Page 37 of Forbidden Sins

She gasped, and the stunned silence at the table told Gabe that he’d gone too far. “I’m sorry, Lana—”

“Don’t,” she said, slamming her glass down on the table. “You know what? I’m going to go. I’ve got work to do at the club tonight. Somebody has to.”

They all watched her leave. It was more than thirty seconds—that felt like minutes—before anyone spoke.

“What the hell was that?” Gabe asked. He and Alana had never fought like that.

“Something she’s been holding on to for a while, I guess,” Brett said.

“She’s wrong,” Rafael told him.

“No, she’s right,” Alex announced. “But not for the reason she thinks.”

“What?” Gabe asked.

“Do you love Ellie?” he asked outright.

Gabe didn’t answer. Didn’t know how to answer.

“Your silence speaks volumes, man.”

“We all took huge risks when it came to the women we loved. Could have lost everything. But we didn’t.”

“Love is about taking risks, being stupid,” Brett said.

“That’s ridiculous,” Gabe said.

“Exactly.”

“I think Alana’s just upset that for so long you two have served as the coalition of reason in this group when the rest of us fucked up. Don’t worry about it. She’ll get over it eventually.”

Gabe nodded, but he watched the door Alana had vacated. He hoped so. But he wasn’t so sure.

With one hand on the wheel, and the other drumming impatiently on the console—a habit she knew she’d picked up from Gabe—Ellie pulled up the driveway to her father’s house.

The more time she spent with Charles Burnham, the more she wondered if building a relationship was even worth it. They hadn’t had a conversation since the day he’d caught her chatting with Gabe’s friends. He’d been rude, controlling, and she’d walked out on him. He hadn’t spoken to her at work the day before. She wondered why he would call her to meet him for dinner. What could they possibly have to talk about? But she wanted to try, if only to say she made the attempt.

She parked her car and walked to the front door of her father’s house. She knocked on the door, and he opened it quickly, as if he’d been waiting for her on the other side. “Ellie,” he said with a smile, drawing her in for a hug. “Thanks for coming.”

“Hi, Dad. Thanks for having me over.”

He led her through his home, bringing her to the formal dining room. “Please have a seat. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Want a drink?”

“Water is fine.”

He poured her a glass from the crystal pitcher on the table and handed it to her. “Ellie, I would like to apologize for the way I spoke to you in my office the other day. It was uncalled for.”

She nodded, surprised that he’d even apologized. She had a feeling that it didn’t happen very often. “Thank you. It was inappropriate. Why did you not want me to meet Gabe’s friends?”

“The entire city might have been won over by that group. But I’m not so easily swayed. They make their money in lascivious ways—even by Las Vegas standards.”

“You’re talking about Di Terrestres?”

“And that hotel they own, and God knows what else they’re into.”

“They’re clients of your law firm,” Ellie reminded him.

“I know. But if they didn’t bring in so much money, they wouldn’t be.”