Page 30 of Thorns of Silence

Baptiste nodded, although his brow narrowed. “Are you going to change the name?”

Why in the fuck was Baptiste still talking to him?Ignore the bastard, you moron. Dante pulled up a chair at our table without an ounce of shame before waving a waitress over to ask for an appetizer tray. “I’m thinking about naming it Dandelion.” I flinched, feeling like he’d slapped me. “What do you think, Nix?”

If looks could kill, he’d be in the morgue with a tag on his toe.“Stop calling me that.”

His emotionless expression and the sarcastic tilt to his lips rubbed me the wrong way. He was cryptic and cruel. Clever and diabolical. Everything that I wasn’t. Especially now. I was so fuckingpissed offat him.

The waitress showed up with a sampling of their popular dishes and placed them on the table while Baptiste stared at Dante and I stared at the tray. It looked exactly like the one we were served on our first date, minus the moonlit sky and picnic blanket.

“I hate you,”I signed, my chin wobbling.

Dante’s eyes found mine, almost tauntingly, as he grabbed my fork and stabbed—reallystabbed—the cranberry pecan goat cheese truffle and took a bite of it. My heart raced and heat rushed into my cheeks at the onslaught of memories of how that night had ended.

Never again. I was too young and too naive back then to see the dangers of his bad-boy charm. Not anymore.

“Why?”

“You ruined my dress,”I signed, clenching my teeth.

“I’d say I improved it.” Dropping his fork with visible force, he crossed his arms. “You look good in red.”

It was ridiculous how we looked here. The three of us crammed around the small linen-covered table, Baptiste following our exchange with a bemused expression, probably hammered from all the wine he’d just poured down his throat. Me with my ruined outfit, and Dante looking like he stepped out of one of Athena’s smutty books.

One major difference though: this guy was a creepy villain.

“You’d look good in red too,”I snapped.“As long as it was blood.”Baptiste cleared his throat across the table, still pale and clearly confused at what was happening. I would have demanded we cut this evening short if I didn’t get the sense that was exactly what Dante wanted. As it may, I’d rather go on all fucking night than give him the satisfaction.“Excuse me. I have to use… the toilet.”

I rushed out of there with memories snapping rabidly at my heels.

THIRTEEN

DANTE

Did I buy this restaurant just so I could have complete control of their date?

Fuck yes, I did.

And unless this came to a screeching halt, I was about to burn the fucking place to the ground. I’d fight God for her, never mind this schmuck.

I faced Baptiste, who was still sitting at the table confused. The disdain I felt for him right now could easily be spilled into full-blown “kill you” mode unless he got the fuck out of here. I didn’t likeanyone elsearound her.

First strike against him.

His face was etched with discomfort, but he sure as hell wasn’t standing up for her.

Second strike against him.

And then there was the way she smiled for him. She never smiled that way for me, and I fucking hated it. All I got from her were glares and the sense that she detested me.

So that was the third strike against him.

Once Phoenix disappeared into the ladies’ room, I locked eyes with Baptiste. “This is how this will go,” I started. “You will get up and you will leave. You’ll never ask her on a date again. You’ll stay away from her. You won’t even look at her. You’ll remove yourself from her life completely. Find a new symphony to play at. If I spot you in the same city as her, I’ll beat you within an inch of your life.”

“B-but—”

“No buts. Push me and I’ll fucking kill you and dump your corpse in the Seine for the fish to feed on.Capisce?”

He shot to his feet, his eyes bulging out of his skull, then bolted out of the restaurant, stumbling like a fool. He had no fucking idea how lucky he was to be able to walk out of here alive.