kind-of-shit mafia daughter. “No need for threats,” he says smoothly, though the smirk curling his lips says he enjoys the game. “We just came for the girl.”

Of course.

This day is such shit.

“I’m flattered,” I deadpan, shifting a little behind Gabe, preparing myself. “But I’m really not in the mood for terrible company.”

“You don’t have a choice,” the man states, taking a step forward.

Gabe doesn’t wait for him to take another. The gunshot shatters the air, so loud in the confined space that my ears ring. The guy barely ducks in time, the bullet slicing past his shoulder and embedding into the wall behind him. The smirk vanishes from his face. And then the fight really starts.

The first guy lunges but Gabe sidesteps, grabbing him by the wrist and twisting so hard there’s an audible snap. The man’s scream is cut short when Gabe shoves him backwards into his own men, sending them toppling like dominoes.

A hand grabs my arm, and I react immediately. I twist, just like the guys taught me, driving my elbow into the guy’s gut. He grunts, stumbling back, but he’s fast. His grip tightens, yanking me toward him. My pulse spikes, adrenaline surging through my veins. I don’t freeze this time.

I bring my knee up—hard, right to his precious jewels.

Don't pretend, Buddy. I know that hurt.

He chokes out a curse, releasing me as he doubles over. Without missing a beat, I grab the closest thing—a lamp—and swing it into the side of his head. The glass shatters, and he crumples to the floor, dazed but not out.

Gabe sees it. Sees me.

His eyes flash with something dark and veiled before he turns his fury back to the others. He moves like a predator, fast and unrelenting. Another man charges, but Gabe catches him mid-swing, deflecting the punch before landing one of his own—straight to the guy’s jaw. A sickening crack echoes, and the man drops.

I barely dodge a second attacker. He swings a knife, the blade slicing through the air, inches from my face. My stomach clenches, but I force myself to move.

It seems between what Gabe and the guys have taught me, I'm really learning how to take care of myself in these fights.

That's right. 007 in training over here.

I duck under his arm, grab his wrist, and drive my fist into his ribs. He grunts, but his grip is strong. Too strong .

Gabe wrenches the guy back, slamming him into the nearest wall so hard the drywall cracks. “You even breathe in her direction again, I’ll make sure you never take another breath,” he growls, voice low and lethal.

The guy slumps, barely conscious, and Gabe turns to me, scanning me quickly for injuries. “You okay?”

My chest heaves, my hands shaking just a bit, but I nod. “Yeah.”

The last remaining intruder is already scrambling for the door, not nearly as eager to take us on now that the rest of his team is either unconscious or groaning on the floor. Gabe lifts his gun and fires a shot just above the guy’s head, making him freeze.

“Who sent you?” Gabe demands, stepping forward, towering over him like death itself.

The man swallows hard. “We—we were just following orders.”

“Whose orders?”

A beat of hesitation. Then, “I don’t know. Just a contract.”

Gabe’s fingers twitch on the trigger, but before he can decide whether to pull it, I step forward, wiping my bloody palm on my jeans. “Tell whoever hired you that I’m not easy to fucking steal,” I say, voice flat, cold.

Not anymore, anyway.

I'll never allow myself to be taken again.

Gabe glances at me, something like pride flickering across his face. Then, with one last sneer, he lowers his gun and lets the guy bolt.

The room is wrecked. Furniture overturned, shards of the broken lamp littering the floor, blood smeared across the wood. I exhale sharply, rubbing my sore wrist, the reality of what just happened settling over me like a heavy fog.

“We need to go,” Gabe says, his voice still edged with adrenaline. He’s already moving, grabbing the keys and a duffel bag from behind the couch. “Now. ”

I don’t argue. I follow him out the door, stepping over the unconscious bodies like they’re just minor inconveniences. The second we’re in the car, he peels out of the driveway, tires screeching against the pavement.

I let my head fall back against the seat, closing my eyes for a brief second. My pulse is still racing, my body still wired. I fought. I actually fought, and I won...mostly.

Blaze would be so fucking proud.

Blaze .

I need to call him. But...what if he betrayed me too?

I can't handle that right now.

Gabe’s grip on the wheel is tight, his jaw clenched as he speeds through the empty streets. The tension rolling off him is thick, suffocating, but he doesn’t speak. Doesn’t even look at me.

After a few minutes, I crack an eye open, glancing at him. “You okay over there? Your brooding is on a new level.”

His eyes narrow. “I should be asking you that.”

“I’m fine.” And weirdly, I think I mean it.

At least this is distracting me from the pain in my chest.

Gabe exhales through his nose, fingers tightening before he finally forces them to relax. “You fought well.”

I blink. That...was not what I expected. “Did you just compliment me?”

A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

I smile, but it fades as I glance out the window. We’re in a different part of town now, away from the city’s chaos. The streets are quieter, lined with suburban houses, each one looking eerily similar.

