Chapter 35 Deal With Luke

• Gabriel's POV
• Back in college, I got into trouble—I beat up a girl for bullying me relentlessly. I thought it was justified—a moment of righteous anger. But then she turned out to be the mayor’s daughter, and my world crumbled. Luke was the one I called when I felt the walls closing in. He didn’t hesitate. He silenced her permanently. That one act became the first domino in the series of events that landed him in prison.
• We used to have a spot near the college where we’d meet whenever trouble brewed—a place hidden from prying eyes. Tonight, I was headed there again. Mandena hadn’t changed much, but I had. I was no longer the scared, reckless boy I once was—or so I told myself.