Page 119 of The Scarab's Game

I shook off the memory, slamming my fist into Dante’s face.

Rav’s thick arm materialized between us, his muscular frame a barrier between me and Dante. I hadn’t even seen him climb out of the boat, but here he was, restraining Dante.

“If you lay another hand on him, you’re going into the water,” Rav growled.

“The guards are dead!” Dante struggled against Rav’s hold, but fortunately realized he was outmatched and gave up quickly. His eyes darted between Rav and me, anger and fear flickering across his face. “Did you kill them?”

A twinge of disgust bubbled inside me. “I expect it was your father, Enzo, or Noah.” The memory of the blood in the security room raced through my mind, and I suppressed a shudder. “Probably Enzo.”

The same man who’d beaten me in Venice now had Jenn…

Dante’s indignant voice snapped me back to the present. “My father would never do something like that.” But doubt filled his eyes, even as he spoke the words.

I ran a hand over my sore cheek.You aren’t asking the right question yet, Emmett.“Why did he leave without you?”

Dante’s jaw flexed, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he considered his response.

“Upstairs, you said your father had people spying on you to ensure you kept his secrets,” I pressed, noting the flicker of uncertainty in Dante’s eyes. “You’re not in his trusted circle, are you?”

Dante shrugged out of Rav’s grip, his shoulders sagging slightly. “He’s a criminal.”

“And you’re not?” I shot back. “Jenn told me about theWheatfieldpainting.”

Dante thrust a hand toward the water, his frustration evident. “Why are we talking about this instead of taking your boat and rescuing her?”

Because I’m waiting for the disc, and I can’t go anywhere until I have it.Instead of telling him, I said, “Because your father has her, and I don’t trust you.”

Will said over my earpiece, “Drone’s almost caught up to them.”

Either I was relieved at that news or terrified about what Will would report back. I wasn’t sure.

“I genuinely believed my father each time he told me it was a mistake.” Dante took a step further down the dock, his back to us. “He blamed the conservator just like he blamed his accountant for the errors in his books. Now this.”

I checked my watch, anxiety building in my gut. How long would Drew and Jayce be? What was going on aboard that little tender? Its lights were still visible, and it hadn’t arrived at the yacht yet.

The yacht. What would happen there?

You’re stronger than your emotions.I normally had excellent control when I needed it, but Jenn… Jenn was throwing me off in ways I couldn’t afford right now. I had to channel some of Scarlett’s control. Although from her silence, it was obvious someone—probably Brie—had muted her.

“Neither my brother nor my sister speaks with Papa anymore.” Dante turned to face me, his expression hard to read in the dim light, but the tone of his voice gave me more—he was confessing. “He didn’t bother concealing the truth when I confronted him at the auction. I wish any of this surprised me.”

Fuck, how did Dante and I have so much in common? Both of us were dealing with fathers who’d let us down, who’d chosen a life of crime over their families. Both of us were standing on a little stone dock below the Monaco Rocher, wanting to save Jenn.

“We should call the police,” Dante said.

Rav shook his head. “Too risky and too slow.”

“What do you call standing around watching her disappear?” Dante snapped, gesturing angrily toward the water again.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “They have a ransom demand that’s on its way here. We move when it arrives.”

Drew’s breathless voice came through my earpiece. “I’m ten minutes out.”

C’mon, Drew. Move faster.

“When I met her in Nice, I thought it was fate.” Dante turned back to the water, his shoulders slumping as the small boat winked out of view. “My father needed a painting cleaned, and I’d just met a beautiful art restorer.” He sighed, the sound barely audible over the lapping of waves against the dock.

“Before you get any ideas, Dante,” I began, knowing I was about to make a huge mistake by saying this out loud while on comms, but Dante needed to hear it, “Jenn is my woman.”

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