25. Every Second Counts #5
“All in good time brothers,” Wolf said. “All in good time. So, in addition to celebrating my sister’s engagement—” he raised his glass— “we can celebrate… me, the fifth Santini.”
This can’t be happening.
But it was.
For years, Gabriel had suspected his father had had a mistress—maybe more than one. In his gut, Gabriel believed Devereux was telling the truth.
The server entered. “Mr. Devereux, you have a visitor downstairs.”
“Who is it?”
“Marco Riccobene,” replied the attendant. “He said he has Monroe, and he’s ready to negotiate her release.”
A growl shot out of Gabriel and he went after Wolf. Just as he was about to clock him in the jaw, his brothers pulled him back.
Wolf waggled his finger at him. “Tsk, tsk, brother. I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’d have you arrested for assault… and all your mafioso secrets would be revealed… by me.”
“Wolfie!” Halston said. “What is wrong with you?”
“You’re the reason Monroe was abducted,” Gabriel seethed.
“Monroe was the reason Monroe was taken,” Wolf spat out.
Gabriel faced his brothers. “We need to find her and get her the hell out. Who’s with me?”
In a milli-second, his brothers stood by his side. Four Santini men with unlimited funds and far-reaching power. A brotherhood forged from the bonds of family that no outsider could tear apart.
Halston rose. She stood alone, her back ramrod straight, her attention ping-ponging from her brother to her future family.
Gabriel wanted to tell her she didn’t need to choose a side. This wasn’t war… was it?
Rather than call her to him, he remained silent. This was her decision and hers alone.
“Halston, come stand with me,” Wolf said. “Your loyalty should be with your family.”
Halston’s gaze narrowed, her hands gripped her hips. “The brother I thought I knew would never spring this news on people he just met. This won’t buy you any favors, Wolf.”
The sharp sting of her words reminded him that he was marrying a woman of great fortitude and unsurpassed confidence.
“This was supposed to be my moment… with Gabriel,” Halston bit out. “That’s what you told me. You wanted to celebrate my engagement. That was a lie. You were using me to spring your big news on them.”
“Halston don’t do this,” Wolf said.
She shook her head at him. “You disappoint me.” With a deliberate step, she walked to Gabriel and clasped his hand. “You made your choice. I’ve made mine. If I were you, I wouldn’t have challenged the Santinis.”
Wolf stood tall, crossed his arms. “I’m not afraid.”
“You should be,” Gabriel hissed. “You should be.”
Just like that, their joyous moment had been thrown into chaos. They needed to find Monroe. The Riccobene family was as ruthless as the Santini Dynasty. And they needed to dig deeper into the so-called, “Fifth Santini.”
“We need to find Monroe,” Luciano said.
Without so much as a backward glance at Wolf, the five of them made their way downstairs. As Gabriel’s brothers collected their women, Gabriel caressed Halston’s back.
He hated that they didn’t have a second to catch their breath, to take a moment and enjoy their engagement.
“We got this.” With a soft touch, he stroked her long dark hair, tugging gently on the ends.
When she peered up at him, a shadow darkened her eyes. “We sure as hell do. I will help you find Monroe and I will stand by your side against my brother.”
He didn’t want her to have to choose. This was a brother she’d been close to her entire life. She was probably in shock.
As his family made their way toward the club foyer, Gabriel felt confident they were going to do battle with the Riccobene family.
A family synonymous with danger and evil.
Gabriel wasn’t afraid. Fear did not flow through his veins… or the veins of his brothers. They were Santinis, heir to a tradition of power and blood.
Halston’s phone rang. She fished it from her handbag and answered on speaker. “Hello?”
“Beatrioux, it’s Pepper,” whispered Monroe. “I need your help.”
The line went dead.
Whatever horrors lie ahead, they would face them as a family.
Together.
Writing DARK ANGEL was a wonderful—and intense—experience for me. Gabriel is dark, ruthless, and one of my strongest alpha males. I loved every minute I was in his crazy world with his own personal brand of mayhem.
As you’ve come to expect, my heroines are smart women with backbones. I created a character who would rival Gabriel, yet also be willing to expose her vulnerabilities… once she trusted him.
What an exciting book for me to write!
If you read with an eagle eye, you might’ve noticed two spellings of whiskey/whisky.
The American spelling is whiskey. The Italian is whisky. While there might be some typos that slipped by the Stoni Alexander editing and proofing team, the varied spelling isn’t one of them.
What’s up next? As you know, Monroe Mae Santini has been taken and Wolf Devereux has informed the Santini brothers he’s part of the dynasty.
My muse has already jumped in and is churning out the ideas…
I’ll be going dark for a few months while I plot and write the next installment in my family saga.
Until then, thank you so much for reading DARK ANGEL. I hope you loved reading it as much as I loved writing it.