Page 241 of Vicious Temptation

“To visit my father.”

The teasing smile disappears.

“I’ve been thinking about it since that night. Seeing Athena again and finding out your mom was with him when he died brought back a lot of things I thought I’d made peace with.” I take a moment before continuing. “For years, I told myself there was no reason to go back. He wasn’t there, and standing over a piece of stone wasn’t going to change anything. But I think the truth is that I’ve always been afraid to face him. I was never ready.”

I don’t know that I am even now.

Remi rests her hand against my chest. “Thiago, I’m here for whatever you need. You know that.”

I manage a smile. “That’s exactly it. I want you with me.”

“You want me to go with you?”

“Yeah.” I draw her closer. “I haven’t been back since I was a boy, and if I’m going to stand in front of him again after all these years, I don’t want to do it alone.”

She frames my face with her hands. “Then you won’t.”

“I haven't even said when,” I say with a chuckle.

“I don’t care when. Tell me, and I’ll be there.”

I hold her without saying anything, knowing I couldn’t have asked anyone else to do this with me.

“I want him to know about you.”

“Thiago...”

“I know he’s gone, but I still want to stand there and tell him about the woman who's made me happier than I ever thought I’d be.” I draw in a slow breath. “I want to tell him I’m okay.”

Remi blinks away tears as a smile touches her lips. “Then we’ll tell him together.”

Fifty-Nine

remi

Isend the last of ten rounds downrange and lower my pistol, grinning as I study the tight grouping in the center of my target. I’ve been smiling so much today that my cheeks are starting to hurt, and apparently, I haven’t been doing a very good job of hiding it.

“Okay, those are some pretty clean shots, but I know that’s not what’s got you grinning like that.

Matteo folds his arms and leans against the divider of my lane. I eject the magazine, lock the slide back, and set my pistol on the bench, then turn to face him. Gio stands two lanes over, still sending rounds into his target, while Madden occupies the lane between us, his earmuffs firmly in place as another shot cracks through the range.

I closed Sloane’s early because I was far too distracted to deal with customers but still needed somewhere to burn off all the energy I’ve been carrying around since last night. The boys were more than happy to stay behind for a little friendly competition.

“I gave Thiago a tattoo last night.”

“Okay.”

“Only I didn’t know he had me tattoo my mugshot number on his neck.”

Matteo’s eyebrows shoot up. “He did what?”

“Yeah.” I nod, still trying to wrap my head around it myself.

“Was he drunk?”

I swat his arm. “No.”

“Higher than a kite?”