“What? Are you sure you want to go to the airport, Nic? There’s something I need to check out.”
“I’m positive. I’m ready to head home.”
“Okay, well you might have a hard time getting a flight out back to the states on short notice.”
I shrugged. “Then I’ll wait at the airport for a flight.”
It didn’t matter if I had to wait at the airport all night, or for two days. I wasn’t going back to that hotel so I could watch Gabi walk in with her lover.
“Nic, you and I both know things aren’t always what they seem. I’ve got a hunch. Let me check it out.”
My head dropped back against the seat. Padua zipped by as Jim navigated through the small towns in his sports car. I should have been curious about his hunch and asking him for more details. But at that moment, I couldn’t have cared less. I needed to get out of this damn country. All I could see was Gabi running to that guy.
“Well, if you find anything out, you can reach me on my cell.”
“Has she given you a reason to think she’d lie to you or that she was cheating?”
Lifting my head, I stared out the window. “She’s been hiding something. I’ve known it almost from the beginning, but decided to push it aside. Pretend like I didn’t have this feeling in my gut because I’d never felt this way before.”
“Hard to ignore that when you’re a cop, Nic.”
I looked over at Jim. “That’s why I started looking her up. Trying to find out more information on her and I came up with nothing, then Liam’s other friend in the FBI came up with nothing. It’s like she didn’t exist past six years ago.”
Jim’s brows lifted. “Six years ago?”
All of a sudden I was overcome with exhaustion. Waving it off, I said, “None of it matters anymore.” My broken heart was clouding my other thoughts and if I didn’t get out of this place soon, I’d go back to that restaurant and beat the living shit out that asshole.
Pulling out my phone, I called the airline to see if I could get on another flight. I was lucky, they had one leaving in two hours with a changeover in London. I wouldn’t have cared if I had to stay in London overnight. If it meant not risking seeing Gabi again then it was worth it.
I shut the car door and thanked Jim. “I really appreciate all your help, Jim. I’m just going to grab a taxi. I’m sorry you were playing chauffer to me.”
He gave me a weak smile. “It was no problem. Like I said, let me check some things out. Things might not be what you think.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “This is why I always stuck with the poke and go method. Teach me a lesson to never fall in love again.”
I was almost positive Jim was figuring out in his head what was going on. Maybe he’d seen Gabi and Antonio together before and didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Whatever it was, I didn’t care.
I was done with this game.
Standing back, I watched as Jim took off and blended right in with the other cars on the street. I walked into the hotel. My phone rang and I knew it was her. Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw Gabi’s name flash across the screen. I hit Ignore and headed up to my room.
The sooner I got the fuck out of Italy the better.
ANTONIO WRAPPED HIS arm around me and ushered me into Uncle Alberto’s office. I tried to remain calm, but I knew it was him.
It was Nic.
“Antonio, it was Nic. I’m telling you I looked directly into his eyes.”
My brother cupped my face. “Look at me, Angelo. There are two reasons that is impossible. One, Nic is not in Italy. And two, the car was moving too fast to see who was in it.”
I shook my head. “It’ was him. I know it was.”
“Call him.”
With a shaky breath, I pulled out my phone and quickly dialed.
When his voicemail picked up, I dropped my head. “He didn’t answer.”
“Listen, I hired those two cops out there to keep an eye on you while you’re here. Plus with Lanzo watching over you and driving you around, you’re going to be safe. Lanzo’s been trained well. He’ll know if you’re being followed or not.”
I nodded. I knew my brother was right. He would never put my life in danger. I was missing Nic and thought I saw him. That was all.
The door opened and both of my parents walked in. I couldn’t believe how much older they looked. Unlike my brother, who hadn’t appeared to age a day in his life, my parents looked to be a lot older than what they really were. The tears I had been holding back burst out and I ran into their out stretched arms.
“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you both so much,” I cried out between sobs.
Both of my parents were crying as well.
“Nothing seemed out of the ordinary?” Antonio asked.
My father shook his head as he pushed me back and took a good look at me.
“My beautiful, Gabriella. I’ve missed you so.”
“I’ve missed you too, Papà. I’ve missed you both so very much there were times I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
My mother drew me back in. She started to talk to me in Italian and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Mamma, you’re talking so fast and my Italian is very rusty. I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”
She covered her mouth before dropping her hands to her side. “I’m just so happy to see you. Come, Uncle Alberto has the back private room waiting for all of us.”
I glanced around the restaurant as we walked through it. Uncle Alberto still had my parents’ old bakery, but this restaurant was his baby. It was beautiful.
The moment I stepped inside I felt a calm move over me. I was home. I was with my parents and my brother, and I knew I was safe. Dante didn’t know I was alive, and he certainly didn’t know I was in Padua Italy.
We spent the next two hours catching up while eating. I asked about life back home. My mother showed me pictures, I asked about my best friend Linda, we cried when they told me Jack, my puppy I got in high school, had passed away, and we laughed when Antonio told a story about trying to paint my parents’ house last winter. I thought I would have been sadder hearing about my old life I was missing out on. But it was the opposite.
