Only With Me (With Me #2)(63)

I shrugged. "I have no fucking clue. Gabi told me her parents died when she was in high school. She owns a bakery in Colorado Springs, drives a normal car and doesn't act like she grew up with money. She doesn't talk about her past at all, so I have no idea. She told my family she doesn't have any real close family over here, so who is this guy?"

"Maybe a family friend or distant uncle. You said they came here every summer."

"Yeah, maybe. She mentioned her parents owning a bakery over here that an uncle I think runs now."

"Giovanni's isn't a bakery, I can tell you that."

Another Maserati pulled up and parked behind the one Gabi had gotten out of. Two guys got out of the front, both looked like cops.

"Know them?" I asked as I handed him the glasses.

Jim grabbed the binoculars. "What in the fuck?"

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know them. They're police officers." 

"From the US?"

He shook his head. "No. They're um . . . they're Padua officers. Looks like they're working part-time or undercover." He looked over at me and gave me a look that said shit just got real.

My stomach dropped. "What? W-why . . . how does she . . . fucking hell."

The one guy opened up the back door and a guy stepped out. He was dressed in a long black coat and had his back to us.

"Can you see his face?" I asked.

Jim cursed. "No, he is looking directly at Gabi."

Gabi smiled and her face lit up so bright I felt sick. Whoever this guy was, she was happy as hell to see him.

Then it happened.

She ran to him. The smile on her face clearly showed how much she longed to be in his arms.

My heart slammed against my chest when her body crashed into the stranger. Her arms swung around his neck as his wrapped her up tight. When he leaned down to kiss her, I looked away.

It felt as if someone was sitting on my chest and I couldn't breathe. How could she do this to me?

This is exactly why I never wanted to fall in love.

Jim was staring at me, and I couldn't take the pity in his eyes. "Another man," he said more than asked.

"Appears to be," I said, forcing myself to look back at them. Anger and betrayal swept through my body. When he spun her around in his arms and her head flew back, my throat tightened. I couldn't take looking at them. "Let's go."

"You don't want to know who he is?"

I shook my head while trying to keep my voice from cracking. I'd never felt pain grip at my chest like it was right now. How could she do this to me? How could she lie? "Does it really matter at this point?"

The knife in my heart couldn't possibly go in any deeper.

Jim pulled out and as we drove by the restaurant he slowed, they both turned and headed into it. It was like she had sensed I was there. Glancing over her shoulder, our eyes met.

Looking away, I took in a slow deep breath. "You wouldn't mind swinging by the hotel so I could get my things and then taking me to the airport would you?"

"That's it? You see her hug one guy and you're out of here?"

A cold rush of air raced across my body. "I've seen enough. It has to be Antonio."

He cleared his throat. "What? Who is Antonio?"

"The guy I heard her talking to over the phone."

Jim ran his hand through his hair. He was deep in thought.

I stared at him. "You okay?"

"What? Are you sure you want to go to the airport, Nic? There's something I need to check out."

"I'm positive. I'm ready to head home."

"Okay, well you might have a hard time getting a flight out back to the states on short notice."

I shrugged. "Then I'll wait at the airport for a flight."

It didn't matter if I had to wait at the airport all night, or for two days. I wasn't going back to that hotel so I could watch Gabi walk in with her lover.

"Nic, you and I both know things aren't always what they seem. I've got a hunch. Let me check it out."

My head dropped back against the seat. Padua zipped by as Jim navigated through the small towns in his sports car. I should have been curious about his hunch and asking him for more details. But at that moment, I couldn't have cared less. I needed to get out of this damn country. All I could see was Gabi running to that guy.

"Well, if you find anything out, you can reach me on my cell."

"Has she given you a reason to think she'd lie to you or that she was cheating?"



       
         
       
        

Lifting my head, I stared out the window. "She's been hiding something. I've known it almost from the beginning, but decided to push it aside. Pretend like I didn't have this feeling in my gut because I'd never felt this way before."