All of Me by Tiffany Patterson

Chapter 33

Lena

“What does he want now?” I growled as I stared at the message on my phone.

I stood in the middle of my condo in Los Angeles. The same one I left ten and a half months ago with the hope that going to Texas would help me write. All this time later, I had a completed album, a new single out and doing well, but I was more miserable than ever.

To top it off, Nate had become even more demanding in his attempt to get me to sign a new contract with his record label. Time was running out. I could feel it. But there was no way I could become beholden to him for another decade.

Asshole: Meet me at 12 Winchester Crt in 30 minutes.

His text read. It probably was his way of getting me to meet with him again so he could threaten me with the release of that video of Gabriel to get me to resign.

Me: What for?

His response was immediate.

Asshole: Just get here.

Squeezing my phone in my hand, I wished I could figure some way out of this. I’d considered reaching out to Rayven, but she was out of the country. I knew she’d fly back in to help in any way she could, but whatever kept her away sounded serious, and I didn’t see how she could help me anyway.

With a sigh, I gathered my belongings and headed for the door. Another text from Nate came through. It told me to drive there instead of taking a car like I usually did. It was an odd request but probably just another way for him to exert some control over me.

I had half a mind to call an Uber to the address listed in his text. But I thought better and drove my car. The location turned out to be longer than thirty minutes away. It took me closer to forty-five minutes to get there.

Once I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted a brick building. I glanced around, noticing that my car was the only one in the lot. I didn’t know what the hell Nate had going on, but I wanted no part in it. I pressed on the gas to veer out of the parking lot.

Too bad someone else pulled out in front of me. A dark SUV with tinted windows stopped directly in the path of my car. Micah Townsend hopped out.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. In front of me was Gabriel’s brother, dressed in all black.

“You should get inside,” he said as he approached my driver's side door. He didn’t wait for me to respond as he opened the door and pulled me out by the arm.

“What’s going on?” I asked as he rushed me inside of the building. It reminded me of that dank building where Eli fought in that underground fight.

“Sorry for the fake message. We needed to get you here quickly,” he said as he ushered me into the building.

“Micah, please tell me what’s going on …” I trailed off because out of the shadows of the backroom emerged Gabriel. He, too, wore all black. He had a stony expression on his face as he turned hard eyes down on me.

All I could recall was that final day in Jodi’s driveway. The look of hurt, anguish, and then fury that had rippled across his face.

“We need to talk,” he said, his voice low and rigid.

“Gabriel,” I rushed out but stopped. Nate’s threats came to mind. “You can’t be here.” His safety was the only thing on my mind.

“Why? Because he threatened you?”

My jaw fell open.

“Yeah, I’m aware of the games that son of a bitch is playing. But that’s not what you and I need to discuss.” He approached and took my chin in between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my head up. “We need to get straight that you always, always bring this type of shit to me. You don’t try to handle it yourself.”

“He said he could end your career,” I said. “That fight could’ve gotten you arrested.”

Gabriel leaned in, my chin still in his grasp. “He’s a fucking liar and a thief. And he doesn’t get to steal any more time from you and me.” He pressed a hard kiss to my lips.

Six weeks.

It had been six awful weeks since our last kiss. Even in my dreams, I couldn’t conjure up the natural life feeling of his lips against mine.

“You’re gonna have to smooch some other time,” a voice behind me said. “Your party’s about to begin.”

“Joel?” I looked over my shoulder to find Gabriel’s father glancing out the window.

He turned to me. “In the flesh.” He winked at me.

“You shouldn’t be here for this part.” Gabriel took my hand and led me into another room. At the same time, I heard the door I entered open. “Wait here,” he instructed.

He didn’t give me time to ask questions before he was gone. From my vantage point, I could still see the entranceway.

I gasped but quickly covered my mouth when Nate walked in with Demetria behind him.

“The fuck is going on?” Nate demanded, looking around. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I told you the last time I saw you to keep Lena’s name out of your mouth, didn’t I?” Gabriel said.

“Man, fuck you! That bitch belongs to me. She ain’t yours.”

“Oh my God!” Demetria yelled when Gabriel punched the hell out of Nate.

“I told you, you wouldn’t get a second warning.” Gabe kicked Nate’s ribs as Micah, Preston, who I hadn’t noticed before, and Joel watched, keeping guard.

“I’m calling the police,” Demetria said as she tried to run for the door. Preston got in between her and the door.

“And tell them what?” Gabriel demanded. “That you and this motherfucker have been blackmailing Lena to keep her on his label?” he yelled, staring down at Nate. “Or are you going to explain to them how you’ve been using your record label to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from your artists?”

“Embezzle?” I screamed, coming out from the shadows.

Everyone turned to look at me.

“She set us up!” Demetria yelled, and I had the urge to fly across the room and smack the shit out of her.

“Is it true, Nate? Were you stealing money from me?”

