~ NINE ~

Larissa wrapped a towel around her body and opened the bathroom door. Instantly, the scent of the cologne from earlier, alerted her that someone was in her suite. She shut the door and locked it. Her first thought was to call Gabe for help. After a quick look around for her phone, she remembered leaving it on her bed. She just needed to call his number. He would come. Since the bathroom door wouldn’t stop a determined intruder, she decided to go for her phone.

She unlocked the door and opened it. Spotting her phone on the center of her bed, she rushed to grab it. Just as she reached the foot of the bed and arm wrapped around her waist and a gun was pressed against her temple.

“I told you I would come for you,” Scott, her ex-husband, said as he jammed the barrel of the gun painfully hard against her head.

She threw her head back at his face. He spun her around, hit her across the face with his gun, and then shoved her to the floor. When she tried to get up, he grabbed a handful of her hair, pulled her to her feet, and hit her across the face again with his gun. “Sit down on the bed.”

“Go to hell, Scott.”

“Do you want to die now? Just keep it up and I’ll put a bullet right between your eyes.”

With only a towel wrapped around her body, Larissa was at a serious disadvantage. She stayed on her feet, keeping a firm grip on the towel. She wasn’t getting on the bed. She would rather have him shoot her than rape her. “What the hell are you doing here?” She needed to talk to him, calm him down, buy some time. With any luck, she might get to her phone before he killed her.

A flash of lightning from outside the window, followed by a loud crack of thunder, lit up the room and caused the lights to flicker off and on. Large hail quickly turning to heavy rain, pelted the window. At the same time, the temperature elevated as Gabe’s scent filled the room. She actually thought she was hallucinating. She reached up to touch her head. Went she felt the warm, sticky sensation of blood, she realized Scott must have hit her hard enough to damage her brain.

A loud knock at the bedroom door startled her. She realized Scott must’ve left the door in her office open for someone to get inside her suite. Scott stared at the door, lifting his gun as if he planned to put a bullet through it. Another, louder knock, caused the door to rattle.

“Someone will call the police if you fire the gun in here.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he hissed between clenched teeth.

She was terrified he would shoot through the door and kill someone. “You must’ve left my office door open when you came in. The staff knows I’m in here, Scott. Let me send whoever it is away.”

“I told you to shut the fuck up.” He pulled his hand back to hit her with the gun again, but he stumbled backward when he tried to swing his arm forward.

“Whoever is at the door isn’t going to leave until I talk to them. I need to answer the door and send them away.”

“Get rid of whoever the fuck it is.” He pressed the gun against the center of her forehead. He winced, pressing his free hand against his head as blood dripped from his nose. “I don’t care who the fuck I kill.”

She opened the door a few inches. “Gabe.” Relief flooded her. If anyone could prevent her from being shot it was Gabe. “Can I help you?”

He moved, using his foot and leg to prevent the door from being closed. “They’re gone.” She saw awareness in his eyes. Felt it. He knew she wasn’t alone. He knew she was in trouble, but he couldn’t know she had a gun at the back of her head.

“Thank you for dealing with them.”

He held his hand out to her. “It was my pleasure.”

She started to reach for his hand, but she hesitated. If she let him in the room, Scott would shoot him. “Gabe, I…um…I’m sorry. Let’s discuss it later. This is a bad time for me.”

“It’s okay.” He kept his hand out to her. “I know.”

She hesitated to move, to breathe, to do anything.

I know you’re in trouble. I am not leaving you.

She shook her head slightly, but she stopped when the movement caused sharp pains in her head, she winced.

I know a man is in your room. I know he’s holding a gun to your head.

He couldn’t be talking in her head.

“I can.” Smiling, he winked. “It’s another ability.”

She stared at him, her heart racing, not knowing what she should do.

All you need to do is follow my lead. I am coming in. Take my hand. Trust me.

Holding her breath, she placed her hand in his. His flesh was hot. His touch generated heat, deep penetrating heat that moved from her hand all the way up to her shoulder. She swore the floor moved beneath her feet. The entire room seemed to whirl. A surge of energy rushed through her body and wrapped around her body. She felt a powerful sense of calm. She knew Gabe was holding her, moving her but doing it so fast everything was a blur.

