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He should have been blowing up my phone nonstop, begging for my forgiveness, or at least trying to explain why he’d failed to show. But he hadn’t done a single thing. People always said thatno response is a response, so I guessed I had some sort of answer even though it wasn’t even remotely the one I wanted and it didn’t make any kind of sense. Him walking away without saying a word wasn’t like him at all. It wasn’t our MO. It wasn’t what we did.
Something must have changed.
And I’d never ever forgive him for it.
It had only been a handful of days since the wedding, and I spent the majority of my time at my real estate office. I hated being at home. Plus, it was easier to distract myself and keep busy if I was surrounded by paperwork and incoming queries that needed answering. There was always a lot going on when it came to buying, selling, or renting properties. Hopetown seemed to be in a constant state of growth, which was a good thing in regard to my business but sort of sad when I got all sentimental about it, wishing it would never change.
My cell phone rang, and I glanced at it, no longer hoping to see Dominic’s name on the other end. Okay, that was a lie. I wasn’t sure I’d ever not hope to see his name flashing across my screen. Each day that passed without a word from him made me question everything I’d ever believed about us.
How was he not dying inside? Was he moving on without me?
My phone rang again, and I looked down and saw his father’s name on the screen.
I swallowed my distaste before deciding to answer it. I owed it to him for what he’d done for me.
“Hello?” I said, sounding bored.
“Dove,” he breathed out my name. “I need you to get ahold of Dom and bring him to me right away.”
My lips instantly snarled. Even though I was pissed off at Dominic and refused to forgive him, I’d still never betray him. Especially when it came to his father.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, he might not live to see his next birthday.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped into the line. Who said things like that about their own kid?
“Ineedyou to do this for me, Dove,” he said with a little desperation and not at all like the overly confident man I’d always known.
If I was interpreting his tone correctly, he even sounded slightly fearful. I’d never heard him that way before. It was a bit unnerving.
“He won’t take any calls from me. But he’ll pick up if you call him. It’s the least you can do, don’t you think?”
I almost laughed out loud into the line, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing it. The man had always claimed to love my laugh. Of course he’d throw what he’d done for me in my face. He probably would hold it over me for the rest of my life.
“Fine. What do you need me to do?”
He gave me some quick and easy instructions, and I sucked in a deep breath before hanging up, annoyed that he was using me to get to Dominic and confused about the threat.
Stepping out of my office, I must have had a concerned look on my face because Kristina stopped me in my tracks, her body blocking mine from leaving.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be right back. I have to go do something for Dominic’s father.”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be quick,” I said reassuringly.
The last thing I needed was for Kristina to worry more about me. The girl had been worked up for months, hating that she couldn’t save me or at least help in some way.
“Call me if that changes,” she said seriously, and I gave her a half-smile.
Her offer was sweet but pointless. I’d never involve anyone else in this sort of thing.
I exited the office and clicked the remote on my car. It beeped, and the driver’s door only let out a solo click. I’d adjusted the settings to stop unlocking the entire car at once in case someone tried to jump in on the passenger side while I wasn’t paying attention. Ever since the wedding, I’d been overly paranoid that I was being watched or followed, that my life was in danger—or worse, my dad’s. I glanced around quickly, checking my surroundings before hopping in.
I decided to call Dominic from the car while I headed toward the designated spot. There was no way I was letting him go into a meeting with his father alone. Whatever Mr. DeLuca had to say to Dominic, he would say it in front of me as well. I was sure he’d already planned on that.
