Page 68 of Dangerous Intent

It couldn’t be what I thought it was. The universe couldn’t be that cruel.

“What the fuck?”

The sound wasn’t just a noise, it was a punch to the gut—a memory I had tried to bury clawing its way to the surface. My chest tightened, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

“Lissia!” I yelled into the dead line, my voice cracking. I needed to hear her voice, needed to know she was alive.

Tick… Tick… Boom.

SIXTEEN

Lissia

The ringingin my ears escalated, and my eyes flew open. Why was I on the ground, staring up at the sky?

Oh shit!

I tried to push myself into a seated position, and then searched for my phone, but the smokey air surrounding me clouded my vision. The intensity of the heat coming from the glow several feet from me warmed my body.

What is on fire? Where is Dom?

I tried to focus, but the rattling in my head distracted me. What had I been doing before…

After Angelo left,I stayed in the study a few more minutes, taking in all the memories I’d made that were lies. Once I got back from Miami, I would help my mother gut this place, and we could start fresh.

Miami…

I had to tell Marchello that Angelo knew I was going there. Was Angelo trying to threaten me? If Marchello thought it was a threat, he wouldn’t let me go with him.

I grabbed my bag and hurried down the hallway. I needed to leave before anything else happened that would get me into trouble. My mother always said trouble had a way of finding me. She wasn’t kidding.

When I got outside, Dom waited for me on the walkway.

“Did everything go okay with Angelo?” he asked.

“Define okay?”

“I should have stayed in the room with you.”

“You were right outside the room.”

I met him by the holly bushes. They had always been my favorite, especially during this time of the year. The dark green leaves and the red berries seemed so festive. I even named one of my childhood dolls Holly, and I used to imagine myself with a husband and a baby by that name.

Silly girl.

Never in my wildest dreams did my husband appear as a brutal mafia boss with a knack for shooting people. I always envisioned him as more of a prince from a fairytale.

I was glad my tastes had changed.

“Angelo is just mad that I gave the house to my mother,” I said. “He’s not thrilled that I let Marchello take all of the papers and computer out of here, but that’s Angelo’s problem.”

“You’re going to have to tell Marchello about your altercation with Angelo,” Dom said.

“What makes you think we fought?”

“When he stormed out of here, I could tell that you had gotten to him.”

“Hmm.” I smirked. “He thinks he should be managing my father’s affairs, but that’s over for him.” I motioned toward the car. “You’re right. I’ll call him and check in, then we can go.”