Page 76 of The Virgin Temptation (Caprice Langden)

That didn’t make sense. She had mentioned things that weren’t in the reports. “Bailey and Rubinstein aren’t in the police report,” I said.

Noemi tilted her head. “I know they aren’t. So now will you tell me how you knew about those two? Please, just tell me the truth, Willis.”

I looked at Dante who gave me that cocky “what now” look.

I could have played stupid and asked her how she’d found out, but it didn’t matter anymore. It was clear that Dante had more connections to the past than I thought he did. His affection for Noemi forced him to tell her the truth after the reports were planted in her room.

“Noemi deserves the truth, Willis. She’s been through hell the last few weeks. In fact, someone tried to kill us when we were in Barbados. I stopped him just as he was about to enter her bedroom,” Dante said.

Part of the game was still afoot. He mentioned the incident in Barbados as if he’d never told me about what had happened to them that night. As if any of it were a surprise to me.

And then he decided to play hardball. Sneaky bastard. I had to give it to him. He was good. Leaps and bounds above me when it came to subterfuge.

“If someone is trying to kill your sister, she has the right to know anything about the matter that you can share.”

“No one’s trying to kill you, Noemi,” I said before downing the last of my tea and wishing it were something stronger.

“Dante’s not lying, Willis. I woke up and saw the man myself. I—”

I shook my head and leaned against the bar. “It was a sham. A fake attempt.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, but Noemi wasn’t buying it.

“That’s not true. I saw him. Dante - well, he dealt with the guy, but there was two more of them, Willis. They were going to kill us.”

Dante put his hand on Noemi’s shoulder. “It’s time to end the charade, Willis. Whatever you’re involved in has put your sister at risk. I can’t allow that.”

Who the hell did he think he was to imply that I didn’t care about my sister’s life?

“You can’t allow that?” I raged. “What the fuck do you think I’ve been doing here? Every move I’ve made has been to save her life!”

“But you just said the attempt was a sham!” Noemi cried out. “Make up your mind, because right now, Willis, I don’t believe a word coming out of your mouth.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered. “You were never in any danger, Noemi. Those men were planted there on the island. Well, they didn’t know they were a plant. They thought they were there—”

“To kill me,” Dante interrupted.

“Yes.”

“The first man I killed specifically told me that it wasn’t about me,” Dante said, pushing me for the truth.

“It wasn’t. It still isn’t. It wasn’t about you or Noemi. It was and still is about me. Unfortunately, yourrelationshipand your impromptu trip to Barbados gave him the leverage he needed.”

“Who?” Dante demanded to know. “Rubinstein is dead, so it must be Bailey.”

“Yes. He’s running scared. Worried that the truth about his past will come to light somehow.”

“I don’t understand,” Noemi said. “What does Bailey have to do with you? With Dad, McKenzie and Rubinstein dead, why would Bailey think that you knew anything at all about what they were involved in?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “He knows I know because he’s the one that told me.”

“Holy shit,” Dante muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, exactly.” I stalked across my kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. I popped the top and gurgled half of it to gain the fortitude to tell them what I’d been dealing with for the last month.

When I turned around, I decided to tell the truth. Noemi and Dante knew bits and pieces of it anyway. Especially Dante. Now, he’d get the full picture.

“Bailey has been tapped to be the next Director of the C.I.A,” I explained.

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