Page 65 of Dangerous Devotion

The realization cut deep—a failure I couldn’t shake.

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass and closed my eyes. That was the exact reason I had to send her away.

I had to focus. There were lives at stake—Fee fighting for hers in the hospital right now, Alex by her side, my brothers and sisters, and Jemma’s family. I couldn’t end this if I was constantly distracted, worrying about Jemma’s every move.

My phone rang. Gabe.

I answered the call, my jaw clenched. “Gabe.”

“Vince,” my best friend’s voice came through, tinged with concern. We’d talked right before the wedding where he told me—in no uncertain terms—that if I fucked with his little sister—as he called Jemma—he would personally come here and fuck me up, best friend or not. And then he threatened that if I didn’t bring my bride to Calabria for our honeymoon, he would fuck me up, as well.

There had been a lot of threats from my future brother-in-law packed into that one phone call.

“I just got calls from Donnelly and Hawk.”

My grip on the phone tightened. And anger flared in my chest. Of course, they’d call Gabe.

Did they think I was weak?

Unable to handle this situation on my own?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. “And?” I managed, my voice deceptively calm.

“They filled me in on what happened,” Gabe continued. “Vince, I know you’re probably pissed they reached out to me, but?—”

“But nothing,” I cut him off. “I’ve got this under control.”

Gabe sighed. “I know you do. That’s not why I’m calling.”

I waited, my free hand curling into a fist at my side.

“Sending the woman you love away, even if it’s for her own safety…it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do,” Gabe said softly.

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. All the anger drained out of me, replaced by a hollow ache in my chest. “Did Donnelly or Hawk mention something like that?”

“No, but I know you,” Gabe said.

The thought of sending her away had been the first that crossed my mind. And Gabe knew me well enough to know that.

“When I had to send Sophie away,” Gabe continued. “It felt like I was tearing my own heart out. But it was the right call, Vince. I had no right to keep her. And you’ll do whatever you need to keep her safe until you can eliminate the threat.”

I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against the cool glass of the window. “How did you do it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper while my chest felt like it would cave in at any moment.

“One day at a time,” Gabe replied. “You focus on what needs to be done, on eliminating the threat. On bringing everyone down who forced you into that position. And you hold onto the knowledge that every step you take brings you closer to bringing her home.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I just…I need her safe. But the thought of her not being right next to me…”

He stayed silent. Because there was nothing any of us could say that would change the truth.

It was the right decision to send her away, no matter how much it hurt. I had to trust Hawk’s team, trust Donnelly to keep her safe while I focused on this threat.

But God—it felt like ripping out a piece of my own heart.

“I’m good. She’s nothing but a distraction right now, anyway,” I said, took a deep breath, and steeled myself. There would be time for us later. Time to build the life we’d barely begun.

But first, I had to make sure there was a later for us to have.

It was time to be the leader everyone needed me to be. Time to find out if this was my father’s doing, as well, and make him pay.

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