Chapter 16

Gabriela stretched her aching muscles and smiled, feeling as if she had been put through a vigorous workout. And she had, a sinfully delicious one. Ryder had certainly held true to his promise, allowing her very little sleep over the course of the night. Not that she was complaining. No way, not after being on the receiving end of what could only be described as award-winning sex. Gabby rolled to her side, cushioning her head with her hands, as she looked at Ryder sleeping peacefully beside her. Just seeing him and remembering the night they’d shared had her desiring another round … or two.

Sun streamed through the glass French doors, warming her naked flesh. They’d slept half the morning away. A quick glance at the clock confirmed as much. Not wanting Ryder to have to deal with her uncle this early in the day, or maybe never, she swung her legs to the side of the bed and stood. She pulled a sports bra over her head, tugging it into place, before donning a tank. Stepping into her lounge pants, she drew them up over her hips, then padded to the door.

A quick glance at the bed told her she hadn’t disturbed Ryder. She tiptoed into the hallway, then closed the door with barely a click. Gabby planned to return with a tray laden with treats and a pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, her personal favorite. Tomas, her uncle’s personal chef, would already have a pot waiting for her as he did every other morning.

Gabby couldn’t help smiling. Although she knew there was a strong possibility Ryder was only passing through and had been in search of temporary work, she wasn’t about to pass up a good thing no matter how short his stay. Maybe she’d be able to convince him to hang around a while longer. After what they had shared last night, she was pretty certain he cared for her more than just a casual romp.

Her heart agonized at the thought of him leaving. No matter how foolhardy it was, her heart had opened and gotten tangled up, even though she knew better. It had been Ryder’s response to Raúl’s cruel actions that had done her in. No one had ever offered to protect her from her uncle or his men. Most men were afraid of the cartel and the power they wielded in Mexico, and rightly so.

As endearing as Ryder’s offer to champion her was, she couldn’t allow that to happen. To do so would be suicidal. No one crossed Raúl and lived to tell about it. Gabby would have to plead her case to her uncle, beg him to leave Ryder to her should he overstep his bounds. Unfortunately, she wasn’t all that certain he’d listen. Men could be so stubborn and pigheaded.

Conversation from down the hall caught her attention. She immediately recognized her uncle’s voice. Good. The sooner she had this discussion with Uncle Raúl, the better. It was time to put him in his place. Gabriela was a grown woman and the matters of the heart were her own. No exceptions.

Her uncle’s chef was absent upon her arrival in the kitchen, but he had left dozens of pastries from which to choose. Her pot of coffee sat on the warmer, ready to be poured into a waiting stainless steel carafe. Uncle Raúl stood on the other side of the large center island, his back resting against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest as if he had been waiting for her. Two of his men, heavily armed and wearing bulletproof vests, stood on either side of him. Their conversation ended the moment she walked through the large archway.

Had she been the topic of their conversation?

Gabby wasn’t alarmed by the presence of the guards, as they often entered the kitchen for a bite to eat. What caused her anxiety was the look on her uncle’s face. It wasn’t like him to be up this early either. Most times, she sat in the kitchen, eating Tomas’s creations, conversing with the chef before she readied herself for work. She had never been an early riser, so her uncle and she were rarely home at the same time, which Gabby preferred.

Raúl was not a nice man, other than to her on most occasions. Of course, providing she hadn’t upset him in one way or the other. By the look on his face, she had certainly displeased him again, no doubt Ryder being the cause.

Gabby pulled out a stool on the opposite side of the island and took a seat. This might take a while. When Raúl lectured, she could be held up for a good deal of time. Hopefully, if Ryder awakened, he’d wait for her return and not go looking for her. Approaching Raúl on a good day was foolhardy enough. Doing so on a bad day? Ryder would be lucky if these two goons didn’t become his firing squad.

After grabbing a pastry, she took a bite of the sugary delight, stifling the moan. Although she wasn’t about to show weakness in the face of her uncle’s temperament, she wasn’t so foolish as to goad him either. She’d wait for him to initiate whatever the hell was on his mind. If he didn’t start soon, she’d head back to her room and hurry Ryder out the door, leaving her to deal with her uncle’s mean spirit on her own. Ryder’s safety came first and foremost.

“I think your new toy likes to see just how far he can push me, little princess. I’m not sure I approve of his behavior.”

Gabriela dusted off her hands, then poured herself a large mug of coffee. “Why’s that?” she asked before taking a sip.

“He spent the night in your room, no?”

“And if he did?”

Raúl placed his hands on the white marble and leaned forward. “Call me old-fashioned. I don’t like it. This is my home. Him rutting like an animal with my niece isn’t very considerate. I shouldn’t have to be subjected to your puta like behavior. ¿Lo entiendes?”

