Page 105 of Till Death Do Us Part

Giovanni calmly started the car, backed out of the parking space, and drove around the back of the building. There were fewer cars on this side. We exited the lot from a different place than where we’d entered, merging into traffic.

“Someone talk to me. What about our meeting? What about the building?”

Dante still had his gun in his lap as he quickly typed out a text message.

Giovanni was silent, his attention on the city streets.

Finally, my brother spoke. “I texted Lombardi. He’s up in the title office.”

“Don’t we need to sign?”

“He’s taking care of it.”

“How? What happened?”

Dante looked around, seeing that Giovanni had managed to get us back on the highway, headed north toward my home. My brother locked the safety on his gun and placed it back in the holster. He shrugged his suit coat back into place and turned my direction. “Someone found out about your plan.”

“Bratva?”

Dante looked up at Giovanni.

He nodded. “I’d say yes. Two of them.”

My mind was having difficulty comprehending. “Did you shoot them?” My voice went higher. “Are there two dead men in the parking lot?”

“Not for long. Mr. Roríguez called for a cleanup crew,” Giovanni said.

“Aléjandro. He knew that someone was there.” I turned my attention on Dante. “That’s why he wanted to talk to you.”

“He was tipped off. One of his men reported a suspicious car.”

“Oh my God. He knew and he let us go...like bait?”

“No. You were never in danger.” Dante laid his hand on my thigh. “We had to show up to find out if they were a threat. If we never arrived, we’d never know.”

Laying my head back on the seat, I exhaled. “How? This whole thing was planned as recently as the last few days. Only the men you brought with you and Aléjandro’s most trusted men were informed.” Tears stung the back of my eyes. I’d wanted to help the workers. “What about the school?”

Dante looked at his phone. “Lombardi will make an excuse for our absence from the closing. He has people faxing power-of-attorney paperwork. He won’t need us. He can act in our stead with the POA.”

My brother’s smile broke through. “Were you really going to drive us out of there? Bonnie-and-Clyde style?”

“I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time.” My phone rang. The trembling in my hands was gone, leaving them cold as ice. Seeing my husband’s number released the dam I’d put on my tears. “Aléjandro?”

“You were always safe, Mia. I want you to know that. You were safe. You are.”

Tears slid down my cheeks as I nodded.

“If I could have stopped them without the two of you…but we needed to know.”

“Who?” I asked. “Who tipped off the bratva?”

“We have fewer possibilities.”

This was too real. My thoughts went to my husband. “We’re okay. What about you? Are you safe? Rei? Diego and Felipe?”

“We’re all good, and you are too. I wish it had been me, but Dante knew what could happen. He was ready.”

I looked over at my brother, grateful that he was here and spoke into the phone, “Come home when you can.”