Page 96 of Untamed Sinner

He's thinking, trying to determine whether the information he has is enough to justify doing something spectacularly stupid.

And suddenly I know exactly what that something is.

I nearly laugh. No—surely not. Even Gabriel isn't that reckless.

But I have to find out. "You're going to take her."

He stops.

I stare at his back. Then I actually do laugh—low at first, then louder. The sound bounces off the concrete walls.

Gabriel turns, his face stone cold. "What the fuck is so funny?"

"You." I laugh again. "You're going to rescue Clara Whitlock."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

He steps toward me.

I can't stop smiling. This is better than anything I could have planned.

No—that's not true. It is exactly what I planned, just with fewer intermediaries and a higher likelihood of success.

Gabriel stops right in my face. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Grinning, I shift against the wall, the chain scraping concrete. "Let me guess. You can't tell the Whitlocks because you don't know enough. You can't prove there's a threat. You don't know who inside their security structure can be trusted. And you certainly can't walk up to James Whitlock and say, Hello, sir, I'm Gabriel Reyes. Our families have hated each other for generations, but I was hoping you'd believe me when I say someone’s going to take your favorite niece. I can just see how that conversation will go."

His jaw flexes.

I laugh again. This is too entertaining. "So you're going to take her."

"I'm going to make sure she's safe."

I study him, this arrogant bastard. For years I've watched the Reyes and Whitlocks circle each other. Old grudges. Old money. Old blood. Neither family willing to strike first because both understand what it would cost.

Wars like that don't begin because someone wants one. They begin because someone creates a situation neither side can walk away from.

A Whitlock girl disappears.

Evidence points toward the Reyes.

The Whitlocks retaliate.

The Reyes answer.

After that, nobody remembers who threw the first punch, only who they're supposed to hate.

And now Gabriel Reyes is volunteering to remove Clara himself.

I couldn't have designed it better.

My amusement must show because Gabriel grabs my shirt and hauls me forward until the chain snaps tight. "If this is some kind of setup⁠—"

"What are you going to do?” I bare my blood-stained teeth. “Keep me prisoner?"

His eyes could freeze hell.