Page 11 of Under His Embrace

“Well, she was clearly there when the shooting happened. And she might have answers.”

“About her job there,” I said.But not about why she left me. Why she stomped on my heart and rejected the connection we had.

“I can question her,” he offered. “If it’s too much to face her again.”

“No.” I shook my head as the SUV she rode in pulled into the driveway. We’d brought her to the empty house next to the mansion where Dante lived with Nina. The adjacent building wasn’t vacant, but no one currently lived there, which made it an ideal middle ground for anything we might not want to bring to Dante’s home.

“You sure?” Liam asked.

I nodded. I wasn’t sure. I was far from ready to speak with Chloe. I was eager to get answers, to do my job and follow up with the one witness to the shooting. I had to do my job and see to my duty. At the same time, I was burning with curiosity and the urge to demand an answer for how she’d treated me in the past. An explanation for how she could tell me that she’d love me forever, but in the next moment, turn around and tell me that she couldn’t do this with me anymore.

“Yes. I’ll handle it.” I had to. Facing my ex who still held my heart wouldn’t undermine my commitment to my job.

We exited the cars, and with Liam, I stood at the back door to where Chloe would step out. When she did, she faltered in her step.

“Are you all right?” I caught myself from reaching out to steady her. Liam glanced at me as he held her by the elbow.

Dammit. I could not let her see how she still got to me. I couldn’t let her see how much this had thrown me.

“Are you injured?” I asked instead, leaning on the clinical, factual manner of that question.

“No. Just from knocking my head,” she mumbled as she rubbed the spot.

“Get her food and water,” I instructed a guard at the house, no longer able to look at her. It was too hard. I warred with the battle of wanting to hold her and scold her. She had me twisted up, and seeing her so vulnerable and intimidated…

“What about Danicia?” Liam asked, referencing the former ER doctor who worked for the family.

I nodded. “Yes, just to make sure her head wound won’t be an issue.”

“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here,” she snapped.

I faced her, hardening myself from caring. From worrying. I didn’t last long. I couldn’t look at her and forget about all the pain she’d caused me. She’d wounded me. She broke my heart, and I wasn’t sure I could turn the other cheek and handle facing her, no matter how long ago it was that she’d rejected our love.

“What’s this?” Romeo asked as he walked out of the house, barely having a chance to look at Chloe as the guards took her inside. She hung her head, not brave enough to lift her face.

“The eyewitness from the deli,” Liam answered as I fell under the spell of wanting to go after her. I couldn’t look away, stuck with the loss of her walking further from me. I was damned to look at her and damned if I didn’t.

“Oh?” Romeo glanced at her and then me, furrowing his brow. “What’s wrong?”

I huffed.So much that I can’t begin to cope.“It’s Chloe Dawson.”

He looked back toward her, then did a double-take. “Isn’t that the name of the girl who?—”

“Yeah.” I shook my head and turned. “You can question her. I need a moment to process this.”

A minute wouldn’t be enough to process the whirlwind of seeing the woman I loved and lost again.

I already spent half of my life missing her. And I wasn’t sure if this reunion could be a blessing of having her close to love again… or damnation that could set me free once, and for all.

6

CHLOE

They caught me. Franco’s Mafia men had me in this car and they wouldn’t let me go. I didn’t ask. I didn’t waste my breath begging for them to release me, either.

If the Constella Mafia was involved in the deli shooting, they would take the incident into their hands. No one would dare to question them. None of them would contact the police—including me. I intended to stay under the radar of the “real” law and authority, but I sure as hell hadn’t anticipated ending up under custody of this unofficial branch of justice.

Of all Mafia Families, I had to get mixed up with his?

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