Page 55 of Dangerous Seduction

TWENTY-SIX

DANTE

I stared at the stack of paperwork on my desk, the words blurring together as my mind drifted back to the events of the past weeks. Javier Cruz, the bastard that my dad wouldn’t let me have a go at; then there was Allen, my sister’s boyfriend, also a prick; and finally, the revelation that Eva—my Eva, the woman I had let into my heart and my bed—was Natalia Ramirez, a fucking DEA agent.

I raked a hand through my hair, letting out a frustrated growl as my phone buzzed to life on the desk. Sofia’s name flashed across the screen, and a pang of guilt twisted in my gut. My sister remained in the dark about the lies and betrayal enveloping her. She had no clue that the woman I had welcomed into our lives, the one she called her new best friend, was nothing but a carefully crafted illusion.

With a heavy sigh, I swiped to answer the call, steeling myself for whatever fresh hell awaited me.

“Hey, sis,” I greeted her, my voice carefully neutral. “What’s up?”

“Dante,” Sofia said, her voice tight with tension. “I need to talk to you. It’s important. Can you meet me for coffee?”

I glanced at my watch, my mind racing as I tried to calculate how long it would take me to get to the café she frequented. “Yeah, sure. Give me an hour.”

“Okay,” she breathed, a sigh of relief audible over the line. “I’ll see you then.”

Hanging up the phone, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Sofia always sounded strong, never this vulnerable. I pushed back from the desk, my thoughts churning as I tried to piece together the fragments of the puzzle.

As I always did, I paused by the window, gazing out over the streets of South Beach, my playground, for as long as I could remember. This was the world I had been born into, where loyalty was everything, and betrayal was a death sentence.

The hour ticked closer, and I grappled with the decision weighing on me. Should I tell Sofia the truth about Natalia and risk losing my sister’s trust forever? Or should I keep silent, clinging to the hope that this twisted situation could somehow be salvaged?

The drive to the café passed in a blur, my mind consumed with endless doubts and uncertainties. By the time I arrived, Sofia was already waiting as she nursed a steaming cup of coffee.

“Hey,” I greeted her, sliding into the chair across from her. “What’s going on?”

Sofia’s eyes met mine, and I saw a depth of pain and betrayal that cut me deep. “I know something about Eva,” she said. “She’s not who you think she is.”

The air left my lungs in a rush as her words sank in. “How...?” I began, but the question died on my lips, rendered irrelevant in the face of the truth.

Sofia shook her head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “She told me herself,” she said, her voice trembling. “She’s a DEA agent, Dante. Her name is Natalia Ramirez, and she’s been lying to us this whole time.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came. What could I say? How could I explain I already knew?

“You knew,” Sofia spat, her face a mask of betrayal. “You knew who she really was, yet you let her into our lives. My life? I believed she would be my best friend, Dante.”

“I…” I tried to speak, but the words choked me.

Sofia’s eyes narrowed with bitterness. “You used me.”

I reached across the table, my hand closing over hers in a desperate bid for understanding. “It’s not that simple, Sof,” I pleaded, my voice raw with emotion. “There’s more to this than you know.”

She jerked her hand away, her face hardening. “Save it, Dante,” she said. “I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

As she rose from her chair, her movements jerky and uncoordinated, a wave of panic washed over me. “Sofia, wait,” I called out, desperation clawing at my throat. “Please, let me explain.”

But she was already out the door.

I bolted from the cafe, my pulse thundering in my ears as I scanned the bustling street for any sign of Sofia. I couldn’t let her walk away, not like this – not with this hanging between us like a suffocating shroud.

“Sofia!” I called out, my voice strained as I pushed through the throngs of people. “Sof, wait!”

She didn’t slow her pace, her steps quickening as she rounded the corner and headed towards a bus. I cursed under my breath, my legs propelling me forward as I fought to catch up with her.

“Sofia, please!” I begged, my hand closing around her arm as she stepped onto the bus. “Just give me a chance to explain.”

She whirled around, her eyes blazing with a fury I had never seen directed at me before. “Explain what, Dante?” she hissed. “How you have been lying to me this whole time? How you let that... that woman into our lives, knowing full well who she was and what she was doing?”

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