Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Should I be scared?” I whispered.
“You? Of my brother?” he asked. “Never.”
“I meant whatever is happening with you.” I licked my lips and looked around to make sure no one was in the hall. I lowered my voice and pressed the phone closer to my face. “I told you everything. I thought maybe someone found out or – “
“No. I didn’t tell anyone what you told me,” he said. “The only thing you need to know is that I am okay. I’m safe. Well, safe for now.” He let out a forced laugh. The wind picked up wherever he was.
“What does that mean, safe for now? You think they’d kill you?” My heart stopped as I waited for the answer.
“I’m not really worried about that,” he said nonchalantly. “They know if they do, my brother will retaliate twice as hard.”
“You have a lot of faith in him.”
“I trust him with my life. It was why I told him to take care of you.”
I frowned. “If you haven’t told anyone what I told you, why did you have Dominic come to me?”
“Because, Rosie, I’ve seen your face whenever Anthony steps into the room, and I’ve seen his. The last time I saw eyes like that, the man killed my mother.”
“And mine,” I whispered, though I’d never seen the attacker’s faces. I stood up straighter. “But Dominic is also that guy, Gabe. I’m sorry to have to say it, but it’s the truth.”
“I know it is,” he said. “But sometimes to fight evil, you have to become it, and I couldn’t help you.”
I swallowed. “Your brother isn’t evil.”
“I think he does a good job at turning it on and off.” He let out a forced laugh. “I can’t even try.”
“You sure you’re okay wherever you are?” I asked.
“I’m positive. I have to go, Ros. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and away from Anthony. I’m glad my brother’s taking care of you. I knew he would. I have to go, so I can call my dad to discuss a few things with him. When I get back home, I’ll call you so we can grab that dinner I promised you.”
I smiled at the smile in his voice. And the promise. It meant he really was fine. “I’d love that.”
He ended the call. I lowered my phone and stared at the screen. I was about to scroll through my contacts when I realized I didn’t even have Dom’s number. I took a step toward the door to ask Marco for it but looked at the time and gasped. I was going to be late.
20
DOMINIC
I could see why Gio liked the ballet. Watching them move on stage was intoxicating and I hadn’t even seen her yet. I looked at my pamphlet again and leafed through it trying to pinpoint when she’d make her appearance. I’d never seen The Nutcracker before, so I had no idea what to expect. I definitely didn’t expect to see a giant mouse on stage.
“She’ll be out later in the show,” Catalina whispered next to me. “Like much later.”
I shut my pamphlet and glanced over at Isabel, whose phone was on silent but wouldn’t quit lighting up. I rolled my eyes. Gio might as well have come along if he was going to be such a fucking stalker. She’d ignored most of his messages; you would think he’d get a clue. I looked back at the stage.
“She said she only comes out in one part,” I replied, voice lowered but not whispering. We were in a fucking box. Who was going to hear us?
“Yeah. It’s a tough role,” Cat said. “Kind of annoying since you mostly sit around and watch everyone else dancing, but if the performance is stellar, it’s the one most people remember.”
“If it’s stellar,” I repeated.
“Unfortunately, it isn’t always.”
“I don’t remember that part,” Isabel said. “But I’ve only seen this twice and both times it was on field trips, and I was either shushing kids or waking them up since they’d fallen asleep.”
“In that case, whoever performed as Sugar Plum wasn’t stellar.” Cat shrugged. “Trust me, you’d remember.”
“Were you ever the Sugar Plum Fairy?” Isabel asked.
Cat smiled wide. “Once.”
“And let me guess, it was memorable,” I said.
“They wrote about me in Broadway World.” Her smile grew. “But I never did it again. It’s a tough role, and since I did it so well the first time, I decided to bow out while I was hot.”
“You’re almost done with the remodel of the ridiculous theatre your brother bought you, so I hope you don’t bow out now.” I took a sip of my whiskey. That was another thing about the ballet, they had a full bar and snacks.
“Nah, I’ll definitely perform.” Her eyes were on the stage the entire time she spoke. She seemed to be analyzing every move they made and how they landed. I shook my head, grateful I wasn’t under her scrutiny.