Challenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2) by Carole Mortimer

thoughts. “Businessman. Soldier. Lover. All of them capable of killing if they have to.”
    She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “And have you…had to…often?”
    “Enough.” His tone warned her against questioning him further on the subject. “Go and get changed, Angel. The sooner we get that information to our tech guy, the sooner he’ll have the answers we need to proceed.”
    “How are we going to do that?”
    “Exactly how Ethan suggested I should.”
    Angel thought back to their previous conversation regarding his brother’s comments, her eyes widening as she recalled Ethan’s. “You can’t just telephone Clive and ask him to return Daniel!”
    “Why can’t I?”
    “Because—because—” The reasons were so numerous, Angel didn’t know where to start.
    Gabriel shrugged. “Sinclair has something I want, and once we’ve been to the bank I’ll have something he wants. As far as I’m concerned, that means we have equal bargaining chips.”
    “Not once he realizes you’re Daniel’s father!” Angel felt panicked at the mere idea of Gabriel attempting to negotiate with Clive. Not that she thought for a moment Gabriel would emerge the loser but because she now knew Clive didn’t play by any rules but his own. Twisted, disgusting rules that could result in Gabriel ending up dead. Her heart clenched just thinking of that possibility.
    His eyes glowed deeply green. “The similarity is that obvious?”
    “Oh yes.” Clive had never asked her for the name of Daniel’s real father, and Angel had never offered it, but he would only have to look at Gabriel to know exactly what his relationship was to Daniel. “The two brothers of yours I’ve seen would also be recognizable as being related to Daniel.”
    “So would Ethan.” Gabriel shrugged. “I’d rather do it myself, but Jonas has already offered to do any face-to-face negotiating.”
    She shot him a worried glance. “I doubt your sister would like Jonas being so deeply involved.”
    “Lily knew exactly who and what she was marrying when she fell in love with Jonas. He’s part Apache Indian, and he has the stealth to go with it, and he likes what he does,” Gabriel explained at Angel’s questioning look. “Besides, I’ve already spoken to Lily. She’s fine with it.”
    No doubt that one-for-all-and-all-for-one attitude of the Knight family. “You didn’t spend all your night drinking whisky…”
    “Obviously not. Besides”—a smile curved his lips—“Lily was up feeding Amelia anyway.” His smile faded. “Go and change, Angel. It’s the last time I’m going to ask before I throw you over my shoulder again and carry you to your bedroom,” he warned in a hard tone as she still didn’t move. “I can’t guarantee, once we get there, that dressing you will be the first thing on my mind. Unless that’s what you want?” He eyed her mockingly.
    “In your dreams,” Angel challenged as she turned to leave, bright wings of color in her cheeks at the thought of what would be the first thing on his mind.
    His eyes narrowed. “I would have to sleep to dream, and that’s something I’m not going to do until we have Daniel back where he belongs.”
    Angel could tell that he meant every word.
    Making her wonder, and not for the first time, exactly what sort of soldier Gabriel had been.
    And still was at the heart of him?

Chapter 5

    “Why do I feel as if everyone is watching us?” Angel spoke to Gabriel out of the side of her mouth as the two were shown into the private room where she was going to open her safe deposit box.
    “Watching you,” he corrected. “Probably because they are. You’re easily the most beautiful and sexy woman they’ll be seeing in their stodgy bank today.”
    She felt the color warm her cheeks. Not because Gabriel had complimented the way she looked in a fitted navy knee-length dress and matching shoes and handbag, her hair washed and blow-dried in its wispy style, but because she