“Not just you, babe,” Gabe answered. “He was swindling money from producers and artists alike. Betting in underground fighting with his good friend Roger Wolcott. Too bad Roger died, causing Nate here to lose almost all of his money.”

“Is that why you want me to re-sign so badly with your label?” I asked Nate, but I didn’t need an answer. Of course that was why. He wanted to keep living off of me and my music. And he tried to use Gabe to blackmail me into doing it.

“Don’t ask me no fucking questions,” Nate yelled, spitting blood. “You set me up, bitch!”

I gasped in shock and horror as Gabriel landed a punch so vicious to Nate’s jaw that I was sure I heard bones cracking.

I stood there, caught between trying to tell Gabe to stop before he killed him and wanting to urge him to keep going.

“Get off of him,” Demetria screamed but was held back from intervening by Preston. I watched as Preston put some kind of move on Demetria that had her eyes closing and her body slumped.

“You don’t need to see this,” Joel said as he pulled me back into another room.

I was only scared for Gabe that he might get in trouble.

“That’s enough, boy,” Joel said as he left me and went back to where Gabe and the rest of the men were. “Time to call the authorities for what’s left of him.”

I was okay with whatever Gabriel had done to Nate, but I didn’t want to see it. Thankfully, minutes went by, and Gabe came in. His eyes were wild as he peered down at me.

“Is it over?” I asked.

His lips pinched. “For him it is.”

I lifted on my tiptoes and brought his face down for our lips to touch. Yeah, I had questions, but at that moment, all I wanted was that kiss.

I love you,” I said, breathless when I pulled away.

“I know,” he replied, pinning his forehead against mine. “I love you, too. You belong to me.”

“Every piece of me.”

“Let’s go the fuck home.”

* * *

That night,home turned out to be my condo in LA. Over the past six weeks the condo had come to feel like a prison cell, but that night, it was our sanctuary.

After he beat the hell out of Nate, Micah had called in a guy he knew at the FBI and divulged everything about Nate’s involvement in money laundering, illegal betting, and stealing money from his artists, including me.

That was after Micah had someone delete that video of Gabriel from Nate’s phone and wherever else he’d saved it. Demetria was involved with Nate’s schemes to a point and could face some jail time as well.

Even if she didn't, I already had my attorney preparing papers to sue her for millions for breaking our NDA. Never had I been so happy that I’d made her sign one when she first began working for me.

I canceled all of my scheduled interviews for the rest of the week. It may have been a disappointment to some fans and could tarnish my reputation a little, but my only concern that night was to get reacquainted with the man I loved.

“No,” I said, stopping Gabe from unbuttoning his shirt. “I want to do it.”

I missed him every second that we were separated, and I wanted to indulge in the feeling of undressing him.

“Cin, you’ve been gone from my bed for forty-four days,” he said low, his voice thick with need. “I’m not in the mood to be patient tonight.”

I giggled at the growl in his voice. “Please?” I asked before pressing a kiss to the center of his chest. Noticeable goosebumps rose on his skin, and my smile widened.

I undid the rest of the buttons and pushed his shirt away from his body. Slowly, I moved around him to face his back.

My pussy muscles clenched upon seeing his fully shaded tattoo.

“The wolf’s all grown up,” I said, remembering the first time I’d seen this tattoo. Now, it looked like the fully grown version of a wolf and the reflection of Gabe. The flowery side that was sweet, endearing, and kind-hearted, paired with the ferocity of the adult wolf that almost tore Nate apart earlier that day.

I wanted both sides of the wolf. I trailed my finger around the eyes of the wolf and smiled as my guy shuddered. I leaned in and pressed a kiss to the tip of the nose and then ran my tongue across one of the petals of the wolf’s face. Gabe’s entire body trembled.

“That’s enough of that.” He grunted and spun around, lifting me off of my feet.

“I was getting reacquainted with your ticklish side.” I laughed as he tossed me on the bed. But my laughter broke off when his weight pressed down against me.

“I’m not ticklish,” he lied as he lifted my arms above my head.

“Liar, liar, pants on f— Oh, fuck,” I groaned as he pushed his shaft into me. We weren’t even fully undressed, but he must’ve not wanted to waste any time.

“I missed you so fucking much.” He rutted into me so deeply that I saw stars.

My back arched off the bed, and I tightened my legs around his waist. “I missed you, too.”

“Don’t ever walk away from me again,” he said before kissing me.

I didn’t get the chance to respond. Somehow, we continued to strip one another of the rest of our clothing while remaining connected. Gabe plummeted into my body repeatedly, bringing me to a climax so quickly it felt like it ripped through me.

“Fuck, I love you,” he said breathlessly as he turned me onto all fours. “Say it back,” he demanded while he plunged into my core.

“I love you, Wolf!” I shouted.

Gabe slipped his finger through my folds, finding my clit and massaging it in tune with his strokes. My body never stood a chance against the second orgasm.

We spent the rest of that night making up for the month and a half we’d been apart. Hours later, we fell asleep, depleted and drained but utterly and blissfully fulfilled.