One second, she was alone in the room with Scott. The next, Gabe had managed to disarm Scott, shove him to the floor, and return to her. “I am so sorry I didn’t get here faster.” He was touching her, his hands moving over her, examining her for injuries. “Are you in pain?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You’re bleeding. Don’t lie to me.” He placed his palm over her cheek. “I know he hit your head with the gun.” His touch soothed the pain. “He’s not one of ours.”

“I know.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He’s…he’s my…”

“I’m her goddamn husband. Get the fuck away from her.”

“Ex-husband. We’ve been divorced for twenty years.” She was beyond humiliated. “When I told you that the letter was a reminder about a past mistake, I didn’t want you to know that it was a notice to warn me about his release from prison. I really didn’t think he would find me. Not here. Not now.”

“I am sorry he hurt you,” Gabe bent his head and pressed his lips to her forehead. Completely ignoring Scott, he leaned back, forcing her to look in his eyes. “I’ll get rid of him. I promise you’ll never see him again.”

“Till death do us part, whore.”

Gabe continued to ignore Scott. “You have a slight concussion. I can heal it when I return. Will you be okay for a few minutes?”

“You’re leaving?”

“I’m going to get rid of him. I’ll come right back.”

“We should call the police.”

“Not this time.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Gabe.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He picked her up, carried her over to her bed, and lowered her so that her back was resting against the headboard. “I won’t be long at all.” For a flash of a second, before he turned to face Scott, blue flames appeared to ignite in his eyes. He caught Scott’s arm and pulled him to his feet. “We’re leaving.”

“She’s my wife. You leave. I have every right to be here.”

“Ex-wife,” she said.

“You’re coming with me to see just how big and bad you are.”

Joseph walked into the room. “What’s going on, Larissa?”

“I’m sorry.” She jumped to her feet. Then, remembering she was only wearing a towel, she nearly burst into tears. She was beyond humiliated. “It’s my fault. I…” Gripping the towel in her fist above her breasts, she took a step back.

“No,” Gabe interrupted. “None of this is your fault.” He released Scott and, as if he had read her mind, he took his suit jacket off and draped it around her shoulders. He was a tall and muscular man, so it went to her knees, making her feel less exposed and vulnerable. Draping his arm over her shoulder, he pulled her to his side as he addressed Joseph. “This piece of shit had her trapped in the room and beat her. He had a gun to her head. He planned to kill her.”

“Gabe is right. This is not your fault. Do you know him, Larissa?” Joseph asked.

“I’m her...”

His movement a blur, Gabe released her and grabbed Scott’s throat. He lifted him and held him against the wall to prevent him from interrupting. The room was suddenly hot. Too hot. She stared at Gabe. He appeared to be surrounded by very faint bluish-white flames.

“Do you know him?” Joseph asked.

“I was married to him for a year.” She finally managed to tear her gaze from Gabe to look at Joseph. “I never mentioned him to you because I divorced him a very long time ago. I never expected to see him again.”

Joseph nodded. “You need to cool your ass off, Gabe. I’m going to take care of him. Will you stick around and see to Larissa?”

Gabe glared at Joseph. “I’ll get rid of him.”

“No.” Joseph shook his head. “Stay with Larissa.”

“He’ll come back,” Gabe growled, between clenched teeth.

“I understand your concern. But you’re wrong. I have strict rules in place when it comes to ensuring the wellbeing of my friends. Once I’ve removed him from the property, he won’t be able to return.” Joseph glanced at her and then looked back at Gabe. “She’s bleeding. She needs you. Take care of her.”

Larissa knew Joseph was saying he planned to kill Scott. And she knew Gabe wouldn’t allow Scott to leave with Joseph unless he was sure Joseph would kill him. She blinked. For a few seconds, it appeared as if Gabe’s entire body was engulfed in bluish-white flames. She brought her hand to her temple. Scott must’ve hit the side of her head with the gun harder than she thought.

Gabe nodded. Releasing Scott, he stepped aside to allow Joseph to yank him to his feet. “Walk with me.” Just before he exited the door, he turned. “Make sure she’s okay.”

“I’m planning on it.”

“Thank you for intervening, Gabe. Larissa is very important to me. I appreciate you looking out for her.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“Are you good?” Joseph looked worried.

“Yes.”

She realized Joseph was concerned about leaving her with Gabe. But why? Surely, Joseph knew Gabe was a good man. He was protective and caring. He was incredibly gentle with her. And he was most definitely able and willing to protect her.

