Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 98561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
He was so valuable to the Marines, they’d been willing to forgive all of his capers and side-hustles. For them to dishonorably discharge him, he must have done something much, much worse. Had I been completely wrong about him?
I needed to know. But Gabriel’s next wound check wasn’t for a week, and I didn’t have an excuse to see him before then.
I looked around. It was after eleven and the only light in the infirmary was my desk lamp. We’d had lights out: the cell blocks were in darkness.
I could sneak over there. The thought just slid into my mind and I sat up straight, shocked. I had a pass key that would get me into Gabriel’s cell block, but it was strictly forbidden for me to wander the prison on my own. If I was caught, I’d be in serious trouble.
But I couldn’t get the idea out of my head.
It’s only a week. Don’t be an idiot!
What I needed to do was get in my car and go home to bed. Right now. I stood up. Grabbed my purse. Hurried down the hallway to the junction and turned right, towards the parking lot…
My steps slowed. Stopped. I cursed under my breath. What the hell has that man done to me?!
I turned around and hurried towards the cell blocks.
I was used to walking the hallways as staff, as one of the ones setting the rules. Now, scurrying between the shadows, knowing that if even one guard saw me, I’d lose my job, it felt very different.
I slipped into Gabriel’s cell block and eased the heavy door shut behind me. Immediately, the heat pressed in around me and I shook my head in dismay. How do they sleep, when it’s like this?! Tomorrow, I’d beg the warden again for air conditioning in the cell blocks.
The only light came from the moon, shining in through a skylight, and I had to wait a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. All around me, I could hear men snoring and mumbling in their sleep. My stomach knotted. If one of them woke and saw me, and started a commotion…
I crept along the metal walkway, just feet away from the sleeping men, glad that at least I wore sneakers for work and wasn’t trying to do this in heels. Then up the metal stairs to the next level, wincing at every creak. 304, 305…there. 306. Gabriel’s cell.
It was utterly dark, inside: I couldn’t see anything. “Gabriel,” I whispered, as quietly as I could. Nothing happened. I tried again, a little louder. “Gabriel?”
I thought I saw a twitch, in the darkness. But then, nothing. I swallowed. “Gabriel!”
A rustle of sheets. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see through the blackness. Then suddenly, he was looming up in front of me, barely a foot from my face. “Olivia?!”
He’d stripped down to his boxers to beat the heat. The moonlight turned his caramel skin silver, the hard curves of his muscles gleaming. He gripped the bars and pressed his face between two of them, getting as close as possible so he could whisper to me. “What are you doing?” His eyes darted left and right, checking for guards.
“I had to see you,” I told him, gripping the bars as well. “Before next week.”
I watched the emotions play across his face. First, worry: he was so cocky, when he was the one taking the risk, but he didn’t want me getting caught. Then anger at himself: he scowled at the floor for a moment, maybe regretting ever starting this. And then, finally, he looked into my eyes…and the anger was melted away by a deep, burning need. He slid his hands up the bars and his fingers wrapped around mine. I swallowed, going weak at his touch.
“What happened in Syria?” I whispered.
His whole body slumped: for a moment, it felt like the only thing keeping him upright were our joined hands. He hung his head and my chest ached. The last thing I wanted to do was cause him pain.
He lifted his head and looked at me. “Why?”
For a long time, I couldn’t find the words. Then: “Because I need to know if I’m right about you.”
He glared. Looked away. His hands loosened on mine and, for a moment, I was sure he was going to pull away and go back to his bunk. He looked back at me, his eyes glittering in the darkness, furious with himself. It was like he was trying to work up the anger to go. I gazed right back at him, willing him to stay.
At last he sighed and his expression softened. His fingers curled around mine again and squeezed tight. I felt something lift inside me, rising so high I couldn’t speak. Gabriel leaned forward and rested his forehead against the bars, his eyes closed. And in a whisper, harsh with pain, he told me what happened.