“What? That’s fucking insane, Nic. Gabi would never.”
I laughed. “Yeah, well I didn’t think so either, but I saw it with my own eyes. I’ll tell you about it in a bit. I’ve got to go.”
I watched as she walked over to the door that lead up to her place. She stopped and looked over her shoulder, as if looking for someone.
“Are you sure? Maybe you misunderstood something.”
My breath caught when I saw the look on her face. It wasn’t sadness. It was fear.
“Listen, I’ve got to go, my mom is due at my place soon. Like I said, I’ll fill you in later.”
Not waiting for his response, I hit End and looked at Gabi.
No. That was definitely fear on her face.
Utter fear.
THE SUITCASE SAT on my bed as I stood there and stared at it. A part of me wanted to run again. Leave Colorado Springs and start over somewhere else. Antonio didn’t waste time when I got back from my walk. He had me on a private plane heading back to Colorado Springs. I barely had time to pack up my suitcase.
Something was off, but he wasn’t telling me what it was.
“Gabi? What’s going on?”
Turning, I saw Charity standing in the doorway to my room.
I swallowed hard and wiped my tears away. Her eyes widened in surprise before she rushed over to me.
“Gabi, what happened?”
“He left me.”
She looked at me with a confused look on her face. “Nic?”
I nodded as I let out a few sobs before saying, “I don’t know what happened, Charity. He went back to Scarlett.”
“Who in the hell is Scarlett?”
“Scarlett?”
My eyes swung over to see Cole standing there. “Cole, I didn’t know you were here.” I quickly said. Wiping my tear soaked face, I dragged in a deep breath and forced a smile.
He stepped into my room, his expression looking sad. “Nic isn’t with Scarlett. And trust me when I say that he is a mess right now. He thinks you cheated on him.”
I nearly stumbled back.
“W-what? Why would he think that?”
“Oh no. Damn it, Nic!” Charity said before looking back at me. “He overheard you talking on the phone. I tried to tell him you were probably talking to family in Italy and I thought he dropped it,” Charity said barely above a whisper.
My mouth dropped open “Why didn’t you tell me? You never said a word about it! Why wouldn’t you tell me something like that?”
She chewed on her lip. “I didn’t really think it was that big of a deal. And I’ve kind of had other things on my mind, Gabi.”
I let out a gruff laugh. “Oh, really? What could possibly be on your mind that you wouldn’t think to tell me Nic was questioning his trust about me?”
Cole walked over to Charity and wrapped his arms around her. It was the first time I’d actually seen them together since their hook up that one afternoon.
“I’m pregnant, Gabi.”
I gasped. “What?”
She smiled slightly and I couldn’t help but notice that Cole smiled even bigger.
“You’re going to have a baby?”
With a light giggle, she nodded. “Yep. You’re gonna be an aunt.”
A million different emotions swept around me. I was happy for Charity, sad for me, angry that she didn’t tell me about Nic, and confused about the small amount of jealousy I was feeling towards her. And then finally the last emotion. Fear for her and the baby’s safety.
Cole cleared his throat. “Nic would kill me if he knew I told you this, but he went to Italy, Gabi. He said he had a reason to believe you were cheating on him and he said he saw it with his own eyes. That’s all I know right now.”
My hands came over my mouth as I tried to steady my heartbeat.
It felt like someone had punched me in the chest. Every ounce of air in my lungs was gone. I stumbled back and hit the bed. Slowly sinking to it, I whispered, “It was him. I knew that was him.”
“Wait. Cole, why didn’t you tell me Nic went to Italy?” Charity asked.
“He literally told me earlier this morning. Then he called just now and said he fucked up by lying to Gabi. That he hurt her because she hurt him.”
Charity looked at me. “Gabi, you told me you weren’t meeting anyone there. You said you were going to feel closer to your parents. You lied?”
Placing my hand over my stomach, I attempted not to get sick. I looked at Cole “He said on the phone he was meeting Scarlett, then I saw a picture of him hugging a woman.”
Cole pinched his brows together. “He was at the airport waiting to fly out. He was pissed, Gabi. He thought you were cheating, so he said the only thing he knew to say to make you hurt the same way he was.”
I felt dizzy. Everything was a misunderstanding. Nic went to Italy. It was him I saw in the car.
“Who was the guy? Who did you meet?” Charity asked me with a look of disbelief on her face.
“My brother.”
She gasped as she asked, “You have a brother?”
Cole shook his head. “I knew it wasn’t what he thought.”
The red phone rang.
Jumping up, I rushed over to the dresser.
“Gabi! Why did you lie to us about your family?”
There wasn’t time to explain anything to Charity. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. I fumbled with the phone for a few seconds before getting it open.
“H-hello. Papá?”
The looks on Charity and Cole’s face were unmistakable. The truth that I had lied to them now out in the open.
“Gabi, it’s me Antonio.” I could hear it in his voice. Something was very wrong.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“Dante has found you.”
Fear splintered into my heart and twisted my gut as I bit back a scream.
“One of my guys spotted him in the Denver airport late last night.”
