Page 99 of Dangerous Redemption (Paths to Love 4)

Carlos

“Why won’tyou leave us alone?”

There was irritated Holly. Mad Holly. Pissed Holly. And then there was this Holly. Nuclear was about as close as I could come to describing it. Thank God, I'd never been on the receiving end of that. But who was?

“My brother was here first, so who’s after who, sugar?”

The male voice had me balling my fists and quickening my stride. “Call her sugar again and see how long it takes for you to utter another word,” I growled, eyeing the son of a bitch who was too close to Holly for my comfort.

His smirk had me channeling all my strength not to take him right out. “Wow. You sure know how to pick 'em,” he said to her in a Southern drawl that made his condescending words sound almost polite.

I dug my nails into my palms. He'd insulted her. That was unacceptable. The only thing keeping me from throttling this fucker was that Gabriel was somewhere in the apartment, and I refused to let him see my violent side.Gabriel. My eyes narrowed as I took in this twat from head to toe. His hair was a honey shade of brown. He was tall and had an athletic build. His skin was bronzed like he spent a lot of time in the sun. He was dressed in a dark suit designed to intimidate. His head was cocked, shrewd eyes assessing. The pieces clicked into place.

His brother lived in the building.Easton. Honey brown hair. Athletic. Same skin tone. Similar eye shape but wrong color. That sky blue . . . fucking hell. Identical to his brother's.

And that head tilt.

He’s Gabriel’s father.No one had to tell me. I saw it was true.Shit.

“Whatever you’re here for, you aren't going to get,” I said, voice low, evincing far more control than I felt. I closed the gap between Holly and me. We were a team. If this was a fight, we were doing it together. There was gratitude in her eyes, her spine straightening.

“Aww, isn't this sweet?” the fucker mocked. I didn't even know his name. I should have paid more attention. Should have learned more about this man when I had the chance. I'd been too consumed with my own problems, so much so he hadn’t even been on my radar. He was now.

“Why are you here, Drew?” Her voice was strong and clear. I was so proud of her. She stood her ground and wasn't going to let anyone run over her.

Wait.Drew? The one who’d been causing her problems at work?

“Can’t I come meet my new neighbors?”

“No.”

“I’m still not convinced you can be trusted to keep your mouth shut,” Drew said, running a contemplative index finger back and forth across his mouth.

“About what?” Holly asked. Now I understood why she’d been so concerned about him. Two seconds in his presence and it was obvious he liked threatening her. The son of a bitch had never acknowledged Gabriel. How far was he willing to take it?

The icy eyes drifted to me, and I went cold inside. I didn't like this guy, yet I found it completely hard to hate him when I'dbeenhim only a short time ago. The difference between us was that Holly had changed me. He hadn't been so lucky. Drew was so beyond caring about anything but himself, I wasn't sure he could find his way back even if he wanted to. When the darkness took hold, light became more difficult to come by. The harder the heart became, the more it would eat itself from within.

I'd been there, and because of that, I felt an ounce of sympathy for the man I had more in common with than I cared to admit. I prayed Holly didn't see the similarities. I didn't want her to view me in the same light as him.

“The consequences if you continue to insert yourself in my family.”

Not admittance. I took that to mean he didn't want to take Gabriel unless he felt backed into a corner. That was his only leverage, but it was powerful.

“We can easily solve that, quietly and confidentially.”

“Apparently, she's already opened her mouth,” he said acidly, and I fought to keep my cool.

“That's a dangerous assumption. This is an easy fix. The stroke of a pen. That simple. You go your way. We go ours,” I said, shrugging.

His eyes narrowed, and fear tightened my throat. He held our future in the palm of his hand.

“Mama? Can I have some ice cream?”

Holly's eyes bulged in horror. I spun, and my heart stopped.

“Gabriel. Don’t. Move,” she said firmly, and he immediately halted. My loaded gun was in his hands. I'd put it on the dresser when I'd undressed to take a shower. The safety was on, but anything could happen. “Baby, I want you to very carefully put that down and then back away.”

I held my breath as he slowly lowered the gun to the floor. When he was two steps away from it, I made a beeline, scooping it up and tucking it behind my back.

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