CHAPTER 13

Bound by Shadows

1

Elena awoke to darkness.

The air was thick with the scent of aged wood, leather, and something more distinct—Gabriel.

Her wrists ached, bound together by rough rope. The surface beneath her was soft, a mattress, but the room was cold. A flickering light—candlelight—cast elongated shadows across the walls.

Panic didn't take hold, not yet. Instead, she forced herself to assess.

She was alive.

Gabriel hadn't killed her.

Which meant he still wanted something.

A slow creak echoed through the space, and then—his voice.

"Welcome back."

Her pulse spiked, but she kept her face neutral as Gabriel stepped into the light. He looked untouched by the night's chaos. His dark shirt, sleeves rolled up, hinted at the strength he wielded so effortlessly. A fresh bandage wrapped around his arm—a reminder of the bullet she had once put there.

Elena's jaw tightened. "What, no grand speech?"

Gabriel chuckled, the sound low and knowing. "I thought I'd let you take the lead this time."

She shifted slightly, testing the bonds around her wrists. Tight, but not impossible. He was careful, but he had underestimated her before.

He watched her, amused. "You're already planning your escape, aren't you?"

She met his gaze, defiant. "You're a fool if you think I'll just sit here and wait."

Gabriel stepped closer, his presence like a storm rolling in. "And you're a fool if you think I didn't account for that."

His fingers ghosted over the rope, tightening it slightly before he leaned in. His breath brushed against her cheek, his voice nothing more than a murmur.

"You never did learn when you've lost, amor."

She swallowed back the heat rising in her chest. "And you never did learn when you should be afraid."

Gabriel pulled back slightly, his smirk laced with something darker. "Afraid?" He tilted his head, studying her. "You still don't get it, do you?"

Elena's jaw clenched. "Get what?"

His fingers traced along her wrist, almost absentmindedly. "This was never about fear."

She hated the way her heart betrayed her with its uneven beats. Hated the way his voice still had the power to crawl under her skin.

She had spent years learning his weaknesses. And yet—she had never quite figured out why she was still one of them.

2

Gabriel paced the length of the room, keeping his movements deliberate.

Elena had always been good at hiding her emotions. But he had spent too much time watching her, learning the way her guard would shift ever so slightly when she was unsettled.

Right now, she was unsettled.

Good.

He took a sip of whiskey, letting the silence stretch before he spoke. "The factory was a bold move."

Elena scoffed. "It would've worked if you hadn't been two steps ahead."

His lips twitched. "That's your mistake, amor." He turned, facing her fully. "You think I'm always just two steps ahead."

She frowned.

"I'm five."

Elena exhaled through her nose, tilting her chin up. "And yet, I still got close enough to burn you."

Gabriel's eyes darkened, but amusement flickered beneath the surface. "You've always been good at making me bleed."

He placed his glass down, walking toward her with slow, measured steps.

"But tell me, Elena," he murmured, "if you had killed me at the docks… what would you have done next?"

She froze.

Because for the first time, she didn't have an answer.

3

Luca slammed his fist against the dashboard, frustration carved deep into his features. "We should've never left her."

Rafe, gripping the steering wheel, let out a slow breath. "We didn't have a choice."

Luca shot him a glare. "There's always a choice."

The warehouse raid had gone south faster than any of them anticipated. Gabriel had been waiting, and Elena—

Luca exhaled sharply, forcing down the knot in his chest.

Rafe met his gaze in the rearview mirror. "We get her back."

Luca nodded once. "We don't stop until we do."

4

Elena worked at the rope, careful not to let her movements show. Gabriel had left her hands in front of her rather than behind her back. A small oversight, but one she intended to use.

Gabriel sat in the chair across from her, watching. Always watching.

Finally, he spoke. "You were never going to kill me."

Elena's fingers faltered for half a second.

His smirk was slow, deliberate. "I saw it in your eyes that night." He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "You pulled the trigger late, Elena."

She forced a scoff. "You must've forgotten. I did shoot you."

"But not to kill," Gabriel countered. "You wanted me wounded. Vulnerable."

Elena's throat tightened. "You're imagining things."

Gabriel hummed, unconvinced. "Am I?"

Silence stretched between them.

Elena forced herself to hold his gaze. To not let him see the truth he was trying to extract from her.

Gabriel tilted his head slightly. "I wonder… if I had hesitated that night, would you have pulled the trigger at all?"

Her heart slammed against her ribs, but she refused to let him see.

"Doesn't matter." Her voice was steady. "I'll finish the job next time."

Gabriel let out a soft chuckle. "Next time, amor, you won't get the chance."

5

Luca's team moved under the cover of night, their movements calculated.

They had spent the last twelve hours tracking Gabriel's movements. And now—they had found where he was keeping Elena.

A heavily secured estate, nestled in the outskirts of the city.

Luca's grip on his weapon tightened.

He was coming for her.

And this time, he wouldn't fail.

6

Elena had been waiting for an opening.

And finally, it came.

Gabriel had turned, just enough for her to act.

The rope around her wrists snapped free. In one fluid motion, she lunged, grabbing the empty whiskey glass and smashing it against the table.

Gabriel turned, just as she pressed the jagged edge against his throat.

The candlelight flickered, shadows dancing along the sharp lines of his face.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

His eyes locked onto hers, dark and unreadable.

"Go on," he murmured, his voice almost challenging.

Elena tightened her grip, her breath shallow.

He didn't move. Didn't fight back.

He just… watched.

Her pulse roared in her ears.

And then—

The sound of gunfire shattered the moment.

7

Luca's team breached the estate, bullets tearing through the night.

Gabriel's men retaliated, but they weren't prepared for the ambush.

Elena took the distraction, driving her knee into Gabriel's stomach before shoving him back.

She ran.

Down the hallway. Toward the open door.

And then—

A hand snatched her wrist.

She twisted, expecting Gabriel, but—

Luca.

Relief crashed into her, but there was no time for it.

"Come on," he ordered.

She didn't hesitate.

They disappeared into the night.

8

Gabriel stood in the wreckage of his estate, blood trickling from his lip.

Elena was gone.

Again.

Damian appeared beside him. "They hit us hard."

Gabriel exhaled, wiping the blood away. "It doesn't matter."

Damian frowned. "You let her go."

Gabriel's smirk returned, slow and calculated.

"No," he said softly.

"I let her think she escaped."