Page 22 of Angel's Forever

I slumped over onto Gino, pressing kisses onto his back, exhausted and spent. I lifted off him, removing myself, and pulled him up toward me.

“Thank you, Gino.”

He looked confused for a moment. “I think it’s me who should be thanking you. Something has never felt as right as it did then. Something inside me clicked, as though it was a missing part of myself. I thought I had everything I needed in Nico and Gaby, but there was still one missing piece, and that was you.”

I couldn’t believe that Gino had the same feeling as me. That we both gave each other something we were missing in our lives. I placed my arms around Gino and embraced him, the enormity of what had just happened suddenly hitting me. I had understood what a sub went through after a scene and regularly dealt with Gaby when she dropped, but I had never felt anything like that myself until now. Gino held me awkwardly for a moment before I felt a soft hand on my back.

“Come on, Hudson. Let’s get you in the bath.”

I allowed Gaby to lead me into the bathroom, leaving Nico behind to explain to Gino what was happening. As usual, there was a bath waiting for us. However, instead of being for Gaby’s benefit, it was now for mine. I couldn’t understand how a day that was meant to be this special was ending this way. My brain just couldn’t comprehend it, even though I understood why. I followed Gaby into the water, still in a daze. We sat there for a while, Gaby just holding me and reassuring me, but nothing she said was helping me. It wasn’t until she helped me out of the bath, wrapped me in a robe, and walked back into the bedroom that the fog in my head started to clear.

I walked over to the bed and lay down. It wasn’t until Nico lay next to me and pulled me into his chest that I finally felt a sense of relief come over me. Gino came to the other side of me and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“Are you okay, Hudson?”

I turned to look at his concerned face as Gaby joined us on the bed. I smiled and lifted up, pressing my lips against his.

“Yes, I am now. I guess everything just overwhelmed me. That was the first time I’ve had a male sub. I didn’t want to worry you any more than you already were. The whole day has just been a lot to take in. Things happened far faster than any of us expected. But I’m glad it did, because I feel complete now, as if you were the missing piece in my life. Now I want to rest for a while before I spend the rest of my birthday with the three people in my life I can’t live without.”

With that, we all lay down together and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter Twelve

VIKTOR

I HAD CALLED MIKHAIL to meet me in New York. I was starting to wonder who I could trust within my organization, and the only place I felt safe enough to talk with him privately was at my home. Someone here or in Detroit was helping Vincent get a supply of drugs and hiding him somewhere. I was sure he hadn’t given up on finding Gabriella and making her pay for the things she had supposedly done to him.

I had grown very fond of my malyshka. I saw her as my baby girl after everything she had been through, some of it due to my men and myself. I had vowed to Nico and Hudson that I would protect her. And I would make good on that promise, find Vincent, and wipe him off the face of the earth. I just needed Mikhail to understand why I was doing this. He knew about some of the situation, but until now, I had refrained from telling him everything. I needed him behind me now, so it was time to tell him the truth.

A knock at my office door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Come in.”

I stood as Mikhail walked into my office. I walked over to him and placed my arms around him to greet him as usual. Not many people knew that we were half-brothers who shared the same father. We kept this piece of information close to our chests because we found that our men would entrust us to information they perhaps wouldn’t if they knew the truth.

“Brother, it is good to see you. Come sit with me.”

Mikhail followed me over to the corner of the office and sat down in one of the chairs. I poured us both a whiskey. Contrary to popular belief, most Russians didn’t drink vodka, although there were still those who liked to follow the stereotype. I passed him his drink and sat down.

“It’s good to see you too, Viktor. However, why have you dragged me here? Couldn’t this have been discussed over the phone?”

“I wish it could. I think someone either here or in Detroit is getting information and drugs to Vincent. Currently, I don’t know who it is. I have my suspicions, but until I know for sure, I need to keep my cards close to my chest.”

I immediately saw his demeanor change when I mentioned that we had a traitor within our ranks. We prided ourselves on the loyalty of our men, the same as Nico did with his men, and knowing that we had someone giving information to Vincent was a worry for both of us.

“Even so, why am I here?”

“We need to find Vincent. I am certain he is going after Gabriella to make her pay for leaving him and moving in with Hudson and Nico.”

I saw him roll his eyes. He had never really gotten along well with Hudson or Nico. He didn’t think we needed them. I knew differently. I understood having friendships with other families helped us both.

“So what does that have to do with us? That’s Nico’s problem, not ours.”

I could feel my anger start to rise. Mikhail didn’t know how special she had become to me. I saw her as the daughter I lost so many years ago. Something about her made me want to protect her, with my life if I had to.

“Look, Viktor, I know that she is good in the bedroom, but that is no reason for us to get involved. We did what we had to do and now leave her to them.”

“Don’t you dare speak of Gabriella that way again! You don’t know what she has been through. Not everything.”