Gabriel’s shoulders begin to shake, a subtle tremor at first, but then his breath stutters, sharp and uneven, and his hands curl into fists.
Whatever spell kept me in place shatters, and I move to put myself between him and the body, close enough that my boots brush his, and my chest fills his line of sight.
I touch his shoulder. “Hey, look at me.”
His head lifts, and tears spill over, tracking clean lines through the blood on his cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” he says, the words tumbling out too fast. “I should have stopped him. I told you I would. I should have been searching instead of moping here alone. Because of me, he got close toyou, and—” His voice cracks. “I couldn’t protect you.”
Oh, fuck, I read this all wrong. His shock didn’t come from killing Darrow. It came from almost losing me.
I drop to a crouch in front of him, hands coming up to brace on his knees. “Gabe.”
He shakes his head, tears dripping off his lashes. “He touched you. He almost—” His chest heaves. “I saw him grab you, and I couldn’t stop him. I thought?—”
“Hey, I’m okay. He didn’t do anything.” I slide one hand up to his wrist, gripping him hard. “None of this was your fault.”
A small, broken sound escapes him, nothing like the man who held a shotgun with steady hands only minutes ago.
His hands come up to clutch the fabric of my shirt, pulling me closer, and he buries his face against the side of my neck. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” I stroke his back. “So fucking sorry. I should never have?—”
I stiffen and pull away from Gabriel.
He protests, trying to pull me back in, but I shush him. “Just one second, and then I’ll hold you until you get sick of me, okay?”
With reluctance, he releases me, and I scramble toward the front door, searching through the debris until my hand locates the envelope I dropped when Darrow tasered me.
In the chaos of our capture and escape, I’d forgotten about it. What if someone else had found it, and the contents landed on Aaiden Rockford’s desk?
I could have ruined so much with my need for payback.
I return to Gabriel and hold the envelope out to him. “I ordered this when I was angry. When I wanted you to hurt like I was hurting.”
His hand trembles as it lifts, fingers hovering without touching.
“I never opened it,” I continue, my throat tight. “I crossed a line. What I did… using what you trusted me with as a weapon… There’s no excuse.”
Gabriel takes the envelope with shaking hands, staring at it as if it might bite.
I wait for Gabriel to tear it open and discover the truth he’s questioned his entire life. To confirm or deny his place in the Rockford family tree.
Instead, he lets out a shaky exhale and tucks the envelope into his jacket, still sealed. “I don’t need alab report to tell me where I belong anymore. Not after tonight.”
“I’m so sorry I led Darrow straight to you.” My heart stutters in my chest. “I came to apologize and almost got you killed.”
“If none of this was my fault, then it’s not yours, either.” He lurches to his feet and grabs for me again. “Can we just promise to both try to be better?”
“Yeah.” I pull him to me. “This isn’t over, though. What happened tonight doesn’t erase what I did to you, or what you did to me.”
“No,” he agrees, arms coming around me again. “But maybe it’s a place to start over. We’ll work on rebuilding trust.”
“It might take some time,” I warn. “But I’m going to become a man who’s worthy of you.”
“Hey, don’t say the man I love is unworthy.” He nuzzles my cheek.
“Fuck, I love you, too.” I cup his cheek, directing his lips toward mine.
