But it doesn’t mean I have to go along with it.
And it doesn't mean I have to be okay with him either.
So my heart has gotten carried away too. Fuck that.
I’m a strong woman. I can move on and live without him.
I'll stay here until I know the coast is clear and then Sofia and I will vanish.
Because once I break this connection, there's no returning to it.
18
DANTE
Rico drives while I sit in the passenger seat and try to push the argument with Angelica out of my mind.
The anger in her voice still echoes in my head.
The hurt in her eyes when she realized I hadn't told her the full truth about what happened at the parish.
She thinks I'll never change and that I'll always default to violence and lies.
Maybe she's right.
Maybe I'm a lost cause.
But I won't let her take Sofia from me.
We drive through the center of Rome toward the Pantheon.
The streets are busy even at this late hour.
Tourists and locals are walking through the squares.
Shops and restaurants are still open and glowing with warm light.
The city feels alive and it contrasts sharply with the darkness I carry inside me.
This thing has pushed me to my limits and beyond.
I keep making promises I end up breaking and Gerard's pressing and teasing is pissing me off.
I'm going to lose Angelica because of this snake.
"The informant said he has proof about who leaked the ledgers," Rico says. "He wouldn't give details over the phone. He wanted to meet in person… Personally, I wonder if it's a trap."
"Why the Pantheon?" I ask, beginning to think the same thing.
An insistence to meet in person often means a trap is being set, but with such a public location, I can't be certain.
"He said it's crowded enough to blend in but open enough to see if anyone is watching. He's scared, Dante. He thinks Antonelli is already onto him."
I lean back in my seat and watch the buildings pass by.
The informant's taking a risk by coming forward.
If Antonelli finds out, he's as good as dead.
