I try not to let the streak of pain show on my face, but I feel it anyway. “Fun? That’s all it was for you or are these my father’s words?”

  He shakes his head, turning his back to me to face the door, a move indicative of the separation he’s trying to cause between us. I can’t stand his illusive, stoic silence much longer. I find a set of shorts and top, pushing past Nico and marching toward the front door.

  I hear him trying to catch up to me, but it better not be to stop me. I throw the door open, my father practically jumping back in shock, the same shock he gave me for kicking in my door—which I’m surprised is still on the hinges. My father is like a charging rhinoceros when he’s angry.

  Maybe that is why I feel a furious fire in my belly now when I take in his aged features. I haven’t seen my father in over five years, since he shoved me out of the car in the middle of the city with a little bit of cash saved up from my own work.

  I want to slap him now, or worse, but he’s surrounded by huge bodyguard-looking men and a few leaner friends of his that could still push me over with a single finger. I wouldn’t fare well in a fight like this.

  “You have no right to tell Nico to leave,” I bite, my heart beating so hard it’s like I’ve been kicked in the chest. “You abandoned me, and you don’t get to sit here and pry the only man in my life that I care about!”

  My father doesn’t speak, only glances coldly over my shoulder, Nico pulling my wrist to bring me back in my apartment, but it’s not successful. I yank free of his hold and slam my palms into my father’s chest. Seeing him stumble back a single step is a worthy win for me, but I’m not done yet.

  I’m too angry to be done. “You’re just a bitter old man who couldn’t give a damn about his own daughter! You won’t be happy until I’m as miserable and alone and hopeless as you are!”

  He stands straighter, towering over me, the clear tint to his eyes suddenly feeling so dark and heavy when they’re looking down at me like this. I feel like a bug on the sidewalk while my father is a big, mighty boot, ready to squish my existence into oblivion and not even blink.

  I won’t let him do it anymore.

  My father’s throat tightens, his body streaked in tight, massive muscles that act like they’re fighting to stay back, but even with our long, overdue confirmation, I don’t think he’d ever physically hurt me.

  Then again, I never anticipated how he’d emotionally wreck me as a teenager.

  “You take Nico away, then you take away every other guard for the rest of my life,” I growl, needing so badly to sound confident but fearful I come up short with it. “I am done letting you get to be half-absent in my life. Either leave and take them all or leave Nico behind.”

  He shakes his head in automatic refusal. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Sage. I’m not going to let your ridiculous, sexual fling carry on with a man I ordered to keep you safe. You’re only alive because of the measure I put in place.”

  “That’s a lie,” I snap. “I’m alive because of Nico! Besides, Marcus wasn’t even after me to begin with, he was after your best friend sellout who just told me he can’t be around me anymore because of you!”

  My father’s focus shifts back to Nico behind me.

  “That’s not true,” Nico says, his voice hollow. “It’s my decision to leave, Sage. Your father is right. It was a stupid, worthless fling and it is over now.”

  I turn, feeling the fret fall down my cheeks along with my wet, wide eyes. “Stop it, Nico. You’re just saying that because he doesn’t want us to—”

  “I don’t want to,” he says firmly, his face void of all emotion which hurts more than if he was at least upset over this, but it’s clear he’s not. “I came to work with Heston. I’d rather him and I be okay, than allow this to go any further, Sage. I don’t want to be with you.”

  I hold my arms around my body, feeling myself unravel right here in the hallway. “You’re lying.”

  Nico takes a single, daunting step forward, his chest brushing against me while he looks down at me with the same disappointed glare of my father. I can see the walls going up in his eyes along with the sight of a man so distant and nonchalant that it’s like he’s a clone of my father.

  They’re both heartless.

  Nico drags his palm back against my cheek, turning my head so he can lean forward and speak into my ear in a nearly silent whisper. “I was only into the sex, Princess, and nothing else. You’re half my age and naïve as all hell to think I could ever be with you outside the bedroom. Go find a man who loves you. I will never be him.”

