Chapter 42: Chapter 42

GABRIEL

"Boss, your sister is back," one of my men informs me.

"She's what?" I growl loudly, just as she walks into my study with two of my husbands. Goddamn! That's what I was missing.

"Hello, little brother!" she greeted me happily. She smiles and kisses me on both cheeks. "Nice to see you again."

"Jennifer," I growl angrily, making her eyes roll. She sits down on the big table, crosses her long legs and looks at me. "I want you to fly back to LA immediately and this time I'm sending five of my men with you!" I rest my hands on the table and look at her intently.

"Gabe, I guess I'm old enough to decide where I want to be. LA's nice, but you know me. Too long in one place, boring me. I missed Las Vegas. Miss you..." you stares back intently. I sigh and run my hands through my dark blonde hair. "You can't expect me to stay in LA until you call me back. You didn't even tell me why I had to leave Nevada. What's going on, Gabriel? What don't you want to tell me? "

"I can expect that from you, Jen! I'm your big brother!" I huff. "It's not safe here right now. Someone wants me dead. You're my sister. If they catch you, they'll have something on me and I can't let that happen. You're in danger if you stay here and I don't want you caught in the clutches of a certain bastard!"

"I'm staying here!" she says resolutely and doesn't even seem to take my words seriously.

"Jennifer..." My sister is one of the most stubborn people I know. I know she won't change her mind. I'd have to drag her out of Nevada by force.

"Gabe, I really love you. But the way you're directing me right now, you're definitely crossing some lines. I'm staying here. Period." I close my eyes briefly so as not to lose my composure. She's the only person I have left in my family. We Callahans are practically extinct. If something happens to her, I can't forgive myself. I can't allow this. She's my fucking sister. But I know how difficult it is to convince them to leave Nevada again.

"Then do at least one of my requests; go up to your room. And dare to leave the room without telling me, then you will really get to know me. And woe betide you seduce my men so that you disappear secretly I know what you always do to them, Jen!" I warn her, looking ahead to three of my men. You look down guiltily and clear your throat. After all, the warning isn't just for my sister. Jen is the biggest threat to my men. She knows how to wrap people around her little finger. "It's about your safety. Understand that. And believe me, I don't like doing this – having to lock you up because you don't listen to me!"

"Yes, I get it, Gabe. I just hope you kill that bastard as soon as possible so I can feel free again!" She finally starts to leave, but pauses and looks at me with raised eyebrows. "Tell me, what's the matter between Kian and this little one? It looks kind of serious. But it's Kian? Has he really limited himself to one, single woman?" she asks me, as if she couldn't do it herself believe.

"Keep your fingers out of there Jen. Kian really loves her. Don't funk in between."

"But we're talking about Kian, dear brother..."

"Everyone changes sometimes. Besides, it's none of your business or mine." She rolls her eyes theatrically.

"Please! Kian Warren is not a man for a relationship."

"Only he can know that himself," I reply and look at my men. "Take her up to her room. Now." For me, the topic is closed. I will most definitely not tell my sister about Kian and Estrela's relationship. Jen looks at me annoyed, but lets the others accompany her to her room. "Viktor!" I call out after they have left my study.

"Yes, boss?"

"Tell the others if they help my sister in any way to get out of here unnoticed, I'll kill her!"

"Will do, Boss!"

***

Just as I'm getting out of the shower, my smartphone beeps. I quickly wrap a towel around my waist and pick up my cell phone that was lying on the sideboard. It's already midnight. "Yes?" I mumble into the phone.

"Boss. We have a guest down here... Heaven Costello is here and wants to talk to you. She says her father doesn't know about it and she's here by hand. That wouldn't be a trick either..." I'm driving through my damp hair and look out the window at the city. This woman really has nerve to show up here...

"Send her up to my suite. I want to talk to her. Alone. Nobody should disturb us," I say resolutely.

