“What happened to your hand?” She noticed he had a bandage wrapped around his palm, and cuts on his fingers.
“Accident. I slammed my hand into something, but it’s fine now,” he answered vaguely. Unceremoniously, he picked her up and Chloe was forced to wrap her arms around his neck. He carried her to the nearest exit, and she could hear angry male voices starting to argue from the partially open door to the judge’s chambers.
Then, she was outside, taking gulps of cool air as she tried to get out of Gabe’s hold. “Let me down. You don’t understand.”
“I understand everything perfectly, Chloe, and I hate myself for waiting until the next morning to check your office.” He lowered her slowly until her feet found purchase on the ground.
He’d found the video; she could see it in the look on his face. His expression was somewhere between remorse and repulsion. She hadn’t thought about gathering things from her office. She’d cleaned her stuff out of her bedroom and fled, not thinking about the possibility that the laptop could still be working. She’d thought the vicious landing had destroyed the device, but obviously she’d been wrong. “You found out what he was planning,” she said needlessly.
He nodded jerkily.
“Then you understand why you can’t all be here right now stopping this wedding. I looked for the computer where the video was initially stored, but I couldn’t find it. But I’ll keep looking.”
“Marrying him would be like sacrificing yourself to a pack of hungry wolves,” Gabe grunted angrily. “Your brothers don’t give a shit about their image right now. That’s why they’re here. All they want is for you to be happy and safe. Jesus, Chloe, they love you. Did you really think they’d want this?”
Oh, crap. “Did they see the blackmail material?” She looked down at her shoes, horrified at the thought that her brothers might have seen what James had done.
“No, Chloe. Do you really think I want anybody to see what he put you through?” Gabe asked her, his voice sounding disappointed and raw.
She looked up at him, meeting his green-eyed gaze. There was hurt in his eyes as she answered, “I don’t think you’d ever want to hurt me, but I thought maybe—”
“I only told them that he was abusive. You need their help. Let the people who care about you support you, Chloe.”
“I know they care about me, but I can’t shame all of them for my misjudgment,” she told him desperately. “I have to marry James.”
“No you don’t,” Gabe answered flatly. “We found the original video and it’s been destroyed. You’re free.”
It took Chloe a moment to take in exactly what Gabe was saying, studying his face with hope in her heart. She swayed and immediately Gabe’s arms tightened around her. “I don’t have to marry him?”
“No. Zane found the laptop with the video hidden away at James’s house,” he answered in a graveled voice. “You can head back with Lara and Tate. You can go back to your mom’s house, or you can come back to the ranch, be with me. Your choice.”
He didn’t move, didn’t speak again while he let her make her decision. Chloe watched his face, afraid that after seeing her video, he didn’t want her anymore. “I’d rather be with you if you’ll still have me,” she finally whispered nervously.
“Thank God,” Gabe announced loudly, scooping her up and holding her body close to his. “Have you? I need you, Chloe. Don’t ever lie to me again. If something happens, we handle it together.”
“I thought I had to lie. I’m sorry,” she told him remorsefully as she held onto him for dear life. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.” She burst into tears of relief, her body shaking as she let go of the tension that had been building inside her since she had given herself up to James.
“You can tell me anything, and we’ll work it out together,” he told her in a voice that was muffled against her hair. “I wish you’d told me about all the things that he did to you. I feel like a jerk now for playing the boss in the bedroom.”
“Don’t,” Chloe told him adamantly, sniffling as her tears stopped. “I loved every minute, and you aren’t James. He’s my past. You’re my future, and it isn’t the same thing. Not even close. It’s actually pretty hot.”
“How can you say that after he—”
“Because it’s true. At any point, would you force me into anything?”
“Never.”
“Then it’s not the same. There’s a difference between an evil man and a wicked one,” she teased him softly.
“Are you saying I’m wicked?” Amusement entered his tone.
She shrugged. “Maybe a little, but it’s wonderful when you’re wicked.”
“You ready?” Tate asked as he exited the door slowly, looking as though he was hesitant to interrupt their conversation.
“Ready for what?” Chloe asked curiously.
“Tate, drop Chloe off at the ranch. Your mom and Lara are there, sweetheart, anxious to see you safe. He’ll come back for me, Blake, and Zane. We need to straighten out a few things here,” Gabe told her calmly. “Go on. I’ll see you in a while.” He nodded toward Tate.
“What things?” Chloe asked suspiciously.
“We need to make sure the marriage license gets destroyed. It’s never going to be used. And Blake and I want to have a little talk with James. You’ll be safe now, Chloe. Your family will take care of you.”