  I stay frozen in the hallway, Nico marching off past me, his shoulder brushing mine, and I count his steps until I no longer hear them. I only notice the trickling line of men who follow him out one-by-one until I think it’s just me and my father. His potent presence is capable of being felt even when I’m not facing him.

  “I hate you,” I breathe, hot tears coming down my cheeks. “I hate you and I hope you know that mom would hate you for this too.”

  “She would understand I’m just trying to protect you, Sage.”

  “When you die alone, maybe you can ask her, but you’ll never find an ounce of gratitude from me,” I say through tightly grit teeth. “You’ve ruined my life, Heston.”

  I charge back into my apartment, but he keeps his foot in the doorway, leaving it open just an inch. It’s only wide enough for me to see one of his eyes, nothing resembling guilt or sorrow even touching those icy irises.

  “I’m having another guard watch you for the next two weeks, then I’ll leave you alone forever, Sage.”

  I want to slam the door in his face but instead I shake my head, sobbing in defeat. “I hope your deal goes bad and that they come looking for me. I’d rather be dead than ever give you the pleasure of knowing you’ve made my life miserable.”

  I see it on his face now. His lips part in shock, not speaking a single word other than a shocked gasp, his brows knit in the same betrayal I feel right now. I kick his boot back and finally shut him out, still seeing his unwavering shadow in the hallway through the gap under the door.

  I thought hurting him would make the pain less heavy on my heart, but it still aches. I sink to the floor, sobbing so loud that I’m sure he can hear it from the hallway, hoping he feels my guttural agony. I didn’t mean half of what I said out there, but I also can’t believe what they both said to me.

  Nico had to be lying. Unless maybe he was telling the truth.

  Maybe I’m as useless of a lover as I am a daughter to my father.

  Chapter 11

  A Looming Storm

  Sage

  Work isn’t the same without those gold flaked eyes watching me from across the shop. I try to fulfill the orders and focus on chores around the store, but I can’t stop feeling like Nico Vitale is going to come through the front door, pick me up off the floor, and kiss me until I pass out.

  I dream of that moment more than I’d like to admit, subjected to this pitiful, lackluster reality where Nico doesn’t want to be with me. I should have known this would be the outcome of playing out our desires but even through the pain I feel now, I’d still do it again.

  I care for Nico more than I thought I’d ever care for any man—but he’s gone now and he’s not coming back. He said it himself and he made it clear; he’d never love me.

  A thick sheen of sweat comes over me when I think of his words again, hearing them like it was yesterday, when I think it’s only been two weeks, maybe more. Maybe less. Time doesn’t seem important anymore if none of it involves him.

  The door rings with a bell and I perk up behind the counter, oddly hopeful to see the man who I haven’t caught a glimpse of or spoken to since he rejected me in front of my father.

  To my dismay, I recognize the man walking in the coffee shop but it’s not Nico.

  “Peter,” I sigh, trying to hide my disappointment but I’m sure it’s clear. “What are—I thought you were going abroad.”

  He shrugs, taking a seat at the bar. “I decided to come home early, Sage.”

  “You decided to, or my father demanded it?”

  He doesn’t answer, only making himself comfortable before I hand him a coffee cup. He ignores the drink, not even taking a sip as usual just to acknowledge my effort. “Listen to me, Sage. I’ve been close to your father for years. He calls me when he’s upset.”

  “I’m sure your phone line is stale. My father is never upset, he’s proud! He wanted to ruin my life and hurt my feelings through Nico, and it worked. I feel horrible.”

  “That wasn’t his intent. Will you just listen to me for a minute? Your father is not heartless and he—”

  I turn away, uninterested in this plea on his behalf. It’s useless, after all. My father is cold to his dark, worthless heart and I don’t need a friend of his coming in here to tell me my dad is some damn saint.

  “I’m clocking out in five minutes, Peter. I think you should leave before then.”

  “Sage, don’t be like this.”