“I’m no whore, regardless of what you think of my actions. This is my home, too. Or have you forgotten?”

Her uncle bared his teeth and she swore his canines appeared elongated, yet not quite long enough to be considered fangs. Surely the kitchen lighting was playing tricks on her vision.

“Princess, this is your home as long as you mind my rules. Never forget that. You may be my flesh and blood, but you come from my brother’s loins, not mine. You’re living here out of respect for him.”

Gabby jerked as if he had physically slapped her. “Then I shall pack my bags—”

Before she got the words out, Raúl leaped over the island as if it were no larger than a small barrier. For a man of his short stature, it was quite a feat and simply impossible in her eyes. What in the world? He landed with a light thud beside her, barely audible. He should have made enough noise to wake the dead.

She gaped at him. Gabby couldn’t have formed a sentence if she’d tried. Her gaze went to the two men standing opposite the island, who acted as if what her uncle had just accomplished was an everyday occurrence.

Looking back at her uncle, she asked, “Joining the circus anytime soon? That’s quite the acrobatics.”

Raúl grabbed her one-handed by the throat and lifted her off the stool as if she weighed no more than a fly.

“You’ll not get smart-mouthed with me, princess. I’m beginning to think my earlier assessment of this Americano may have been a bit hasty. I thought he might be good for you, keep a close eye on you for me, but instead, it seems he might be more of a bad influence. Maybe, this new problem needs to be eliminated.”

Gabby gasped. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“He means no more to me than a gnat. When gnats become pesky, we swat them.”

He looked back at his two goons, who chuckled at his poor attempt at humor. Bastards. When her uncle returned his gaze, his eyes were damn near black as coal, the unnatural darkness swallowing most of the whites. Gabriela had little time to dwell on the strangeness of what she was seeing as his fingers squeezed her windpipe with considerable strength, making it impossible to draw breath, her toes barely touching the marble tiled flooring.

“Don’t ever question me, princess. While you live under my roof,” he growled, sending shivers of fear sluicing down her spine, “you’ll do as I say. You want to see this man, then I suggest you take your dalliances elsewhere. I shouldn’t be subjected to hearing the two of you fuck.”

She would have drawn in a breath at his odd statement had she been able to. Unless he had camped outside her door there was no way he could have heard them. Even so, the doors were thick…

“How?” she managed to squeak.

Raúl loosened his hold, and somehow she managed to stay upright. “I heard your man arrive. When I meant to be the hospitable host, I came by your suite. Needless to say, I wasn’t pleased to hear your guest offend me.”

Gabby’s hand covered her throat as she attempted to speak. It was a wonder her uncle hadn’t done permanent damage to her windpipe. She racked her brain, trying to remember what had been said.

“What … did Ryder … say?” she wheezed.

“That you weren’t my personal punching bag. That if I hit you, I’d answer to him.” He chuckled, waving a hand in dismissal. “I own all of this, little princess. And as long as you live here, I own you as well. Which means if you want that boy to live, you’ll encourage him to go home.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll take care of him personally. Mark my words, he no longer has a job with me. The only way I won’t take his head is if you convince him to go north of the border. He’s no longer welcome in Mexico.”

“Then she goes with me.”

All eyes turned to Ryder. Raúl didn’t look the least bit surprised at seeing the man now standing in his kitchen. It was as if he had expected him.

“I was wondering how long you would hide in the hall like the cobarde you are.”

Ryder raised a brow as he came to stand between Gabriela and her uncle. “Coward? You’re the one who hides behind your army. Even now they stand at your ready. Should you mistreat your princess, as you call her, they would do nothing to help her. You are the worst of cowards.”

Raúl’s complexion darkened. “You have five minutes to vacate my property or I’ll have your head.”

“Careful of that temper, Raúl. Unless you want your niece to see your true nature.”

It was a strange warning, and yet, Gabriela watched as her uncle considered Ryder’s advice, taking several deep breaths. Even the oddity of his black gaze returned to normal.

“If you leave now,” Raúl continued, “then I’ll allow my men to give you safe passage.”

“Your word means nothing to me.” Ryder chuckled. “Once I’m far enough from Gabby’s watchful gaze, you’ll have me killed, telling her I left the country. How far off am I?”

“Uncle Raúl! You wouldn’t.”

Raúl leveled a gaze of pure hatred on Ryder and hissed. This man wasn’t the uncle she loved, but the one she feared. “Mind your tongue or I’ll have my men cut it out.”

Again, Ryder’s brow arched in challenge. “You and I both know they wouldn’t stand a chance with me.”

“Ryder…”

He glanced briefly at Gabby, a look of warning on his face, which she heeded. He returned his attention to Raúl. “I’ll leave, but she goes with me.”

“She stays. Gabriela belongs to me, you idiota.”