“Let me know if you need anything, Larissa.” Joseph said as he left with Scott.

Larissa wasn’t the sort to cry over anything, but she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She was beyond humiliated. She couldn’t believe he’d found her after twenty years.

Gabe scooped her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. When he walked over to the bed, she expected him to put her down, but he didn’t. He was holding her, comforting her, and doing so much more. She felt heat touching her everywhere, moving over her skin, filling parts of her soul that had never experienced warmth.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get here faster,” he whispered above her head.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know it was going to happen.”

“He never should’ve been able to get close enough to you to hurt you.”

She lifted her head to look up at him. “I’m fine.” Seeing blood smeared on his collar and on the front of his shirt, she frowned. “I ruined your shirt.”

He laughed softly. “I am going to lose my mind if I discover you’re seriously worried about my shirt.”

“I happen to like the way it looks on you.” She wiggled a bit. “Let me up.”

He shifted and helped her to her feet. “Take it slow.”

She walked over to the sofa on the other side of the room and sat down. “I’m really...oh, god.” She buried her face in her hands. “I’m so embarrassed, Gabe.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He crouched in front of her and took her hands from her face to force her to look at him. “You don’t have any reason to feel ashamed.” He gently placed a cool damp washcloth on her temple, worry and tenderness in his gaze. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Where did you get the cloth?” She shook her head. “I can’t believe he was released. I can’t believe twenty years have gone by. I knew he was here when I smelled his cologne. I kept telling myself it wasn’t him. I knew better. I knew it was his.”

“I should’ve pushed you to tell me. I knew you were keeping something from me. I didn’t want to upset you.”

“He never should’ve gotten out.”

“Why was he in prison?”

“When I left him, I hoped he wouldn’t find out I was pregnant. He did. He tried to kill me and the baby.” She’d never told anyone other than her family. She couldn’t believe she was telling him about it. “He was convinced the baby belonged to another man.”

“You have a child.”

“No.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I was seven months pregnant. The baby didn’t survive.”

****

“I am so sorry, Larissa.” The statement seemed entirely inadequate, but Gabe didn’t know what else to say. He would never understand why males hurt females. He saw it happen time and time again. It had always bothered him. He’d witnessed his mom endure torture from his dad until she committed suicide. He was too young to protect her. She’d tried to leave his dad many times, but she was never able to escape. He always found her.

“It was my fault.” She looked up at him. Her tears devastated him. “I married the wrong man. I’m sorry for unloading on you. You don’t want to hear about my drama. You can leave. I am fine. I don’t even know why I told you so much.”

“Don’t blame yourself for his actions.” Being with her made him feel so damn good. He felt as if he belonged. “I don’t want to go anywhere. I enjoy listening to you. I want to be with you. I belong right here with you.”

“You’re serious?”

“Of course.”

“Are you going to tell me how you were able to make me hear your voice in my head?”

“It’s just an ability. I don’t know how to explain it to you, but I can tell you that it works both ways.”

“What do you mean?”

You can use your mind to communicate with me.

Her eyes widened. “You’re doing it again, aren’t you?”

Yes. Do you feel the path?

“I don’t understand.”

“Close your eyes.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. “Now what?”

Without saying anything aloud, I want you to tell me what you feel when you hear my voice in your mind.

I feel connected to you. I feel like a lunatic because I can hear your voice in my head. I feel even crazier wanting to believe you can hear my voice in your head. But I mostly feel good. Safe. Warm. A little too warm in a really good way. And a few other things I probably shouldn’t mention right now.

“You are not a lunatic.” He laughed. “And I think we have fantastic chemistry.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him. “You feel it, too?”

“Of course, I feel it.”

Gabe felt Joseph connect with him a second before he heard his voice. He’s dead. How is she doing?

I am with her.

She’s under my protection. Joseph was clearly warning him to back off.

And now, she’s under my protection. She has been under your protection for many years. You should’ve known about her ex-husband. You should’ve known he’d tried to kill her and managed to kill her baby.

What are your intentions?

I don’t answer to you, but I’m willing to let you know you have no reason to worry about my plans.

You almost lost control tonight.