I frown. “Where are we?”

Gabe pulls into a driveway, kills the engine, and finally looks at me. “My house.”

He gets down as I process what he's said and where he's taken me, rounding the hood and opening my door before I blink back to life. He leads the way to the door, pushing it open, and I follow, hesitating on the threshold before stepping into his world.

What kind of person are you really, Gabe? Am I going to find clothes everywhere? Or are you a neat freak like Blaze?

It’s…not what I expected. I don’t know what I expected, but a homey little place with a lived-in couch and the faint scent of coffee isn’t it. It’s weirdly normal.

He may be your bodyguard, Tori, but he's still a human. He can have a normal home.

“You gonna stand there all night?” he asks, raising a brow as he locks the door behind me.

“Just taking it all in,” I mutter, shrugging off my jacket. “Didn’t peg you for the cozy type.”

He snorts. “Didn’t peg you for the table-lamp-wielding type, but here we are.”

I scowl, tossing my jacket onto a chair. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”

He shakes his head, amusement flickering in his eyes before they darken, scanning me. “Sit down. Let me check you over.”

I plop onto the couch, letting him crouch in front of me. His hands are careful, precise, as he takes my wrist, fingers skimming over the forming bruises. He doesn’t say anything, but he has the same look the guys get when they see me hurt.

Protective. Pissed. Dangerous.

“I’m fine,” I say, but my voice is softer this time, almost reassuring.

His eyes flick up to mine. “You shouldn’t have had to fight like that.”

I swallow, something thick lodging in my throat. “I wasn’t gonna just let them take me.”

His grip tightens, just for a second. “I can tell."

The air shifts, something heavier settling between us. He’s still holding my wrist, thumb brushing over my skin in a way that’s too careful. My pulse betrays me, kicking up, and I know he notices because his lips press together, his own breathing going a little uneven.

I clear my throat, desperate for something—anything—to break whatever the hell this is. “So, what now? You gonna tell me why you brought me here instead of another safe house?”

Gabe exhales through his nose, still watching me too closely. Then, finally, he leans back, running a hand through his hair. “Because there’s something you need to know. And you’re not gonna like it.”

My stomach knots. “Great. Love that for me.”

He doesn’t smile. Doesn’t joke. Just levels me with a look so serious it sends a chill down my spine.

“This isn’t just about you, Tori,” he says, voice low, measured. “This is about them—Lila, Mia, and Eve. About why they’re here. About what your father is really planning.”

And just like that, the air turns ice cold.

Everything goes quiet, even the world outside these four walls seems to grow silent as I wait for whatever shitstorm Gabe is about to let me in on. It's obvious my father has been up to something with my guys and these supposed assistants, but I'm not exactly sure what he hopes to accomplish, or why.

Gabe's fingers drum against his knees as he thinks, almost as if he's questioning whether or not he should really do this.

It's too late to change your mind now, Gabe. I won't let you.

“Well? Are you going to tell me? Or are you just stringing me along here?” My impatience shows as I arch a brow at him, waiting for him to start.

Today has been such utter shit. I can't take much more.

“I wouldn't string you along, Tori. I'm just worried about what you'll think of me by the end of it,” he admits, his blue eyes meeting mine in a way-too-tender expression. It's almost as if he's pleading with me not to hate him with his eyes alone .

“You won't know until you tell me.”

My stomach twists, tightening the knot that feels like it will never unravel. I can hardly breathe as is, and currently, Gabe is like my oxygen tank, only something tells me my supply is about to be cut off.

“From the moment you called to tell him you and your three boyfriends were coming, your father has been planning,” he starts, resting his elbows on his knees as he leans forward.

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "Planning what, exactly?"

Gabe exhales through his nose, shaking his head like he wishes he could tell me anything but this. "He doesn’t see them as viable long-term partners for you, Tori. He never did. In his eyes, love makes people weak, and the fact that you’re splitting yourself between three men? He thinks that’s a disaster waiting to happen. He doesn’t want you to just inherit his empire—he wants you to own it. Alone."

I scoff, crossing my arms. "Yeah, well, he can take that plan and shove it."

Gabe gives me a look that tells me my father is not someone who takes no for an answer. "You don’t get it, Tori. He didn’t just want to break you up. He wanted you to walk away, believing it was your choice."

Something cold slithers down my spine.

What kind of man gaslights his daughter like that?

That's an easy answer, Tori.

Clearly.

"How?"

"By making sure you saw them fail you, over and over again," Gabe answers, voice even, but there’s anger simmering beneath it. "Those assistants weren’t just random hires. They were chosen specifically to test your men in ways Diablo knew would hurt you the most."

