Violent Ends

She didn’t say the words back, but that was okay. He didn’t expect her to.

Leaning back, he let her attend to his wounds, playing the victim. The pain was already starting to lessen. Now he needed the time to plan.

****

Gabriel stood waiting, knowing his brothers would arrive.

Hands in his jacket, he watched as they parked the car, and headed toward him.

“How is she?” he asked.

“Pissed off. Angry at you. Angry at all of them,” Owen said.

“She’s going to be in danger,” Gabriel said.

“What are you doing, Gabriel?”

“I’m having fun, why?”

“You’re not around all that much anymore.”

“I want to know what Emma has on Maddox,” he said. He had his own plans. In the past few months he’d seen the way Maddox worked, and he didn’t like it. The old bastard was getting cockier with every passing day. With his talk of merging Denton and Savona, it didn’t sit well with him.

Gabriel didn’t know whom he could trust.

It certainly wasn’t the Dentons. With the way Emma just acted, he had a feeling she was the only one he could trust. He’d just hurt her man though, so that put them in a bad place.

“Are you going to tell us what the hell is going on here, Gabriel?” Owen asked. “We don’t play like this. Keeping us in the dark.”

“You’ll know soon enough. I’ve just got to wait for everything to be in place.” He wasn’t going to make a play for the top until he was sure of everything first.

Stuart and Rick were a problem, both of them the brothers to Maddox.

“Find out everything that Emma knows and keep her safe.”

“We’ve already got those orders from Gideon.”

“Good. He knows she’s in danger then.”

“Yes.”

Gabriel nodded. “I’ve got to be heading back. My job is to keep an eye on Landon.”

“How is he?”

“He’s not doing well, but at least he’s eating.”

“You’re going to try to overthrow the Dentons.”

“Dad always wanted a Colton on top,” Gabriel said.

“Our dad was a monster, Gabriel. You’re a Denton now.”

“Exactly, so I’m not really overthrowing anything.” He winked at his brothers, climbed into his car, and headed back to the Denton home.

There was no sign of Maddox’s car.

Entering the house, he saw Tamsin on the stairs. She stared at him without saying a word.

He’d noticed this little girl had a knack for getting in and out of places like Emma did. More often than not, she went undetected.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“You hurt my brother tonight.”

It wasn’t a question. He also wouldn’t treat her as a child and pretend he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

“Go to bed.”

“I’m not going to always be so easily pushed aside. You, Dad, all my brothers, I won’t be treated like a kid forever.”

With that, she turned on her heel and headed upstairs.

Running a hand over his face, he turned to see Jacob watching him.

Abel, Oliver, and Damian were there as well.

“How is your sister?”

“She’s alive.”

“You think she’ll go through with her threat?” Jacob asked.

Gabriel stared at the men he’d come to care about. He had no interest in hurting them. Sometimes he found the need for violence, but it wasn’t directed at them. Today, however, it had been fun to hurt Gideon. That piece of shit didn’t know when to shut his mouth.

“You’re not going to hurt her.”

“She can’t stand you.”

He shrugged. “I’m still her brother, and I’ll protect her. Don’t for a second think any differently.”

“Gideon called. He’s warned us to be wary of you.”

Gabriel smiled. “It’s good to know one of you has some sense.”

“What the fuck is going on right now?” Abel asked. “Cut the bullshit. We are over this. We’re a team.”

“Well, some teams need to realize when to back the fuck off. Nothing is going on. Leave my sister alone. She’s passionate when it comes to the ones she loves.” With that, he turned on his heel.

He would kill Maddox and all of the Dentons before he let them hurt his family. Emma may think he’d turned his back on her, but he hadn’t. He knew deep down that Maddox was a threat to them, always would be. They were Coltons. Regardless of his DNA, he would also be in the firing line.

For as long as he could remember, he’d been caring for his brothers and sister, and would always do that. It now also included Landon and Tamsin. They were too young to care for themselves. What he wouldn’t do was act at the wrong time.

Everything needed to be planned.

There was only one way out, and that was if Maddox backed out of his plan to join the Savonas and Dentons, and also to leave Emma alone.

Until then, it was game on.

Chapter Nine

“I have to say, Emma, well played,” Maddox said.

Emma stared across the desk at Maddox, her boss. He already had her letter of resignation.