“I trust you’ll make the right choice,” Federico sighed and waved goodbye before disappearing down my winding driveway.
Though he had left, the news he delivered sat between Alisa and me like a live grenade with its pin halfway out.
Her father wanted to see her. Every time I thought of Marc Montes, I was filled with rage. He’d sold her to the highest bidder, and for all I knew, he was only calling to collect on that deal.
If I had anything to do with it, Alisa wouldn’t go a mile near him.
We went inside, and I closed the front door behind us. Alisa immediately turned to me, and what I saw stilled me into quiet panic. Her eyes flashed dark, full of life, full of determination.
“I’m going to meet him,” she said, just as I’d expected and feared.
“Absolutely not,” I replied, keeping my voice calm despite the alarm bells clanging in my head. “Your father sold you like properly, Alisa. And now he wants to meet? Come on! Think straight.”
She shook her head. “I won’t know why he did until I meet him, Dante. Please, don’t you get it? I know he’s been blackmailed, and if I talk to him and he comes clean, we might be able to help.”
“Why the hell would I want to help your father?” I spoke louder than I meant to, and she flinched.
A tense silence fell between us.
I took a deep, steadying breath. “Look, Alisa, all I mean to say is my business is with you. Not him.”
“But I’m his daughter.” Alisa took one step forward with a plea on her face. “Don’t you get it? If we know what trouble he’s in and help him out, then we can put this madness to rest! I have a duty towards him!” Her voice was trembling.
“I’m tired of living like this, Dante. I can’t always be looking over my shoulder, wondering when the people he sold me to will come looking for me. We don’t even know who those people are! We don’t even know what we’re up against!”
“But you don’t know what he’s capable of!” I felt my temper rise again. “What if it’s a trap?”
She shook her head, and I saw tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. “I spent my entire life thinking he was one person, and now I discover he’s someone else entirely. I need to look him in the eye when I ask him why. I need—”
Her voice broke, and with it, something in my chest cracked open. I crossed the room and took her hands in mine.
“I understand,” I said softly. “But I can’t let you walk into danger.”
She looked down at our joined hands, then back up at my face. “I have to do this, Dante. If I don’t, I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering. I’ll never have closure.”
I knew that look. She wasn’t going to back down, and part of me, the part that wasn’t blind with fear for her safety, respected that. But I couldn’t just let her walk into the lion’s den alone.
“Fine,” I conceded, “but you can’t go alone. It has to be a public place where he can’t pull off some unhinged stunt, and I’ll be there the whole time.”
“He won’t talk if you’re there!” she protested.
“I wasn’t planning on joining your cozy family reunion,” I said dryly. “I’ll be hiding out nearby and listening in through an earpiece. That way, I can step in if things go south.”
“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly.
“It’s a deal,” I said, even though my heart still felt like it was making a mistake. But for some reason, I’d always found it hard to say no to Alisa Montes.
***
The next day, we got ready for the meeting. Federico had arranged for it to happen at a quiet café in midtown that was busy enough to discourage any surprise moves.
Alisa and I drove over and parked a street away. We both wore caps and kept our heads low as we walked, in case Marc had anyone watching.
“Listen,” I told her just as we approached the corner for the café. “You walk in, and I’ll follow. Meanwhile, don’t go anywhere with him. Don’t leave to use the washroom. Stay seated at your table where I can always see you.”
“Okay,” she said, but I could hear the fear in her voice. “I’ll be careful. Is your earpiece working?”
“I’ve tested it a few times. I can hear just fine,” I reassured her and felt for it in my ear once again, out of habit.