"Boss, are you sure? We're talking about Costello's daughter-"

"I know who she is! And now send her up the fuck. Now!" I interrupt him sternly. Even though I've had enough drama with my sister today, I still need to know what said daughter of Costello's is doing here with me so late. I swap the towel for a pair of loose fitting sweatpants. I leave out the top. While I'm waiting for her, I'll pour myself a glass of good whiskey. I stand leaning against the bar, on which my revolvers are lying – always at hand and ready for use. The door opens and Viktor steps out. I nod to him and he ushers said guest in. "Leave us alone," I say to Viktor in a dark voice, without taking my eyes off her. I glance at her. She wears black tight jeans with a white top, that exposes a piece of her stomach. Her brown hair falls loosely around her narrow face.

"You dare to do something, Señorita ... ", I begin and notice her curious gaze, which lies on my naked upper body. I drink to hide my grin.

"Why? Because I'm going to kill you. Because my father wants it that way?" I laugh bitterly and slowly shake my head.

"So you're saying your daddy doesn't know you're here?... Why would I buy that?" She begins to move and starts to come towards me, but stops as her eyes slide to the gun on the bar, then to the whiskey bottle.

"Can I get one too?" I study her face intently before pouring her a drink. I walk up to her while declaring, "If you try anything, I'll kill you, little one!" I hold the glass out to her and look deep into her grey-blue eyes. "What are you doing here? Is this another one of those tricks you planned with your daddy?"

"I wouldn't be here if my father knew. I'm taking a chance here. After all, you could kill me anytime because I'm unarmed. I have no protection. I'm at your mercy, Callahan. Isn't that proof enough? that my father doesn't know about it?" she says coolly. She takes the glass from my hand, our hands briefly touching. No one takes their eyes off the other.

"How can I believe you? Your father planted a damn bomb in my Dark Palace. The bomb would not only have destroyed my place, but also the whole hotel. A lot of innocent people would have died. And last but not least, you too. Your father put your life at risk."

"I knew what I was getting myself into. My father told me what the plan would be if there was no other way out. He also told me that you wanted to manipulate me. Kian tried that too. He did said my father killed my mother."

"The one who's manipulating you here, Heaven, is your father himself. He's planting things in your head that's meant to paint us as evil. If you've got any sanity left, you'll see that your father's a sick bastard who just is out for power." Heaven's eyes darken and she moves closer and closer to me. So close that our torsos almost touch. I look down at her because she's almost a head shorter than me. She's brave, I have to give her that.

"Don't talk like that about my father when you're no better. You've got a lot of blood on your hands too!" she hisses right into my face. I look at her hand. She grips the glass so tightly that I act immediately and snatch it from her hand so that half the liquid is lost. I set it down on the dresser before quickly wrapping my hand around her neck, forcing her to look at me. I feel her rapid breathing against my face and see her eyes darken even more with anger.

"Don't ever compare me to your father again!" I snarl, dark and dangerous, just millimeters from her face.

"I'm not afraid of you, Callahan..." she breathes. Suddenly I feel her hands on my bare chest. She slowly strokes the bumps in my stomach muscles with her hand. I let her do it because I know what she's trying to do.

"You're not heaven, you're hell," I murmur hoarsely. She grins at me.

"I know..." Her hand finds its way into my sweatpants. That's when I stop her game.

"What are you trying to do, Heaven? Are you trying to seduce me and then kill me? Are we supposed to fuck together? Are you trying to kill me when I'm inside you and I lose control of myself?" I whisper in her ear. I hear her soft panting. She probably didn't expect that. "Don't think I'm a man who can't think anymore when you have my cock in your hands. I know what you're trying to do. But I have to disappoint you, little one. Because it won't work. Not even in your dreams!"

"Who says I want us to fuck?" she gasps. I feel goosebumps forming as I run my hands down her sides and touch her exposed skin on her stomach. I grin, then take a few steps back from her. I have to admit the game was fun, but this isn't a game. This is war.

"What do you really want here, Heaven?" She takes a deep breath.

"I need to know. I need to know if my father really did kill my mother..." Her words surprise me.

"I guess we're getting closer..."

