Chapter 53 - The Craving (1/2)

This is shaping up into a long and toxic day, Gabriel realizes. Jake Magno is pressing charges—the nerve of that ȧsshole. Imagine that? He tries to **** Claire, yet he still has the liver to transvaluate everything, even accusing him of setting him up. Well, what can you expect from the biggest snake in town?

Jake's major accusation is that Gabriel beat the shit out of him right in his own home, all without plausible reason. He says he'd just brought home the woman, Bella, because she had passed out in the restaurant, with no intention of doing her any harm.

Gabriel shakes his head as he mentally recounts these details. What an idiot! He has all the evidence, the drug in her system, the highly suspicious circumstances surrounding her unconscious presence in Jake's house. She has no reason to be there. And he found her in a compromising position—her blouse unbuttoned, looking every inch like the helpless prey. If he was even late by a few more minutes, God knows what Jake Magno would have accomplished.

Gabriel isn't really worried about the charges themselves—he's just concerned that all this shit would leak to the media, attracting attention nobody wants. People would start prying into the real identity of Bella Xavier, and that could really escalate things.

”You destroyed my face,” Jake spat at him at the police station, right before he posted bail. ”I'll make sure you pay for this.”

Gabriel swallowed his anger; these delicate times require an incredible amount of patience. ”What do you want, Jake?”

”I want you and me in a room for five minutes where I can do to you more than what you've done to me.”

Gabriel ground his teeth; patience, patience, man. ”Really, what do you want?”

Jake stared at him long and hard. ”I want just compensation, Mr. Gabriel Tan.”

Everyone is indeed for sale, Gabriel thought. ”Give me a number.”

Jake Magno said nothing; he paced the room, occasionally throwing Gabriel his dagger glances. He touched his bandaged face. ”My lawyer will contact you. Be ready.”

”Sure,” Gabriel said. ”Our lawyers will talk. But let me tell you something, Jake. Make sure you fulfill your end of the bargain.”

Jake scoffed. ”And what would that be?”