Page 105 of Corrupted Empire

“I know.” He lifts his hand and strokes my cheek. “I heard that you’ve started the arrangements for the funerals. Thank you for doing that.”

“It was what you would’ve done if—”

“If I hadn’t been hopped up on pain meds?” he asks. “You’re right. And that’s what makes you such a good partner for me—you know me, know how I operate, what I would do in certain situations.”

I laugh. “And you think I’m always going to do what you would do?”

“I didn’t say that.” He pats my hand. “You do the right thing, though. And that’s always what I try to do.” Gabriel smiles gently. “I’m proud of you, Alexis. You’re going to make a great queen.”

My cheeks flush, and I glance away. I’ve spent so long trying to gain Gabriel’s trust, and now that I have it, it feels even sweeter for having worked so hard to earn it.

“Thanks,” I say, because what else can I say to that?

Gabriel tips my chin back toward him. “I love you so much more than I ever thought I could love anyone,” he says in a gravelly voice. Will you marry me?”

I nearly choke on my own tongue.

With everything going on with the Irish and the Cartel and the purple heroin, I guess I never thought about the next step in our relationship. It always seemed more important to focus on making it through the day without losing life or limb. But now…Now I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than to be Gabriel Bellucci’s wife.

I nod so hard that my neck hurts, tears gathering in my eyes. “Yes, of course!” I rush to lean over and kiss him, brushing my hand over his chest in the process.

Gabriel flinches, but when I try to pull back, he grabs the sides of my face and pulls my lips hard against his. It’s such a joyous, victorious kiss. It’s a kiss that yells from the rooftops that we have vanquished our enemies and that the best years of our lives are ahead of us.

It’s a kiss of hope.

When we finally come up for air, Gabriel grins at me. His left cheek dimples, and the sight of his rugged features taking on that boyish tilt makes my heart flip flop.

“Come up here,” he says, shuffling to the side of the bed.

I eye the tiny sliver he has freed up skeptically. “Gabriel, I don’t think there’s room.”

“There will always be room for you at my side,” he says sagely.

“I see the drugs are still doing their job,” I remark. “Literally, I don’t think I’m going to fit.”

Gabriel’s eyes meet mine, and his stare is full of authority. “Alexis, get on the bed.”

A little thrill goes through me, and I do as he says, wedging myself against his side and hoping that in doing so I’m not causing any further damage. It feels good to feel his body against mine. I lean my head on his shoulder.

“We should get some more sleep,” I say.

Gabriel kisses my forehead. “Not yet. Let’s talk for a bit.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“The future,” he says. “Ourfuture.”

37

Alexis

The officer leads me away from the waiting room, and I cast one last look at Gabriel before I go. He is sitting on one of the shabby chairs and smiles reassuringly. I see him wince as he lifts his glass to take a sip of water. It’s been several weeks, but his injuries are taking their damn time to heal. At least we don’t have another battle to fight anytime soon, so he has a bit of time to rest.

Not another physical battle, at least. A legal battle, on the other hand…

I am led through to a chilly interrogation room, where I take a seat on a cold metal chair. The officer leaves, and a second later, Derek Windsor, the detective investigating the slaughter at the penthouse that night, sweeps into the room, holding a folder.

I should have known that the criminal investigation into Gabriel would resurface again. I suppose the penthouse full of corpses didn’t help things, though at least this time, the police haven’t formally pressed charges. And that makes it all much easier to fight. The police have nothing, and they know it, and without that rabid dog Ruby Flint biting at their ankles, their case is about to blow away like a straw house in a tornado. They’re hoping I’ll flip since without a witness’ testimony they’ve got zero concrete evidence. Good luck, folks.

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