Gabi shook her head, her body trembling in fear.
"I wanted to tell you so many times! I couldn't betray my family or risk putting you and them in danger."
My arm wrapped around her as I reached for her bag and handed it to Charity. "Let's go back in and figure all of this out."
When we walked in, I looked over at Cole. He motioned to the balcony. "Things are getting interesting."
"How so?" I asked.
"There is more than just one black and white. If I had to guess, I'd say FBI is there as well."
I walked over to the sofa and sat Gabi down on it. Charity instantly sat next to her and wrapped her arm around her.
"What's going on?" Gabi asked.
"Hang tight, baby."
Taking out my phone, I called Liam. "Talk to me."
"Turns out you weren't the only one interested in that car. When I called it in, the Feds must have heard it. Drake Handley said when he pulled up behind the car, it was instantly surrounded by FBI agents."
My heart started pounding as I stepped out onto the balcony. "Any word from your friend over there?"
"I've got a call in, waiting to hear back."
One of the feds walked up to the guy thrown over the hood of the car and said something to him that caused him to look directly up at me and Cole.
"That's him," I mumbled.
"Who?" Cole asked.
Turning to look at Cole, I said, "Dante."
His eyes widened in shock as he leaned in closer to me and asked, "How do you know?"
Forcing my eyes back to the asshole who was now being cuffed, I slowly shook my head and shrugged.
"Call it a gut feeling. But I think I know the person who knows for sure."
The fed watched as they walked Dante and two other men to the back of a black SUV. He then turned and looked up at me.
"Antonio," I whispered.
EVERYTHING WAS SPINNING. Nic was here. Dante was coming after me. I needed to get to the next safe house.
I turned to look at Charity. She was my best friend. Like a sister to me and I had to leave her. If I didn't, I'd be putting her and her unborn child in danger.
"Why didn't you just testify against Dante, put his ass in jail?"
I swallowed hard. Shaking my head, I knew I shouldn't even be still here, let alone talking to Charity about this.
"The first person I told was Antonio. He was working undercover to take the family down. By the time Antonio had gotten to where it happened, everything had been cleaned up, the body moved. He had no proof Dante had killed his father. It was my word against his."
Wrapping my arms around my body, I glanced out onto the balcony. "Dante threatened me and said if I told anyone, he was going to kill me and my family."
"That had to have been terrible."
Nodding, I whispered, "It was. The FBI promised protection, but Antonio decided it would be safer if he faked my death and only my father and he were in on it. They didn't tell my mother right away because they needed her to act like her only daughter had just died."
Charity gasped.
"The last six years my brother has been waiting for Dante to screw up. And Lucas would be there to get it all."
"Whose Lucas?"
I was telling Charity way too much information, but God it felt good to get it all out.
"Lucas was the inside guy Antonio had planted with Dante. Not FBI, an old friend of his that pretty much buried himself into the family as a payback for my brother saving his life. He was there waiting for Dante to slip up."
"Holy shit. This feels like a damn movie."
With a soft laugh, I stood. "Yeah. A horror movie."
Nic and Cole were both looking down at something going on.
"What are they doing out there?"
"Nic mentioned something about a car sitting out there." She took me by the arms and faced me to her.
"Let me make you something to drink or eat."
Frantically shaking my head, I replied, "I have to go, Charity. If I don't leave soon . . . something . . . something terrible could happen." My voice cracked.
Strong arms wrapped around my body.
"Nothing is going to happen," Nic whispered in my ear.
My head dropped back to his chest. Oh, how I wanted to believe him.
"I'll make something to eat for us all," Charity said as she glanced over to Cole.
"You don't understand, I have to leave before . . ."
The knock on the door had us all frozen in place. Nic placed his finger on my chin. "Baby, breathe. I think it's just going to be your brother."
My brows furrowed. "What?"