Ryder gripped the front of Raúl’s shirt and shoved him so hard against the far wall, dishes on the shelves rattled and crashed to the tiles. One look from Raúl to his men and they rounded the island, taking Gabriela within their collective grasps, one holding a handgun to her temple.

“Your move.” Raúl smiled menacingly. “One word from me and she dies.”

“You’d kill your own niece?”

“Try me, gilipollas.”

Ryder quickly dropped his hold and stepped back from her uncle, his jaw tightening as he looked from one man to the other. Gabby’s heart pained at the thought of never seeing him again. If she left with him, her uncle would hunt them down and Ryder would die at his hand. Her only hope of saving his life was to send him away without her.

“Go,” she whispered, hoping he saw the plea in her eyes. Moisture gathered and tears slipped down her cheeks.

Ryder walked over to her, his eyes black and unyielding. Much the same as her uncle’s had been moments ago. “Hear me now. Close your eyes, ángel, and don’t open them until I say so. Do not question me on this.”

Oddly, she did as instructed. Gabriela couldn’t open her eyes. It was as if her lids had grown too heavy. A crash resonated beside her, and the cold steel against her temple was no longer there. A man screamed in horror, then his voice cut short with what sounded like the crunching of bones. The other hand holding her fell away just as quickly. She heard a grunt, then another scream, and more crunching. A man dropped to the floor at her feet.

Gabby gasped, not knowing who without the sense of sight.

A roar came from the other side of the room, sounding much like her uncle. Suddenly, the air became charged with electricity, standing her hair on end. She could feel the movement in the way of a breeze fluttering across her flesh as things crashed around her. A heavy thud hit the wall. Wood splintered, and pots and pans clattered to the ground.

Try as she might, she couldn’t open her eyes. Her breath caught and her heart hammered against her sternum. Her stomach crawled up her throat, churning and making her nauseous. The smell of blood filled the room. She feared for her uncle, the man who had taken her in, and yet she feared more so for Ryder, the man she barely knew.

“Ryder?” she whispered.

A final thump sounded, then all grew still. Strong arms picked her up and carried her down the hall faster than what she deemed humanly possible. Without the benefit of sight, Gabby had no way of knowing. What the hell had happened to her? Ryder’s fresh-outdoors-and-musk scent enveloped her, telling her whose arms she was in. What had happened to her uncle?

Before she had time to ask, Ryder deposited her on the bed, brushed his knuckles against her cheek and said, “Open your eyes, ángel.”

And she did. A quick look around her room proved they were alone … for now. She glanced at Ryder and gasped at the blood that stained his skin and clothes.

“Are you hurt?”

He shook his head.

“My uncle?”

“He’s alive. I can’t say the same for his goons.” He knelt in front of her. “Pack your bags, Gabby. You’re no longer safe here. When your uncle comes to, he’ll be looking for me and he’ll use you to find me. I can’t let that happen, not as long as I draw breath. If he’d try to harm you because of me again? I won’t allow him to live. Do you understand?”

She nodded, acknowledging the truth of his statement. Ryder had easily killed her uncle’s men and could’ve taken Raúl’s life but didn’t out of reverence for her. Hadn’t he warned her? Gabby suddenly worried if she weren’t jumping from the frying pan into the fire. What if Ryder was worse than her uncle and she had misjudged him? Gabby drew her lower lip between her teeth.

“Ángel, we’re running out of time. It’s only a matter of minutes before your uncle’s other men find the carnage in the kitchen with Raúl passed out among the chaos.” He framed her face with his palms. “Pack a few things, only enough to carry on my motorcycle, and let’s get the fuck out of here.”

She wet her lips, drawing his gaze down. Ryder bent, slanting his lips over hers, and took a brief but nonetheless deep possessive kiss. Releasing her, he asked, “Ready?”

Gabby stood, ran to her bureau and tossed some clothes into a backpack, followed by makeup. Picking up her cell, she faced Ryder. “I’m ready.”

And the truth of it was, she had never been more so.

Ryder took the phone from her and tossed it to the floor, smashing it beneath his booted heel. “You won’t be needing that. He can trace us through it.”

After throwing open the double doors, he led her down the steps and helped her onto the back of his motorcycle. He placed his helmet on her head and snapped it into place, tightening the strap, then stepped over the seat in front of her. Gabby shrugged her backpack across her shoulders, then wrapped her arms around his middle.

He looked back at her. “Hang on tight.”

With one last look at her uncle’s estate, Gabby did as she was told. Ryder started the engine, turned the bike, and headed down the driveway. Not being able to help herself, she took one last look back and saw her uncle standing in the doorway, a murderous look on his face.

She shook her head and gripped Ryder tighter. Fear had caused her to hallucinate. Had she not known better, she’d swear that, when her uncle let out a mighty roar, a pair of vampire-like fangs flashed in the sunlight.