Page 3 of Salvation

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“Gabrial,I can’t just take off for lunch. We just got a shipment of baby items from a church, and I need to log them into the computers so I can distribute them tonight. These women count on us. I’m sorry. I can’t leave today.” Hope is constantly moving around her small, cramped office as she turns down my offer for lunch.

I sigh. I knew it was a long shot, but I wanted to try to get her to take a small break. She works too hard here at the shelter. It’s also a rougher area of town, which is why the shelter is even necessary. Her being in the middle of the madness has me constantly worried about her.

“Okay, if you won’t have lunch with me, I’ll pick you up for dinner. I don’t have any meetings tonight,” I say as I delicately sit on the arm of the extremely worn chair in her office so as not to crease my suit pants.

She mumbles, “I can probably do dinner. But it’ll be after eight. I need to distribute this formula and diapers out to the women before I can leave, and if you don’t get out of my office, it’ll be later than that.”

Curving my palm around the softness of her toned arm as she flits past me, I gently yank her. She screeches as she loses her balance and falls into my lap. I can’t prevent a grin from spreading across my face as she glares up at me. Leaning down, I kiss her nose. Sighing, she lifts her face to press her full pink lips to mine. Her hands cradle my cheeks as we kiss briefly. She laughs against my lips before pulling back, smiling up at me. “Okay, now get out. If I don’t finish everything on my list, I can’t meet you for dinner either.”

Releasing her, I stand, smoothing my suit. I look at her and take in her messy blonde bun and make-up free face before my gaze travels over her too big hoodie and well-worn jeans. Even dressed to run the shelter, she’s gorgeous to me. She’s easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I thought it the first time I saw her on the playground when we were small children. She stole my breath then. And I still think it now… twenty something years later. Hope Delayne is the only woman who can raise my pulse and affect my heart. She is my air.

Rolling her eyes at me, she points to the door. “Go! Get out, Gabrial. I have a lot to do.”

With a chuckle, I head to the door. Reaching out, I wrap my hand around the cold metal of the knob and turn back to her. “I’ll have Davey outside once the sun sets. When you’re ready to go, just text him. He’ll walk in to get you and bring you to meet me.”

Hope arches her brows and purses her lips, showing her displeasure at my words, as she stares at me. “I can drive to meet you, Gabrial. Where am I going?”

Frowning, I shake my head. “No. You know I don’t want you walking alone outside after dark, Hope. This is not a good neighborhood, and you don’t need to be walking around by yourself. Davey can get you. I’ll send one of my guys to get your car and bring it to my place so you can have it in the morning.” I hold out my hand. “Give me your keys.” My tone brooks no argument.

She sighs and I can clearly see on her face that she wants to argue with me. Her eyes are hard and determined and her jaw is tight. Finally, she crosses her arms over her shapely chest, still visible beneath the massive sweatshirt, and sharply says, “No. I don’t like your guys in my car, Gabrial. You know that. And I know the neighborhood is not safe. I am working very hard to try to change that fact.

“But this is my neighborhood. The people here know me. I help them. I’m safe here. I don’t need your goons looking after me…”

Holding up my hand, I cut her off. Her words fade and her golden eyes harden as I say, “My goons will always protect you. I will always protect you. You are safe here and other areas of the city because of me. I will not allow anything to happen to you. If you insist on driving to meet me tonight, fine. But Davey will wait outside and follow you to my house.

“I’m trying to protect you, Hope. You’re the most important person in the world to me.”

Her face softens and she grimaces. “I know that, Gabrial. And I know that no matter what I say, you will have people watching out for me.” She sighs loudly and I know I’ve won.

“Fine, Davey can follow me. But I’m taking my own car.”

Smirking at her stubbornness, I open the door. I’ll let her have this one. “Fine. Where would you like to eat? Meet me at my place and we can either stay there and order in or go out. Mrs. Lopez has the week off.”

She shrugs, waving her hand at me to shoo me out. “I don’t know. I don’t care. Either is fine with me. And I’m glad she has the week off. She deserves it. I’ll text you later.

“Now, get out. Go!”

With another chuckle at her stubbornness, I nod. “Okay. But don’t wait until the last minute and don’t forget.”

She waves at me and rolls her eyes again, but I can see the smile in them. That smile is for me. I know it and she knows it. She can be cross with me, but when she smiles at me like that, I know I’m forgiven. “If you don’t leave, I can’t work and if I can’t work, I can’t leave later.”

Nodding, I walk out the door. As I enter the musky hallway, I turn, “Would you like to change before meeting me? I can send some clothes over for you.”

Grabbing a book from her desktop, she lightly tosses it in my direction. It hits the wall before bouncing on the threadbare carpet at my feet. “NO! Don’t you dare send me any damn clothes, Gabrial DeLucca! Take me like this or don’t take me at all!”

Shaking my head, I mutter so that she can hear me, “I’ll take you any way I can get you, Hope. Always.”

Her musical laughter follows me down the hall.

As I pass the desk, I stop. The young woman sitting there looks up with unconcealed apprehension. She jumped when she heard me approach from behind. Her face loses some of the anxiety as she sees who I am, though she already knew I was in the office with Hope since she buzzed me in. She smile shyly and straightens already straight papers in front of her as she says, “Hi, Mr. DeLucca. I hope you’re having a nice day,” before she quickly looks back at the desk.

Her nervousness around me has eased a slight bit over the past few weeks. Especially since I pop in to see Hope more often than I should, but I can still see the fear in her eyes when any man is around. My blood roars in my veins at the idea of someone abusing this beautiful young woman. Her fingers are tensely gripping the pen in her hand; her fingers are white, almost snapping the pen in half, as her downcast eyes practically bore a hole in the neatly stacked paperwork in front of her on the desktop.

Reaching into my pocket, I remove my billfold and take out a crisp new hundred. Moving slowly so as not to alarm her, I drop it onto the paperwork in front of her. Her confused gaze rises to meet mine. “Wh— what…”

Shaking my head, I nod at the money and step back from the desk. “That’s for you, Maia. You and your little one. Treat yourself to something new to wear if you’d like. Or buy you both something. No strings attached. Every woman deserves something pretty. And every child deserves a treat.”

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