  I wave him away, sweeping up as I prepare to close the shop for the night. I don’t even want to spend the last dragging minutes of the evening with him sitting here in silence, let alone in defense of my father.

  With my back toward him, the door is thrown open and I breathe at last, feeling safe from my father’s reach. I do feel bad that Peter had to come all the way back here just to tell me that my father isn’t an evil, cruel man, but at least I can be alone with my thoughts.

  There’s an odd clicking sound when I finally put away the broom, turning to see Peter with his head down on the bar, a black, matte pistol pressed against the base of his neck. It almost matches the one that is pointed at my face now, just inches from my nose.

  The men behind the pistols aren’t familiar, but I’m not sure that matters right now.

  “What’s your last name, girl,” the gun wielding man growls, his hand steady as he lines a bullet up to the center of my brow, as if it doesn’t bother him a bit.

  “I—my last name—it’s—”

  “Smith,” Peter coughs, speaking to the bar top. “Her name is Sage Smith.”

  The man behind him swings the pistol sideways, cracking right into Peter’s temple and sending him to the floor in a heavy, grunting thud. My stomach aches, heat trailing up my throat like I could throw up.

  “I don’t want you to lie,” the man nearby snarls. “I want to make sure no one gets hurt. Not even you. I just need a little bit of leverage and I think you can help me with that.”

  His eyes are blacker than night, his hair in matching hue, but my focus keeps falling back to the pistol. Peter is fighting to get up, getting kicked back down to the ground where I can’t see him or read his face for suggestions. If I lie, I’ll probably get shot.

  If I tell the truth—I’ll get shot.

  “DiMarco. My name is Sage DiMarco. But you won’t get much leverage with me,” I moan. “Not with my father. He hates me, kicked me out of the family when I was nineteen. If you think he’s going to care about me then you’re wrong.”

  He glances at his partner, both pausing with a thoughtful, silent look transpiring between them. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume they had the power of telepathy. They both break the glance at the same second, staring down the barrels of their pistols.

  One shot is fired, and I scream, hitting the floor on my knees while I try to calm my labored breath. After a short moment of realization, I look up, the pistol holstered but he looks through me, as if waiting for something.

  “Get up. You’re coming with us.”

  My voice breaks, but I still manage to squeak out, “P—Peter, are you okay?” I don’t hear a reply and my stomach hurts worse than before. “Peter!”

  “No! Not Peter!” the man bites. “Get up and lock up the shop. They’ll find him in the morning.”

  My brow furrows. “And what about me?”

  A short, sideways smile pulls at his lips. “We’re going to have a family reunion.”

  I’m pushed past Peter, my eyes trying their best to avoid the sight of him. I can’t hear him breathing and I can already see a splatter of blood on the tile. I keep from glancing inside the shop, locking the doors while the brute of a man snatches my arm and leads me to a dark SUV nearby.

  I fall against the floorboard, clinging to my side, feeling a sharp pain strike through my body on impact.

  “Agh,” I pant, my heart beating too fast for me to reign in. I hold onto my stomach, dizzy and disoriented as the SUV speeds off away from the heart of the city. “I don’t feel good, I don’t—”

  “Shut up,” one of them snaps. “Just stay down so you’re not spotted. I’m sure your daddy has someone watching your every move like Marcus said.”

  I perk up. “You work for Marcus?”

  “Stay down!”

  I lie back on the floorboards, feeling every bump that the tires hit rumble through my body. My father didn’t tell me if he killed Marcus or not, but I assumed he would have. My father is merciless which makes me nervous to find out what his enemies are capable of.

  “We don’t work for Marcus, but we heard a rumor he was spreading about your father having some lovechild in the city. Heston wants to hold our money hostage in his arms deal, but we’ve got the upper hand now.”

  I try to calm myself down. At least if I’m alive, I’m of use, but it doesn’t settle my stomach cramps any more than my anxieties. A light gloss of sweat forms on my forehead while the two men continue driving into the rural outskirts of the city.

