Gabriella
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
I open my eyes.
Javier sits on the edge of my bed and reads his text messages.
I put my hand on his back, which is tense. “Everything okay.”
He turns and pulls me into his arms. “Yeah. I need to report to work at 6 a.m. Go back to sleep.”
I glide my arms around him and knead his shoulders. “You’re awfully tense. I think I need to give you a backrub first.”
He scoffs. “Wishful thinking, but I’ve gotta get ready.”
“Okay. Tonight then.”
He kisses me. “Deal. Go back to sleep now.”
“Guess it’s good we stayed here last night.”
He pecks me again, rises, and goes into my bathroom to take a shower.
Javier suggested we stay one more night until he knew what was going on with his work. He made me promise I wouldn’t leave Hudson, Beckett, or Ryland’s sight. Apparently, Gracie and Connor no longer are acceptable to keep me company. Mia and Beckett’s house didn’t have power, so they stayed the night at my parents.
Javier finishes getting ready for work then sits on the bed and strokes my cheek. “Make sure you stay with your brothers today.”
“I will. Do you know when you’ll be home?”
“I’m not sure. It might not be until later, and I don’t know what kind of cell reception I’ll have, so don’t worry if you don’t hear from me.”
“Okay. Will you be with Chloe?”
“Yes.”
“All right. If it gets late, I’ll assume if Ryland doesn’t hear from Chloe, and I don’t hear from you that your phones aren’t working.”
“Good plan.”
I pull him to my lips. “When you get back, I’m going to strip you down and rub my hands all over every inch of your flesh.”
Heat enters his eyes. “Is that right?”
“Mm-hmm.” I steal his lips, kissing him with everything I have, not wanting him to go.
“Kiss me like this when I get home tonight.”
I kiss him some more. “Done.”
He pulls back. “Time to go.”
He consumes my lips once more, and when he gets to my door, I call out, “Javier.”
He turns. “Yeah, baby?”
“Have fun fighting the bad guys.”
He puts his hand over his face. “I’m never going to live that one down.”
“What! It’s cute!” I tease.
“See you tonight.”
I blow him a kiss, and he steps out and shuts my door. The rest of the morning, I toss and turn, not enjoying being in my bed by myself. I take the pillow Javier slept on the last few days and switch it with my own. His sexy, raw scent is on it, and I finally fall asleep for a few hours until Mia knocks on my door.
“Come in,” I say.
“We need to go to my place and clean the debris up. Everyone is going. Beckett said you have a fifteen-minute notice.”
“Fifteen minutes? Seriously?”
She shrugs. “Sorry. I’m just the messenger.”
“And his wife. You need to start training him now.”
“Ha, ha! I’ll see you downstairs.”
I begrudgingly take a two-minute shower, throw on some clothes, and head downstairs. Connor hands me a bacon-and-egg sandwich on toasted sprouted bread.
“Well, well, well. Quite the cook you’re becoming!”
“Don’t get used to it.” He winks at me. “Eat up. I went down to Mia’s, and there’s a ton of damage from the storm. Lots of trees and other debris.”
“Plus, all my flowers are in the house. I need to plant them before they die,” Mia says, coming into the kitchen.
“I’ll help you plant.”
“Thanks.”
“Where’s Gracie?” I ask.
“She stayed out last night,” Connor says.
“She didn’t come home with you?”
He shrugs. “No. She already texted me this morning. She’s coming over later.”
“You left her at the bar?” Mia asks.
“It’s Gracie, not either of you. She’s fine. Besides, she was making out with that rich dude who wants her.”
My pulse increases. “And you didn’t make her come back with you?”
“No. Becca promised she would make sure she went home with her.”
“Why didn’t you stay?” I ask.
“Same people. It was boring. I’m so over this island. I can’t wait till this hurricane mess is over and I can head up to Ybor for the night.”
“What’s so exciting in Ybor?” Beckett walks in and steals the last sandwich.
“Hey! That’s mine!” Connor says and tries to snatch it back.
Beckett holds him off with his arm and stuffs it in his face. “Not anymore. Mmmm.”
“You all need to go back to your own house and leave my food alone.”
“We’re more than happy to have our place back, right Mia? Here try this.” Beckett puts the sandwich to her lips, and she takes a big bite.
She chews and swallows. “Yummy. Good job, Connor.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t even know why I bother.”
“Let’s go,” Beckett says, and we all head outside and down the road to their house.
“Holy...” I mutter.
