MY Brother 2

Chapter #3 { The Intruder }

Two days later, I was ready to climb the walls.

Matteo shadowed me everywhere. Tony was always within sight. There were men stationed outside our house, outside my classrooms, in the parking lot. I couldn't go to the bathroom without someone checking it first.

I understood why. I really did. But understanding didn't make it any less suffocating.

Gabe had barely slept. I'd wake up in the middle of the night to find his side of the bed empty, and I'd go downstairs to find him in his office, surrounded by files and surveillance footage, his eyes bloodshot and his jaw tight.

We were both on edge. Snapping at each other over little things and it was so weird for us… I hated it.

"I'm going to see your father today," Gabe said over breakfast. He'd actually sat down to eat with me for once, though he kept checking his phone every thirty seconds.

"Mr. Angelini?" I looked up from my coffee. "Why?"

"I need his advice." Gabe’s voice was clipped. "He dealt with the Italian families for decades. If anyone knows how to handle Dante Rossi, it's him."

"Can I come?"

"No."

The word was flat, final. I felt my temper flare.

"Gabriel-"

"Gracie baby, please." He rubbed his face, exhaustion evident in every line of his body. "Not today. I need you here where it's safe. Where I know exactly who's watching you."

"I'm not a child," I said quietly. "And I'm not some fragile thing that needs to be locked away."

"I know that, baby." His eyes met mine, and I saw the fear lurking beneath the exhaustion. "But you're also the only thing in this world I can't lose. So please, baby girl. Just... stay here today. For me."

The please did it. Gabe didn't beg. Ever. The fact that he was asking, really asking, made me swallow my frustration.

"Okay," I said softly. "But you need to talk to me, Gabe. We can't keep going like this. You're shutting me out..."

He stood, came around the table, and pulled me into his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to keep you safe, sweetheart."

"I know." I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent. "But we're supposed to be a team, remember? You and me against the world?"

"Always," he murmured against my hair. Then he tilted my chin up and kissed me, slow and thorough, like he was trying to memorize the taste of me. "I love you, Gracie. More than anything in this entire world."

"I love you too." I held him tighter. "Come back to me."

"I always will," he said again.

****

The house felt too quiet after Gabe left. Matteo was stationed in the living room, pretending to watch TV but really watching me. Tony was outside. Marco had called earlier to say he was following up on a lead.

I tried to study. Tried to focus on my assignments. But my mind kept wandering to Gabe, to Mr. Angelini, to what they might be discussing.

To Dante Rossi and whatever hell he was planning to unleash on us.

My phone buzzed. A text from Melissa asking if I wanted to grab lunch. I stared at it for a long moment, then typed back a lie about not feeling well.

The truth was, I couldn't risk it. Couldn't risk her getting caught in the crossfire of whatever was coming.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost didn't hear it, the sound of breaking glass from somewhere upstairs.

Matteo was on his feet instantly, gun drawn. "Stay here," he ordered, already moving toward the stairs.

My heart hammered in my chest. "Matteo-"

"Stay. Here." His voice left no room for argument.

I heard footsteps above. Shouting. Then a gunshot that made me jump, my hands flying to cover my mouth.

Oh s**t. Oh s**t.

Tony burst through the front door, weapon raised. "What happened?"

"Someone's upstairs," I managed to say, my voice shaking.

More footsteps. Then Matteo appeared at the top of the stairs, dragging someone with him, a man in dark clothes, blood streaming from his nose.

"Found him in your bedroom," Matteo said grimly, throwing the man down the stairs. He tumbled, landing in a heap at the bottom. "He came through the window."

The man groaned, trying to get up, but Tony was on him in an instant, pressing the barrel of his gun to the back of his head.

"Don't move," Tony growled.

I stared at the intruder, my whole body trembling. He'd been in our bedroom. In the place where Gabriel and I slept, where we were supposed to be safe.

"Call Gabriel," Matteo said to me. "Now."

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and dialed. He answered on the first ring.

"Gracie, baby girl, What's wrong?"

"Someone broke in," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Matteo caught him. He was in our bedroom, Gabriel."

The silence on the other end was deafening. Then: "I'm on my way. Don't let him leave. And Gracie, baby? Stay away from him."

"Okay," I whispered.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." His voice was cold, deadly. "Tell Matteo to keep him alive."

The line went dead.

I looked at Matteo. "Gabriel said to keep him alive."

Matteo's smile was sharp and dangerous. "Oh, don't worry. He'll be alive when Gabriel gets here. He just might not be comfortable."

