Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
When he saw my face, the man smiled and lowered his gun. “It is you.”
Was he a psycho? Was I dreaming? “I don’t think I know you.”
“You’re Alex. I’m the one that talked to your friend Randall. You’ve got to stop following my brother. You’re not safe out here, not when you might run into guys like me.”
I studied him more closely and realized he had a strong resemblance to Dante. “You’re Dante’s brother?”
He made a slight bow. “Rafael Theriot at your service. You can call me Rafe.”
I rolled the window down the rest of the way. He held out his hand, so I took it and shook. “I’m Alex, but you know that already.”
“I do. I looked you up. I had to learn everything I could about the young man who captured my brother’s attention.”
My hands were shaking, so I put them in my lap, not wanting him to see. “You did?”
“I won’t hurt you. He’d fucking kill me if I did.”
I wasn’t sure how to take that. Most people would mean it figuratively. With this family, I didn’t know.
“You’ve got to go home. You can’t have any part in what we’re doing tonight. Dante wants you safe, and you wouldn’t be safe where we’re going.”
“Then he’s not safe either.”
Rafe smiled. “Nice of you to be concerned, but he knows what he’s doing. He’ll be fine.”
“But what if—”
“He’ll be back to you as soon as he can.”
“Tonight?” I didn’t like this. What were they involved in?
“Maybe don’t worry if you don’t hear from him until tomorrow. I’ve got his back. Now, go. If I see you anywhere near us again, there will be consequences, and they won’t be pleasant.”
Before Rafe left, I needed to know how he’d tracked me down. “Did Dante know I was following him? Did he call you?”
“He knew someone was following him. He had a suspicion it was you, but he wasn’t sure. He called me to check it out.” Rafe gestured toward the road. “Get moving, or I’ll get yelled at for being late.”
He walked away, hopped in his truck, and took off. I sat there a few more minutes, trying to remember how to breathe, and then I turned the car around and headed back to the city.
How the hell was I going to wait for Dante without losing my mind? I’d never be able to sleep knowing he was out doing something dangerous and surely illegal.
He wouldn’t let me do that.
I laughed. Could he really stop me? Well, a normal guy couldn’t, but he probably could. I should be scared by that. I should hate it. But I didn’t. I liked that he wanted to make sure I was safe.
19
DANTE
When I answered Rafe’s call, I was so tense I could hardly concentrate on driving.
“Alex was following you,” Rafe said. “You were right.”
“What the fuck was he thinking? If I hadn’t noticed him, if he’d shown up at Uncle Bébé’s, he could’ve been killed, possibly by somebody in our family. No one would know that I could vouch for him. He’s such a fucking idiot.”
“He is a twenty-year-old frat boy. Of course he’s an idiot. He’s also a really cute one. I see why you like him.”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Rafe, I am not in the mood to play games.”
“I would never take what’s yours, big brother. You know that. But I can’t help but look. I mean, I have eyes.”
I needed to change the subject. “What did he say?”
“He said he was driving by your house, saw you leave, and he just couldn’t help himself. He clearly has no sense of danger, no proper response to taking risks.”
“Rafe, neither do you.”
“I know when some things are risky, I just do it anyway.”
This discussion was pointless. It always had been. “What did you say to him?”
“I told him to turn around and made sure he was scared to keep looking for you. I said you’d call him when you could, but that it might be tomorrow.”
“Or it might be never if things go south.”
“Dante, we’re going to all be fine.”
I wish I had his confidence. “Thanks for intercepting him. I’m glad it wasn’t someone else, but I also wish I’d gotten to yell at him myself. Why the hell would he take such a risk?”
“He’s obsessed with you, Dante. Really fucking obsessed. To the point that if we were average guys, you might need to be worried, but I know you can take care of yourself, no matter what.”
I texted Alex, letting him know the code to get into my house, then telling him to stay there and take care of Adenine. I still blamed him for my sudden cat ownership. I suspected if he could be there with my things and enjoy the illicit thrill of staying at his professor’s house, he’d be less likely to try and find me again. I needed him safe in my house, where he belonged.