Page 116 of The Gangster King

“How did you find me?” I ask, pulling my hand free.

He sits back and his face darkens.

I take a minute to take in his outfit. Something has changed. He looks...fresh. There’s not a lick of black on him. His jeans are dark blue, and while I can only see a hint of it from where he’s sitting, I know they look sexy on him.

A white shirt is hanging loose over them. Although that’s not entirely accurate because of his muscular frame and how fitted it is.

With his olive skin and a peak of his tattoos under the rolled-up sleeves, he’s breathtakingly handsome.

Watching me, Dante doesn’t answer my question for a long time while I work out if I can run and escape.

Stupidly.

As if I could outrun him and his men.

What would he do? Toss me over his shoulder and throw me in a car? I want to hate him, but there’s a part of me that wants to throw my arms around him and tell him how damn happy I am to see him.

My father doesn’t know—that’s what he said.

That’s something.

Perhaps I can negotiate with him.

Right now, the fate of my life is in his hands. Which means he gets to choose what happens next.

Not me.

Him.

And for that reason alone, I will never admit to him that I love him.

“You were never out of my watch,” Dante admits.

What?

I glance away, wanting to scream. How fucking dare he? All this time, I thought I was free. I thought I was setting up my life and independent of that world.

I let out a frustrated growl and do something that surprises us both. I pick up the pink cupcake and throw it into his face.

Dante tosses it on the table as I freeze, shocked that I did that, waiting for him to explode. Instead, he licks his fingers, wiping the icing from his nose, and says, “Hmm, surprisingly good.”

I leap to my feet.

“Go away. Just leave me alone,” I yell, no longer caring to be quiet.

He slowly stands, and I spin and run out of the coffee shop.

I know he’s following.

I know his men are following.

But I don’t care.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

DANTE

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