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Callie isn’t impressed when I give her the rundown of my day. The phone line on her end goes silent for some time before she inhales sharply. “Have you forgotten the reason you’re there?”
“Of course not, but I can’t ignore this.”
“You can, Nero. You have to because it’s distracting you. While you were playing babysitter and feeding her, where was Dante?”
“I don’t know.”
“Exactly, and you should know because he’s our target. You need to push your way in there.”
“Tessa is the way in,” I remind her.
“No, Nero. No, she isn’t. She doesn’t know anything. She’s his bitch. There’s no secret there—you already know he beats the shit out of her. We can’t get him on domestic violence or starving his wife because it’s not big enough.”
“Maybe we can get her out of there, put her in a safe house.”
She sighs heavily. “Listen to yourself. So, we get her out, then what? What do you tell Dante, that you lost his wife? What do you think he’ll do then? He’s paying you to watch her, fuck her, get her up the duff. If you lose her, he’s going to kill you, and then whole operation fails. No, you have to keep her in there and begin worming your way into Dante’s good books. If I were you, I’d tell him she’s confiding in you. He’ll soon shut her up, then you can concentrate on the important stuff.”
“Christ, were you always this harsh?” I ask.
“Yes. It’s why I’m at the top. Now, sort your head out and get me something on Dante Anderson before the whole thing collapses.”
I disconnect. She’s right, until I get something on him, Tessa is stuck there.
CHAPTER SIX
7 years earlier . . .
TESSA
I’m in bed when I hear the front door slam. Holding my breath, I wait for his angry footsteps to hunt me down. There’s a commotion downstairs, but I don’t move. It’s best not to see whatever is going on. I learned that very quickly.
Almost twenty minutes later, I hear his footsteps. I can’t control the panic taking over my body. The bedroom door opens, flooding the room in light. I squeeze my eyes closed and try to slow my breathing. “There’s a guest downstairs.” I don’t respond, hoping he’ll think I’m sleeping and leave me alone, but he rips the sheets away. “Get up, Tessa,” he says through gritted teeth. I get out of bed, and he grabs my wrist, dragging me like a toy doll behind him. “You embarrassed me tonight,” he snaps.
“I didn’t mean to. Emerson is my friend. I couldn’t hit her.”
“Do you let all your friends hit you?”
He shoves me into the living room, and I freeze. Naked on the couch is Emerson. Sitting on the end of the couch, topless and with his jeans unfastened, is Enzo. “She’s good, Tessa, but she isn’t you,” Dante hisses in my ear, and a sob escapes me. “Now, hit her.” I shake my head. She’s passed out cold, but I can see bruises beginning to form on her body.
“You’ve hurt her enough,” I whisper.
He grabs my hair and pushes me closer. “She disrespected you, which means she disrespected me. Hit her or you’ll face the same punishment.”
“I don’t care,” I whisper, letting tears flow freely down my cheeks. “I won’t hit her. I’m not you.”
He laughs, turning me to face him and slapping me hard. I fall to the floor, right beside Emerson. Scrambling to my knees, I move the hair from her face. “Em, wake up. Em,” I whisper urgently. She stirs, groaning when she tries to move.
Dante slaps her arse, and she cries out, her eyes springing open. And then, as if the memories rush back to her, she sits up wide-eyed and begins to scream. Dante places his hand over her mouth, pulling her against him. “Now, now, gorgeous, let’s not cause a scene again.”
“Please, Dante. Do whatever you want to me, just don’t hurt her anymore,” I plead with him.
Emerson’s eyes find me, and we share a pained look. “Are you sure you won’t hit her?” he asks, and I shake my head. “Okay, then everything that happens next is because of you.” He places his hand on Emerson’s forehead and the other wraps around her chest, and then he pulls, yanking her head to one side fast and hard. There’s a sharp cracking sound and her eyes widen before she drops to the floor, her gaze still fully on me but now lifeless.
I stare open-mouthed. “All you had to do was hit her back,” he continues as if nothing happened.
“What did you do?” I whisper, crawling over to Emerson. I hold a shaky hand over her, hesitating before I touch her. When I do, she’s still and completely lifeless. I begin sobbing and shaking her. “Wake up,” I beg. “Wake up, Emerson.”
Dante drags me up off the floor. “She’s fucking dead, Tessa. That’s your fault.”
