Page 457 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

“Of course, dear,” she says with a smile. “I’ll be around if you need another. I’m a grandma. It’s our specialty.”

I blink back tears and give her a little wave as I hurry toward the private elevator bank. I stab his number onto my phone screen and let out a relieved breath when he answers. “Dante, thank God. Are you upstairs? I really need to talk to you.”

“Yeah, I’m at my apartment.”

I furrow my brow. “You sound tense.”

“You could say that.”

I bite down on my lower lip. Weird. “Okay, well, I’ll be right up.”

He hangs up without another word and I run a hand through my hair. After a few agonizing minutes, I knock on his door. When he opens it, I’m not prepared for the scene in front of me.

Lots of glaring, accusatory eyes.

Deadly looking men I’ve never seen before.

A shudder runs through me and I stare at Dante.

My heart sinks into my gut when I see the same threatening look in his eyes. He grabs me, slams the door closed, and then backs me against the wall. His hand is around my throat, but I can see the conflict in his heavy gaze.

That may be the lifeline I’ve been looking for.

“Who the fuck are you?” he growls, tightening his grip on me.

“You k-know who I a-am,’ I sputter. “You know better than anyone.”

His fingers graze the Band-Aid and he tears it off as everyone watches. I wince, the pain nothing compared to the fear of what he’s about to do with his new discovery, my five-pointed star tattoo. “I knew it,” he hisses. “Itisyou. You’re the woman who killed Vigo at Tatiana. I tried to deny it to myself, but then I saw you tonight at Artiste with Boris and Conor and I knew it was the truth. I tried to ignore it and missed the signs,” he says in a choked voice. “You betrayed me. You betrayed all of us!”

I nod. “I did. And I’m so sorry. But I didn’t know the full story, I swear!”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Matteo yells, stomping toward her. “We brought you into our home, let you take care of our baby, and all along, you were plotting against us with one of our biggest enemies!”

“Dante, Matteo, please, I know it looks bad, but you have to believe me when I tell you they duped me! They sent me out here to work as your brother’s au pair so that I could get information for them. They told me you had a hand in killing my brother to get me out here. They knew I’d do anything to avenge his murder. But it was bullshit,” I whisper. “I found out tonight it was just a lie to get me to do their dirty work. I know now that you didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Your brother?” Dante asks.

“His name was Maks. Frankie Amante shot him.”

“Fuck,” Dante mutters. “That asshole uncle of yours has had a grudge against us since that night.”

“Yes, and then he hooked up with Conor because he had a grudge too. He wants to destroy you,” I say in a low voice. “And he is prepared to pay any price to do it.”

“Where the hell are they now?” Matteo asks.

“I don’t know. Conor dropped me off here and I didn’t bother to ask if he had hotel accommodations,” I say with a roll of my eyes. “He just said he’d call me with instructions tomorrow.” I look from Dante to Matteo and back again. “He wouldn’t tell me what he’s after, but I think I know. I think he wants Aisling.”

Matteo slams a fist against the wall and turns to Dante. “Where the fuck is Patrick? He went looking for the girls. I want them all back here as soon as possible. And we need to get in touch with security. I want them planted at every entrance and exit!”

Dante nods. “I’ll make the calls. I just need a second alone with her.” He pulls me by the arm and drags me into his bedroom, forcing my back to the wall. His lips are pressed into a tight line, his eyes heavy with a mix of rage, dejection, and pain.

“I let myself fall for you,” he hisses. “And you deceived me and my family. You opened us up to dangers you can’t even possibly imagine.”

“I know, and that’s why I came straight here, to help fix what I’ve done. I didn’t know about any of it, even Conor’s involvement, until I met him tonight. My uncle kept me in the dark for days. He ignored my calls and texts. He could have been dead for all I knew. And now Conor has him tied up somewhere, threatening to kill him if I don’t do what he wants. Not that there is any guarantee he won’t be dead by morning, whether or not I follow through.”

Dante fists his hair and stomps across the room. “I want to hurt you so badly right now,” he hisses. “For putting my family in jeopardy like this.”

“I deserve it,” I say in an unwavering voice. “And I wouldn’t blame you.”

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