Page 101 of Dante

The receptionist looks at Biscotti, her face going pale. “Dr. Reynolds! Emergency!”

A man in blue scrubs appears, takes Biscotti from my arms, and disappears.

I’m left standing there, terrified. “Will he be okay?”

“Dr. Reynolds is an excellent veterinarian,” the receptionist assures me.

I take out my phone. Dante warned me never to call him at work, but this is an emergency.

To my surprise, his assistant puts me through immediately.

“Gina?” His voice is sharp.

“Dante, it’s Biscotti. He had a violent reaction after eating something at school. Thomas drove us to the vet.”

“Text me the address,” he says. “I’ll be right there.”

Twenty minutes later, Dante appears in a charcoal suit, his presence filling the small waiting room. Thomas hovers by the door. I stand and embrace Dante. His powerful arms and his scent soothe me.

Chelsea picks up her bag. “Now that you’re in good hands, I’ll leave you two alone.”

As she waves goodbye, I catch her looking at Dante, her eyes lingering over the outline of the gun beneath his suit.

“What happened?” Dante demands.

I tell him about the sous chef delivering the meal. His eyes darken with every word.

The vet finally emerges, but Biscotti is not in his arms.

My stomach sinks.

“Your dog will pull through,” Dr. Reynolds says. “We had to pump his stomach. He was poisoned.”

“Poisoned?” Dante’s voice drops.

The vet nods. “Initial signs point to rat poison.”

The room tilts. Dante paces with caged energy, his fury barely contained.

He stops in front of me.

“Dante, do you think someone intentionally poisoned him?”

“Like I’ve told you, some people want you dead. They want everyone near me dead. The poisoning wasn’t just meant to kill Biscotti. It was an attempt to weaken me.”

“But who?”

“The Petrovs,” Dante says quietly. “They just made this personal.”

I sink into a chair. The Petrovs.

They attacked the happiness Dante has given me. And that changes everything.

CHAPTER 39

GINA

Isit on the white living room sofa with my feet tucked under me, cradling Biscotti’s warm little body against my chest.