Page 58 of Gin & Trouble

“Does it matter?” I stood. “Do you really need my help with the glitch or can I get back to work?”

His eyes widened for a millisecond, then narrowed again. “Last night. The failed alert. There was never a bug was there? It was you.”

My throat tightened. Was he accusing me of sabotaging his program?

Raking his hands through his hair, Dante laughed the same bitter laugh as before. “How the fuck did I miss it? You intercepted the alert when your brother’s plane landed.”

“I didn’t. I swear.” Shaking my head, I said, “I mean, I saw it, but I didn’t delete it.”

“You seemed so scared, but there was never a stalker. It was a set-up.” His expression turned murderous. “And I fell for it. I invited you into my apartment and gave you access to everything.”

“I did manipulate you into inviting me to stay here.” I backed away from him. “Because I was terrified to leave the building.”

My hands trembled and the shaking moved up my arms and spread through my entire body. I could see why he’d think those things, but I didn’t know how to make it right. I couldn’t change what I’d done and it was killing me.

Killing me to see him in pain and knowing I’d caused it.

“I…have to go.” I turned for the door.

Dante moved quicker than I would have thought possible to block my exit. “You aren’t going anywhere, sweetheart. Not until you speak to Marco.”

“You can’t keep me prisoner here with you.” I knew I’d taken a risk telling Dante the truth, but I honestly didn’t think he’d hand me over to his brother. What would Marco do to me? Send me to Sicily? Deliver me to Tommaso wrapped in a big fat bow?

“You don’t have to worry about that. I won’t be here.” Dante pulled his phone from his pocket and pointed to the chair. “Sit down.”

Panic thinned my voice. “Please, Dante. Just let me go. I swear, you’ll never have to see me again. I can’t go back to Sicily.”

Ignoring me, he held his phone to his ear. “Kincaid, I need around the clock guards on my place. Myguestis not to leave.”

My pulse thumped in my ears, and I broke out in a cold sweat. In what I could only describe as insane desperation, I bolted for the door.

Dante dropped the phone and caught me around the waist. Holding my back against his chest, he said, “No one’s sending you back to Sicily.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know what Marco is going to do.” I sounded like a lunatic, but I couldn’t help it. Everything I cared about was crumbling around me and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it. Worse still, I deserved it.

Sure, I had my reasons for doing what I’d done, but it was all for nothing. A year’s worth of work, struggling to stay afloat, lies on top of lies down the tubes.

I’d failed.

Valentina was engaged to a monster. Sophia and Iris were missing in action. The man I loved couldn’t stand the sight of me.

I went limp in his arms. Too ashamed to continue to fight and too afraid to cry.

Dante turned me to face him, lifted my chin, and met my gaze. “I told you. I’d never hurt you.”

I believed he believed what he’d said, but life had taught me even the best of intentions could end in disaster. “I’m sorry…for everything. I meant it before, when I said I loved you. I never meant to hurt you.”

He closed his eyes. “Ilovedyou, too. But I’m going to walk away. I need time to think and figure things out before I say more stupid shit I’ll live to regret.”

My heart quivered as if it couldn’t take one more blow.

Dante studied my face. “Do I call you Francesca now?”

“Please no. It’s Frankie.”

“I like that. It suits you.” A hint of a smile ghosted his lips. “For the record, I wasn’t entirely honest before. It’s love, notloved. It’s just…”

“Complicated.” Staring into his eyes, I could almost believe everything would work out—almost.

---