I open my mouth to deny it but then shut it again. The fact is, with this baby, Vin is in my life and right now I don’t have the energy to handle him, being pregnant, the first year of my restaurant being openanddating Gavin. “My intention was never to lead you on, Gavin. There’s just… a lot happening in my life right now, and I don’t want to waste your time.”
I’m not sure what I expected his response to be, but I certainly didn’t expect him to shrug. Or smirk. Or pull a gun from his coat pocket and dig it into my side under the table.
“I think I’ll get over it,” he says easily.
The bottom drops out of my stomach.
“What are you doing, Gavin?” My brain is moving slow and fast at the same time, unable to process what’s happening.
He pulls out his phone. “Spreading the word.” He texts with one hand, one eye on me. “Don’t look so angry, girl. You got lucky, actually. You were supposed to die in the restaurant bombing. Maybe this way we can spare your life. Well, at least for awhile.”
The cardamom smell turns my stomach. “You… bombed my restaurant?”
“Not me personally, but my people, yeah.” He shrugs again. “Your boyfriend was supposed to marry the boss’s daughter. He didn’t listen then. Maybe he’ll listen now.”
I am shaking, suddenly freezing cold. Is Vin outside watching all this go down? I don’t know if I’m made more nervous by the idea that he might see everything and coming rushing in—or that he might not.
“Text him.”
Gavin gestures at my phone on the table. Has it been 10 minutes since I sat down? If I stall and don’t text, Vin will come in here ready for a fight and I won’t have to feed him whatever misinformation Gavin wants.
“Keep it light. Just get him here.”
I frown. “So you can ambush him? Why do you think I would do that?”
Gavin sighs. “I’m trying to make peace here, Sophie. I want this war to end today. He does right by Ashlyn, honors the agreement, and all of this goes away.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“And why’s that?” He sounds almost bored but he jams the gun harder into my ribs.
“This has nothing to do with me. It’s not my place.”
Gavin’s eyes widen. “Oh girlie, this has everything to do with you. If our boy hadn’t fallen in love with you, he’d be with Ashlyn and I wouldn’t have ever darkened your doorstep.”
I glance down at my hands, pursing my lips. That tracks. Men who use me for food and sex, I’m used to. But men who stickaround when I’m giving them neither? I should have known he had an ulterior motive.
“Hey, to be fair, I can see why the guy is in love with you. You’re a good woman, Sophie.” He taps my phone. “And I’m counting on you to do the right thing. You could save a lot of lives if you can help Vin understand what he needs to do to keep the peace.”
He obviously doesn’t know Vin. Not once in my life have I ever been able to convince that man to do something he didn’t want to do.
I pick up my phone and text Vin, showing it to Gavin before I hit send:
Can you pick me up?
The front door opens almost immediately and I look up in surprise. That was fast.
But it’s not Vin. It’s Rocco.
Rocco?
My world tilts as I watch Rocco closely, trying to read him, and realize something’s off. Rocco’s looking at Gavin, and when Gavin makes eye contact, Rocco nods. Rocco freaking nods at Gavin like he’s checking-in. Even more confusing, Gavin dismisses him with a gesture and Rocco stops in his tracks, his hands behind his back.
What?
My head is reeling. Gavin was never really trying to date me, andRocco has more allegiance to Gavin than he does to me? A wave of iciness washes over me.
“Rocco. What are you doing here?” I’m impressed that I sound as cold and distant as I do. Like I don’t feel like the chump that I am for hiring him back.
