Page 109 of Tattletale

“Take me to her right now,” I snarl.

Gabriel wags his finger in my face. “First”—he grabs a large painter’s bucket that was tucked beside his chair and tosses it at my feet—“guns, phones, and any other trinkets you have in your pocket. Hurry up.”

I could stall, but he’d only double-check. The more I delay, the more Cricket suffers. I just want to get this over with. I dump both of my pistols in the bucket as well as my phone. I glare at Gabriel. “Want my cash, too?”

“Very funny, Lance. I’ll miss your humor,” Gabriel says flatly. He closes the space between him and Vienne and pulls off her hood. The way his eyes are on fire, I half expect him to spit in her face. Instead, he immediately smooths her hair and tenderly strokes her cheeks one by one. “Are you okay?”

Vienne locks her gaze on his. “Why am I here, Gabriel?”

“I didn’t mean to scare you. You refused to see me… How else was I supposed to…” He clasps her hand in his uninjured one and folds her fingers before kissing her fist over and over. “I’m sorry.”

“Well, I’m here now. What do you want?”

Gabriel looks wounded. “How can you ask me that? I want what I’ve always wanted.”

“Gabriel. I can’t—”

“Enough of this, Vienne. I’m done waiting. You made promises, and it’s time to see them through.” He drops her hand and steps backward. “Are you armed?”

“No.”

“How about your phone?”

“I left it in the car—”

“Stop,” Gabriel bites out. “Don’t lie to me.”

As if those were the magic command words, a cluster of henchmen barrel through the front entrance and the back. All armed. All muscular enough to snap our necks with one pull. Three on each side. Very manageable if I had both my pistols.

Gabriel ignores them as if they are simply part of the scenery. “Riggs,” he says, eyes still fixed on Vienne. “Put a gun on this clown. If he moves more than an inch, shoot to kill.” One of Gabriel’s men steps forward, his gun pointed at my head. Then, Gabriel turns his attention back to Vienne. “Your phone, sugar. Where is it?”

Vienne licks her lips but doesn’t answer. Gabriel steps toward her, wrapping her in his free arm. She’s about a stride in front of me, so I can see the way he touches her back. It’s not just a touch, it’s a caress. He traces her spine, up and down, like he’s trying to memorize the feel of her body. He drops to the curve of her ass, taking his sweet time digging in her back pockets. He easily pulls out her phone and tosses it in the bucket.

He nods to another one of his men behind him. “Get rid of all that before we go.”

“Go?” Vienne asks.

“You told me if you could get out, you would. I’m offering you an out. In less than an hour, I have a fully stocked plane ready to take us out of here. All my assets have been transferred. The plane will go off the grid to a private island that no one knows I own. It’s beautiful, Vienne. It’s our happily ever after, and it starts now. You promised me.” Gabriel whispers the end of his sentence. He holds up his wounded hand. “This was a sign, I split my hand open on the Malbec we picked up in Argentina. I was drunk and missing you and…I shouldn’t have opened it without you. Do you remember when we bought it?”

Vienne hangs her head. “I don’t.”

“Stop lying, Vienne.You remember.It was a few years into your marriage. We snuck away for a weekend while Sal went home to visit his mother. It was the most amazing… The way we fucked—”

“Stop,” Vienne snaps.

“Why?” Gabriel throws a dirty look my way. “Because of him?”

“Because I’m not proud of cheating on my husband, Gabriel.I’m not proud of loving you.I told you it had to stop. When Sal became president, I told you we were done for good.”

He shakes his head. “We’ll never be done, Vienne. That’s not how love works. The only way tonight ends is with you and me on that plane. Am I being clear? We’re going to start over. Without Sal. Without Aeon. Just you…me… A new life. We’ll leave the rest behind.”

Vienne drops her gaze. “Gabriel, we can’t.”

“Vienne,” Gabriel barks out. “Stop this. Can’t you see I’m in pain? I wake up every day with you on my mind. My whole life is about you. Look around. You loved that glass dollhouse so damn much, I built you one. I became a billionaire to give you everything and anything you wanted. I breathe for you. Aeon was your life, so I became Aeon. When you had your eyes set on the presidency, I put Sal there.Me.Do you know how many politicians I’ve bribed and murdered, just to put the crown on your guys’ head? Is it still not enough? What else can I do to get your attention?”

“You just wanted my attention?” Vienne asks in an odd whisper. She exhales so hard, her shoulders seem to deflate. “Gabriel, there is no bomb… You wanted me to react. You wanted me to chase you. There is no Project Tasmanian, is there?”

Gabriel stares her down, silent for an uncomfortably long time.

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