  Blinking back my petrified tears, I can’t hold it in any longer. “Please, pull—pull over. I’m going to be—to be sick.”

  They exchange a look between one another and then to me, holding my stomach and sides like I’ve been shot and I’m trying to cover the bleeding wound. To my surprise, the SUV pulls over and I push out the back door, both men screaming at me to stop.

  I find the grass and kneel, leaning forward to throw up everything in my stomach until I’m left gagging in the freezing cold mist. They whisper behind me about being scared but I’ve been threatened and in trouble before—I’ve never thrown up over it in the past.

  Something’s not right and it’s not just because these men are taking me hostage.

  Chapter 12

  Pause or Pursuit

  Nico

  I sit in the driveway, contemplating my next move carefully.

  Heston called me in the middle of the night, yelling nonsensically about coming over to his house on the coast but I can’t imagine what he wants from me at this hour. He must have known I wasn’t sleeping, because I haven’t in forever—not with her cold eyes looking at me like I plunged a knife into her back.

  My only goal is to win Sage back. Her body haunts my mind, but so does her mind. I can’t determine what I want to have in my hands more—her curves or her innocent, pure thoughts. She’s beautifully built on both fronts.

  Heston storms out onto the porch, waving me over to join him inside his Tuscan-themed home. It’s a beautiful white home with a tan, clay roof. I settled somewhere a little more modest and smaller for my needs, but I must remind myself that Heston once had a wife and child in his halls.

  The space was for luxury. Now the space is there for safety. I started to see that more clearly when Heston explained what happened to his precious daughter, but it didn’t make breaking things off with her any easier.

  I want to pull out of the driveway, denounce our friendship, and move to the coast of Maine. Maybe then I’ll get her somber allure out of my mind.

  I take the easier route and walk into the house, seeing the place overturned and disheveled in a chaotic mess. Every framed photo the man owns is now on the marble floors, glass sprayed out in every direction from the frames hitting the ground.

  I step over an old photo of Sage, my heart aching at the little girl smiling wide, unaware of the maze of a life she’s about to be thrust into. It wasn’t fair what happened to her, what Heston did to his own blood, but it’s not my place to say anything.

  It’s obvious his grief is catching up to him.

  “What the hell happened?” I gasp, seeing Heston’s knuckles streaked in fresh, bleeding cuts like he’s been punching the marble columns. “Care to explain?”

  “Peter is fucking dead.”

  My eyes grow wide.

  He shakes his head, his rapid breath preventing him from replying until he can calm himself down a little bit. “That fucking deal, Nico. I got too damn cocky, I’ll admit it! They wanted two million for the untraceable guns, I agreed, and then I found a buyer in Arizona, so I sent a few guys down there.”

  I shrug, uninterested in the logistics of the deal as long as I get paid. “Okay, so what?”

  “When they were down there, the international deal got messy, they wanted me to approve the transfer and I wasn’t sure if the Arizona deal was better or not, so they went to the fucking Conway family.”

  My heart stops beating in my chest. “What the hell did they say?”

  “They couldn’t afford the two million, but they sold a piece of advice on how to push my hand,” he barks. “Marcus Conway’s fucking whore of a sidekick who was there when he held a gun toward Sage. She told them I had a damn daughter, Nico!”

  I rip the door off his gun cabinet nearby, loading as many pistols as fast as possible. I don’t know how many I’ll need, but I’ll shoot my way through hell in order to get to Sage DiMarco.

  “Where is she?”

  “Nico, I’m not sending you!”

  I turn, my muscles strained, and my jaw locked. “I don’t care; I’m going after her. If you don’t want me to, you’ll have to fucking shoot me.”

  His eyes narrow like I’ve insulted him in his house. “Don’t tempt me. Just wait. They texted me a picture of her about an hour ago. She looks fine for now. They want to meet in the morning, and they want the original two million and an extra two just because I fucked them on time.”