Piper’s world felt like it had come to a sudden, screeching halt. Gabriel’s words hung in the air, as cold and menacing as the threat they carried. She stared at him, her heart racing, her mind struggling to comprehend what he had just said.
Victor wasn’t just after Gabriel. He wasn’t just after revenge. He was after all of them. And he wouldn’t stop until someone was dead.
The kitchen felt impossibly small as the weight of Gabriel’s revelation pressed down on her. Jasper stood beside her, his expression dark and unreadable. She could sense the questions bubbling up inside him, but he held his silence, waiting for Gabriel to continue.
“What are you talking about?” Piper finally managed, her voice trembling. “What do you mean Victor won’t stop?”
Gabriel exhaled slowly, his face drawn with exhaustion and pain. He took a few steps toward the kitchen table, his movements stiff as he lowered himself into a chair. He ran a hand through his hair, his gaze distant, as though he were reliving something from his past.
“Victor and I were tied to something much bigger than I let on,” Gabriel began, his voice low and hoarse. “Years ago, when I worked to dismantle the criminal network, I wasn’t just a part of it — I was deeply embedded. My mission was to infiltrate and gather intel, but... I got in too deep.”
Piper’s stomach twisted as Gabriel’s words unfolded, revealing a part of his life she hadn’t known. She had always known Gabriel had a dangerous past, but the way he spoke now — the pain, the regret — it was clear that his involvement had been much more complicated than she had imagined.
Jasper crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. “How deep?” he asked, his voice tight with suspicion.
Gabriel looked up at Jasper, his expression hard. “Deep enough to make powerful enemies. Victor was one of them. We worked together... until I exposed him. Until I took everything from him.”
Piper felt a chill creep down her spine. Gabriel had mentioned his past entanglement with Victor before, but never with this much detail. Never with this much gravity. Now, it was all starting to make sense — the relentless way Victor hunted them, the personal vendetta he seemed to carry.
“Victor doesn’t just want to kill me,” Gabriel continued, his jaw clenched. “He wants to destroy everything I care about. That’s why he’s targeting you, Piper. He knows that hurting you — hurting Lily — is the best way to get to me.”
Piper’s breath caught in her throat. She had always known that being close to Gabriel came with risks, but she had never fully grasped the extent of those risks until now. Victor was willing to tear apart her entire life just to make Gabriel suffer.
“I should have told you sooner,” Gabriel said, his voice heavy with guilt. “But I didn’t want to drag you deeper into this mess. I thought I could protect you, but... I was wrong.”
Jasper’s fists clenched at his sides, his frustration evident. “So you’ve known all along that Victor wasn’t just coming for you? That he was coming for Piper and Lily, too?”
Gabriel’s eyes flashed with regret. “I suspected it, yes. But I didn’t realize how far he’d go. Not until now.”
Piper’s heart pounded in her chest as the full weight of Gabriel’s confession sank in. He had kept her in the dark, thinking he could shield her from the truth. But now, it was clear that she had been in danger all along — danger that Gabriel had known was coming.
“You should have told me,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “You should have warned me from the start.”
Gabriel’s face tightened with pain, and he lowered his head. “I know. I should have. But I thought I could handle it. I thought I could keep you safe without pulling you into this nightmare.”
Piper stared at him, her emotions a tangled mess of anger, fear, and something deeper — something she couldn’t quite put into words. Gabriel had kept this secret from her, and now, she was paying the price. But at the same time, she could see the regret etched into his features. He had tried to protect her, even if his methods had been flawed.
Jasper, however, wasn’t as forgiving. “This is why we’re in this mess,” he snapped, his frustration boiling over. “Because you thought you could handle it all by yourself. You’ve been dragging us through hell, Gabriel, and now look where we are. Victor’s hunting all of us, and it’s because of you.”
Gabriel stood abruptly, wincing from the pain in his side but refusing to back down. “You think I don’t know that?” he shot back. “You think I don’t know the danger I’ve brought into Piper’s life? I’m trying to fix this, Jasper. But I can’t do it alone.”
The tension in the room was thick, the air charged with unspoken anger and resentment. Piper felt like she was standing between two storms, both men ready to clash, their emotions fraying at the edges.
“Stop,” Piper said, her voice louder than she intended. “This isn’t helping.”
Both men turned toward her, their faces hard but their gazes softening at the sight of her distress.
“We’re not going to get anywhere by fighting each other,” Piper continued, her voice calmer now. “We need to focus on stopping Victor, not tearing each other apart.”
Jasper’s shoulders sagged slightly, the tension in his stance easing. “She’s right,” he muttered. “We don’t have time for this.”
Gabriel sighed, running a hand over his face as if trying to wipe away the weight of the past. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his eyes meeting Piper’s. “I should have been honest with you from the start.”
Piper nodded, though her heart still ached with the knowledge that Gabriel had kept something so important from her. But she couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. They were all in danger, and they needed to find a way to stop Victor before it was too late.
“What's our next move?” Jasper asked, breaking the silence.
Gabriel took a deep breath, his expression hardening as he shifted back into action mode. “We need to lure Victor out. He’s getting reckless, but that makes him dangerous. If we can trap him, we can end this once and for all.”
Piper felt a knot of fear tighten in her stomach. The idea of luring Victor into a trap was terrifying. They had tried something similar before, and it had nearly gotten them all killed. But Gabriel’s plan was their only option. They couldn’t keep running forever.
“How do we do that?” Piper asked, her voice steady despite the fear that churned inside her.
Gabriel’s gaze met hers, and for a moment, she saw the determination burning in his eyes — the same fierce resolve that had kept him fighting all these years. “We use me as bait,” he said. “Victor wants me dead more than anything. If he thinks he can take me out, he’ll come running.”
Piper’s heart lurched. “No. You can’t —”
“It’s the only way,” Gabriel interrupted, his voice firm. “Victor won’t stop until I’m gone. But if we can control how this plays out, we can take him down.”
Jasper frowned, his brow furrowed in concern. “It’s a risk, Gabriel. He’s not going to come alone.”
“I know,” Gabriel said, his jaw tight. “But I’m willing to take that risk.”
Piper’s hands trembled as she tried to process what Gabriel was saying. The thought of him putting himself in Victor’s crosshairs — of him sacrificing himself for her and Lily — was unbearable. But deep down, she knew he was right. Victor wouldn’t stop until Gabriel was dead. And if they didn’t act soon, more lives would be at stake.
“I won’t let you do this alone,” Piper said quietly, her voice trembling. “We’ll do it together. But I won’t just stand by and watch you get killed.”
Gabriel’s expression softened, a flicker of admiration passing through his eyes. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Piper.”
Jasper glanced between them, his face a mixture of frustration and resignation. “Fine,” he said, his tone gruff. “We’ll do it. But we need to be smart about this. If we’re going to trap Victor, we need backup. And a plan that doesn’t end with all of us dead.”
Gabriel nodded, his mind already working through the logistics. “Agreed. I’ll call in some favors, but we need to move quickly. Victor won’t wait long before he strikes again.”
As the plan began to take shape, Piper felt a surge of determination. The fear was still there, gnawing at the edges of her resolve, but it was tempered by a newfound strength. She wasn’t just running from Victor anymore. She was ready to fight.
They had been through hell, and the road ahead was still treacherous. But for the first time in a long time, Piper felt like she had control — over her life, over her choices, and over the dangerous game they were playing.
Victor was coming for them, but they weren’t going to wait helplessly for him to strike.
They were going to bring the fight to him.