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“Then don’t tell her. You know I love her. You know I want to do right by her.”
“But you’re still going to marry another woman. You’ll still keep her as a secret.”
“I don’t want to keep her as a secret.”
“Diego, we all have to make choices we don’t want.” James slammed his hand on the table. “You’re not a child. She’s not a child. She’s not a piece of property. She’s my daughter, and I want what is best for her, and it’s not you.”
Diego laughed. “You know, I would have killed a man who insulted me for less. I’m in love with your daughter, James. You can try to fight me all you want, but I will stop you at every turn.”
With that, he got to his feet, approaching the stage.
He got onto the stage, and as he touched her hip, she stopped singing. Flicking through the options, he picked a well-known song.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I don’t like to sing. I don’t like to be on center stage, but for you, Belle, I’m willing to do a whole lot more.”
Picking up the mic, he held her hand, and sang his heart out when it was needed. He sounded awful, and Belle sounded amazing. He would have to get her to sing to him more often.
By the time they were done, the crowd clapped, showing their approval. He held Belle’s hand up, allowing her to get all the praise. He adored this woman.
No, he loved this woman so damn much.
He didn’t even know how it was possible for him to love her this much, but it was. It so was much more than anything he’d ever felt before, and it consumed him.
Walking her back to their booth, he made his way to the bar to grab a round of drinks. He kept to a soda for himself.
Several people slapped him on the back as he passed. The temptation to threaten them was strong, but he knew he wasn’t in his world at the moment. This was Belle’s.
“You two totally rocked the stage,” James said.
“Dad said he’s staying for another couple of weeks,” Belle said.
“He did?”
“Yep. Isn’t that great?”
“Brilliant.” He looked at James, who had a brow raised. Diego had no doubt James was sticking around to keep an eye on him. He hadn’t told her yet, so that was a plus on his side.
If he had his wish, Belle would never know the truth about his situation. Men were able to live double lives, and some never got caught.
You don’t want to live a double life.
He pushed that thought to the back of his mind.
It didn’t matter what he did or didn’t want it to happen. The fact still remained that it was going to happen eventually.
Would it break her?
Would it stop her looking at him the way she did?
Damn it. He didn’t want James to be right about this. He loved her, and he didn’t want to lose her. He’d never had to make a decision this challenging before.
They finished off their drinks, and Belle declared she was starving and wanted to take her dad to Mary’s. All he wanted to do was take her home where he knew it was safe.
Instead, he made sure to put his jacket around Belle as they headed on out.
The night was so busy as they got onto the street. He looked left and right, keeping Belle by his side. He still had a sneaking suspicion about Angelo, and he was rarely ever wrong.
Just as they crossed the road, the sound of tires squealing followed by gunshots filled the air.
Screams, cries, and yells erupted all around him, and he quickly tried to push Belle to the ground. In the rush, she’d been pulled from his arms, and he moved to her side. Diego didn’t get to see who was shooting, but as they took off, he saw his men following in pursuit.
“Diego? Dad?”
Hearing his name, he quickly walked to Belle’s side, helping her to her feet.
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I think so. Where’s my dad?” she asked.
He quickly checked her over to make sure there were no marks or shots, before glancing down the street.
Several people were crying, and there were bodies on the ground.
“Shit!” He spotted James, blood seeping out of his chest.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Your dad’s been hit. It’s okay, James.” Removing the jacket he’d placed around Belle, he put some pressure to the wound.
“Dad’s been shot. Daddy?”
Belle knelt on the ground as James took a breath.
“How bad is it? What’s going on? Diego, what’s happening?”
“Someone, call an ambulance.” The cry came down the street.
Diego kept the pressure on the wound, knowing his time was coming to an end. It wouldn’t be long now before he had to tell her something.
“Diego, please, talk to me?” She sniffled.
He looked up to see the woman he loved looking distraught. She couldn’t see what was happening. Her hands were shaking. She was going into shock. He had to take control of everything, and he didn’t want to hurt her.
