Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 135. Life Went On

Gently, Gabriel brushed a few strands of hair behind Misha's ear. His fingers then lingered on his cheek, his emerald eyes locked on the teenager's sleeping face. It didn't look very peaceful, however; a frown creased his brow while his lips were stretched taut. Nightmares seemed to be plaguing his sleep, which wasn't anything surprising considering what he had just gone through.

"I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner," Gabriel whispered with a tired sigh. He also hadn't rested much these past few days, but he couldn't go to sleep just yet.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Stephan comforted, patting his friend's shoulder. "You couldn't have done better in this situation. You're human, not an omnipotent god."

"I know. It's just—"

Gabriel was interrupted mid-sentence, the door of his bedroom being slammed open. Masha hurried over to grip his collar the next instant, fury distorting her face. If looks could kill, Gabriel would be dead by now.

"What the heck happened?!" Masha growled, her grip so tight that her knuckles turned white. She was doing her best to restrain herself, but it wasn't very successful. She was out for blood, anger clouding her reasoning, and not beating Gabriel to a pulp took all of her goodwill.

"You said Misha was staying at Dereck's these past few days! I did find it weird, but I fucking trusted you. I trusted you! You.... you went too far with your lies this time!"

Gabriel stayed silent, not refuting anything. He had only told her the truth after Misha was out of danger. However, the news hadn't made its way to Misha's parents yet—and he hoped it would never.

"Calm down," Yuki's cold voice resounded as she wrapped a hand around Masha's wrist. "If he had told you, you'd have gone into a frenzy. It wouldn't have helped."

"So what?! We're talking about my brother's life! I had the right to know!"

"Masha, you're too emotional and impulsive when it comes to your brother. You'd have rushed to Matthew and interrogated him on the spot, forgetting to shut your mouth about certain things. He'd have learned that we're aware of his side business, and that would have put all of our lives in danger, not just yours."

"Still," Masha bit her lower lip, looking wronged.

But deep down, she knew Yuki was right. Matthew would never hesitate to get rid of anyone who posed a threat to him, no matter who they were. And knowing her temper, she'd have indeed said too much. With this in mind, they would most likely have been buried six feet under before finding her brother—not exactly the best way to save Misha, one could say.

"I know you're agitated, but maybe you should lower your voice a little," Stephan said, tilting his head toward Misha, whose sleep seemed to be disturbed by all the noise. "Luckily, we're not in a hospital, or the nurses would have already thrown us out."

Masha shot daggers at Stephan, but the man responded with a smile. Though they weren't in a hospital, Matthew had the decency to bring over a doctor, who then proceeded to check the teenager and his sons. Thankfully, Misha wasn't severely injured and only needed rest. He had a few nasty bruises but nothing that required an extended stay at the hospital. Knowing this, Gabriel had told the doctor's diagnosis to Masha before she came over, trying to reassure her however he could.

"Now that you're here," Gabriel said, ignoring the tense atmosphere permeating the room, "can you watch over Misha?"

"What the heck wouldn't I?" Masha snorted as she loosened her grip on Gabriel's collar, albeit a tad reluctantly. "You've got something to do?"

"I need to have a little chat with Jake."

"Now? Can't it wait?"

"No, it cannot."