Stolen by a Sinner (Sinners #3)(82)

Emotion wells in her eyes, and she quickly looks down as she fights the tears. Pulling her into a hug, I whisper by her ear, “It’s okay to cry. It will help you feel better.”

I hear movement behind me, and freeing Mom from the hug, I glance over my shoulder. The moment Mom lays eyes on Gabriel, she ducks behind me. She takes hold of my blouse in a tight grip.

“It’s okay,” I say, keeping my voice gentle. “This is Gabriel.”

Mom peeks around my shoulder at Gabriel. He keeps perfectly still, his expression neutral.

“Welcome, Agnieska. I hope you find peace in my home,” he murmurs.

As if I couldn’t love him more, my heart just keeps expanding for him.

Pulling out a chair, Gabriel takes a seat.

“Tea, Gabriel Bey?” Nisa asks.

“Please.”

I feel Mom’s grip on my shirt lessen. Reaching behind me, I take hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze as I pull her to stand next to me.

There’s a serious expression on Gabriel’s face, as he looks at Mom. She quickly lowers her eyes to the tiles.

“Agnieska, look at me,” he demands, his voice firm.

She quickly obeys, and I can feel the fear coming off her in waves.

I used to fear him like that. God, so much has changed.

It hurts to see her like this, but I know with time, she will get better.

“You are free,” he says. “You are now in control of your life. There will be no beatings, no whippings, no threats of death.” His eyes fill with compassion. “And you will not be expected to do anything you don’t want to. Your body is your own.”

Mom nods, her throat straining from keeping the tears back.

“I will arrange a doctor to help you work through the trauma you’ve suffered. If at any point you feel afraid or uncomfortable, tell Lara or me, and we’ll deal with the problem.” He tilts his head. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” she murmurs obediently.

“You will not call me that. Just Gabriel.” He stands up and takes a step closer. “Lift your chin.” Mom quickly does as he says. “Straighten your shoulders.” Again she obeys. “You are no one’s slave, Agnieska. You are free. No one here is going to order you around. We’re a family, and we take care of our own.”

Mom nods, her chin quivering so bad. I place a hand on her back and softly brush it up and down to comfort her.

Nisa sets the tray of tea on the table, her eyes flitting between Gabriel and Mom.

Gabriel gives her a compassionate look. “Just focus on healing so you can enjoy the rest of your life. Don’t let those bastards take your future from you. I’ve killed Grabowski and Mazur, so you are safe from their cruelty.”

Mom takes a staggering step back. Her eyes widen with disbelief as she lifts her trembling hands to cover her mouth. Then she asks, “They’re dead?”

“Yes.” Gabriel keeps his eyes locked on hers.

Mom takes a step forward, falls to her knees at his feet, and sobs, “Thank you.”

Just as I move to pull her up, Gabriel crouches in front of her. “Get up, Agnieska. You will never kneel again.”

She quickly scrambles to her feet, and taking a step away from him, her hand searches for mine.

“I think that covers everything,” Gabriel says. He turns his attention to me. “I’ll be with my grandmother if you need me, baby.”

“Okay.” Pulling my hand free from Mom’s, I walk to Gabriel and wrap my arms around his waist. “Thank you. It means so much to me.”

“I know,” he murmurs. When I tilt my head back, he presses a soft kiss to my mouth. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”

He turns his attention to Nisa. “Yusuf’s surgery went well. He can receive visitors.”

Intense relief washes over her face. “Thank you, Gabriel Bey.”

When he leaves, I turn to look at Mom, who seems much calmer.

She clears her throat, then asks, “Is everything he said true?”

I quickly nod. “Yes. I promise. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“This is a good house,” Nisa adds. “No evil lives here.”

Some relief flutters over Mom’s features, then she nods and asks, “Is there work I can do?”

Knowing she needs to keep busy until she’s grown used to the Demir household, I say, “I can show you how to make Turkish bread.”

“Okay.”

We get to work, and Nisa keeps correcting me whenever I get the ingredients wrong. At one point, she even manages to make Mom smile.

Just like me, she will get better and learn all the wonderful things I’ve learned. She’ll experience good emotions and happiness.





Chapter 50


Gabriel



After I took a short break of one day, Emre and I have been working our asses off to get the repairs done to Vengeance from the attack.

All the renovations have been completed for Retribution. I also released the staff who used to work for Mazur, giving them each enough money to start a new life. Lara was happy to hear this.

With everything back to normal, the women have been shopping like crazy. My grandmother redid her entire wardrobe, filling it with colors, and they’ve bought enough clothes for Agnieska to last her two lifetimes.