****

Gabriel walked through the door exactly nine minutes later, Mr. Angelini right behind him.

I'd never seen Gabriel look like this before. His face was a mask of cold fury, his eyes dark and empty. This wasn't my Gabriel, the man who held me gently and whispered sweet things in my ear.

This was the head of the organization. The man who'd earned his position through blood and violence.

This was the monster he tried so hard to hide from me.

"Gracie." Mr. Angelini came to me first, his hands gentle on my shoulders. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine," I said, though I wasn't sure that was true. "He didn't get to me. Matteo stopped him."

"Good." Mr. Angelini's eyes were hard as he looked at the man on the floor. "Very good."

Gabriel hadn't said a word. He walked slowly toward the intruder, each step deliberate. Matteo and Tony stepped back, giving him room.

"Who sent you?" Gabriel's voice was quiet. Conversational, almost.

The man spat blood on our floor. "Vaffanculo."

Gabriel's fist connected with his face so fast I barely saw it move. The man's head snapped back, more blood spraying.

"Wrong answer." Gabriel crouched down, getting eye level with him. "Let's try again. Who. Sent. You?"

"You think I'm afraid of you?" The man laughed, though it came out wet and pained. "Dante Rossi is going to-"

Gabriel's hand shot out, grabbing the man's throat and squeezing. "Finish that sentence. I dare you."

The man's eyes bulged, his hands clawing at Gabriel's arm. But Gabriel didn't let go. Just kept squeezing, his face completely calm.

"Gabriel," Mr. Angelini said quietly. "We need him to talk."

Gabriel held on for another few seconds, then released him. The man gasped for air, coughing and wheezing.

"Take him to the warehouse," Gabriel said to Matteo and Tony. "I'll be there shortly."

They hauled the man to his feet and dragged him toward the door. He was still coughing, still trying to breathe.

As they passed me, the man's eyes met mine. And he smiled.

"Bella ragazza," he wheezed. "Dante will enjoy you."

Gabriel moved so fast I didn't even see it. One second he was across the room, the next he had the man slammed against the wall, his forearm pressed against his throat.

"Say one more word about her," Gabriel said softly, "and I'll cut out your tongue and make you eat it. Understand?"

The man's eyes were wide with fear now. He nodded frantically.

"Get him out of here," Gabriel said, stepping back. "Now."

Matteo and Tony didn't need to be told twice. They hauled him out the door and into a waiting car.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Gabriel stood there, his chest heaving, his hands clenched into fists. I could see him trying to get control of himself, trying to push the monster back down.

"Gabriel," I said softly.

He turned to look at me, and for a moment, I saw the fear in his eyes. Fear that I'd seen too much. That I'd be scared of him now.

I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around him. He stood rigid for a moment, then his arms came around me, holding me so tight it almost hurt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against my hair. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Don't apologize." I pulled back to look at him. "You were protecting me. Protecting us."

"I wanted to kill him." His voice was raw. "When he looked at you, when he said... I wanted to rip him apart with my bare hands."

"I know." I touched his face, feeling the tension in his jaw. "But you didn't. You controlled it."

"Barely." He closed his eyes, leaning into my touch. "God, Gracie. If Matteo hadn't been here. If he'd gotten to you-"

"He didn't," I said firmly. "I'm okay. We're okay."

Mr. Angelini cleared his throat gently. "Gabriel. We need to talk about this. About Dante."

Gabriel nodded, but he didn't let go of me. "Gracie should hear this too."

I looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"You were right earlier. We're a team." He took my hand, lacing our fingers together. "No more shutting you out. If we're going to fight this, we do it together."

Mr. Angelini studied us for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Let's sit down."

We moved to the living room. Gabriel pulled me down next to him on the couch, keeping me close. Mr. Angelini took the chair across from us, his expression grave.

"Dante Rossi," he began, "comes from one of the oldest families in Italy. His father, Lorenzo, and I had an understanding for many years. We stayed out of each other's territories, maintained peace between our organizations."

"What changed?" I asked.

"Lorenzo died two years ago. Dante took over, and he's... different. More ambitious. More ruthless." Mr. Angelini leaned forward. "He's been expanding aggressively, taking over smaller families, consolidating power. But Italy isn't enough for him anymore."

"He wants California," Gabriel said flatly.

"He wants the entire West Coast," Mr. Angelini corrected. "And he sees you as the obstacle in his way. You're young, relatively new to leadership. He thinks he can intimidate you into stepping down."

"He's wrong," Gabriel said coldly.

"I know that. You know that." Mr. Angelini's eyes were serious. "But Dante doesn't. And that makes him dangerous. He's underestimating you, which means he'll take risks. Make mistakes."

