more, sucking every last drop from her glass. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're annoyed."
"Cute, on top of charming? If I didn't know any better, I might think you have a thing for me."
A sharp bark of laughter burst out of her as she shoved her glass aside. "Puh-lease. You're hardly my type."
"What's your type?"
"The opposite of you."
Ouch.
"Loyal, upstanding citizen, you mean? The kind that doesn't get kidnapped and tortured?"
"More so the hair and the eyes." She scrunched up her nose as she waved her hand around in the direction of his face. "More Nate Archibald and less, you know, Chuck Bass."
He gaped at her. "Did you just...?"
"No offense, of course."
"Of course," he said. "I thought everyone liked Chuck Bass."
She laughed. "Do you even know who Chuck Bass is?"
"Gossip Girl."
"How…?"
"I had a sister," he said with a shrug. "She was more of a Carter Baizen girl, though. She wouldn't shut up about it."
Had. Past tense. Dante threw back his drink, swallowing what was left of it. It wasn't very strong. Not strong enough.
"Had?" Gabriella asked. "Genna, you mean?"
"Yeah."
"What happened to her?"
Dante's eyes flickered to meet Gabriella's gaze, seeing an innocent curiosity that nagged at him. "Are you fucking with me? We just walked past the spot outside."
It seemed to take a moment for his words to register. "You mean where the car blew up?"
"Ding, ding, get the girl a cookie, she solved the riddle."
"I, uh… I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything."
"But I just... I had no idea. I mean, yeah, the car blew up, but your sister?"
"What? It hasn't been on the news?"
"Well, I don't watch the news, but…"
She sat there, staring at him.
Dante let go of his empty bottle, pulling away to stand up. "Anyway, a deal is a deal. We said one drink."
Gabriella stood, smoothing her scrub top. "Yeah, I should be getting home."
Dante reached into his pocket for his keys. "I can drive you."
"No need," she said as they stepped out into the warm Manhattan morning. "I can walk."
"Don't be ridiculous," he said, stalling on the sidewalk in front of the bar.
"Ridiculous would be driving me, considering my apartment is closer than your car."
"No shit? Which one?"
She pointed at a tall brick building across the street, three lots down. "Top floor."
Interesting.
As much as he hung out in that area, it was a wonder they hadn't met before. How many times had he passed her on the street without noticing? How many times had they unknowingly crossed paths? He'd been inside that building a few times.
Small world.
"Thank you," Dante said, grasping her arm and rubbing it. "For humoring me."
"That's what friends are for," she said. "And I'm around, you know, if you need a friend again."
"That goes both ways," he said. "Anything you need."
Gabriella turned away, taking a few steps before stalling again. When she glanced back at him, a look of confusion crossed her face, like she had something she wanted to say but was afraid to spit it out.
Jesus Christ, was she going to ask him to come up?
He would, without hesitation. The condition he was in, he'd probably disappoint. He wasn't sure he could satisfy her through his exhaustion, or if he was even strong enough to be on top, but hell, she could always ride him, right? If my dick cooperates… Regardless, she wasn't the kind of girl a guy said no to, but then again, she wasn't really the kind of girl who asked a stranger to come to bed with her… was she?
"Dante?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really sorry about your sister," she said, "and I just think you should know… well… nobody has mentioned her being involved. I honestly had no idea. I wondered why she never came to the hospital. I didn't know you believed… that she was … there."
Dante's expression fell.
Gabriella left then. He watched her as she crossed the street, his eyes glued to her until she disappeared inside the building alone, leaving him with those parting words.
It made no sense.
Barsanti knew.
His father knew.
Hell, Gavin knew.
So why didn't the rest of the world know?
Chapter Eight
"I got a job."
Four words. Hell, four syllables. They came together to make a sentence that just didn't compute in Genna's brain. She heard them, sure, but it didn't make sense. I got a job. What the hell?
What was that jibberish?
"A job," Genna said. "You got one."
"Yep."
Matty grinned, looking damn proud. It was cute, she thought. He was cute. Something about the moment felt just so wholesome. But she couldn't quite