"Prove it to me, Gabriel. And I will help you destroy my father." I raise my eyebrows in surprise. She's lying, it comes straight to my mind.

"So you want to kill your own father if I can prove to you that he killed your mother?" I ask.

"Yes," she says firmly.

ESTRELA

"I thought Gabriel sent his sister away?" I ask Kian. I'm not thrilled that she's back. Images come to mind of Jennifer throwing herself at Kian's neck and then kissing him. I do not like her. Not because she's very sure of herself, but because she slept with Kian, and probably not just once. Also, I can't get the words she said out of my head. Will Kian really ever get tired of me? It's totally silly to think about it when we're dealing with completely different problems. Kian has changed - changed for me. So I shouldn't think about the fact that he might eventually get tired of me... Actually.

Kian sighs loudly, which pulls me out of my thoughts. "She has probably decided to come back, which is pretty stupid in the current situation, but Gabriel will take care of it and will definitely send her back," explains Kian. The words should calm me down, but they don't. I don't look at Kian. Why can't I just think that he slept with her? "Don't worry about her." He says that so easily. "Estrela?" He notices far too quickly that something is wrong. His gaze is alert and his eyes pierce me. One look , whom I can't stand for long. I go to the kitchen and flee. I know it's idiotic of me. Of course he follows me. I already know him well enough to claim that he won't rest until he knows what's going on. I start preparing breakfast to distract myself, avoiding his gaze. "It's about what Jennifer said. Don't you?" his voice comes from close behind me. It's calm, something he doesn't often do unless he's talking to me. "You think I might eventually get tired of you?" The words from his Hearing his mouth makes it worse He turns me to face him. unless he talks to me. "You think I might get enough of you someday?" Hearing the words out of his mouth makes it worse. He turns me to look at him. unless he talks to me. "You think I might get enough of you someday?" Hearing the words out of his mouth makes it worse. He turns me to look at him.

"Is that so?" It's not fair to blame him for that. But I need to know. His gaze gets harder and I would like to crawl away. He takes my face in both hands and looks at me intently.

"No. That won't happen. Never. I love you. You're the first woman I love and will ever love. Do you think I'll ever let you go? This is between us forever, Estrela. I want You - only you. Forever. No one else could ever take your place. Especially not Jennifer." I look at him speechless and I notice how the first tear rolls down my cheek. I thought I couldn't love this man more, but he just proved it.

"I love you, Kian." A soft smile forms on his lips and he pulls me into his arms. A gentle kiss on my head follows.

"Don't ever think that I don't want you anymore." I look up

"I'm sorry I thought that. I feel bad because we have completely different issues and I'm coming with such a silly emotional outburst," I explain.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine..." I really hope so. Jennifer is really the smallest problem. If we were to win the "fight" against Costello and he dies in the process - which I suspect, because I don't think either Gabriel or Kian will let him live - there would still be his daughter. What if Heaven wants revenge?

"What are you going to do now. I mean, about Heaven?" I ask.

"Prove her that Costello killed her mother."

***

I wake up from sleep to hear a smartphone buzzing. I open my eyes and look over at Kian, who was also woken up by the noise. He groans and blindly reaches for his cell phone on the bedside table.

"Yes?" he mumbles sleepily. "Mmm... Ah, really?" Suddenly he seems more awake and I immediately wonder who it is. "Yes. I'll come later." He hangs up and closes his eyes as he pulls me against him. I look at the clock. It's four in the morning. Who is calling so late?

"Who was that?" I ask sleepily.

"Calahan." He buries his face in my hair.

"What did he want?" I ask. I shake Kian's shoulder because I realize that he's about to fall asleep again.

"Miss Costello showed up at his place." I widen my eyes. Now I'm wide awake.

"What? ... What did she want?" I ask almost too hysterically. Kian raises his head slightly and looks at me sleepily.

"She suggested Gabriel, if we can prove that Costello killed her mother, then she's willing to help us destroy him..." Kian explains. "I'm supposed to come to the DP later. But for now I want to stay in bed and sleep with you and only later deal with whether my half-sister is up to something or is really telling the truth."

