Page 123 of Ruthless Sinner

I don’t know how to receive that. All I know is it’s neither good nor bad, and doesn’t help me one way or the other.

“Now that you know the truth, and Jason doesn’t know that Iknow, I can’t let you go,” Dante adds, regaining his previous passionless composure.

“You can’t keep me locked up here.” My words fall out, hurried like the wind picking up in a storm. “People will miss me. I’m supposed to see my father and Matthew today.”

He inches away and straightens. “Your father will be busy dealing with other things. At seven this morning Matthew’s house was raided by the police . They found hundred grams of heroin in his garden shed. It’s enough to put him in prison for at least seven years. But given who he is I’m sure his daddy will pull sort of strings with the help of your father to reduce his sentence. Fuck, he might even serve a community sentence. But the kick is he won’t be able to practice law. At least not for a long, long time. And the governor most definitely won’t allow his daughter to marry someone like that. It’s already all over the national news.”

All I can do is stare back at him, shocked at his power.

“Your father and your guard believe you’re staying with Carla and heading out to New York with her tomorrow for the exhibition. I sent them a message from your phone after the scandal with Matthew hit. You will call them later and keep up the façade. Which means you will not say a single word about where you are and who you’re with. You will also call in sick to your job and tell them you can’t make it to New York. This way your friends and family believe you are there and your boss believes your home.”

My lips tremble. How fucking clever of him to think of that. It enrages me because that idea there could definitely work. Carla is another intern I’ve made friends with at the show. I’ve mentioned her to Dante and Miko several times because as her work and tastes are similar to mine, Jene-Rene partnered us together.

“What if they don’t believe me?” And how long is that excuse supposed to work? I’m only supposed to be in New York for a few days.

“You will make them believe you, Printsessa. Make them believe you for as long as you can. We’ll figure out the rest. I’m already at the end of my patience when it comes to your father. Don’t make me kill him quicker. And don’t get any bright ideas about trying to escape. If you do, you will not like to see me mad.”

He steps back then tears his eyes away from me. He walks away and stops at the door, looking back over his shoulder at me.

“By the way, your father knows about us. So when you talk to him, expect him to be mad.”

Great, just fucking great. But that is wayyyyy down on the scale of things to worry about.

I stare after him as Dante opens the door and goes through it.

When the key turns in the lock, I realize just how much trouble I’m in.

I’ve been taken captive.Kidnapped.

And it was me who drove myself here.

God, what the hell am I going to do?

Chapter35

Dante

Serenity needed to know the truth about who her father really is.

I contemplated whether or not I should tell her, then I realized I had to.

There was no way I could have kept it hidden from her. Not the truths about me and not about her father either.

I wanted her to know what kind of man he was, so she would understand my actions. All that I’ve done so far and all that I plan to do.

I walk down the stairs, my steps heavy with the weight of everything that’s happened. I can’t even feel the satisfaction I thought I would have for teaching Matthew a lesson.

I’d set the ball in motion from yesterday after Serenity told me about her encounter with him. With a little help from my police friends who personally work for me I was able to come up with one hell of a plan.

But I feel nothing. I’m not even worried that Jason will probably figure out straightaway that I set Matthew up for a fall so deep not even he can pull him out.

Matthew will be punished or will serve time just like I did. When he gets out, his life will never be the same again.

Jason has bigger things to worry about.

So do I. Earlier, when I spoke to Virgo he explained what he found in those emails.

What he uncovered was a secret plot to get me out of the picture. Jason is working with someone going by the name of Z. That’s the big fish we need to catch. He sent the emails to Jason and commissioned him to set me up.