So it's coming to an end now…just a short epilogue after this :')

Bluebell: yes it's a tribal thing, total fantasy ;)

And I am glad you all love the Native American thing cos I love it too, I just don't know enough about it!

CHAPTER 9

What in the hell?

Troy watched as Gabi ran up to the fence surrounding his hiding place, quickly crawling under the wire and heading over to him, her breaths tight and painful as she swallowed and tried to speak.

"We have to get out of here!" She told him and his eyes flicked over her, seeing her bruises and kick marks on her clothes.

"What happened to you?" His hands gently went to her arms, his blue eyes broken with concern as he feared for the petite woman before him.

"I got ambushed. But don't worry, Rupert has the package. Everything is gonna be ok…"

"Gabi, did they hit you?" His face creased with horror as his warm hands braced her cheeks and lifted her face to his, his motion making her pause and hitch her breath.

"I got out, okay?" She begged him not to ask more questions.

"I'm so sorry they did this to you. This is all my fault," he wrapped her quickly into his arms and held her tight, an embrace she hadn't been expecting but she returned all the same, wrapping her arms around his middle and he remembered how much he missed being held this way. How much he missed being held at all.

"Taamááhe nánéehove(I stand on my own feet)," she assured, looking up, blinking dark lashes over dark eyes, her red stained mouth pouted as she stared at him.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered, letting out a relieved sigh.

"I had to come and tell you to run. I had to make sure you were okay…"

"I can't leave without you, Gabi," he told her, baring his emotions in this moment that had been gifted to him. She shouldn't even be here, they shouldn't even be here especially not like this, embraced and closed off from the world around them.

Gabi looked up to him, the man she had come to care for, the man she had secretly fallen for and she knew she couldn't let him go as much as he couldn't let her. They belonged together, her senses and her soul told her that but she wanted his safety more than anything else.

"Then I'll run with you." She offered, lifting her face to his with a brave swallow.

He flicked his eyes between hers and leaned down to take her mouth, in a strong punishing kiss that told her everything about his feelings for her. Even though it was crazy, even though it was inexplicable, when they came together this way, nothing made more sense to her than the feel of his mouth on hers.

She whimpered, struggling to get closer as she pressed her tiny body to his, her curves receiving his hands as he ran them up her sides and then tugged at the fake hair she wore, tumbling down the real curls she had, letting his hands own them.

"Your red lips are the devil's temptation," he told her in a husk, layering his kisses down her throat, flicking his tongue where her pulse throbbed and she cried out, arching against him.

His hands moulded her, brought her up against his hard body where he pressed his heated skin to hers, both barriered by their clothes but both imagining they were clean of the cloth and naked to touch.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, hooked her knee over his thigh and stretched her body to try and fit his, his large rough hands running up the arch of her back and one cupping her neck as he devoured the skin there, lower at her collarbone and then lower still, into her décolletage. His other hand lowered, grasping her backside as she bucked against him, wanting more, wanting it all as his mouth trailed her neckline.

Her eyes closed, her passion rising so fast, the images she conjured were broken but just as sharp, just as clear and every bit as erotic as those she'd had before and this time, they didn't break as they shared those thoughts and kissed again, Troy flicking his tongue into her mouth to deepen the kiss.

"I want you," Gabi sighed, her dark eyes latching to his, her breaths hard and heavy just like his body was against hers and he groaned at her admission, wishing they could complete their desire right here, in this cold and broken down yard where they had met and dare he say it- fallen in love.

"Oh isn't this just perfect?" Another voice echoed across the misty plot and Troy gasped, dropping Gabi from his body quickly and taking big dragging breaths to regain his control as he quickly caught his stance and gently positioned her behind him.

"Trent?" Troy called, not seeing the figure of his brother in the dark, but knowing it was him who was speaking.

"You didn't actually think they would hold me, did you, Troy?" Trent mused from the unknown darkness as Troy flitted his eyes around him to try and source his voice.

"Go," he whispered to Gabi, pointing to a pipe nearby where she could hide.

"No!" She argued, placing her small hands to his back, pressing her cheek to his skin and making him close his eyes at her protectiveness over him. She was the only person who had tracked him down with the intent to help him and along the way he'd fallen for her raven beauty. But he would do anything to see her safe-only convincing her to hide was a task in itself.

"Why don't you just come out and face me, bro?" He called to Trent, quickly turning to Gabi while his brother plotted his next move.