Antonio told me a little about his job, but with him being an FBI agent he hardly ever talked about it. The most I ever saw him was during the whole mess with Dante and how he helped me to disappear after the horrible night I witnessed at Dante’s.
Glasses of wine were lifted into a toast as I held mine up. After six years I felt at home and whole again. Although there was a dull ache in my heart that longed to have Nic with me. I’d tried so many times to tell him the truth over the last few weeks. I was going to enjoy my time with my family, then tell them my plan of telling Nic the truth about everything. The only way to keep us all safe is if I stayed apart from my family. For good.
The thought hurt my heart.
Pulling out my phone, I glanced down at it. I had called Nic when we landed and he texted me back about an hour later. Since I got to the restaurant I’d called once and sent him five text messages over the course of almost three hours.
Was that him I saw?
Impossible.
I pulled up his number and hit the call button. When he answered, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Nic,” I said with a smile. “I’ve been trying to reach you. Where are you?”
Oh gesh. Like I wouldn’t know where he was.
He laughed. “Out with the guys.”
His answer was short and there was a bite of anger in it. Not to mention it hurt to know he was out, but then again, wasn’t I doing the same thing in a way?
“In Colorado Springs?”
He laughed. “Well, where the hell else would I be, Gabi?”
“I um, well . . . it’s just. The craziest thing happened to me earlier, and I thought I saw you.” He remained silent. “Nic . . . is everything okay?”
With a loud laugh, he ended it with a long groan. “Fuck, I don’t know. Why
don’t you tell me, Gabi? You having fun?”
My mind was spinning. What had happened from the time I left to now? In one short day everything felt off.
“Have you been drinking?” I asked as I turned away from everyone. I could feel Antonio’s eyes on me.
“Yes I have. You usually get shitfaced when you lose something that was important to you.”
I swallowed hard. “What . . . what did you lose?”
The silence on the other end of the line had my hand coming up to my neck. It felt like I couldn’t breathe. A strange feeling moved over me and I had the urge to rush back to Colorado Springs and tell Nic everything. Tell him everything I should have told him from the beginning.
“Nic? What did you lose?”
“I think you already know the answer. I need to go, Scarlett’s waiting for me. Goodbye, Gabi.”
A sharp intake of air filled the silence. My eyes widened in shock as I let his words rattle around in my head.
“W-what? Nic . . . wait. What is happening?”
When the line went dead, it felt like my whole world stopped.
Scarlett’s waiting for me.
This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.
My phone dropped to the floor, and I wrapped my arms around my waist and started rocking as I called out his name.
Antonio was by my side pulling me to him. Asking me over and over what was happening. I couldn’t think straight to even form words in my head.
He left me. He waited until I left and then he went to her.
Unless . . .
TWO DAYS LATER
“Gabi, please stop with this. The guy is in Colorado Springs. I already had an FBI agent check. I showed you the picture he took yesterday.”
The picture.
It was of Nic and Cole sitting at a table with a few other guys at a restaurant. Antonio had found out the girl in the picture was a Scarlett Hansen. Nic’s old and what I was guessing current, fuck buddy. Her and her father owned the place. It had to be the place he told me where they went and ate.
“What if that was him, Antonio, and he saw me run into your arms? He’d have had plenty of time to get back to the states.”
“Or what if he is just like all the other asshole men out there and was using you for sex, Gabi. You slept with him, didn’t you? Isn’t that why you let your guard down?”
Anger raced through my veins. “I didn’t let my guard down! I told you I didn’t know they were going to take a picture of me and post it in the paper!”
He frowned. “You pulled out of the state competition, right?”
“Of course I did,” I bit back.
“Still. Of all the people to date, a damn cop. What if he tried to pull you up or do a background check?”
I flopped onto the sofa and laughed. “Seriously? Paranoid much?”
His eyes lifted to mine. “It’s my job to be paranoid.”
Picking up my phone, I checked it again for any voicemails or texts.
Nothing.
I stood and started to pace. I refused to believe that Nic would use me. When he looked into my eyes and told me he loved me, I believed him.
Antonio’s phone beeped. He opened up a message and frowned.
“What? What is it?”
“Does this make it more clear?”
Walking up to him, I snatched the phone out of his hand and stared at the picture. It was Nic and another woman hugging. I couldn’t see her face, but it looked like it could have been Scarlett. The last bit of hope I was clinging onto fell right alongside my tears. I never thought I’d let someone hurt me again. This was ten times worse than with Dante. I never loved him. Nic I loved with my whole heart and soul.
“I need to get out for a bit.”
“And go where?”
“A walk. I need air. I’ll be back later.”
Antonio stood. “I’ll come with you.”
Shaking my head, I wiped my tears. “I need to be alone, Antonio. Please just leave me alone.”
I wasn’t sure how long I walked the streets of Padua. Lanzo walked a few feet behind me, but I knew he was there. I appreciated him leaving me alone. If I even tried to speak right now I was positive I’d end up a blubbering fool.