Not even close. No harm of any kind will ever come to her again. Gabe wanted to say more. Much more. He wanted to tell Joseph to back the fuck off. He wanted to let Joseph know she was his mate. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Joseph and Adam were close friends. He wouldn’t risk Adam finding out about her until he’d bought his freedom.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“You look mad all the sudden.”

“Not at all.”

“How did you know he was in here with me?” She looked up at him. “How did you know I was in trouble?”

He couldn’t tell her the truth. He couldn’t tell her that he felt her distress over the distance of several miles. He couldn’t tell her that he’d never felt fear as he felt it in the seconds it took to get to her. He was introducing her to knew things, but he didn’t want to overload her with too much information. He wanted to bring her into his world slowly, gently. “I saw it in your eyes when you opened the door. I heard it in your voice.”

“I thought you saw him come in.”

“No. I wouldn’t have allowed him to get through the door. It was luck. I stopped by to let you know I’d removed the men giving your staff trouble.”

“Regardless of why you knew, I owe you, Gabe. Big time.”

“What?”

“You know what I mean. I’m in your debt. He would’ve killed me. You saved my life. I owe you my life.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You don’t owe me for a damn thing.”

“I’m sorry.” Obviously attempting to put a little distance between them, she stood up and walked to the other side of the room. “I didn’t mean to…”

He followed her and turned her around. “Don’t be sorry. I overreacted. I just can’t stand the idea of you feeling indebted to me.” He smiled, placing his palm over the almost completely faded bruise and nearly closed gash on her temple. “I returned to your room because I wanted to see you again. I needed to see you.”

“I have a confession.”

“Should I be afraid?”

“Probably. I’ll deny it if you ever tell anyone, but for the last week I’ve found myself admiring you a few times from a distance,” she teased.

“Really?”

“I considered approaching you the day before you followed me up to the roof, but I couldn’t work up the nerve. I thought you would be different.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never thought I’d have you alone in my suite.”

“Why?”

“You seemed way more dangerous and scarier.”

“What are you talking about?” Smiling, he winked. “I am extremely scary.”

She laughed. “I don’t doubt it. But you don’t make me feel as if I should be afraid of you.”

He wanted to kiss her. And, unless he was reading her wrong, she wanted to kiss him. “I would never give you any reason to fear me.” He bent his head to hers, breathing with her, waiting for her to decide.

She linked her fingers behind his neck and pulled him closer. “I believe you.”

He brushed his lips across hers, flames burning in his soul. He kissed her tenderly, passionately. When she deepened the kiss, her tongue stroking his, he thought they would burst into flames.

“It’s so hot. Why is it so hot in here?” She leaned back and fanned herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s okay.”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s not fair for me to send you the wrong message.”

“I never want you to worry about the message you’re sending me. Just be you.”

She looked at him. “I’m so tired.”

“I’ll leave so you can get some sleep.”

“Do you have plans?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you need to be somewhere else tonight?”

“Not at all.”

“Please,” she held her hand out to him, “don’t go. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

He reached out and, taking her hand in his, he brought it to his mouth and kissed it. “I would be very pleased to stay with you.”

“I’m not soliciting you for sex.”

“I understand.”

“Not tonight. Not after…”

“You don’t need to explain anything to me.” He wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. “This is not the right time for us.” He brushed his lips against her forehead.

"You’re an amazing man, Gabe.”

“Actually, I am not as amazing as I appear.” He scooped her up, carried her to the bed, and lowered her onto the mattress. “To be fully honest, I am being pretty damn selfish at the moment.”

“I told you that I’m not trying to get you to have sex with me.”

“I know. And I told you it’s not the right time for us. I wouldn’t make love to you tonight if you begged me to do it.” He stretched out beside her and pulled her into his arms. “But please don’t test my resolve.”

“Very funny,” she laughed. “How are you being selfish?”

“You’re hurting right now, and I can’t imagine leaving you to hurt all alone. I need to hold you in my arms.”

“Damn it, Gabe.” She laughed softly. “Don’t say things like that to me.”

“Why?”

“You make me believe in more. You make me feel like I am the most important person in the world.”

“You are to me.”

“You need to stop talking to me. When you return to Russia I’m going to have a hell of a time getting my head on straight again.”

“I already told you I’m not going anywhere.”

“Russia is your home. Eventually, you’ll return.”

He wanted to tell her that she was his home, but he didn’t want to upset her. He wanted to give her time to get to know him, trust him. “I’m not leaving.”