Read Online Challenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2) by Carole Mortimer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carole Mortimer
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he’d been taken prisoner by a group of rebel soldiers. I went to get him out. In the end, he was the one who had to carry me out,” he added ruefully.
“Is that the reason Caleb is…different?”
Gabriel’s lips tightened. “You would be different too if you had been tortured for days by your captors. Just for the hell of it, because Caleb had no information to give them, and they knew it. He has nightmares. The shakes. A reaction to loud noises. Sometimes all three.”
“PTSD.”
“Yes.”
Angel drew in a shaky breath. “So it wasn’t that you didn’t want to come back to me, but because you couldn’t.”
He turned his head to look at her. “I would have walked over broken glass and hot coals to get back to you. Unfortunately, a punctured lung prevented me from doing either of those things.”
“I called the army base where you were stationed.”
His brows rose. “You did?”
She nodded. “They told me you were on extended leave.”
“Officially, I was.” He shrugged. “Unofficially, I was pretty banged up and it took months to get back on my feet. By the time I was mobile again, you had disappeared. You were no longer at university. Had given up the lease on your apartment. You just disappeared,” he repeated bleakly.
Because ten weeks after Gabriel left, she had married Clive, to give her baby a name and a future. “You really came looking for me?”
“What the fuck— Of course I came looking for you!” Anger flared in Gabriel’s eyes before he quickly brought himself back under control. “I wouldn’t have left you in the first place if I’d had any choice. But Caleb is my baby brother. I couldn’t just leave him there. I had to go in and get him out.”
“I understand that. I… Why didn’t you tell me the reason you had to leave so suddenly?” Angel’s heart beat loudly and erratically.
“Again, because I couldn’t.” Gabriel rose restlessly to his bare feet. “I had already told you more than I should have done when I revealed I wasn’t regular army but worked special ops. That last mission was completely off the books.”
Her eyes widened. “Rescuing Caleb was your last mission?”
He nodded abruptly. “The army and I decided it would be better for both of us if I resigned. Caleb did the same, once it became obvious I was going to live after all. His nerves were shot to hell.”
“I didn’t know. Oh God, I didn’t know…” She felt sick again just thinking of Gabriel lying still and white in a hospital bed, his life hanging by a thread.
“There was no way you could have.” He shrugged, muscles playing beneath his tanned skin. “I couldn’t contact you when I was in Afghanistan. And when I came back, I was incapable of talking to anyone for several weeks. I spent my recuperation deciding I didn’t want to do that stuff anymore. Nearly dying and believing you have a girl waiting for you is apt to do that to you,” he added dryly.
Except the girl had already married someone else by the time Gabriel was back on his feet and came looking for her. Maybe if Angel hadn’t been pregnant… If she had waited… But she hadn’t. Had thought—believed—she had merely been a diversion for Gabriel during his weeks on leave from the army. That he had simply returned to that life and forgotten all about her.
“Are you crying again, Angel?”
Was she? Yes, touching her fingertips to her face revealed there was dampness on her cheeks. Because she had spent eight years believing Gabriel didn’t want her. Because he had spent those same eight years believing she didn’t want him. Because Daniel had been denied the love of his real father and he was now in the clutches of his sadistic stepfather. Because Lena was missing too, and Angel had no idea where she was. Because Caleb had suffered needless torture that had left him emotionally damaged, in ways Angel couldn’t even begin to imagine.
“It wasn’t all bad,” Gabriel continued dryly. “Knight Security
“Is that the reason Caleb is…different?”
Gabriel’s lips tightened. “You would be different too if you had been tortured for days by your captors. Just for the hell of it, because Caleb had no information to give them, and they knew it. He has nightmares. The shakes. A reaction to loud noises. Sometimes all three.”
“PTSD.”
“Yes.”
Angel drew in a shaky breath. “So it wasn’t that you didn’t want to come back to me, but because you couldn’t.”
He turned his head to look at her. “I would have walked over broken glass and hot coals to get back to you. Unfortunately, a punctured lung prevented me from doing either of those things.”
“I called the army base where you were stationed.”
His brows rose. “You did?”
She nodded. “They told me you were on extended leave.”
“Officially, I was.” He shrugged. “Unofficially, I was pretty banged up and it took months to get back on my feet. By the time I was mobile again, you had disappeared. You were no longer at university. Had given up the lease on your apartment. You just disappeared,” he repeated bleakly.
Because ten weeks after Gabriel left, she had married Clive, to give her baby a name and a future. “You really came looking for me?”
“What the fuck— Of course I came looking for you!” Anger flared in Gabriel’s eyes before he quickly brought himself back under control. “I wouldn’t have left you in the first place if I’d had any choice. But Caleb is my baby brother. I couldn’t just leave him there. I had to go in and get him out.”
“I understand that. I… Why didn’t you tell me the reason you had to leave so suddenly?” Angel’s heart beat loudly and erratically.
“Again, because I couldn’t.” Gabriel rose restlessly to his bare feet. “I had already told you more than I should have done when I revealed I wasn’t regular army but worked special ops. That last mission was completely off the books.”
Her eyes widened. “Rescuing Caleb was your last mission?”
He nodded abruptly. “The army and I decided it would be better for both of us if I resigned. Caleb did the same, once it became obvious I was going to live after all. His nerves were shot to hell.”
“I didn’t know. Oh God, I didn’t know…” She felt sick again just thinking of Gabriel lying still and white in a hospital bed, his life hanging by a thread.
“There was no way you could have.” He shrugged, muscles playing beneath his tanned skin. “I couldn’t contact you when I was in Afghanistan. And when I came back, I was incapable of talking to anyone for several weeks. I spent my recuperation deciding I didn’t want to do that stuff anymore. Nearly dying and believing you have a girl waiting for you is apt to do that to you,” he added dryly.
Except the girl had already married someone else by the time Gabriel was back on his feet and came looking for her. Maybe if Angel hadn’t been pregnant… If she had waited… But she hadn’t. Had thought—believed—she had merely been a diversion for Gabriel during his weeks on leave from the army. That he had simply returned to that life and forgotten all about her.
“Are you crying again, Angel?”
Was she? Yes, touching her fingertips to her face revealed there was dampness on her cheeks. Because she had spent eight years believing Gabriel didn’t want her. Because he had spent those same eight years believing she didn’t want him. Because Daniel had been denied the love of his real father and he was now in the clutches of his sadistic stepfather. Because Lena was missing too, and Angel had no idea where she was. Because Caleb had suffered needless torture that had left him emotionally damaged, in ways Angel couldn’t even begin to imagine.
“It wasn’t all bad,” Gabriel continued dryly. “Knight Security
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