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I stepped out of the bathroom, my skin ice cold despite my bathrobe, the heated floors, and the hot bath I’d soaked in for the past hour.
It was late evening, hours after the attempted Lohman & Sons robbery, but I was still stuck on the showroom floor with a gun under my chin and evil staring back at me.
The entire incident had lasted less than ten minutes before backup security arrived and neutralized the situation.
No one got hurt, but I couldn’t stop thinking aboutwhat-ifs.
What if backup had arrived a minute too late?
What if the robber had shot first and asked questions later?
What if I’d died? What would I have to show for it except a closet full of nice clothes and a life spent doing the “right thing?”
I would’ve died without visiting the Atacama Desert for stargazing or falling in love more than once.
Things I’d always thought I would have time to do because I was only in my late twenties, dammit, and I was supposed to be invincible at this age.
The faint slam of the front door saved me from my thoughts, but my heart skittered with trepidation.
Who was here? Dante wouldn’t be home until tomorrow, and the staff was already indoors. Even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t slam the door like that.
My trepidation heightened when the sound of footsteps grew louder and the door to my bedroom flung open.
I grabbed a vase off my dresser, ready to throw it at the intruder until I registered the dark hair and hard, unforgiving face.
“Dante?” My heart gradually slowed as I set the vase down. “You’re not supposed to be back until tomorrow. What are…”
I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence before he crossed the room in two long strides and gripped my arms.
“Are you hurt?” he demanded. He scanned me from head to toe, his expression tight.
What…the robbery. Of course. He was the CEO. Someone must’ve told him what happened.
“I’m fine. A little shaken, but fine.” I forced a smile. “You’re supposed to be in California until tomorrow. What are you doing home early?”
“There was an attempted robbery at one of my flagship stores, Vivian.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “Of course I came back right away.”
“But the Santeri deal…”
“Is closed.” His iron grip remained on my arms, strong yet gentle.
“Oh.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
The day had been surreal, made all the more surreal by Dante’s sudden appearance.
It was only then that I noticed his rumpled shirt and tousled hair, like he’d been running his fingers through it.
For some reason, the visual made my eyes blur with tears. It was too human, toonormalfor a day like today.
Dante’s fingers tightened around me. “Be honest, Vivian,” he said, the words somehow both comforting and commanding. “Are you okay?”
Notare you hurt, but are you okay?Two different questions.
Pressure built inside me, but I nodded.
His eyes were a dark storm, his face etched with lines of anger and panic. At my response, skepticism joined the mix, soft but visible.
“He held you at gunpoint,” he said, his voice lower. Tauter. Promising retribution.
