Chapter Twenty #3
Why were they looking at her as if she were a monster? Why was Kade Lancaster standing with his fists clenched, looking at her with a hatred so intense, it made her blood run cold? Why had Cruz Tate turned his back on her, prioritizing the safety of the charity case over her arrival?
"What are you doing?" Gabriela stammered, the manic rage faltering into a desperate, confused whimper. She took a trembling step forward, reaching a hand out toward Kade. "Kade? Cruz? It’s me. Why are you hiding them from me?"
"If you take one more step toward my wife, I will kill you with my bare hands," Kade vowed, his voice a low, vibrating rumble of unfiltered violence.
Gabriela flinched violently, the words hitting her like physical blows. Wife?
Behind the wall of muscled billionaires and a fiercely protective sister, Kinsley Bennet remained completely calm. Tucked safely against Cruz’s racing heart, enveloped in the scent of his cologne and the certainty of his devotion, Kinsley didn't feel a single ounce of fear.
She peeked out from over Cruz’s shoulder, looking at the confused, broken woman standing on the patio.
Kinsley felt absolutely no anger. She felt no lingering trauma.
She just felt profoundly, deeply amused by the sheer absurdity of the situation.
She was so cherished, so fiercely protected by this family, that Gabriela Monroe’s existence was completely irrelevant to her reality.
"Cruz, you’re squishing my ribs," Kinsley mumbled against his collarbone, though a fond, chaotic smile tugged at her lips.
"I am never letting you go," Cruz rasped, his heart hammering against her chest, his arms refusing to loosen their iron grip by even a fraction of an inch.
The sound of frantic, crunching footsteps echoed from the gravel path.
Arthur and Camille Monroe burst through the hedges, breathless, their faces ashen with paralyzing terror. They had realized Gabriela was missing from the car just as the security guards had received Connor’s shout over the radios.
"Gabriela! No, no, don't move!" Camille shrieked, running forward and grabbing her daughter’s arms, physically dragging her backward away from the defensive wall of the legacy heirs.
"Kade, Cruz, I swear to God, we didn't know she got out of the car!
" Arthur pleaded, holding his hands up in a frantic, desperate gesture of surrender, his eyes wide with fear as the estate’s armed security detail swarmed the patio behind them.
"She doesn't know! She doesn't remember anything!
We were just dropping off the papers, I swear to you! "
Gabriela looked at her mother, completely bewildered. "Mother, what is happening? Why are they looking at me like that? I just wanted to talk to Kinsley!"
"Shut up, Gabriela," Arthur snapped, his voice cracking with panic as he grabbed her other arm. He looked back at Kade, his eyes filled with tears of humiliation and terror. "We are leaving. We are taking her back to the facility tomorrow. We will never step foot on your property again. Please."
Kade didn't drop his stance. His eyes remained locked on the family that had caused so much pain, his broad shoulders shielding Marcy from their sight.
"Get her off my property," Kade commanded, his voice echoing with the untouchable authority of a man who had secured his universe. "And if any of you ever approach my family again, I will not bother with the authorities."
Camille sobbed, nodding frantically as she and Arthur physically dragged a stunned, silent Gabriela back through the hedges, disappearing from the beautiful, bright world they were no longer permitted to inhabit.
The security guards dispersed, moving quickly to secure the outer perimeters.
Slowly, the tension on the patio began to dissipate.
Kade let out a long, ragged exhale, turning around to wrap his arms securely around Marcy, burying his face in her dark hair, needing the physical confirmation that she was safe.
Marcy held him tightly, her serene strength grounding him instantly.
Cruz finally loosened his crushing grip on Kinsley, pulling back just enough to frantically cup her face, his dark eyes scanning her features for any sign of distress.
"Are you okay?" Cruz breathed, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones, his hands still trembling slightly from the adrenaline spike.
Kinsley looked up at him, her chaotic eyes bright with affection and a brilliant, unrestrained amusement.
"I am perfectly fine, Cruz," Kinsley laughed, reaching up to cover his hands with her own. She stood on her tiptoes, pressing a soft, reassuring kiss to his lips. "Though I do think your mother’s iced tea needs more sugar. Should we go ask her?"
Cruz stared at his incredible, resilient wife, a slow, devastatingly handsome smile breaking through the lingering terror in his chest. He let out a breathless laugh, resting his forehead against hers.
"More sugar," Cruz agreed softly, his heart finally settling into a peaceful, steady rhythm. "Whatever you want, Kinsley. You can have absolutely whatever you want."