Trees are all over the yard. Not because Mia had a ton of trees that fell but because they blew into the yard. All sorts of garbage litters the grass.
“Why can’t people put their trash cans inside when a hurricane comes?” Connor whines.
Beckett finishes the last bite of his sandwich just as Ryland and Hudson both pull up beside the yard and get out of their trucks.
“Let’s clear the driveway first,” Beckett instructs, and we all set to work.
Mia opens the garage and gathers a few brooms. She and I both sweep it.
When we finish, Ryland and Hudson move their trucks into the driveway just as a silver Jaguar convertible pulls up to the curb.
Gracie leans over and shares a hot and heavy kiss with the guy and gets out wearing her sunglasses and last night’s outfit.
“For crying out loud,” Ryland grumbles under his breath, and Hudson scowls.
“Seems like Becca didn’t keep her promise,” I mutter to Connor.
“Morning,” Gracie calls out.
“That’s a new way to do the walk of shame. Much classier in a Jag, I guess,” Connor says.
“Shut up, Connor.”
“What happened to Becca?”
Gracie rolls her eyes. “She isn’t my keeper.”
“No, no one is that,” Beckett sarcastically comments.
Gracie walks past us all. “Okay, if I freshen up, Mia?”
“Yep. Go on in,” she says, but Gracie is already halfway in the house.
Beckett smacks Connor in the back of the head.
“Ouch! What is that for?”
“You left your sister at the bar?”
“Yeah. She’s twenty-six and older than me. I’m pretty sure she can handle herself.”
“Moron,” Hudson interjects.
“Agree,” Ryland says.
Connor scowls. “Either give me a job, or I’m out of here. I don’t need to take your shit all day.”
“Calm down. No need to get all huffy,” I tell him.
“Whatever.”
Beckett points to the yard. “Let’s start in the front and do the back last.”
After a few hours, the guys venture to the back of the yard to fix some of the damage, and the rest of us go inside for a break.
I’m not in there long before I want to go outside again. After several days of being locked indoors, I’m enjoying breathing fresh air and moving around.
“Mia, where do you want these flowers?” I motion to the pink-and-purple mix she has.
She points out the window. “Around that tree.”
“Okay. I’m going to start.”
“Let me finish my drink, and I’ll join you.”
“No rush.” I carry the flowers out to the tree, kneel, and dig several holes. Very carefully, I remove a set of pink flowers from the black casing and set it in place. I’m covering it with dirt when a hand covers my mouth, and I’m yanked off the ground.
My heart almost stops, and I try to kick and scream, but I’m dragged across the yard.
Hudson shouts, “Let her go,” and he’s running after me, then stops, pulls his gun out, and shoots it in the air.
My captor releases me, and I tumble to the ground. Tires screech, and Hudson lifts me and brushes me off. “Oh my God, Gabriella, are you okay?”
I can’t talk. My pulse is pounding in my throat, and my insides are shaking hard.
Beckett and Ryland appear from behind the house.
“What happened?” Ryland asks.
The others come outside and hurry to us.
Hudson is still checking me over. “I walked out, and some thug had his hand over Gabriella’s mouth and was dragging her toward his car,” he replies.
Ryland snarls, “Triker?”
“Not him,” Hudson says.
“Then who was it?”
“Another one of his thugs.”
“Jesus. Gabriella, you okay?” Beckett puts his hand on my head.
I spin out of Hudson’s grasp, more afraid than I’ve ever been. “Why won’t they leave me alone?”
Chloe and Javier pull into the driveway and get out of the car.
“Hudson, why do you have your gun out?” she asks.
He looks at it as if he’s forgotten he’s still holding it. “Twisted Hearts just tried to abduct Gabriella.”
The color drains from Javier’s face. “Triker came here?”
“No, his thugs. The driver and the one who tried to take Gabriella.”
He pulls me to him. “You okay?”
“Yes. Why won’t they leave me alone?”
Beckett kicks a stick. “Fuck.”
“Beckett?” Ryland growls.
The color drains from his face. “I think Triker has put a declaration out on Gabriella.”
A declaration? What? Goose bumps pop out on my skin. My heart races faster.
“What does that mean?” Ryland demands.
Javier holds me tighter. “It means he has a reward issued for any Twisted Heart who brings Gabriella to him.”
“What?” I whisper, feeling like I might throw up.
“Motherfucker. I’ll kill him,” Hudson growls.
“Me, too,” Beckett, Connor, and Ryland all say at the same time.
“You aren’t staying by yourself anymore,” Javier tells me.