"She would her own father...?" Kian grunts in response.

"Maybe ... But I don't know if I can buy that from her. Gabriel seems to believe her more."

"How do you mean that?"

"Gabriel had an interesting conversation with her last night. He wants to present evidence with Julien and with me."

"You have evidence?"

"Yes. Julien has them." I nod thoughtfully. "Can we sleep now before I have to deal with my half-sister later?" He pulls me into his warm body and wraps his arms around mine. I finally nod and allow us both the calm before the storm.

"I love you," I murmur, snuggling into his arms. Kian is already back in dreamland while I can't get any sleep and my only thoughts are with Costello's daughter. I just don't trust her.

***

I sit on the bed while watching Kian getting dressed. "I want to go with you," I say.

He stops moving and turns to me. With a determined voice he says: "No!" I look at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Why?" Kian runs his fingers through his dark hair. I get up and stand directly in front of him.

"You're not coming with me!"

"I thought we'd get through this together, Kian?"

"Estrela, I don't trust Heaven. If she's up to something, I don't want you getting involved – again. You've been through enough with Costello. You stay home!" His gray eyes pierce me. The fact that he described his house as mine, brings up all the feelings in me. But they don't last long.

"I don't trust her either. That's why I want to go with you." I know this doesn't make any sense at all. But staying here and waiting for Kian to come back for sure, I can't. I want to support him, even if I have to face a crazy woman. "Kian, please." I look at him pleadingly.

"No, Estrela. Go to your father or stay here. But you will not come with us!" His stern voice startles me. I'm angry at how he rules over me. At the same time, of course, I understand him. He just wants to protect me.

"Nothing will happen to me, Kian. I want to be with you and not be here and wait for you. It's driving me crazy!" He sighs and lowers his head before meeting my eyes with a determined look.

"My decision is made. You stay here!" He slips into his remaining clothes and leaves the bedroom. I look after him in bewilderment. Very angry about this, I get dressed too. I just catch him as he goes to the front door. He seems to notice me because he turns to me. His gaze is softer now. I cross my arms and wait for him to say something. "I love you." Those are his last words before walking through the door without waiting for me to reply.

"Me too, you bastard," I murmur under my breath. I hate that he leaves me like this - angry and worried. I couldn't follow him either, since two of Gabriel's men are standing in front of the house and are guarding the house. I doubt they'll just let me go.

My cell phone rings and I'm almost hoping it's Kian. Of course he's not, it's... Oh, Summer. "Um... Hi," I greet her.

"Hey, Ela. How are you? Are you okay? I haven't heard from you since Kian's fight. And you don't come to the club anymore either. Jason doesn't know much either, because he talks about Kian haven't heard anything for a long time." Her voice sounds worried and I have a guilty conscience that I haven't contacted her in so long. "I'm worried Ella. Is everything okay between you and Kian? I mean, his public confession of love before the fight was really sweet..." I smile as I think back to the day, but it quickly fades as I think about everything that happened afterwards.

"Everything is fine between Kian and I. We love each other. I'm sorry I can't tell you more. It's just I don't want to implicate you and Jason with this." Summer and Jason do know who Gabriel is and what Kian is doing. But if I tell them more, I don't want to cause them to get involved in any way.

"Hm ... okay. Jason and I know who Gabriel is, Ela. And also that Kian helps him with certain things. If it has something to do with that, you can tell me."

"No. It's complicated..." I don't know how else to explain this to her.

"Okay... see. I'm your girlfriend. But I accept for now that you don't want to say what's really going on."

"Buzzer?" Suddenly I feel so lost and lonely in Kian's house.

"Yes, Ela?"

"Could you come to Kian's house. I could use a girlfriend right now."

"Of course. I'll be on my way immediately."

"Thanks." We hang up and I take a deep breath. Talking to Summer on the phone was kind of good and it finally brought some normality back into my life. I live with the fear of what happens next all the time. I've almost forgotten what my life was like before... It might be good to spend a few hours with Summer. It also takes my mind off thinking too much about where Kian is.