"Please, Gabi. I can't protect you." He urged

"But I can protect you," she told him with earnest brown eyes and he frowned, not sure what she meant.

"Lovers Tiff?" Trent was behind them now and Troy swirled to face him, off guard at his approach.

"It's only a matter of time now, Trent." Troy arched one of his thick brown brows, his jaw setting and his fresh stubble catching the moonlight as he did so.

"I know all about you and Gabriella," Trent nodded knowingly. "I knew from the moment she lied to me about not seeing you. Remember that Gabriella?"

Gabi closed her eyes and took a breath, coming out from behind Troy's protecting body to stand beside him, her mind set.

"I remember, Trent. Remember when you told me all those lies about Derek?" She added, flicking a look to Troy. "Ma'aatánó'e (gun) ," she whispered, of Trent's hidden weapon in his jean's band.

Troy took a silent sharp breath in and touched his fingers to her hand while Trent paced away, signalling his thanks.

"Well I couldn't have you ruining everything that Chad and I worked so hard for could I?" Trent mused, turning back to them. "You have no idea just what you've done, do you?"

"We brought out the truth," Gabi frowned, defending her work.

"But all you needed to do was find him and put him back in jail where he belonged…" Trent shook his head, grasping the gun from his jeans and swinging it up, pulling the trigger as he did so.

In the same second, or the one before it, Gabi had predicted his move and swiftly made a grab for the gun Troy had poked in the back of his own jeans band, something she was grateful for now as it allowed her perfect access.

Before the bullet even left the gun that Trent had shot, she had intercepted Troy's weapon and shot her own bullet, just as quickly spinning to miss the bullet coming for her.

"Ugh!" She fell to the ground, immediately lifting her hands to shoot again, implanting another lead shot into Trent's shin, not sure where her first shot had landed but also not taking any chances.

Troy watched the scene with blinking eyes, his shock evident as his brother lay groaning and Gabi lay pointing his gun at him still.

He stepped forward to retrieve the pistol from the ground that Trent had discarded and he twisted, throwing it into the scrub beyond, his t-shirt riding up to reveal his muscled belly to Gabi who remained laid on the dusty ground.

"Are you okay?" He came over, ignoring his injured sibling and kneeling to check on her, his hands quickly checking her over.

"Never been better," She rolled onto her back to smile up at him, setting the safety catch on his gun before she handed it back to him. "Thanks for the lend."

"Geez, Gabi. You are the feistiest woman I know," he shook his head, waiting for her to kneel as his gentle hands helped her and then he could wrap her into his arms and hold her tight.

"I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you," she told him, stroking a hand down the back of his head.

"That's my line," he smiled; pulling back to stroke his knuckles down her face as his eyes met hers.

"We should call an ambulance." She told him of the pained Trent behind them.

"We should," he agreed, tilting his head to kiss her, finding her kissing him back with the same emotion that flooded his veins.

"Nemehotâtse," he told her as he pulled away again, his face creasing with a smile.

"Do you even know what that means?" She asked back, secretly shocked at his words, but testing him all the same.

"It means, I love you." He answered, brushing his thumb across her cheek.

"It's too soon for love," she told him, blinking to hide her eyes and shield her fear.

"Nemehotâtse, Galilahi. I don't care if you don't love me too. I don't care that I fell for you the first time I looked into your deep brown eyes. That's how I feel." He told her.

"Someone call a fucking ambulance!" Trent groaned from behind them, making them both let out a breathy laugh.

Gabi lay her palm flat to Troy's cheek and twisted her lips, knowing the words she were about to say were true, she just couldn't work out how it had happened.

"Nemehotâtse, Kuckunniwi."

Troy smiled a slow, satisfied smile as he looked down on her, sliding his cell from his pocket. "What does that mean anyway?" He wondered as he dialled 911.

"Little Wolf," she told him with a knowing smirk.

He lifted his brows, placing the cell to his ear. "Little?"

She laughed as he relayed the details to the emergency services, and the night went on into the early hours as they were questioned and detained and put through their paces by the officers who attended the scene of the shooting.

It wasn't until later, much later that they collapsed into bed together, Gabi insisting Troy stay at her house until everything was resolved with his case.

"I was so lucky you found me," he whispered as he cuddled her close, his lips brushing her hair as he spoke, her small body wrapped across his.

"Lucky little wolf," she sighed teasingly, closing her eyes to the world, letting her body and mind rest at last.

"Thank you," he whispered into the dark, tightening his arms around her.