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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"Olivia!" Gabriel exclaimed with relief, recognizing the eyes on the other side of the gun. Her mask was gone, and giant ringlets of her hair had come undone. "Thank God it's you."
"Shit, Gabe." Olivia stepped back to let them in. "I almost killed you."
"Again." Gabriel chuckled with no mirth behind it. He carried Bri over to a couch and laid his jacket over her when she started to shiver. She tossed and turned but didn't open her eyes. "She's not waking up, Em."
"Is she okay?" Olivia asked, coming up behind them.
"The spell's weakening but still holding on." Claire frowned, taking her cousin's hand. She pushed up her mask, and her pearls started to glow. A white light formed between their hands. "I'll try to reach her."
"What's she doing?" Olivia asked, slowly taking a step back.
"She's trying to wake her," Gabriel stated the obvious, not sure how much time he had to explain everything to Olivia. He leaned heavily on the sofa as the nausea rose in his throat again. He needed her to help him find the antidote. "Bri's father put her under a sleeping spell to stop her from escaping."
"You're telling me that the President of the United States is a witch?" she asked.
"Yes, but he is more of a mage, really. Actually, the whole Cabinet is," Gabriel explained to her disbelieving expression. "I'm sorry, Liv, but I don't have time to go into all this now because I'm poisoned and I need you to help me find the antidote."
"Poisoned?" Olivia hesitated only for a moment. "Where would the cure be?"
"In the secret room," Gabriel said turning to find it open.
"I came to find Christian and how to get into the prison." Olivia led the way into the office giving Claire and Bri a weary glance before leaving them alone. "Are you guys going to be all right?"
"Of course," Gabriel said with entirely more bravado than he felt. He searched the shelves but found nothing more than office papers and laptops from the president's staff. He tripped over his own feet but shrugged off Olivia's help. "It's not here. He lied. What a surprise."
"He told you that the antidote was here?" Olivia suddenly looked alarmed and searched the feeds from the cameras throughout the building on the monitors lining the wall. "We have to get out of here before they come looking for us."
"Yes, but let me do this first." Gabriel found a series of buttons marked AMT. He released all of them and watched them go dark. That was the only indication that he was going to get that the technology was down and that his own sleeping spell was going to work. "We can go now."
They returned to the living room to find Claire and Bri engulfed in white light.
"She is almost awake," Claire said smiling. "Do we know where Christian is?"
"Yes," Gabriel said kneeling near Bri.
"Did you find the cure?" Claire asked, putting a hand on his arm.
"No." He shook his head.
"Will he die without it?" Olivia asked, sounding concerned.
"We have to find it," was all Claire said as she rose and headed towards the bedrooms. "Help me find it."
Olivia followed her, leaving Gabriel to concentrate on breathing.
"Gabe," Bri's voice brought him back to consciousness.
"Brianna." He kissed her, but she abruptly pulled away.
"You're poisoned." Concern filled her eyes.
"Your father strikes again." He meant it to sound like a joke, but it hung heavily in the air between them. "But Claire and Olivia are looking for the cure in his things right now."
"Olivia." She sat up and flung his jacket off her. "We have to rescue Christian."
"We will. We are." Gabriel struggled to stand with her. "The prison's defenses are down, and we can get him out."
"Good." Bri pulled a blade from one of her dark boots and began cutting the length off her wet skirts. "We've got to hurry before my father finds us."
"Don't worry, Brianna." He started to walk but fell into her.
"Gabe." She caught him but still weak from the sleeping spell, she couldn't support both of their weights, and they tumbled to the floor. She lay next to him pushing his wet blond hair out of his face. "You're really sick."
"Yeah."
"What if they can't find a cure?"
"They will."
"How do you know?"
"Because I will die without it, and I promised to get you out alive. I can't keep that promise if I'm dead, sweetheart."
She kissed him, and all of his pain subsided.
"We found it!" Claire said from above them.
"I told you not to worry," Gabriel said letting Bri help him into a sitting position. "Thank God I'm always right."
"Just drink the potion, you arrogant bastard." She held the vial of blue liquid to his lips.
"Tastes like shit," he said but immediately started to feel relief. The liquid filled his belly with warmth that radiated out to all of his achy joints. The pounding in his head stopped, and he could feel his strength coming back. He leapt to his feet a little too quickly, though, and swayed. He played it off, held out his hand to Bri, and said, "Let's get the fuck out of here."