We’ve already established this.
“That’s it.” Hudson points to all of us. “You’re all learning how to shoot a gun and getting one.”
No.
But maybe he’s right.
You almost got abducted.
Again.
“I already know,” Mia says. “Mine’s in my safe.”
Gracie gapes. “You have a gun?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t want to carry a gun around,” Gracie says.
“Then, you shouldn’t. But Hudson is right. You should at least learn to shoot it in case you get into a situation,” Chloe says.
“So we’re just going to run around like a bunch of thugs carrying guns?” Connor says.
Ryland glares at him. “No. You’re going to learn how to responsibly use one so you can protect yourself or your sisters if needed.”
“You’re learning to shoot,” Javier quietly says to me.
He’s right. I need to know how to protect myself.
“Okay.”
“Gabriella, you aren’t a gun-slinging—”
“Be quiet, Gracie. Triker has come after me three times now. You two need to get your heads out of the clouds.”
“Get in the truck,” Hudson barks.
“Why? Where are we going?” Connor asks.
“To Parrish.”
“Why are we going there?”
“Because that is where my shooting range is.”
“You have a shooting range?” Gracie cries out.
“Yeah.”
“Jeez, didn’t know you were G.I. Joe,” Connor mumbles.
Hudson fists his shirt. “Be a fucking man and step up to the plate. Stop being immature.”
“I don’t need to have a gun to be a man,” Connor tells him.
“You want to know why we never tell you anything that’s going on? This is why, right here.”
“Hudson, relax,” Ryland says.
Hudson seriously needs to calm down. I don’t know what is going on with him these days.
He lets go of his shirt and stomps to his truck. “I’m done. When you’re ready to know how to protect your family, let me know.”
“Hudson!” Beckett calls out.
Chloe runs over to him and gets in the truck.
“What’s she doing?” Gracie asks.
“I don’t know,” Ryland mutters.
She engages in a conversation with him for about five minutes before Javier says, “Let’s go.”
Ryland hugs me. “You can stay with me anytime. Call me if you want to go anywhere.”
“Okay.”
Everyone else hugs me, and we get in the car, and Javier drives past several houses and pulls into my parents’ driveway.
“Let’s go get your stuff.”
“My stuff?”
“You get to stay with Beckett, Hudson, Ryland, or me. Who do you want to stay with?”
I want to stay with you, but aren’t you tired of me yet?
I’m scared to answer, so I don’t.
“Gabriella?”
“I want to stay with you, but—”
He pulls me close and kisses me with so much urgency, I’m breathless.
“Good answer.” He kisses me some more.
“Aren’t you going to get sick of me?”
“Nope.” He pulls back and opens his door. “Let’s go.”
We go into the house, and I pack a bag.
“Fill another one. I’ll make room for you in my closet and dresser. I’ll get your stuff in the bathroom. We can get the rest another day.”
The rest?
“Javier?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we take a breather for a minute?”
He scrunches his face. “What’s wrong?”
I pat the bed next to me.
He sits then pulls me onto his lap and brushes a lock of hair behind my ear. “Tell me what’s wrong, baby.”
“Nothing’s wrong, I just...I...” I let out a bunch of air.
He waits while I collect my thoughts.
“Am I moving in with you right now?”
“Yes.”
“Because of Triker’s declaration.”
He licks his lips. “Triker’s declaration is just an excuse.”
“An excuse?”
“Yeah. An excuse for me to get exactly what I want.”
My heart flutters. “What’s that?”
He cups my face. “You in my bed, next to me every night and every morning. And when I leave for work, I get to come home and you’re still there.”
“You aren’t going to get tired of me?”
“No. I’m in love with you, Gabriella. Every single part of you, I’m crazy in love with you and no amount of time is going to change that. The moment I laid eyes on you, I felt something I never have before. So no, I’m not going to get bored with you.”
“I love you, and you’re all I want, too,” I whisper.
Heat burns in his eyes, and when he kisses me, everything else disappears: the fear since the attempted abduction, the anxiety he was only telling me to move in to keep me safe and might regret me being there, the voices in my head insisting all day long I’ll lose him when he gets bored with me. He calms all of it. Through his kisses, he assures me I am his and he is mine.
“So, you’ll move in with me, then?” he murmurs.
“Yes.”
“Good. We’ll take what we can now and pack up the rest later.”
“Okay.”
He kisses me again, and the cocky expression fills his face. “Make sure you throw in a few Naughty Gabriella outfits.”