Page 53 of Culmination
Theo hisses, points the gun back at Rafe, his eyes locked on me the whole time. “Your father died on his knees, just like this.Afterseeing his beloved wife gunned down before his very eyes. Shall we repeat history, my dear?”
My breath hitches.
Theo smiles with menace. “Oh, yes. How does it feel, Gabriella? Knowing you and your beloved will soon meet his exact fate? You’re only good to me until the baby is born. After that? You’re disposable. Your threats do not frighten me.”
Rafe meets my eyes, his jaw set tight, and I shake my head, knowing he wants to make a move. I will him to stay still. He doesn’t listen. Just as he whirls around to confront Theo, I hear the most surprising voice of all.
“No, Father. The disposable one here is you. It’s time you met your fate.”
Theo’s eyes widen into saucers, the blood draining from his face as he sees the son he believs has risen from the grave.
Milliseconds later, my ears scream in protest as a single gunshot echoes in the great room. Theo’s body falls to the ground, an echoing thud filling the silence. In the space behind him, Adrian stands with the smoking gun.
Piercing green eyes meet mine. They soften as his tan Adam’s apple bob up and down while he holds my gaze. He nods, mouths two words, then turns on his heel, and I lose sight of him as Rafe enters my vision.
He’s covered in blood and bits of brain matter, and he’s staring at me in shock, his face ashen.
Just as his arms reach out for me, pandemonium breaks out. Rafe pushes me to the ground. At the sound of gunfire, the front door bursts open and men in black swarm in, efficiently surrounding Theo’s men until they’re on their knees with rifles pointed at the backs of their necks.
“All clear,” a gruff voice calls out.
Rafe slowly withdraws from me, and I sit up, pulling my knees to my chest, trying to calm my nerves as he moves away from me.
I glance up just in time to see Agent Howard rushing in, but he stops when he sees Rafe next to Theo’s body. Numbness washes over me as Rafe stares down at the man he just learned was his father. I’m torn between the need to go to him, to comfort him, and knowing he may need space to process all of this.
“What the hell happened, Matthews? We lost comms and the next thing I heard was a gunshot. I half expected to walk in here and find you on the ground.”
“He saved my life,” he whispered, more talking to himself than to me or Howard.
The agent’s eyes met mine. “Who, Matthews? Who saved your life?”
“Adrian.” Rafe’s gaze cleared as he looked up at me. “My brother.”
Agent Howard barks out an expletive, then
Rafe calls my name, and I turn my attention back to him.
“Did he say anything? Before he left? My ears were ringing. I could barely see him through the blood dripping down my forehead.”
My eyes meet Rafe’s. “He did. He said goodbye. And then… Then he was gone.”
IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TOgo down like this. Brie was never supposed to find Theo, let alone show up on his doorstep with the evidence that would lead to his downfall. Or give them all the fuel he needed to get what he wanted.
She certainly wasn’t supposed to gamble with her life, bluffing that she had more evidence about Theo’s business dealings.
And fuck me, I wasn’t supposed to be at the end of Theo’s barrel only to have Adrian swoop in and save my ass before a bullet entered my brain.
The day shouldn’t have ended the way it did. Brie and I finally found answers, even if they’ve led to more questions. I was restless, eager to take the evidence to Agent Howard, ready to put it all behind us. Brie wanted to wait until the morning. So I pretended to acquiesce and then snuck out after she was sound asleep.
In hindsight, not the brightest idea. I was preoccupied and hadn’t seen the three thugs waiting to jump me until the last second.
An hour later, I found myself in the presence of the man who sired me.
The thing was, he didn’t know I knew. He didn’t realize Brie already knew. He thought he was shocking us with this huge secret, catching us off guard, when in reality we were both prepared for it.
I just hadn’t been prepared for him to be willing to murder us both.
I sure as fuck hadn’t been prepared for Adrian to kill his father without a second thought.
