“I couldn’t. I don’t love her. Hell, I don’t know that I’m capable of loving anyone. So, I broke things off. She didn’t take it well. Told me she was going to stab my heart out for breaking hers. Lucky for me, she didn’t know what side of the body the heart is on,” Dante said, then squirmed as Rocco stitched up the wound.
Rocco laughed. “From the looks of this wound, you’re very lucky.”
“Yeah. Not as lucky as you.”
“What does that mean?”
“Jemma’s in Dajabon.”
“What makes you think that?” Rocco asked, mind racing about how Dante could’ve gotten that information.
“I met up with Vance. We talked about that punk Eddie Baez who is weaseling his way in. Vance mentioned some hot as fuck black beauty they saw you having a romantic date with near the cliffside,” Dante explained. “I was pissed that you were holding out on me until he mentioned the woman’s name was Jemma. The same woman you hooked up with and can’t get out of your system.”
“We didn’t hook up,” Rocco corrected him.
“Yeah. Right.” Dante gave him a skeptical eyebrow raise. “So, was it a coincidence that you ran into each other?”
“She came here to find me,” Rocco said, sticking close to the truth.
Dante whistled. “After three years? She must be as lovestruck with you as you are with her.”
“Lovestruck is a bit much, don’t you think?”
Dante shrugged. “Maybe. That could change since she made the first move, right?”
“We’ll see …” Rocco hedged, then changed the subject. “What’s your issue with this Eddie guy?”
“You know the saying, if something seems too good to be true? That’s Eddie Baez if you ask me. The power he has doesn’t match the small size of his operations. The guy has connections he shouldn’t have. Connections El Sombro wants. That’s why he’s on our radar. But to me, he’s too young, too brash, and too conceited to trust that he’ll make good on any promises.”
“What kind of connections?” Rocco tugged the plastic gloves from his hands and tossed them into the biohazard waste bin.
“The kind you don’t need to worry about,” Dante said, then glanced down at his abdomen. “Good work. I bet I won’t have a scar to mess up my beach body.” He slipped his shirt back on and eased off the cot.
Rocco leaned against the counter. “Try to take it easy until that heals.”
“Got it.” Dante headed for the door. “Now I have some advice for you.”
“What’s that?”
“Try to give Jemma a chance. She could be worth it.”
Chapter 26
“Jemma …” Rocco stood frozen in the doorway of the bungalow home overlooking Laguna Rincon. “What are you doing here?”
Jemma had rehearsed this moment in her mind dozens of times but now was at a loss for words. She drank in the sight of him. Tall, muscular frame clad in a simple, well-fitted black t-shirt and dark jeans, giving him a rugged and irresistible look. Her fingertips tingled as she imagined tracing the lines of his defined arms and feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her touch.
Was she crazy to think she could handle this?
Was Fallon right?
The temptation of Rocco could be too much to resist, day after day, as the months dragged on for the undercover op. No, she wouldn’t be derailed. There was more on the line than taking down El Sombro. She had to find Nomar Ortiz. Get justice for Aurelia.
With refortified strength, Jemma said, “Surprised you didn’t ask how I got in.”
“With your skills, that’s the last thing to shock me about this situation,” Rocco said, then entered slowly, closing the door behind him. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“I moved into your guest bedroom.” Jemma ripped the band-aid off and gave him the most direct answer she could. But the Rocco she knew would want more than that, so she continued, “I met with Lenny, Tank, and Fallon today. We all agreed that pretending to be a couple is the perfect cover for me as your new handler. No one would question why we were spending so much time together. We’d be able to talk freely if I lived here. Just to be sure, I came over early to sweep your place for surveillance devices that El Sombro might have put in here. There were none. So I checked out of my motel and came here. Of course, we only have to put on a show when others are around. When we’re alone, things will remain strictly professional.”
