Page 105 of It Kills Me

Dante stared at me and slowly crossed his arms over his chest.

“She even asked if you were behind this because me just dumping her isn’t believable.”

“And what did you say?”

“No, obviously. I made up some bullshit about not wanting to commit, how I didn’t want to be with her if she was your successor. But she didn’t believe any of that. She knows how I feel about her, so there’s nothing I can do to make her believe I don’t want her. I can’t break up with someone who won’t let me break up with them.”

He stared at me, the annoyance written all over his face. “Then your parents will die in twenty minutes.”

“Dante.” Killing him was starting to sound like a more plausible option. “Your daughter is happy with me. Very fucking happy. Why the fuck would you want to take that away from her?”

“Because you aren’t good enough for her,” he said coldly. “Fucking trash.” He looked me up and down, like I was covered in filth.

“You want me to break your daughter’s heart?” I asked incredulously. “What father wants that?”

His eyes came back to me. “She’s a grown-ass woman. She’ll get over it.”

“You’re the one who’s not good enough for her, if you ask me.”

His gaze hardened to ice.

I held his stare.

He turned over his shoulder slightly. “Shoot them in the restaurant. Want to make sure it hits the news.”

The man stepped away to make the call.

“Stop.”

Dante turned back to me. “Yes?”

“I will uphold my end of the deal. I just need more time.”

“I’ve already been generous, letting your parents live as long as I have.”

“Well, I can’t break up with a woman who’s crazy about me.”

He studied me, his eyes full of despisal. “Then make her hate you.”

“Not possible?—”

“I will take her to dinner tomorrow night at La Fornaio at seven. Be there with someone else. Problem solved.”

My heart plummeted into my stomach and then splashed in acid. It made me physically sick. “That’ll crush her.”

“And it’ll solve your problem.”

I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t let her believe she meant so little to me. “Just give me more time. I’ll figure out a way?—”

“This is what we’re doing. Be there tomorrow at seven.”

“Don’t make me do that to her?—”

“She’ll get over it.”

I couldn’t stand this man. Couldn’t stand his face. Couldn’t stand anything about him. “My father turned his back on me. His own son was innocent, but I never got the benefit of the doubt. When the wolves came for me, he let them feast. But he would never, ever do something like this.”

Dante turned away as he slid his hand into his pocket. “Tomorrow at seven, Axel.”