Chapter 7 - The Reckoning
Victor Ramos strode through the shattered front entrance of the diner, flanked by six heavily armed operators in full tactical body armor. The air was thick with the bitter smell of cordite, burnt sauce, and freezing November wind blowing through the ruined windows.
Ramos took one look at the bodies on the floor, then at the man writhing in the back alley covered in marinara sauce, and finally at Josie, who was still holding the suppressed pistol by her side like an old pro.
Ramos slowly removed his sunglasses, despite the darkness of the night.
“Sir,” Ramos said, looking at Gabriel. “Are you injured?”
“I’m fine,” Gabriel said, rising from behind the prep counter. He reached down and took the pistol gently from Josie’s fingers, engaging the safety before handing it back to Ramos. “Miss Miller handled the rear flank.”
Ramos looked at Josie with an expression that was no longer merely polite, but filled with genuine, startled respect. “Remarkable. Miss Miller, you appear to be as dangerous as you are hospitable.”
“Get this trash out of my kitchen,” Josie said, her voice shaking now that the adrenaline was beginning to ebb. She looked around at the devastation.
The diner was destroyed.
The neon sign hung by a single wire, sparking feebly. The red vinyl booths were shredded, stuffing spilling out like intestines. The mirror that had hung behind the cash register since 1954 was gone, reduced to a pile of silver dust on the floor.
Her knees buckled.
Gabriel caught her before she could fall. He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his long arms around her, holding her tightly as the trembling overtook her whole body.
“It’s over, Josie,” he whispered into her hair, his voice thick with raw emotion. “It’s over. I have you.”
“My dad’s place,” she sobbed against his sweater, the tears finally breaking through her stubborn defenses. “He built this place, Gabriel. It’s gone. It’s all gone.”
“No,” Gabriel said, his voice ringing with a fierce, unbreakable promise. “A building is just glass and wood. You are your father’s legacy. And I swear to you, I will rebuild this place until it is stronger than the bedrock beneath Manhattan.”
Ramos cleared his throat softly. “Sir. We apprehended Marcus Kane forty minutes ago at Teterboro Airport. He was boarding a private charter to the Cayman Islands. He is currently in federal custody.Julian has already turned state’s evidence against him in exchange for a plea deal. Kane is finished.”
Gabriel didn’t look at Ramos. He kept his eyes on Josie, his hands gently stroking her back.
“Ensure Kane’s bail is denied,” Gabriel ordered coldly. “Buy the detention facility if you have to. I want him in solitary confinement until his trial begins. And Victor?”
“Yes, Mr. Vance?”
“Call the construction division. I want forty of our best maritime architectural engineers on this site by sunrise. Every inch of this diner will be restored to the exact specifications of the original blueprints. Every tile. Every stool. Every piece of chrome.”
“Right away, sir.”
Josie pulled back slightly, wiping her face with the sleeve of her stained apron. “Gabriel, stop ordering people around. You can’t just snap your fingers and fix fifty years of history.”
Gabriel smiled—a true, open smile that completely erased the coldness from his face, making him look young, handsome, and breathtakingly human.
May you like
“Watch me,” he said softly.
***