Coming up to the river, I leaned against the fence and looked out over it. A young couple walked hand-in-hand up the sidewalk. He whispered something in her ear and she blushed. A sharp pain hit me in the chest and I had to force myself not to start crying.
“Nic,” I whispered.
My phone buzzed and I looked to see it was Charity.
“Hello?”
“Hey, how is it going over there in Italy?”
With a sigh, I replied, “It could be better. How are things at home?”
“Okay.”
“Just okay? How are things at the bakery?”
“They are okay,” she said with a small sigh.
I needed happy news. Not bad.
“What happened?”
“Max broke the mixer. He needs you to come back right away.”
I laughed. Leave it to Charity to make me smile.
“What else is new? How are things with you and Cole?”
She chuckled then said, “They’re good.”
Lifting a brow, I asked, “Just good?”
“Just good. Hey, Beth and Nancy said hi.”
With a gasp, I covered my mouth and shook my head. “You went to knitting club.”
“Yeah well, I guess I was in the mood to knit some shit.”
Laughing, I let out a sigh as my sadness quickly engulfed me again. “I should have never come to Italy.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you when I get back.”
“Gabi, is everything okay? You sound so sad and I know how much you were looking forward to this trip.”
The hair on my body rose as a strange feeling swept over me. I quickly glanced around.
“Gabi?”
Someone was watching me.
“It’s been nice, but I may be coming home early.”
Lanzo’s eyes met mine and I knew that look. I’d seen it before.
“Oh, okay. Um, you’re sure everything is okay?”
Motioning with his head, I started to walk toward him. “Yeah. Listen, my tour is about to start. I need to run. See ya soon and I’ll keep you updated.”
“Sounds good. Love you!”
“Love ya back,” I said before hitting End and walking next to Lanzo.
“Someone is watching me.”
“Yes. I noticed the BMW the other day when it drove by the restaurant.”
I stopped walking. “Were there two men in it?”
He simply nodded.
My heart was racing and fear gripped deep within my soul.
“He couldn’t have found me. Could he have?”
Lanzo placed his hand on my lower back as we picked up the pace. His silence was my answer.
THE FEEL OF the ground hitting below my feet wasn’t enough to drive out the thoughts running in my head.
Stopping, I dropped my hands to my knees and dragged in a deep breath. “Fuck,” I whispered.
My phone buzzed. Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw it was Cole.
Cole: Charity said Gabi’s on her way home.
I stood up. She was coming home early.
Pushing my hand through my hair, I frowned.
Me: I did something I probably shouldn’t have.
Fucking hell. Why did I mention Scarlett when I was talking to Gabi? Hell, I knew my answer before I asked myself the question.
I was angry.
Hurt.
Drunk.
I wanted her to feel the way I felt when I saw her run into that asshole’s arms.
I dragged in a deep breath. None of it mattered because the facts were the facts. Gabi lied to me. Plain and simple. I needed to accept it and move on.
My phone rang and I let out a groan.
“What?”
“Dude, don’
t snap my head off.”
I started walking on the trail again. “Sorry, Cole.”
“What did you do to mess up?”
Sighing, I replied, “It’s a long story. But I can tell you this, trust is the key in a relationship. Don’t forget that.”
Cole had found out a few days ago about the baby. He freaked for ten minutes he said, then told Charity he would be there for both her and the baby.
“Okay. What happened, Nic? What did you do?”
“Nothing. How are things with you and Charity?”
“Nice change of subject. They’re going. Every now and then I have a slight panic attack and wonder what in the fuck I’m going to do.”
“You do what you promised Charity you would do. Be there for her and then be a good dad when the baby comes.”
He sighed. “That’s a no brainer. But what about Charity?”
“What about her?”
“I like her, Nic. I like her a lot. But this is all moving so fast.”
I chuckled. “Listen, I hardly think she expects you to drop on one knee and ask her to marry you. She just needs to know that for right now, you’re there supporting her.”
“Yeah. But I’m confused as hell. I never in my life thought I would be happy with one woman. Then she came rushing into my world and everything is turned upside down and the thought of her not being there scares the shit out of me. What the fuck shit is that?”
My chest squeezed. I knew exactly how he felt. “Love. That shit is love.”
I stopped walking when I saw the cab pull up in front of the bakery.
“Yeah. That shit is fucked up.”
Nodding, I said, “Tell me about it. Did Charity mention when Gabi would be getting home?”
“This morning.”
Moving behind a tree, I watched as Gabi climbed out of the cab. She looked exhausted. My heart ached, and I fought the urge to rush across the street and take her into my arms.
When she wiped her face, my world felt like it had fallen apart all over again. She’d been crying.
“Did she say how she was?”
Cole remained silent.
“Cole?”
“She only said that Gabi sounded really upset, but that she would tell her everything when she got home. Nic, what’s going on?”
“Gabi was cheating on me. I got the evidence I needed, so I broke up with her.”