Undeniable: Dom & Gigi (Beg For It 5)

Sinking my head to my hands, I felt a wave of nausea over what might have happened. If I hadn’t gotten to Gigi, if they’d somehow stolen her away right under my nose, driving away with her to God knows where… It was better not to think about it.

The two men who’d come for her had carried big-boy weapons, but they’d carried out their mission like children, squabbling loudly and letting Gigi escape twice. I’d spotted her the first time. She’d nearly made it out of the shrubs. The sight of her almost getting out into the clear, then being dragged back into their clutches? I knew I’d be replaying that in my brain on sleepless nights. It had been like a nightmare come to life.

But now I took her hand, gently, not wanting to wake her. They’d given her something to help her rest and ease her pain while they kept her under observation. When we’d first arrived that morning, they almost hadn’t let me in with her. “Family only.” They’d tried to block my presence.

“He’s my fiancé,” Gigi had managed, her lip swollen, twigs in her hair. She’d never looked more beautiful. Police finally showed up about an hour ago, asking for a statement. She’d declined to talk, and the nurse had told them they needed to leave her alone so she could rest. They’d eyed me with suspicion. I was sure I looked like their textbook definition of a domestic abuser, the tattoos lacing up and down my pumped up muscles. I didn’t let it bother me. I had bigger things to worry about.

My phone rang with yet another call from Colt. “She still sleeping?”

“Yes.” I stepped out of the room so I wouldn’t wake her. “The doctor said it’s good. She needs rest.”

Colt sounded impatient. “I’ll feel better when she’s back here. With doctors I know.”

“We’ll fly out tomorrow.” The doctor had said he wanted a night of observation and pain meds. Healing couldn’t be rushed, especially with a concussion. Gigi would be discharged tomorrow, and Colt had already made arrangements for a car to take us directly to a private plane.

“Keep me posted.” I expected to hear from him again in another twenty minutes.

While Gigi slept, I made some phone calls, mostly international. It looked like the Columbian government was celebrating quite a victory. Somehow they’d managed to infiltrate the top leadership of one of the country’s deadliest cartels. They’d planned and executed a successful, lethal strike, giving them a nearly unprecedented triumph over one of the most feared and violent drug lords of their time.

Some guys might want glory, their name on a gold plaque hung on a wall giving them credit for success. I just wanted Gigi and her family safe. Somehow it looked like we’d pulled that off. Things had gotten fucked up stateside, but in Columbia the attack had worked even better than hoped. Guys had shown up for that meeting who hadn’t planned on it. The ambush had taken them all out, picking them off with ruthless precision. I knew something would spring up in their absence. Nature abhorred a vacuum, and human nature was a nasty, brutish force.

But whatever bad guys took over the operations, they wouldn’t target Gigi. The Columbian government was claiming victory, happy to have a win against a drug cartel in their column. And that meant they’d have to deal with the consequences. With no trail leading to the Kavanaughs, the cartel would not be a problem for them again.

I also thanked the guys who’d set us up with the safe house. Say what you wanted about MCs, but their members knew loyalty. I was the son of one of their brothers, one who’d fallen in the line of duty—or at least their version of it. They assured me they were happy to help. They saw it as fulfilling a debt. My father had given his life protecting their interests. Now, they’d helped his kid out of a jam. And I was sure the money Colt had paid them helped make it more than worth their while.

Inside the room, I saw Gigi stir. At her side, I was there holding her hand when she opened her eyes. Despite the bruising forming around her eye and her swollen lip, she smiled up at me.

“Hey.” Her voice sounded scratchy and broken.

“Hey.” I sat down, kissing her hand so gently, like she was a bird that might fly away if I scared it. “How you feeling?”

“Drugged.” She gave a soft laugh, then winced even through the pain meds. It was the cracked rib. I hated to see her hurting.

“You’re safe now, baby. Completely safe. Everything’s been taken care of.”

“Everything?” Head on the pillow, she gave me a look. Did I mean what she thought I meant?

“Everything,” I assured her. “For good.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. “I was worried they’d hurt you.”

“Me? You were worried about me?” I couldn’t believe this woman. They’d brutalized her and nearly kidnapped her and it was me she’d worried about?

