Page 39 of Bishop

A million different emotions are rushing through me right now, but the one that sticks out the most is rage and guilt. I didn't act quickly enough back at the place where Liam had us all tortured. I was too indecisive. And now, after I've already promised Gabrielle and April that I'd find Shade and the rest of the Faceless, I'm coming up on dead end after dead end. It's like I'm destined to fail.

My hands shake and my vision pinpoints until I find myself reaching down for the bread and tossing it with all my might against the wall. No, I can't fail. I won't fail them. Not the way I failed Uma and Willa. These bastards will pay. I just need one break. I need someone to know something that can get me to the people I want.

I've already gone through all of my outside contacts. Wyatt and the crew here aren't going to be of any help to me. If Wyatt isn't going to help, I already know the Wings of Diablo chapters aren't going to help. I even tried Eve's Fury and the Purged, but they didn't have any information either. Who else is there?

Suddenly, a thought pops into my head. What if I need to be looking outside of my inner circles, outside of the people that I know? The last place I saw Shade and some of the Faceless was in that underground bunker near the lounge outside of town. What if some of them had come back? Do they have a safe haven somewhere near there?

I'm not really reveling in the thought of getting someone outside of the life mixed up in this shit, but there's every possibility that they are already mixed up in this. I have to try. Even if it's just a photo or a phone number, anything is better than what I have right now. I'll let my club handle putting people in jail. For Shade and Liam, I'll handle their death sentence.

Twenty-One

Gabrielle

"You're mine! I'll never let you go."

The trees are so dense. I run fast and hard, searching through the darkness for Bishop or April. For anyone to come and help me. They're all gone. I'm alone. My lungs scream as I suck in deep breaths, pushing myself to go faster and faster, but no matter how fast I go, it feels as if Shade is always just one step behind me. I can feel his breath on the back of my neck.

"Come here, bitch!" Shade growls, his voice monster-like. I scream when I feel the wind gust against me, almost as if he's swiping at me. He's going to catch me. He's going to take me back. They're going to hurt me again, and this time no one is going to be around to stop them. A figure appears in the distance. I'm saved. "Please help me. Please." I race toward the person standing with his back toward me. Slamming into them hard, I stumble backward and land on my ass. The man turns, and I see it's Liam.

"Ah, the guest of honor. Are you ready for your show tonight?"

"What? No. Please, no!" I cry. The trees fade from my vision and a bright light shines from above. Red pulsing lights are all around me, and standing on a raised platform around me are dozens of men staring at me with gleaming red eyes. I'm back in the room. How did I get back here? I thought I was free. I was out of this hell hole and now I'm right back.

I shake my head trying to get the vision to go away but when I open my eyes again it's still there.

"Kill her." The chant starts off softly, but the volume swells with every second that passes until I have to cover my ears, it's so loud. Liam leans forward and picks me up, turning me around to see the door behind me. It opens and someone is pushed into the room with me before the door closes shut behind him. Bishop is chained and beaten, and there's a gaping wound in his chest. I watch as he reaches his hand inside of it and pulls his heart out into his hands.

"For you, Gabrielle."

Slowly, I watch as the color drains from his dark, caring eyes and his body hardens. His gaze turns red and he growls in my direction like an animal. They've turned him against me too. Bishop is gone.

In a flash, he lunges in my direction, and my scream can barely be heard over the roar of the crowd above. Still, I scream. Louder and louder.

"Hey! Gabi, beautiful, wake up. It's okay. You're okay." A soft voice pushes through the fog of unconsciousness, and I blink my eyes open, my sight adjusting to the stream of light splashing through the window.

I turn my head to see Bishop placing soft kisses on my cheek and shoulder.

"Wake up, Gabrielle. You're okay. I'm here." Bishop coos again, and I suck in a breath while my heart slows in my chest. A deep cry pushes out of my mouth when I exhale, and I wrap my arms around Bishop and cry into his shoulder.

"Oh God, when will it be over? When will it end?" I ask him, knowing he can't tell me the answer.

"I don't know, babe, but I'll be here with you until it does."

I look back up into his eyes, and I see what I didn't see in my dream: the affection and devotion. I don't know when it happened, but he's looking at me the same way I feel about him. I know I'm just setting myself up for more pain later, but right now I need him to hold me. I need him to care for me. I need him to make me feel safe.

I wipe my face, dashing the tears away so he can see that I'm not still in the throes of my dream, before I cup my hand under his chin and force him to look at me. Leaning forward, I kiss him softly, and he returns the gesture. His hand tightens on my waist, but he doesn't push. He's letting me take the lead.

The butterflies start up in my belly again, but this time I'm not going to let them control me.

"Bishop, you don't know how much you mean to me." I whisper against his lips.

"I do. You mean just as much to me. You're all that matters anymore, Gabrielle." He whispers back before we lock our lips together once again.

Pushing him to the side, he rolls over onto the bed, and I crawl on top of his lap, rocking gently against him. Though my body is still coming down from the terrible dream I'd just had, my heart knows what it wants.

His hands skate up and down my back almost as if he's afraid to push it too far. The last time we were in this situation, I'd asked him to hurt me. This time I don't want to be hurt. I just want him to feel how deep my connection is to him.

I kiss down his cheek; the scruff of his beard tickles my nose. I nuzzle against it.