Chapter 5 - The Gala of Knives and Silk
Friday evening marked the annual Metropolitan Heritage Gala.
It was an event where the city’s elite, politicians, and criminal nobility mingled under crystal chandeliers.
Gabriel demanded that Tessa attend as his personal guest.
A black velvet evening gown had been delivered to her suite that afternoon.
It clung to her curves with understated elegance, featuring a modest neckline and a daring open back.
When she descended the grand staircase into the lobby, Gabriel was waiting.
For the first time since she met him, his mask of icy detachment cracked.
His breath caught.
His dark eyes roved over her, blazing with an unspoken fire.
“You look breathtaking, Miss Lynn,” he murmured, offering his arm.
“Thank you, Mr. Costa,” she replied, her heart fluttering as she took his arm.
The gala was held in a private ballroom overlooking the harbor.
Violins played sweet melodies while champagne flowed like water.
Yet beneath the glamour, danger hummed.
As Tessa walked beside Gabriel, whispers followed them like a trail of smoke.
Around midnight, Tessa excused herself to the terrace to get some fresh air.
The cool ocean breeze cooled her flushed cheeks.
Suddenly, two men in dark tuxedos stepped out from the shadows of the terrace garden.
They blocked the exit.
“Miss Lynn,” one of them sneered, showing a gold tooth. “Don Moretti would like a private word with you.”
Tessa stepped back, her hand gripping the marble balustrade.
“I have nothing to say to Moretti.”
The man reached inside his tuxedo for a silenced pistol.
Before he could draw, a shadow detached itself from the balcony pillar.
Gabriel struck like lightning.
He seized the armed man’s wrist, snapping the bone with a sickening crack, and hurled him over the stone balustrade into the roaring dark waters below.
The second man lunged with a switchblade.
Gabriel ducked under the swipe, drove an elbow into the man’s throat, and pinned him against the stone wall by his throat.
“Who sent you?” Gabriel growled.
“Moretti... he wanted to see if she mattered to you,” the man choked out.
Gabriel tightened his grip until the man’s eyes rolled back, then dropped his unconscious body onto the terrace floor.
Gabriel turned to Tessa, his breathing steady, though his eyes burned with primal fury.
May you like
He pulled her into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her trembling frame.
“I have you,” he whispered fiercely against her hair. “No one will ever harm you while I draw breath.”
