Gabe (The Love Family Series Book 7) (7 page)

Chapter
13

Gabe woke to a string of curses from a voice he didn’t recognize. He blinked several times, trying his best to let his eyes adjust to the dark room. He was tilted with his shoulder pressing into what he thought was a wall. He was on a bed, but damned if he knew where.

Gabe was pulling at the bonds securing his wrists behind his back when his memory returned. “Lucy,” he whispered into the dark and started pulling harder at the rope, scraping it against his skin. It didn’t budge.

He let out an exasperated breath and used his legs to push himself back up the angle of the bed so he could get his feet on the ground. He needed light to figure out where he was and some type of sharp object to cut through the ropes.

“This fucking island must be cursed.” A male voice yelled before a door was yanked open and light flooded the entrance. Gabe glanced around the lit room. He was on a boat, and more than that…the boat was tilted on its side as if…beached.

“I’m glad you’re awake because I wasn’t going to carry your heavy ass again.”

A man stalked down the stairs, jockeying with each step since everything was tilted.

“Who are you?” Gabe asked, swallowing around his dry throat.

“The man who’s going to kill you just to fuck with my wife.”

“Warren.” Gabe shook his head as he was yanked from the room and shoved up the stairs. When he got to the top, he almost tripped as he slid down the deck.

He’d been right. He was on a boat that had run ashore. The boat was tilted on its side and all Gabe could do was laugh. Either this prick didn’t know how to steer a boat, or if Gabe had to guess, it probably had a little help from his sister. They knew where he was; they were the ones in charge, and this schmuck was none the wiser.

Thunder clapped overhead, and Gabe grinned.

“Smile all you want. Today is the date that’s going on your headstone.” Gabe heard the cock of the gun before the metal was shoved against his temple.

Gabe stopped laughing and realized they were on the north side of the island, and judging by the scenery, they were half a mile from the marina.

“Start walking.” Warren gave him a shove.
I’m going to kill that bitch
.

Not if Gabe had anything to say about that.

“You’re a wanted man, Warren. Do you really think that the FBI and the U.S. Marshals won’t find you? Why don’t you do yourself a favor and just turn yourself in?”

“Nobody asked you,” he growled and shoved Gabe into moving quicker. “I hope my wife was a good lay. She’s going to be your last.”

“We all saw the video, how you tried to kill her. If you couldn’t even kill a poor defenseless woman, what makes you think you can kill me?”

“You wanna know? You really wanna know?” He growled deeper and shoved the gun into Gabe’s back again. “I didn’t have this last time.”

Gabe kept walking. Okay, so pissing off the lunatic wasn’t a good idea. He needed to get his hands free if he was going to be able to take this guy out. A good roundhouse kick was all he’d need to get the gun out of his grip, but the way Gabe’s hands were tied wouldn’t ensure his balance. Gabe scanned the tree line looking for anything that might help. His eyes scanned the ground and traveled up the trees; he tripped when he spotted who was staring down at him. Jackson was in the tree. A finger covered his mouth to make sure Gabe stayed silent.

Damn. He’d been right. His family was here, and if he had to guess, orchestrating everything. Gabe kept walking. Instead of searching for a weapon on the ground, he kept his eyes peeled to see what he’d find next. A quarter mile up the beach, he spotted Avery in a quick glance. She winked before falling back out of sight.

Warren had no idea what he was walking into, but Gabe sure did. He grinned the rest of the way toward the marina as he pulled against the ropes again.

“You know, you can’t just walk me into the marina with my hands tied. People are going to ask questions, and they’ll realize who you are. You haven’t thought this all out yet, have you?”

His questions earned him another shove in the back with the barrel of the gun. They rounded the shoreline and turned to walk up into the empty parking lot. It was devoid of cars, trailers, and surprisingly, there were no boats in the water. The only person who stood in the center of the lot was the last person who he’d expected.

Lucy stood in the middle of the parking lot with a gun pointed in their direction. Did she even know how to shoot?

Gabe clenched his fist as Warren pressed the gun to his head and yanked him harder in her direction.

“I guess you aren’t a coward,” he growled.

“Let him go,” she called back. “I’m willing to make a trade as long as you let him go unharmed.”

“Like hell,” Gabe yelled back.

“Shut up. You don’t get a say in this,” Warren growled in Gabe’s ear. “I’m going to kill him first so you can watch,
wife
.”

Cole has him in his sight
, Lucy yelled in her mind for Gabe to hear, and Gabe did. His eyes held hers, and he could see the fear and determination. Lucy let the gun spin from her finger before gently settling it on the ground. “Let him go and take me.”

The pressure from the gun lifted from his skin, and Gabe’s heart stopped beating the second that Warren turned the gun on her.

“No,” Gabe screamed, butting him with his head and jolting forward just as Warren’s gun went off. Lucy fell to the ground at the same time Warren did. Gabe’s family rushed from their hiding spots, and all Gabe could think about was getting to Lucy.

He ran with his hands still tied behind his back and slid down to his knees. Her eyes were closed. A bullet hole had torn through her shirt, yet there was no blood. “Lucy.” He turned to holler over his shoulder. “Get these damn things off me.”

Within seconds, he was free from his binds, and he yanked her shirt open to find a bulletproof vest beneath. Gabe was a stranger to the emotions that clogged his throat when he realized she was wearing a bulletproof vest. His heart started beating again as he pulled her into his lap. “Lucy, baby, wake up.”

Sirens wailed in the background, getting louder by the minute.

