I glared up at him. Anger vibrated through me, but Luis cleared his throat, moving around us to open the door.
“You’ll follow in the SUV,” Scott barked as if he had the power to give orders.
“Not part of the deal. I go where Arianne goes.” Luis cut him with a hard look, but Scott didn’t relent, the two of them locked in a silent battle of wills.
“We can always call Roberto or your father and settle this?”
“You ride in the back,” Scott conceded, guiding me over to his sports car. It was so pretentious and full of bad memories. A shiver worked its way through me as he pulled open the door and pressed his hand to the small of my back. “Remember how much fun we had the last time we were in here?”
I ducked around him and slipped into the car, forcing myself to breathe. The familiar smell of the leather hit me, overwhelming me.
This was all a game to him.
A sick twisted game in which Scott wanted me afraid and cowering. But he was forgetting one thing. When a wild animal was cornered it either surrendered or fought—and I wasn’t about to cower to Scott Fascini, regardless of how much he tried to disarm me.
My fingers curled into the soft leather seat as I forced myself to slow my breathing. My senses were on high alert. For as much as I wanted to forget, I could remember every detail about the last time I was in this car. That fateful night had been the catalyst for a chain of events I couldn’t have imagined even in my wildest dreams. A chain of events that had flipped my world on its head in so many ways.
The car doors slammed as Luis and Scott climbed inside.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” he sneered. “Maybe I should have made the reservation for three?”
Luis smothered a snort. “Just drive,” he grumbled.
“I think you’ll really like the restaurant I picked.” Scott’s hand landed on my knee, my body tensing. He smirked over at me. The grin of a predator tracking its prey. But I wouldn’t be his victim again.
I refused.
My hand slid over his, my fingers slipping into the spaces between.
“See,” he said. “That wasn’t so difficult—”
I wrenched his index finger back, his pained grunt filling the car. “Fucking bitch.”
Flashing him my own smirk, I said, “Who, me?”
“That’s really how you want to play it?” His brows furrowed, his voice a low growl. “Because you should know, my fiancée, I never lose.”
Sorrento’s was a seafood lover’s paradise. Nestled in one of the quaint streets of the city, it was a decadent fusion of Italy and America. I’d only been here once, when I was a child. But my parents had a monthly reservation. Anyone who was anyone in Verona County did. So I was hardly surprised that Scott had managed to get us a table.
“Mr. Fascini,” the Maître D said, “we have your regular table ready and waiting.”
“Thank you, Carlo.” Scott urged me forward, his hand pressing the small of my back in a possessive display of ownership.
I hated it.
I hated everything about this.
Knowing Luis was close by gave me some sense of comfort, but did little to ease the tight knot in my stomach.
“Wine?”
“A bottle of champagne please, we’re celebrating.” Scott barely acknowledged the Maître D, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on my face.
“Of course, Mr. Fascini, I’ll have someone bring it right out.” He scurried away.
“Alone at last.” Scott relaxed back in his chair, making no attempt to hide the way his eyes lazily appraised my body. I’d opted for black pants and a chiffon blouse. It was demure yet elegant. Date worthy but safe. If I’d have had my way, I would have worn a burlap sack, but as Nora reminded me, I needed to play my part. At least until someone figured out how to get me the hell out of this nightmare.
It would have been so easy to run; to get up and never look back. I could flee to Boston and Nicco and I could disappear across country. But he had responsibilities. He had a whole legacy weighing on his shoulders, not to mention Alessia and his cousins. I couldn’t ask that of him.
Besides, Verona was my home. Nora was here. My mom... My life.
Running felt like surrender, and I refused to cower. Not to Scott, not to my father, not to this game I didn’t fully understand yet.