Chapter 8 - The Crimson Vow
Sadie stood near the table, her hands trembling violently, her chest heaving as the adrenaline crashed through her system.
Gabriel set his weapon onto the wooden table, walked over to her, and took both of her shaking hands in his large, warm palms.
“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice softer than she had ever heard it.
“I... I saw Marco’s eyes in the mirror,” Sadie stammered, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “He was waiting for you to drink. Gabriel... he tried to kill you.”
“I know,” Gabriel murmured, pulling her gently into his chest, wrapping his arms securely around her back. “I knew Marco was meeting with the Lucchesi family last week. I let the meeting happen tonight to catch them in the act.”
Sadie pulled back, staring at him in shock. “You knew?! You knew the wine might be poisoned?!”
“I didn't know how he would execute it,” Gabriel admitted, his thumb wiping a stray tear from her cheek. “I had my own men ready to intervene. But once again... you stepped between me and death.”
“You’re insane, Gabriel Rossi!” Sadie cried, beating her small fist against his chest. “You play with your life as if it’s a game! I could have watched you die right in front of me!”
Gabriel grabbed her hand, holding her fist against his heart. Sadie could feel the strong, steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath his custom suit.
“I don't play games with my life, Sadie,” Gabriel said, his cold gray eyes burning with an intense, unyielding passion. “For fourteen years, I didn't care if I lived to see tomorrow. But then a girl walked into a wet alley, kissed me, and patched my skin together with a sewing needle. And suddenly, I wanted to live.”
Sadie froze, her breath catching in her throat.
Gabriel lowered his head, his lips hovering inches from hers. “Your two months are up next week, Sadie. Your brother’s debt is erased. You are free to take your money and walk away from Philadelphia forever.”
“And if I don't want to walk away?” Sadie whispered, her fingers opening, weaving into the lapels of his suit jacket.
Gabriel smiled—a true, breathtaking smile that transformed his ruthless face into something undeniably handsome. “If you stay, Sadie Hayes, you stay as my queen. And I will burn this entire city to the ground before I ever let anyone hurt you.”
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Sadie didn't answer with words. She reached up, pulled his head down, and kissed him.
This time, it was not in a rain-soaked alley. There were no armed killers watching, no desperate lies being shouted. It was slow, deep, and intoxicating—a fiery vow sealed in the dark cellar beneath the city.
