Page 18 of Sin and Seduction

“We’ve searched everything. He’s gone,” Sergio says, and Dante rips a chain from the wall, startling me.

“And Gabriela?” he growls.

“Still in her room. Asleep,” Sergio answers, and Dante’s fists clench.

“Not for long,” he says before moving to leave, obviously on his way to question her.

“Dante, wait,” I say, my hand touching his chest and halting his movements.

He stares at me with impatience, softening slightly.

“Let me talk to her,” I say, and he scoffs.

“She’s my sister, Emmie. And she needs to explain herself—”

“She’s too pissed at you right now. If she were to explain anything to anyone in this house right now, it’d be me. Trust me,” I say, searching his angry eyes as he stares down at me.

He finally sighs and throws up his hands, backing down at my request.

“I’ll make it quick,” I say. “Get everything loaded in the car. We’ll be outside in twenty minutes as planned,” I say, going to my toes so that I can kiss his cheek.

He nods and kisses my hand, letting me walk away from him and up the stairs.

I’m on the top floor in front of Gabriela’s room. I knock softly and enter even though I don’t get a response from her. She sits on her bed, staring out of her window. Her hair is messy with sleep, and I wonder how she can still be so beautiful even when she looks messy.

“We’re leaving in twenty minutes,” I say, her head still turned away from me.

“James is gone. Which I’m sure you already know…” I say, and she laughs slightly, staring at me now with a sad expression.

“That’s why you’re here, huh? To ask my brother’s questions for him?” She sounds angry, but I still walk to her bed and sit on it.

“No. I’d rather you tell him yourself. You know you’ll have to at some point. I don’t need to be the one to get that out of you.” I sigh, crossing my legs as she stares at me with wide eyes.

“Did you get to say goodbye?” I ask, genuinely caring for her emotions since nobody else does, obviously.

She sees this, and it makes her lip tremble, but she nods at me anyway.

“Good,” I say, picking at my fingernails.

“You know I broke somebody out of there, too,” I say, looking at her as confusion knits her perfectly manicured eyebrows.

“What happened?” she asks, and I try to block out the gore from my memory, failing to do so.

“I was only here for a few days. I didn’t know anyone or Dante at all, for that matter.” It feels like a lifetime ago when I say this.

How quickly everything has changed. How quickly I myself have changed.

“I thought the man he had down there was innocent, a victim like me. But he was just as bad as my own father. Sergio shot him right in front of me. I couldn’t get the bloodstain off my skin for days.” I stare down at my hands before meeting her eyes, which look incredibly sad.

“You’ve seen so much death since he’s brought you here. How could you possibly love him?” she asks, hatred for her own brother lacing her voice.

I smile as I touch her hand, recalling every painful and beautiful memory I have with Dante.

“Because your brother isn’t a monster, Gabriela. He’s just a broken man trying to protect the ones he loves because the thought of losing them is enough to kill him. That’s his weakness. His only weakness. Love,” I say this earnestly.

Her eyes are wide, and they shine with tears. She wipes them away quickly, scoffing as she looks at her wet hands.

“He’s got a funny way of showing his love. This is the first time I’ve seen him since I was a teenager. He never once called on my birthdays. Never came to my graduation. Never once did he show interest in me or my life.” She sounds so sad when she says this, and my heart breaks for her all over again.

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