My stomach clenches. "What does that mean? "

Gabe’s expression shifts, a mixture of frustration and guilt, as if he hates everything he knows. "Lila was meant to tempt Ryder with easy affection, someone who could match his energy without the weight of your shared past. She was instructed to be pushy, to make you doubt him, to get close enough that if he so much as hesitated, it would look bad."

I think of Ryder in that hallway, Lila pressed against him, his posture too loose, too relaxed. My fists clench in my lap.

"And Eve?" I force out.

"She was meant to appeal to Blaze’s perfectionism, his need for control. She’s calculated, intelligent, a master manipulator. She wasn’t trying to seduce him, not in the way Lila was with Ryder. She was trying to integrate herself, to become indispensable to him. Someone he relied on, maybe even trusted more than you."

I swallow against the lump forming in my throat. "And Mia?"

Gabe hesitates. "Mia was a wild card. Your father knew Thorne wouldn’t fall for seduction easily. So he gave him something else. A broken girl who needed saving."

I flinch like I’ve been slapped. Because fuck . I know exactly how that would work on Thorne.

“When your father realized the guys weren't falling for his traps, he probably ordered the girls all to help. To be more aggressive. That's probably what you saw today.”

I want to believe what he's saying. That what I saw is nothing more than my father's manipulation, but Ryder and Thorne had to have played into it for it to work. I don't dwell on it, asking my next question instead.

"And you?" My voice is raw now, trembling. "What were you supposed to be?"

Gabe meets my gaze, his expression masked. "I was meant to be the things they weren’t."

A cold laugh bubbles out of me, humorless. "And what’s that? "

"Steady. Uncomplicated. Safe." His voice is quiet, but the words hit like a hammer. "He wanted me to be the constant while they fell apart. If they lost you, if they broke your trust, he wanted me to be standing there, the only one who never let you down."

I can’t breathe.

Was every interaction with Gabe planned? Are we even really close?

Fuck me, Gabriel. I might not hate you, but I definitely don't trust you anymore.

My whole world tilts, my lungs shrinking inside my chest. My father didn’t just want to split me up from the guys—he wanted me to be the one to leave them willingly. And worse? I played right into it.

I ran to Gabe. I let him be the one to comfort me. I felt something for him.

I'm realizing now it was never romantic. Maybe it was all just hero worship. Someone to lean on when I needed it.

"I know what you must be thinking, and it wasn’t all a lie, Tori," Gabe says quietly, reading me like an open book. "I had orders, but at some point, I stopped following them."

I let out a hollow breath, my body vibrating with something too tangled to name. "Why?"

His lips press together, like he’s deciding whether or not to say it. When he does, it’s low, quiet. "Because I started to care ."

I scoff, “Care? If you cared, you would have told me sooner. If you cared, you would have stopped Mia and Lila and Eve. You wouldn't have watched me turn into this self-doubting shell.”

Gabe doesn't say anything at first, allowing me to vent, to get it all out. When he realizes I'm done, he leans forward, invading my space. His eyes are piercing mine with such intensity, it's like he's trying to drill a message into my head with his eyes .

“I care about you, Victoria Reyes. I may not have come out and said it, but I do care about you.” When he feels I've understood that part, he leans back just a little, giving me room to breathe for a moment…even though my lungs are only half working right now.

“You have to understand, my siblings have always come first for me. They're the reason I live, and before I could tell you anything, I had to make sure to get them somewhere safe, with someone Diablo couldn't influence.”

I guess I can understand it.

But can I trust it?

“And are they safe now?”

“Yes. They're with an old army buddy of mine who swore he'd watch out for them.” Gabe takes my hand in his, his calloused fingers rubbing over my own. “I swear, Tori, you're important to me, too. I haven't just been guarding you. I've been watching you, seeing what kind of person you really are. You're nothing like your father, and that's a good thing.”

Yeah, no shit.

“Good. I don't want to be anything like him. But how am I supposed to trust you now, Gabe? How can I even tell what was really you and what was just another order from my father?”

“I know I can't make you believe me, but I can show you how serious I am. I am on your side, Tori, and I'll help you get back at your father, if that's what you want to do.” He leans in again, his breath fanning across my face as he crosses my personal space. His eyes never waver from my own. “You can trust this feeling. Trust that I will never let anything or anyone hurt you—physically or emotionally.”

Silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. My pulse thrums in my ears, my heart hammering against my ribs. I don’t know how to respond, don’t know what to do with any of this.

And then, headlights flash through the window .

Gabe stiffens instantly, rising from his seat, gun already in hand as he steps in front of me.

A car screeches to a halt outside. The front door swings open, and time stops.

Blaze.

His dark eyes lock onto me instantly, chest heaving, rage burning so hot off of him I feel it in my bones.

"Get away from her!" he growls, his voice raw, filled with something that sends a shiver down my spine.

I barely have time to process before he storms inside, and just like that, everything crashes down around me.