70. Gabriel
Blueprints cover most of the desk in front of me while digital files fill my screen.
I’ve been staring at the same section of the estate layout for the better part of an hour, comparing what I remember from dinner three nights ago to the structural diagrams Sera sent me.
I didn’t get to see the entire estate, only a few hallways I could sneak into during a trip to the bathroom.
I lean back in the chair slowly.
The closer I get to the Key, the worse this situation feels. My soul feels uneasy and the war inside me is becoming fucking unbearable.
Because three nights ago I sat at the Marchetti dinner table. Three nights ago, Lars introduced me to the people who raised him. The people he loves most. I could barely eat as the nerves and the small glimmer of guilt sat heavy in my stomach.
My gaze drifts to the window across the room.
If Sera is right about the key, and I’m starting to believe she is, then the system she wants access to is hidden somewhere inside that missing section of the estate’s infrastructure.
Whatever network exists there isn’t connected to the rest of the infrastructure.
Which means it’s separated and secured. Whoever built it understood exactly what they were protecting. This will be more than simply hacking into a program or application.
I drag a hand across my jaw. The problem isn’t finding it. The problem is everything that comes after.
It’s at that moment the doorbell rings and I jump. Lars and Neomi weren’t supposed to be here for another thirty minutes.
“Fuck,” I say to myself.
I shut the laptop and quickly fold the blueprints and shove them into the drawer in my desk, locking it afterward. I check the desktop one more time before rising and running my hands through my hair. When I reach the entryway, I take a deep breath before placing my hand on the doorknob.
The sight on the other side washes the stress from my body, only to replace it with excitement.
Neomi steps toward me, rising to her toes to kiss my cheek.
“Hi.”
Lars follows, and I place my lips to his temple. “Hello, you two. You’re early.”
Neomi flops down on the couch. They haven’t been here since that first night, but she seems comfortable in my space. My chest tightens at that thought.
Lars sets a bottle of wine on the island. “Sorry, I wrapped things up at the estate and we figured we would just head over.”
I shake my head. “No worries. I’m happy you’re here.”
Neomi looks over the back of the couch. “You look stressed. Rough day?”
“A little, things were busy.” I smile at Lars.
Lars comes to my side, running his fingers through my hair. “Well, I brought wine, if you would like a glass. And we don’t have to go out for dinner, we could stay in.”
I pull him into me, wrapping my arms around him. The weight of him against me instantly slows my pulse.
“I don’t have ingredients for a full meal, and you don’t care for takeout.”
He leans back to look into my eyes. “For you, I’d suffer.”
I laugh as Neomi rises from the sofa to join us. She curls into my side, head on my chest. I can’t hide the happy hum that rattles from my chest with the two of them wrapped around me. I want this. I want us.
Suddenly, the emotion hits me. The war that’s been raging under my skin surfaces.
One side is fighting for love and the other is fighting for the mission.
I can’t do this any longer. I can’t stand the thought of putting either of them in danger or detonating a legal and financial bomb in the middle of a family that I want to be part of, that I want to stay with.
I love them.
I pull them tighter against me and place my lips on Neomi's hair.
“I’m falling in love with you. Both of you,” the words spill from my mouth.
They both look at me. Lars grins and Neomi’s eyes shimmer. Their expressions cause a thread of fear through me. Maybe that I’ve said too much.
I shake my head. “I know it’s so soon, and I’m not even sure if that’s something either of you want to hear. I just—”
Lars’ lips are on mine before I can speak another word. It’s gentle and warm. I feel the sting burning behind my eyes.
“It’s not too soon, Gabriel. We feel the same way. And yes, we want to hear it.”
Neomi’s hand threads through the hair at the base of my neck. “Gabriel, would you consider staying in Chicago? We want you here. We want you to stay.”
I nod slowly, my hand coming up to cover hers where it still rests in my hair. The question settles deep, pressing against every instinct I’ve relied on for years.
Staying means choosing my happiness. It could mean a family, a place to call home.
Staying means burning the bridge before I even see what’s on the other side.
But when I see the way Lars’ eyes fill with adoration, and the way Neomi leans into me with her gentle sighs, I want them to belong to me, and I want to be theirs.
The answer doesn’t feel complicated anymore.
“I want to stay,” I whisper.
Neomi’s breath catches, her fingers tightening in my shirt as she looks up at me, searching my face like she needs to make sure I mean it.
Lars doesn’t speak right away. His gaze locked onto mine, something sharp and assessing flickering there before it softens.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
I nod. “I wouldn’t say it if I weren’t.”
That’s the truth, even if it costs me everything else.
Neomi exhales, relief breaking across her face as she presses closer, her arms wrapping around my waist. “Okay,” she says softly, “this makes me so happy.”
Lars leans in, his hand settling on the back of my neck. “Fuck, Gabriel, I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that until this moment.”
Neomi tilts her head back to look between us, something shifting in her expression.
“Come with me,” she says quietly.
Her hand slips into mine, and then into Lars’s, linking us together as she starts toward the bedroom.
Lars glances at me once, something knowing passing between us, before he follows her.
I take one step after them—then stop.
“Go ahead,” I say, my voice steady. “I’m right behind you.”
Neomi studies me for a second, then she nods, tugging Lars with her as they walk to my bedroom.
I pull my phone from my pocket, staring at the screen longer than I should.
There’s only one thing left to do.
My thumb moves before I can second-guess it.
Me: I’m compromised. I’m leaving the mission.
I stare at the message, at the weight of it sitting there in plain text. Then I hit send.
And just like that, there’s no going back.
I exhale slowly, power down my phone and leave it on the island before I turn toward the bedroom.
Toward whatever this choice is going to cost me.