Page 63 of Taken Off Camera
“Feisty.” Gabriel grins, revealing perfect white teeth. “I like that in a?—”
“Finish your sentence,” Saint interrupts, “andwe’ll find out how well that pretty face handles being rearranged.”
A current of challenge passes between them, making the air vibrate. I push past, scanning the cavernous entry hall with its soaring ceiling and gleaming marble floor. A grand staircase curves up to the second floor, and doorways lead off to what must be a dozen different rooms.
I tip my head back to study the ceiling and locate the security camera aimed at the entrance.
“Sebastian!” I shout, his name echoing in the massive space. “I know you can see me. Stop hiding and face me like an Alpha!”
Gabriel whistles. “Damn. The quiet ones are always the most explosive.”
I spin back to Saint, who’s still locked in a staring contest with Gabriel. “The box.”
Saint breaks eye contact to push the cardboard box toward me with his foot, never fully turning away from Gabriel.
I yank off the lid and upend the contents onto the pristine floor. Cameras, wires, mounting brackets, and screws clatter across the marble in a satisfying explosion of electronics.
“There.” I kick one of the larger dome cameras,sending it skidding across the floor. “Since you’re not using them anymore, I brought them back to you.”
Gabriel crouches to pick up one of the cameras, turning it over in his hand. “Seb installed these in your home?”
“Every last one.” I grab another camera from the pile, my fingers white-knuckled around the plastic housing. “He said they were for my protection. To keep watch for my stalker.” A bitter laugh escapes me. “Turns out, I was living withtwostalkers.”
“That’s not true.” Gabriel’s playful demeanor fades. “Sebastian doesn’t?—”
“Doesn’t what?” I challenge. “Doesn’t watch people without their knowledge? Doesn’t break into their homes? Doesn’t Mark them and abandon them?”
My voice rises with each accusation, bouncing off the high ceiling. “What kind of Alpha claims someone during Heat, then leaves a goddamn note?”
Gabriel’s mouth twitches. “A note? Tell me you’re joking.”
“Eight words.” I hold up my fingers, counting them off. “I’m sorry. I took advantage. You deserve better.”
I kick another camera, the plastic casing cracking under my boot. “Followed by radio silence for fivedays while a real stalker leaves me threatening photos.”
“Photos?” Gabriel’s playful expression vanishes. “What photos?”
“Taken through my window. Pictures of me with my face scratched out.” I spin back to the mounted camera. “You promised to protect me!”
Gabriel’s face hardens. “That’s not the full story.”
“Then what is?” I demand. “Because from where I’m standing, your brother is either a coward or a liar. Maybe both.”
“He’s not a liar.” Gabriel straightens, now very much the billionaire Alpha. “But he is an idiot with more guilt than sense.”
“For me to believe you, he needs to actually face me.” I turn back to the security camera, speaking into the lens. “I know you’re watching, Sebastian. Either you come down here right now, or I’m taking this”—I tap the Mark on my neck—“and walking away from you forever.”
Saint moves to stand beside me, his shoulder brushing mine in silent support. “Clock’s ticking.”
Gabriel sighs, running a hand through his hair. “You two really aren’t going to make this easy, are you?”
“Easy stopped being an option five days ago.” I cross my arms. “He doesn’t get to hide anymore.”
Footsteps echo from deeper inside the manor, too light to be Sebastian’s.
Gabriel’s attention shifts past me, his expression morphing from concern to amusement.
A redheaded Omega appears at the top of the grand staircase, wearing wide-legged cream pants and a sleeveless sage blouse that cost more than my monthly rent. He stops mid-descent, crystal-blue eyes widening as they take in the electronic carnage scattered across the marble floor.