"How do we use that?" I asked.

Mr. Angelini looked at me with something like approval. "Smart girl. We let him think he's winning. Let him get confident. And then we strike when he's not expecting it."

"That puts Gracie at risk," Gabriel said immediately. "If we're pretending to be weak-"

"I can handle it," I interrupted. "If it means ending this, I can handle it."

"Gracie-"

"Gabriel." I turned to face him fully. "I'm already at risk. We both know that. At least this way, we're controlling the situation instead of just reacting to it."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but Mr. Angelini spoke first.

"She's right, Gabriel. And she's stronger than you give her credit for." He smiled slightly. "She's my daughter, after all. She has my blood in her veins. And yours in her heart. That makes her more dangerous than Dante could ever imagine."

Gabriel was quiet for a long moment, his jaw working. Finally, he looked at me. "If we do this, you follow my lead. Every step of the way. No arguments, no taking unnecessary risks. Agreed?"

"Agreed," I said.

"And if at any point I think it's too dangerous, we pull back. No matter what."

"Gabriel-"

"That's the deal, Gracie. Take it or leave it."

I could see the fear in his eyes, the desperation. He was trying so hard to protect me while also respecting my choice to be involved.

"Okay," I said softly. "I agree."

Some of the tension left his shoulders. He pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"So what's the plan?" I asked, looking at Mr. Angelini.

"First, we find out what Dante really wants. What his endgame is." Mr. Angelini stood. "Gabriel, you'll need to interrogate the man they caught. Find out everything he knows about Dante's operation, his timeline, his weaknesses."

"I'll handle it," Gabriel said, his voice hard.

"I know you will." Mr. Angelini moved toward the door, then paused. "Gabriel. Be careful. Dante is not like the enemies you've faced before. He's patient. Strategic. He won't make the same mistakes Bryce did."

"Neither will I," Gabriel said.

After Mr. Angelini left, Gabriel and I sat in silence for a while. His arm was around me, holding me close, and I could feel the tension radiating from his body.

"I have to go to the warehouse," he said finally. "I need to question that man before Dante realizes we have him."

"I know."

"I don't want to leave you."

"I know that too." I turned in his arms, straddling his lap so I could look him in the eye. "But you have to. We need information."

His hands came to rest on my hips, his thumbs tracing small circles. "Matteo will stay with you. And I'm doubling the guards outside."

"Okay."

"Gracie." His voice was rough. "What that man said. About Dante enjoying you. I need you to understand something."

I waited, my hands on his chest, feeling his heart racing beneath my palms.

"I will burn this entire city to the ground before I let anyone touch you," he said, his eyes blazing. "I will start a war that makes everything we've been through look like a playground fight. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"You're mine, Gracie, baby. Mine to protect. Mine to love. Mine to keep safe." His hands tightened on my hips. "And I will do whatever it takes to make sure you stay that way."

I kissed him then, pouring everything I felt into it. All my fear, my love, my trust. He responded immediately, one hand sliding up to tangle in my hair, the other pulling me closer.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

"Come back to me," I said, echoing my words from this morning. "In one piece."

"Always," he promised. Then he kissed me again, softer this time. "I love you, baby. More than anything in this world."

"I love you too."

He left twenty minutes later, after checking every lock, every window, every possible entry point. After giving Matteo a list of instructions that was probably longer than necessary. After kissing me one more time like he might never get the chance again.

I watched from the window as his car pulled away, flanked by two others full of his men.

And I tried not to think about what he was going to do to that man in the warehouse. Tried not to imagine the violence, the blood, the darkness that was such a fundamental part of the world we lived in.

But I couldn't help it. Because I'd seen the look in Gabriel's eyes when that man had threatened me.

I'd seen the monster.

And the scariest part? I wasn't afraid of it.

I was grateful for it.

Because that monster, that darkness, that capacity for violence, it was what would keep us alive. What would keep us together.

In our world, love wasn't enough. You needed teeth. Claws. The willingness to do terrible things to protect what was yours.

And Gabriel had all of that in spades.

My phone buzzed. A text from Gabriel.

**Gabriel:** I'll call you when I'm done. Stay inside. Stay safe. I love you.

**Me:** I love you too. Be careful.

I set my phone down and looked out at the darkening sky. Somewhere out there, Dante Rossi was planning his next move. Somewhere out there, Gabriel was about to make a man tell him everything he knew, no matter what it took.

And somewhere in between, I was trying to figure out how to be strong enough for what was coming.

Because this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

This was just the beginning