Chapter 17 - The ConfessionChloe lowered her weapon slowly, her eyes darting between Moretti, Elena, and Gabriel.
"You set the ambush," Chloe said, staring at Gabriel in disbelief. "You let your own transport get blown up just to draw Moretti out of hiding."
"Moretti had been hiding behind European council immunity for a decade," Gabriel said calmly, taking a slow sip of his scotch. "The only way to cut the head off the snake was to let him think he had won—let him step onto American soil to finish what he started."
Moretti spat a clot of blood onto the hardwood floor, glaring up at Gabriel with venomous hatred. "You arrogant bastard. You think killing me changes anything? The council will wipe your entire family off the map!"
"The council is already history," Elena spoke up coldly, tossing a thick cryptographic drive onto the table in front of Moretti. "Every offshore account, every bribe ledger, and every cartel connection in Europe was uploaded to Interpol fifteen minutes ago by federal assets. Your empire is gone, Moretti."
Moretti’s face drained of all color. He slumped back in the chair, defeated.
Gabriel stood up, the handcuffs clattering against the floor as he unclipped them completely—they hadn't even been fully locked. He walked slowly across the room until he stood directly in front of Chloe.
The air between them was thick with unsaid words, heavy with betrayal, danger, and an undeniable, magnetic pull that neither of them could escape.
"You lied to me," Gabriel whispered, his dark eyes searching her face. "You came into my clinic wearing a false name, carrying a federal badge."
"And you lied to me," Chloe fired back, her voice shaking with emotion. "You let me believe you were just another ruthless mob boss, when you were trying to burn your own empire down to protect the people you cared about."
Gabriel reached out, his warm, calloused fingers gently cupping her cold cheek, wiping away a snowflake that had melted on her skin.
"I didn't want you dragged into my world, Chloe," he murmured. "I wanted you to stay safe, far away from the blood and the shadows."
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"I don't want safe," she whispered fiercely, stepping closer, pressing her chest against his. "I want you."
Before Gabriel could answer, the distant roar of helicopter rotors shattered the silence of the Wisconsin woods.