“You rescued me.” She looked at me like she always did, as if I were her hero, her knight in shining armor. It made my heart swell like a balloon, so full it ached.

“You were so brave. You fought so hard.” I’d seen her kicking and fighting her way out of their reach like a champion. “A lot of people would have frozen up.”

“I knew I couldn’t let them get me into a car.” A shudder traveled through her, and I saw her wince again in pain.

“Shh.” I smoothed back her hair, ran my thumb over her forehead. “You should sleep some more. The nurse’ll be in to check on you again soon. And I’m staying right here.”

“Don’t go,” she murmured as she closed her eyes again. I held her hand, keeping my word.

* * *

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* * *

We flew back to New York the next day, just Gigi and me on a private plane. The doctor had given specific instructions about making sure she rested as much as possible, but if she slept I needed to wake her every three hours. It seemed to me that she might do well with another 24 hours under medical observation, but they assured me she’d be all right.

I couldn’t 100 percent trust my instincts, anyway. There in Arizona, I had Gigi all to myself. Once we got back to New York, she’d be engulfed by family and friends all eager to see her. Colt had told everyone she’d gone on a cruise to a remote, isolated location. I bet most of them interpreted that as rehab. Gigi seemed squeaky clean, but disappearing for a couple of weeks with no phone contact and only one close family member knowing your whereabouts? Hello Betty Ford.

I might want to keep Gigi all to myself, but it was time to return her to her loved ones. Colt and Caroline were waiting for us with a limo when we landed. All four of us settled on the L-shaped leather seating inside, Colt on one side of Gigi, Caroline on the other. I told myself they hadn’t intentionally buffered her from me. Colt had been nothing but grateful to me since day one. Whether he suspected anything had gone on between his sister and me, I did not know. All I knew was I already felt her slipping away.

“Are you sure you’re up for going back to your apartment?” Colt asked, the doting older brother.

“You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you’d like. We’d love to have you.” It looked like Caroline had jumped right into the older sister role, too.

“No, I’ll be fine.” Gigi sounded weary. She needed rest, and I worried all the well-meaning attention wouldn’t let her get it.

“I have appointments set up for you with my doctors first thing tomorrow morning,” Colt explained.

“I don’t really need to see them. All I need is rest. And I’ve got pain meds if I need them.” She shook the small bag of medication we’d picked up after leaving the hospital.

“I’ll feel better if you go anyway,” Colt insisted. Then he studied her, exhaustion, bruises and all. “You’re sure about heading to your apartment? Some people might be there.”

“Who?” she asked.

“Penny and her boyfriend.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’m sure Penny’s been worried sick.”

Colt assured Gigi that he’d told Penny time and again she was just off on a cruise. A very long cruise with limited to no cell phone reception. I doubted Penny had boug

ht it.

Back at her apartment, Penny and her boyfriend Zander were there, plus another uptight fancyboy I dimly recognized from four summers ago.

“Gigi! Penny rushed at her with fervor—too much for a broken rib.

I stepped between them. “Go easy on her. She’s got some injuries.”

“Oh my God!” Tears came to Penny’s eyes as she saw Gigi in the light, taking in the bruises and scratches. “What happened to you?”

“She’s too tired to talk right now.” Colt took Gigi under his wing and led her to the bedroom. “She’s all right, but she needs to rest.”

Too many of us walked with her to her bedroom, Colt, Caroline, Penny, plus that guy in a pink Oxford who looked like he should be wearing a bow tie and drinking a mint julep. I was the caboose, tagging along, not even able to see Gigi at the front.

“Who are you?” Tall and slender, the guy I couldn’t quite place stopped at the doorway as if to block it. That was funny.

“Who are you?” I had an inch of height on him and a hell of a lot of brawn. I gave him a look that let him know I wasn’t afraid to use it.

He sniffed. “I’m Trevor, Gigi’s fiancé.”

Like hell he was. Behind him, I caught a glimpse of Caroline helping Gigi into bed. She looked half-asleep already. Now wasn’t the time to go toe-to-toe with this ass-hat.

“She needs to rest,” I told everyone in the room.