With more enemies lining up to kill him than he can count, a playboy billionaire must hire the only woman capable of keeping him alive, even if she hates his guts.
Gabriel Gerard's life is full of gorgeous women, expensive cars, and infinite wealth...
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Gabriel awoke in what appeared to be a standard jail cell with exposed concrete walls, a bare cot, and a metal toilet. He soon discovered it wasn't. Wincing in pain, he couldn't decide which part of his body hurt the most: the fried skin on his legs or his arms with the glass ground into them. When he sat up on the bed, he decided that he was wrong about both: it was his head. Trying to ignore the deafening throbbing, he hobbled to the door and scanned the dim hallway for guards. There were no windows so he couldn't tell the time of day from the sun, but there seemed to be no one around. Even the cells were vacant.
"Adapero," he whispered after trying the lock. He felt the magic repulse as it pressed back against his hand. He tried the light bulb above him next. "Inlumino. Ah!" This time the energy bounced back and singed his fingers. Giving up, he sat with his head in his hands trying to figure out how he was going to escape without the help of magic. He didn't know if he got a phone call but wasn't sure whom he would call anyway. Olivia was long gone, and Asher would as soon let him rot in here. There was always Jade, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to pay the price for that.
A door clanged in the distance and footsteps echoed through the empty prison. Dread filled Gabriel's stomach as he waited to see who was coming. A tall, cloaked figure appeared alone. He was surprised to see his mother's pale face beneath the dark hood. She lifted it back proudly but made no move to free him. Instead, she studied him with her pale blue eyes that gave nothing away and made him feel like a helpless child again.
"Gabriel." Patricia shook her head.
"Mother." He didn't bother to stand up.
"What were you thinking?"
"What was I thinking? Why are secret police coming to my apartment in the middle of the night?"
"There is no secret police."
"Fuck, Mom!" He jumped up, his headache forgotten. "Don't lie to me. I'm not a child. I know that you have powers. And I know what you have done. I know that none of this is the work of terrorists. I know that you, President Alexander, and your cronies destroyed the world!"
"Hush, Gabriel!" It was the first time he had heard her raise her voice in years. She pressed her hand against the door and slid open it long enough for her to step inside before slamming it behind her. She stood just as tall as him in her heels and held his gaze. "Get a hold of yourself before someone hears you."
"Like who?" he asked, not backing down. "You already run the entire U.S. government, and the U.N. is in your back pocket so who are you afraid of?"
"No one."
"This prison wasn't built for no one."
"Damnit, Gabriel. Why couldn't you stay out of it?"
"You know why I can't. My father was murdered." He sat back down knowing that he wasn't likely to get anywhere with her. "And now someone is trying to kill me, too."
