ISABELLA'S POV

“Are you listening?”

I'm not. Nothing makes sense. For six years I managed to hide from Dante and the world.

Now I'm sitting in this car wired to the bone. Static sizzles in my ear.

“Isabella, respond immediately.” The agent's voice crackles.

“I'm here. Just processing, that's all.”

I'm not just processing. I'm five minutes away from Dante's mansion. Five minutes away from my final moments on earth.

This is suicide. I can't spy on my ex husband. But if I want to see my son again, this is the path I have to take.

They pinned a murder on me. I say it like I'm innocent.

I killed that man. I thought it was all behind me, but his blood never really washed off my hands.

All my pleas fell on deaf ears. Now the only way I can save myself from a life in prison is by taking down the man who ruined me.

And what better way to destroy me than to shove me back into his arms?

They don't care about the pain I went through. The ache of raising a child alone just to have him snatched and used as leverage.

Useless rage swells in my chest.

Agent Adrian drones on in my ear.

“Don’t take off your wire. Don't say more than we agreed on. Keep him close. Keep him talking. Be efficient. You are on your own in there. If you make a mistake, it'll be a full minute before we can find you, so don't get sloppy.”

In other words, I'm on my own, armed with nothing but lies and old flames.

I shut my eyes and suck in a breath, willing myself to wake from this nightmare. Maybe I'm back in bed, sleeping with the covers over my head. I'll wake up soon and shrug this bad dream off.

I can't.

This is happening.

I'm dying tonight.

************

The Mancini mansion looms over my head like a bad omen.

To my relief, it's a masked event. That gives me more time to brace.

No one here knows who I am yet…and for the next few minutes, that’s the only thing keeping me alive.

Masks make it easy to lie, but they don't make it any easier to breathe.

They said to blend in. But how do you blend in when the devil you once loved built the walls around you?

Wine glass in hand, I stand rigid in a corner, eyes roaming over the crowd.

Six years since I've been here, and nothing's changed. Except for the crowd.

Dante always hated galas. Why host one in his own mansion?

So many eyes slither over me, drunk and hazy. This is supposed to be a charity event, but I don't see any banners.

Where's Dante? Will I recognize him in this sea of masks?

Adrian said to keep him close, but how?

Minutes pass. The crowd starts to thin, but there's still no sign of him.

My eyes linger on the staircase. Maybe he's upstairs, hiding under the bed like old times.

Something twists in my chest. There was a time when I'd crawl underneath with him and hold him.

A time when we'd hide from the world together. How could he wake up one morning and forget everything we were?

Everything is just as I left it. Ivy still snakes up the gates, choking the rusty metal. The smell of gin still hangs in the air. The tree we planted still towers in the yard, our names carved in childish romance.

My vision blurs. We were so happy…

Get it together, Isabella. This is no time for a sob story.

Something moves. I cast a glance at the staircase just in time to see it—two figures—sneaking across the hallway.

My brain roars to life. I steal across the floor, brushing past drunk men. My eyes stay fixed on the figure.

My heels pinch my toes as I hobble up the stairs, praying nobody sees me.

A metallic smell hits my nostrils, distinct in its sharpness.

I know before I see the tiny droplets that it's blood. It forms a trail down the hallway to the left.

My heart hammers in my chest. Cold snakes up my spine.

That's it. This is why Dante hosted the gala. It's not a damn charity event. It's a hoax.

I glance over my shoulder. A door yawns open, beckoning to me.

Every nerve screams to run, but I'm no chicken. I can handle myself…as long as I don't come face to face with my nemesis.

Smoothing my hand over my hair, I step towards the door. The pungent smell of urine tightens my chest. I choke back a cough and cover my nose, peering inside.

It's…empty. No furniture, no lights, nothing.

This used to be my bedroom. Our bedroom.

My head swims. This is starting to feel less like a mission and more like a setup.

Fear creeps up my spine, and suddenly I feel like I'm being watched.

I whirl around, eyes wide. That's when I see him. Dante Mancini. My daydream and nightmare.

My blood freezes over.

His green eyed glare burns hot on my skin. I want to crawl into a hole and never come out. Anything to keep me from such hate seeping through my dress.

Relax, Isabella. He doesn't know who you are.

But he sure as hell knows I'm not supposed to be here.

I should go to him. Strike up a conversation. Lie my way back into his life. But my feet stay rooted to the ground.

Then his back turns and he slithers through the door, and my feet are moving, sprinting downstairs and into the night.

Cold air slaps my cheeks in the parking lot. My nerves tingle with each step, but I force myself to slow down.

I can't blow my cover. Not on the first night. My eyes stay trained on his back as he walks deeper into the darkness.

There's a slight limp in his step and I can't help but wonder what he's been through all these years without me.

My foot stubs on a rock.

I stumble, gasping as pain shoots through me.

“Shit!” I hiss through my teeth.

Damn this shoe! I kick them off, cursing under my breath.

I straighten up, eyes searching the darkness.

He's gone.

My breath stops.

It can't be. He was right there!

That slippery bastard…

Shoes forgotten, my feet slap against cold concrete as I stumble through the darkness, eyes darting everywhere.

A sound fills my ears. Footsteps right behind me.

I turn. The wind whistles mockingly.

Goosebumps snake over my skin. I clench my fists, teeth chattering.

The footsteps echo again, taunting me. My heart hammers hard against my ribcage.

I need to get out of here. Screw this. If Adrian wants a spy, he can put on a gown and waltz right in.

“Isabella.” A voice echoes behind me.

My blood turns to ice, pulse roaring in my ears.

I turn. Dante. How…

My throat clamps shut.

My mouth opens and shuts.

“I—”

“I told you what would happen if you ever came back.” His eyes glaze over, jaw tight.

Oh God…he's going to kill me.

I can still run. The limo should be around here.

I can…

I turn sharp on my heels—

And run smack into Mancini soldiers.

Something moves, glinting in the moonlight.

A gun.

My heart stops.

“No—wait!”

Pain explodes in my skull. Then blackness.

The last thing I hear is Dante's voice, low and emotionless.

“Take her.”