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“Were you uncomfortable?”
I love the way he’s checking that I’m okay. I raise my hand and pinch my thumb and index finger together. “A little. It was . . . unexpected. First Aydin found me, and then there was George, who scared the living shit out of me—”
“Oh, you’ve met Sophie and Nico’s spoilt brat, then—” he interjects.
“Oh my God, he’s theirs!” The thought of Nico having such a ridiculous pet is unbelievable.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Dante huffs, “which makes George immune to any kind of neck wringing, and the bird knows it. Anyway, what happened after Aydin found you?”
“She practically dragged me out, dressed in nothing but your T-shirt, through the maze of gothic underground corridors with cold stone walls, to this modern marble and glass paradise, to face hugs and kisses and finally being devoured alive by you in a roomful of people while your brother scowls at me like a bug he’d very much like to squash and—”
Dante laughs, the sound rich and warm, filling the kitchen with its melody. “Nico likes you, Addy. He just has the weight of the world on his shoulders. A weight I put there by claiming you.”
I rear back in surprise, my eyes widening. “Claiming me?”
His smile disappears. “What the hell did you think this was all about?”
“I’m not a thing that can be claimed, Dante,” I snap.
“Wrong word choice, maybe. But the facts of the matter remain.” He places a hand low on my belly, his touch possessive, the heat of his skin seeping through the thin fabric of my shirt. “You’re mine, remember?”
I raise an eyebrow, a flicker of defiance in my eyes, but my heart is pounding with excitement. “So what am I now, your prisoner?”
Dante’s gaze flares with an intensity that steals my breath away. His finger traces the bruises on my thighs, raising goosebumps on my skin and making my nipples tighten beneath the thin fabric of my shirt. “If I wanted to hold you captive, you’d be in my house and tied to my bed right now. So no, you’re not my prisoner.”
Tied to his bed. Slave to his pleasure. I know firsthand how Dante. Doesn’t. Stop. The memories alone are enough to make me chase the delicious ache between my legs as moisture seeps out of my core.
His wandering hand, a delicious distraction, makes my body quiver and threatens to derail my thoughts. I catch his hand and intertwine my fingers with his, trying to halt his slow seduction so I can concentrate.
Sophie’s words echo in my mind, a reminder of the real reason I’m here. I take a deep breath and then ask, “Dante, what did you mean last night when you told Sal I’m to be off-grid?”
He hesitates for a beat, then speaks, his voice matter-of-fact, the words falling like a hammer blow. “It means you’re dead.”
My heart stutters, a cold dread seeping into my veins. “What do you mean, dead?”
Dante’s grip on my hand tightens, but the stroke of his thumb over my knuckles is gentle. “Adele O’Shea ceases to exist. Date of death, obituary, gravestone, the whole works.”
The room starts to spin, the marble countertop beneath me seeming to tilt and sway. It feels like I’m falling into a bottomless pit and the walls are closing in around me. “No. Hell no.”
Dante’s free hand comes up to cup my cheek, and his eyes bore into mine. “Addy, whoever tried to kill you needs to believe they succeeded; otherwise, you will be dead for real.”
Panic rises in my throat, and my breath comes in short, sharp gasps. “But . . . I can’t be dead. I have to work. And my dad. I’m all he’s got. All he’s ever had. I couldn’t do that to him.”
Something flashes in Dante’s eyes, and he raises a single eyebrow. “Benjamin O’Shea lied to you.”
“I know. But he’s still all the family I’ve got.”
Death is so . . . final. It means I’ll never be able to return. Was that what he meant by ‘owning’ me? Did I make a mistake telling him about the baby? “And what about Kira—”
“It’s done, Addy,” Dante says with a note of finality. He steps away from me and reaches for his coffee mug. I watch as he takes an unhurried sip, the casual action a stark contrast to the storm swirling inside me. His jaw clenches as he swallows, and then he takes a deep breath and says, “Don’t worry about Kira; she knows the truth. And for Benjamin O’Shea, the cops will be notifying him of your death today.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Adele
Rage explodes inside me, hot tears blinding my vision. “Abso-fucking-lutely not, you bastard!” I slip off the island, my bare feet hitting the cold tiles with a slap, the chill sending a twinge up my hip. “I will not let you destroy my life like that,” I yell as I head for the door, my heart shattering with every step.
“Where are you going?” Dante calls after me, his voice echoing in the vast hallway.
