Page 153 of Beast: Part Two

I rush to Gabe, getting on my knees in front of him. I reach for the gun. He hands it over to me without saying a word. I toss the heavy metal to the floor.

Cupping his face in my hands, I watch his eyes. I look for any sign of trauma. For anything to show me that this will live with him for the rest of his life.

However, instead of seeing fear or disturbance, a slow smile slips over my son’s face.

“I did it,” he cheered. “Just like papa Priest taught me.”

I wrap my arms around him and bring him in for a hug. I can’t even be mad at Priest for teaching him how to shoot. It saved our life. I will forever be thankful to that man.

Pulling away from my embrace with Gabe, I climb to my feet.

“We have to get out of here,” I explain. “Is there a phone somewhere? Ahh,”

I scream when the front door splinters open. I quickly put Gabe behind me. My heart racing in my chest. Standing in the door with his hair hanging in his face, his shirt bloody and torn and a menacing look in his eyes, was Gabriel.

“Daddy,” Gabe shouts as he rushes past me.

Gabriel scoops his son up and hugs him to his chest, yet his gaze never leaves my face. I imagine I look insane with this long ass gown on, my braids tangled on top of my head from where Colleen nearly ripped them out. My face is most likely bruised and bleeding.

Gabriel holds out a hand toward me. “Come here.”

I rush to him. He wraps his arms around me and buries his face at the top of my head.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats over and over.

Suddenly, Sim, Zel, Seth and Many step into the house. They all look as if they’ve been running. The sweaty bodies and panting give them away. They move into the home, their guns up and ready. I lose sight of them.

“I found Colleen,” Seth calls out. “She’s dead.”

Gabriel lowers Gabe to the floor and removes his arm from around me. He walks into the hall where we left Colleen’s body. He stands over his mother without saying a word.

“Nice shot,” Seth says, smiling at me. “You hit her dead center. Haven’t seen a hit that clean since Priest.”

Maksim looks around at the walls. “I don’t see any other bullet holes. Was this your only shot?”

I hold out my hand for Gabe. He places his small one in mine.

“Yes,” I say in answer to Sim’s question. “But I didn’t kill her. Gabe did.”

Everyone, including Gabriel, turns to look at Gabe.

“How?”

“Papa Priest taught me,” Gabe says with a huge smile and his shoulders back.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a room full of prouder men.

“I think that earned you a nickname, kid,” Seth says. “What do you think, Beast?”

Gabriel smiles, as he looks down at his mother and then back at his son. “You take after your grandfather. It’s only right we call you Preacher.”

epilogue

H.E.A

Beast

It’s been five months since we killed Corbyn and found Summer and Gabe at my mother’s house. Since that time, the family has grown. Seth and Lucien are now the parents of a four-month-old baby boy they named Anthony Calogero Gramble. They also made their relationship with Malia official when they got married three months ago.

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