I was barely able to breathe as Antonio’s words sunk in.
He found me. Dante found me.
My body trembled. Dropping to the floor, I started crying. The nightmare was beginning all over again.
Charity and Cole were by my side in flash.
“How? How did he find me?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe from the picture in the paper. Or, he may have seen you in Italy.”
Tears streamed down my face. I knew I should have never have gone! I knew it!
Antonio cleared his throat and kept talking. “I got a call from an old friend of mine in the FBI. His name is Jim.”
I somehow must have turned the speaker on because Antonio’s voice was filling my room. I didn’t care though. All I could think about was Dante finding me here with Charity.
Oh my God. The baby.
“I worked with him in the New York office when everything took place with Dante. He saw you in Italy.”
Sucking in a breath, I waited for what was coming next. A part of me already knew what Antonio would say.
“Nic was there, Gabi. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. He followed you to Italy because he thought you were meeting a man there. From what Jim told me Nic had a feeling you had been hiding something from him and was having someone at the FBI try to find out more information on you.”
My eyes widened as I sat there shocked. Nic was having the FBI check up on me?
“He had reason to believe you were meeting a man in Italy so he followed you there. When he saw us, his suspicions were confirmed and Jim said Nic left for the airport right away. Jim said Nic was really upset.”
My arm wrapped around my stomach in an attempt to hold the bile down.
“But Jim came back to the restaurant a few times because he said he couldn’t shake the feeling he had seen you before. He thought he recognized you the first day they followed you to the restaurant. Then, Nic mentioned my name and Jim started to dig around a bit. Yesterday, when you were here saying goodbye to everyone, he saw me walking you out to t
he car and put two and two together. It didn’t take him long to figure out I set everything up to fake your death and that you had been in hiding.”
Charity fell back on her ass and covered her mouth. I reached for her hand and she took it. Her eyes were filled with nothing but questions.
“If he figured it out then Dante could as well,” I barely said.
“I don’t think he had any of his guys in Italy. I’ve been watching for four years, Gabi. But it’s like Jim said, we slipped and got careless. If Dante did have someone watching the place, they would have seen you.”
A chill moved through my veins and I was instantly taken back to the night that changed my life.
I squeezed my eyes closed, trying not to see the blood.
All the blood.
Dante knew I was alive, and I was positive he knew where I was.
When I opened my eyes, Charity was staring at me. Her confusion replaced with fear. “When I got home, it felt like someone was watching me. He knows where I am, Antonio. He knows.”
“You have to get out of there now. You know where the closest safe house is I set up, right?”
“Y-yes.”
Cole reached for the phone.
“Antonio, this is Cole Night. I work for Colorado Springs Police Department and Nic is my best friend. What do you need us to do?”
The line went dead.
“Hello?”
“He won’t talk to you, Cole. He’s going to be furious with me that you heard any of that.”
Standing, I quickly rushed into my closet and grabbed another suitcase. Turning to Charity, I covered my mouth with my hands then dropped them to my sides.
“Oh, my God. I’ve put you and the baby in danger.”
Cole walked up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Gabi, look at me.”
My eyes lifted to his, but I could hardly see through my tears welling up in them.
“I have to leave, Cole. Now.”
“Let me call, Nic.”
“NO!” I screamed, causing Charity to jump.
Shaking my head, I looked at him with pleading eyes. “You can’t tell him, Cole. Please you can’t tell him. If you do, he’ll come searching for me and Dante will have him followed. He probably already knows of my relationship with Nic. Please don’t put his life in danger.”
“You want him to think you’re really cheating? Gabi, it will destroy him.”
Reaching for Charity’s hands, I tried to smile. “I’ll make sure my brother has someone watching the place. You and the baby will be safe. I promise.”
Glancing back to Cole, I added, “You can’t tell him the truth, Cole. He’ll try to find me!”
The look on Charity’s face was utter confusion. “Wait. Gabi, what in the hell is going on? You’re in hiding?”
“Yes. I have been for six years.”
“Oh my God. Why?”
My chest stuttered. “I want to tell you everything, but I can’t. I have to leave. Now!”
Charity and Cole stood there and watched me frantically pack. I took only the things I needed. Rushing back to the closet, I reached up and found the bag I had stashed up there.
“What’s in that bag?” Charity asked.
Without looking at her, I simply said, “Money to start over somewhere else.”
“Jesus Christ! Gabi! This is insane,” Charity said. “Stop for five minutes and talk to me. It’s the least you could do.”
Zipping up my bag, I inhaled a deep breath while brushing my tears to the side.
Slowly turning to face Charity and Cole, I said, “I can’t tell you. The less you know the better. Please just know I’m so sorry I put your life in danger. I got careless and slipped up. I should have never have gone out with Nic, or did that stupid cooking competition, or went back to Italy.” Rubbing my hands over my arms, I added in a whispered voice, “I should have known Dante would never stop looking.”
“What about the bakery?” Charity asked.
“In the office safe is an envelope marked with the words secret recipes. It’s paperwork that states the bakery is yours should anything like this ever happen. I had planned on writing you a note if I ever had to leave.”
