Page 99 of Dark Angel
“I feel so vulnerable,” she whispered. “I don’t want to give you any control over me.”
“You’re giving me information, not control.”
“Information isn’t just knowledge,” she murmured, “it’s power.”
He dropped a light kiss on her lips. “We killed a Bratva, covered up the evidence by taking his body to the crematorium.”
“I killed him,” she corrected him.
“I’ve got a long-standing war with them in Italy. The problem followed me here, so I eliminated it.”
“We’re both guilty.”
He shot her a smile. “Guilty as sin.”
“My life has become more complicated than I ever thought possible.”
“Welcome to my world.” He glanced at the group, still huddled together, still talking about who was staying, who was going where, and who was driving.
“I can’t take all the damn talking,” Gabriel said. “I’m a man of?—”
“Action,” Halston said, finishing his sentence.
“Exactly,” he replied. After a beat, he said, “Are you coming with or staying behind?”
Mischief danced in her eyes. “Let’s go.”
Together, they returned to the group as Sin and Carrera were saying their goodbyes.
“Evangeline,” Carrera said, “thanks for driving Slash home.”
“I haven’t seen your grandmother in a while,” Evangeline said. “It’ll be good to catch up with Elsa.”
After the foursome exited, Halston said to their hosts, “Thank you so much for including me, but I’m taking off too.”
Everyone shifted to Gabriel.
“I want to make sure Halston gets home safely,” he replied.
Greystone chuffed out a laugh.
Teddy shook his head. “Grey, cut him a break. He’s being sincere.”
Halston cracked her knuckles. “If he’s not, he’ll end up dead.”
The group laughed.
“I think you’ve finally met your match, G,” Sydney said.
Gabriel combed his fingers through his hair. “Looks that way.”
Instead of rejoicing in the moment, anxiety gripped his throat. Gabriel ran toward danger, even reveled in it. But this? Halston was more than sex. Way more. He could feel it in his soul. His vengeful, empty soul. Halston Devereux, the woman with many identities and a complicated life, was his equal in many ways, his superior in others.
This shouldn’t be happening. He was all about moving in the shadows, taking out his rivals, growing his businesses and his family’s legacy—Cosa Nostra. Getting close to someone was never a part of the plan.
Halston grabbed her large tote, retreated into the nearby powder room. The pull to be near her had him following, while frustration burned a heated path through his bones. Never before had he been so intrigued by another. Just as exciting as it was to watch her become Halston, he was equally mesmerized at her return to Barbi.
He stood in the doorway. She glanced in the mirror at him, their gazes lingering an extra second.
