Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy) by Sylvain Reynard Page A

Peterson and lifted her chin. “I believe I’m quite finished.”
    With that, she favored Christa with her back. The other occupants of the room stood by, somewhat shell-shocked by just having witnessed the academic equivalent of a mud-wrestling match, handily won by a small (but feisty) septuagenarian.
    “My dear friends, it’s good to see you. How was your flight?” Katherine placed her arm around Julia’s stiff shoulders, giving her a fraternal squeeze, before shaking Gabriel’s hand.
    “The flight was fine. We spent a few days in London before arriving by train.” Gabriel kissed Professor Picton’s cheek. He tried to force a smile but failed.
    “I’m not impressed with the fact that they’ve admitted riffraff.” Katherine sniffed. “I must speak to the conference organizers. It’s bad enough that you young people should be subjected to such a person, but to have to endure her in public. What a ridiculous girl.”
    Professor Picton’s aged eyes quickly took in Julia’s expression of distress, and her demeanor softened.
    “I’ll buy you a drink this evening, Julianne. I think it’s time for us to have a little chat.”
    The professor’s words jarred Julia out of her quietude. A thinly veiled expression of terror flashed across her features.
    Gabriel grasped her around the waist. “That’s very generous, Katherine, but why don’t you join us for dinner, instead?”
    “Thank you, I’d enjoy that. But I’ll speak to Julianne first.” She turned to her former student, her expression kind. “Come and find me after the last lecture and we’ll walk to The Bird and Baby.”
    Professor Picton took her leave and was immediately surrounded by several academic admirers.
    It took a moment for Julia to regain her composure, but when she did, she leaned against Gabriel.
    “I’m so embarrassed.”
    “I’m sorry Katherine interrupted when she did. I would have liked to say a few words.”
    Julia began wringing her hands. “I never should have answered Christa. We should have walked away.”
    Gabriel’s expression tightened. He looked around, then brought his mouth close to her ear. “You stood up for yourself, which was the right thing to do. And I’m not going to stand there and let her call you a whore.”
    “If we’d walked away, she wouldn’t have gotten that far.”
    “Bullshit. She’s already slandering us. You said so yourself.”
    Julia’s face was marked by disappointment. “I asked you to stop.”
    “And I explained that I wasn’t about to let her speak to you that way.” He clenched his jaw and released it. “Let’s not fight because of that bitch. That’s precisely what she wants.”
    “She was spoiling for a fight. And you gave it to her.” Julia glanced around the rapidly emptying room. “Tomorrow I have to stand up in front of everyone, knowing that they witnessed that embarrassing scene.”
    “If I’d said nothing, if I’d done nothing, then it would look like I agreed with her.” Gabriel’s voice rumbled, low in his throat.
    “I asked you to stop, and you brushed me off.” She gave him a wounded look. “I’m your wife. Not a speed bump.”
    She clutched her old Fendi messenger bag and followed the crowd into the lecture theater.

Chapter Ten
    P rofessor Emerson seethed with anger as he watched his wife walk away. He wanted to drag Christa Peterson outside by her hair and teach her a lesson. Unfortunately, based on her seductive behavior when she was his student, she’d probably enjoy it.
    (And take photographs for her scrapbook.)
    It was not like him to want to strike a woman.
    Or perhaps it was. Perhaps it was precisely like him to want to strike a woman. Anger and violence were written in the bone, the product of DNA. Perhaps Gabriel was just like his father.
    He closed his eyes. As quickly as the thought emerged, he tamped it down. Now was not the time to think of what he did and did not know about his biological parents.
    Gabriel knew he had a temper. He