She laughed. “A note? A note that said what exactly?”
“That I had to leave and that the bakery was now yours.”
Tears filled her eyes. “So you would have left without saying goodbye or telling me any of this?”
I slowly nodded. My eyes pierced hers and I would have done anything to take the hurt away.
When I looked over at Cole, I forced a smile. “Will you please let Nic at least know that I wasn’t cheating on him? That it was my brother he saw me with. But please don’t’ tell him anything else.”
He shook his head. “If you think I’m not going to tell Nic about this, you’re insane. I already sent him a text. If anyone can keep you safe, it’s Nic.”
Horror spread over my face. “What?”
“He loves you, Gabi. He’ll do whatever he can to protect you.”
My body started to tremble. “I have to leave.”
“No, Gabi please don’t leave,” Charity begged.
“Gabi, wait,” Cole said with a panicked look on his face.
If he sent Nic a text, that was another life in danger because of me.
Pushing past both of them, I rushed to the door. “Please let me go! You have to for your own safety,” I cried out as I threw the door open and rushed into the hall with the small bag I had packed. “It’s for the best that I leave now.”
The air surrounding me suddenly changed. I came to a stop when I saw him standing there.
I dropped everything and covered my mouth with my hands.
He stood there looking directly into my eyes. All I could see in them was love. How could I have ever doubted him? Not trusted him? Before I had a chance to move, he was in front of me, pulling me into his arms.
“You’re not going anywhere, Gabi.”
Hope fluttered inside of me. Burying my face into his chest, I sobbed uncontrollably as Nic’s love covered me in a protective blanket.
MOMENTS EARLIER . . .
MY MOTHER WALKED silently next to me after I told her about me and Gabi.
“I thought you would be happy,” I mumbled.
“What! Why would you think I would be happy, Nicholaus?”
I laughed. “Oh, let me see what reasons I can come up with. One, she isn’t Greek.”
My mother held up her hand. “That’s not true. She is three percent Greek.”
“What? How do you know that?”
She grinned. “Don’t be mad, but I had a DNA test done.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I asked, “How in the hell did you get her DNA?”
“I have my ways.”
“Who did the test for you?”
Her brow lifted. “You’re not the only cop I know, son.”
My head cocked to the side. “Who are you and where has my mama gone?”
“What happened?”
“I opened my heart up like a fool.” Her smile dropped.
Wrapping her arm in mine, we walked down the street toward my house I had closed on recently. Gabi had been so excited I would be living so close to her. Now, I hated being so close to Gabi’s bakery. The idea that she was so near to me tormented my mind.
“Opening your heart to someone doesn’t make you a fool, Nicholaus.”
I inhaled a deep breath. “I did something I regret.”
My mother stopped walking and turned to me. “Am I going to be smacking you after you tell me?”
A light rumble came from my chest. “Probably.”
She motioned for me to talk.
“I purposely hurt Gabi because she hurt me.”
Glaring at me, she drew her hand back and punched me square in the chest, causing me to stumble back.
“What the hell?”
Her hand came up and slapped me on the back of the head.
“Jesus Chr—”
r /> Her eyes went dark.
“Why are you hitting me?”
“Because you’re stupid.”
Dropping my mouth open, I stared at her. “How do you know Gabi wasn’t being the stupid one?”
“Because she is a tormented soul. You can see it in her eyes. She harbors a secret, Nicholaus.”
I laughed while rubbing my chest. “Yeah. Her lover in Italy.”
“I don’t believe that for one second. I’ve seen the way that girl looks at you.”
Before I had a chance to say anything else, my phone rang. I narrowed my eyes at the number.
“Hello?”
“Nic, it’s Jim Linde, FBI in Italy.”
“Yeah, right of course.”
He sighed, “Listen, do you have a minute?”
Glancing over to my mother, I motioned for her to head up the steps to the house. “I’ll be right in, Mama. I need to take this call.”
She nodded her head and entered the house.
“Is the FBI that hard up for guys you’re cold calling now?”
He laughed. “No, I wish it was that, but this is more important. It’s about Gabi.”
My heart dropped. I knew she was safe, I’d seen her arrive home today.
“What about her?”
“Are you sitting?”
Fuck.
“Do I need to be?”
“Probably.”
I sat on the steps of my house. “All right. Go.”
I heard a door shut and footsteps before hearing another door shut.
“Listen, what I’m about to tell you is highly classified. I’m actually putting your life and your family’s life in danger if I keep talking. Do you want me to continue?”
What in the fuck?
“And this had to do with Gabi? Gabi Mandola?”
“Yes.”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked around. “Tell me.”
“All right, first her name isn’t Gabi Mandola. It’s Gabriella Rossi. She is the daughter of an extremely wealthy Italian immigrant. Her brother, Antonio, is an undercover FBI agent.”
I sat there numb while I tried to process everything that Jim was saying.
“Wait. Antonio is her brother?”
“Yes. That was the man she ran to in Italy and hugged. She hadn’t seen him or her family for six years. Not since her brother had secretly arranged for her death . . . or pretend death I should say.”