“She might have hit her head,” Alexis said, kneeling by them. She tried to feel the back of Lucy’s head. She pulled her fingers back, and they were coated in blood.

Lucy’s eyes slid open and she looked up at Gabe. She smiled only seconds before her eyes shut again and her head lolled. The ambulance pulled up and the paramedics took Lucy from his hold and put her on a stretcher.

“Whose idea was the bulletproof vest?” he asked as Declan followed them to the ambulance.

“You can thank Flynn’s premonitions for that.” He patted Gabe on the back. “He also warned us that she’s going to require two stitches and that she’ll wake up within thirty minutes.”

Gabe smiled and stepped up into the ambulance. “Tell him thanks.”

Declan went to shut the door but paused. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that he also said the wedding is going to be beautiful, and when you move into your new house make sure you have a fence. You’re going to need it for puppies and toddlers.”

Gabe’s eyes widened as Declan closed the door.

Gabe rode with Lucy to the hospital and refused to leave her side when they took her into the ER. Testing confirmed that she’d suffered a minor concussion, and they were keeping her overnight for monitoring.

He had pulled up a chair next to her hospital bed and held her small hand in his. He stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. “You almost gave me a heart attack seeing you at the marina.”

“It was my fault you were in danger. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.” Her face softened as she slipped her fingers free and cupped his cheek. “As much as I hate that this happened, there’s one thing I’m not sorry about.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“Finding you.” 

Chapter
14

Gabe took Lucy to his house, happy to be alone with her with everything else behind them. Her husband was dead, and she was out of danger. Reporters had camped out around the hospital, clamoring for an interview.

Gabe yanked the curtains closed and flipped on the light. Lucy stood in the middle of the room watching as he moved around the house making sure they were locked in nice and tight, and out of the public eye.

“I should have known there would be a backlash from how Alexis and I outed Warren, but I never would have guessed all those reporters.”

“You can’t blame them for being curious,” he said as he pulled her into his arms, giving her the first of many kisses she had coming. He slid his tongue between her lips, tasting and sipping until she relaxed in his arms. He did his best to kiss away her doubt and worry. They were alone, and that was all that mattered for now. He nibbled one last time on her bottom lip before he eased back. His labored breathing matched hers. “I’m sorry. I should have taken things slower.”

She smiled up at him. Light twinkled in her eyes, and she shook her head while reaching for the hem of his shirt. “Don’t you think we’ve waited long enough?”

Gabe swept her off her feet and carried her to his room, kicking the door closed with his boot. He eased her down onto her feet and kissed her slowly and thoroughly. She kicked off her shoes as she moved toward the bed. He rubbed his palms up her sides before capturing one of her breasts. She moaned in his mouth when he gave a gentle squeeze. She wanted this as much as he did. He walked her backward to the bed, never breaking their connection as he lifted the hem of her shirt, only pausing to slide it over her head. He let the material drop to the floor. He kissed his way down her neck as he reached behind her to remove her bra, and it promptly ended up on the floor. Lowering his mouth to her breast, he captured one of her nipples between his lips and swirled the rose bud while working on her jeans. She slid her fingers into his hair, holding him against her body while arching her back.

“Gabe…I need more.”

Gabe broke the kiss and dropped to his knees, taking her jeans and panties with him. He tossed them aside and removed her socks. She was a vision of beauty standing naked in front of him. His pressed his mouth to her inner thigh before standing up. He quickly made work of divesting his clothes before his lips captured hers again. Her warm chest was pressed against his as he lowered her to the bed. Settling between her thighs, he broke the connection. Her hooded eyes were glazed with desire and need.

He reached into the bedside table, pulled out a condom, and quickly worked it down his shaft. He was beyond waiting. He ran his finger through her silky folds and savored the wetness that greeted him as she arched her hips up into his touch.

Gabe moved to rest on his elbows as he covered her. His cock pressed against her slick folds, and he pressed home, filling her with all of the emotions that had consumed him. He loved her. There was no denying that.

He moved in and out, savoring the feel of her tight channel clenching him. She moaned and lifted her hips while running her fingernails down his back.

“Oh God.”

His impending release built at a lightning speed, as did his desire to please her. Again he gave her another demanding kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he began to move at a quicker pace. She broke the kiss, gasping for air, and he kissed her shoulder, feeling the tremble in her channel. She was close. Her walls clenched him tightly as he moved faster.

She wrapped her legs around his waist as he slipped his hand between them, circling her nub to match his rhythm. When she dug her nails into his back, he knew she was close. Within seconds, she found her release, and he continued to stroke, letting her ride the wave. A few more thrusts and he found his and held deep inside of her as he filled the latex barrier.

I love you
; he heard her thoughts in his mind. 

He eased out of her and collapsed on the bed next to her, drawing her into the crook of his arm. He kissed her lips once more. “I love you too.”

****

A week later, Gabe paced his living room while Lucy packed the few things she had into one of his suitcases. She was leaving. Deep down he’d understood why. She had a life to get back to. She had things she needed to take care of, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

Lucy pulled the suitcase out into the living room and left it. Moving to stand in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I told you; I’m coming back.”

“I know,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her hair and closed his eyes, trying to memorize how right she felt in his arms. “I’m just not ready for you to leave.”

She leaned out of his hold and stood on her tippy toes, pressing her lips to his. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Lucy stepped back, grabbed her suitcase, and opened the door. She glanced over her shoulder and winked before disappearing into the car waiting outside.