“Yes. I never stopped,” I whisper.
He kisses me.
“I don’t care about all that. I’ve faced danger countless times. You’re the one who's important to me. You’re the one I’m worried about. I know it’s you they want, not me.” Dominic declares.
“I can’t do this right now,” I whisper.
“Stop acting like you’re bulletproof, Cipi. You’re a strong independent woman but everyone needs someone to lean on and have their back. I have your back. Don’t push me away.”
“It’s for your own good.” I brush past him and into the foyer, grabbing my keys on the table.
His jaw tightens. “Yeah right. It’s fine. Run away like you always do when things get too much to handle. That’s why being the head of the family works so well for you because it gives you an excuse and allows you to hide your emotions.”
I whirl around. “You’re the one who chose to leave.”
“Again with this shit. I thought we were past this Cipi. That choice I made was stupid. I regret it every day of my life.” He takes a deep breath. “It’s obvious that I’m not a fan of the lifestyle you lead, but that had a lot to do with my brother and cousin. I shouldn’t have taken my feelings out on you. You don’t know how many times after our breakup that I thought about you. I kept tabs on you just to make sure you were alright.”
I open the door and step out onto the porch. “I thought about you too and I never stopped loving you. But the reality is that once we find out who the killer is we’re going to go back to our normal lives. I’m going to continue being the boss and you’re going back to working for your company that investigates people like me. It would never work, so we might as well just end things now before we break each other’s hearts again. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you.”
“It doesn’t have to be like this, Cipi, we can make this work.” Dominic follows me, closing the door.
I ignore him and walk down the steps to my car. “I have to go find Gigi and make sure she is okay. Then I’m going to torture Elio until he confesses to whatever he’s doing with Valerio.”
I yank the door open and drop into the seat. I push the start button.
A loud noise punches through the air like an explosion.
The deafening roar booms against my eardrums.
My body jolts.
My head slams hard into the back of the seat.
Glass flies past me.
Heat sears my skin.
Dazed, I look through the cracked windshield and see flames licking my hood as it crumples.
Fire swallows the engine block.
“Cipi!” Dominic’s voice sounds far away.
Strong hands grab me and pull me out of the car.
Dominic takes me into his arms and carries me to shelter at the side of the house.
Boom!
A second blast blows the car apart. The doors fly open, glass scatters everywhere, and smoke fills the air.
Fire rips through the car like an angry beast swallowing every bit of metal.
Dominic lowers me to a standing position and holds me tight.
I feel the world around me starting to blur.
This is the second time I’ve escaped death.
