Only With Me (With Me 2)

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.”

“Hard to ignore that when you’re a cop, Nic.”

I looked over at Jim. “That’s why I started looking her up. Trying to find out more information on her and I came up with nothing, then Liam’s other friend in the FBI came up with nothing. It’s like she didn’t exist past six years ago.”

Jim’s brows lifted. “Six years ago?”

All of a sudden I was overcome with exhaustion. Waving it off, I said, “None of it matters anymore.” My broken heart was clouding my other thoughts and if I didn’t get out of this place soon, I’d go back to that restaurant and beat the living shit out that asshole.

Pulling out my phone, I called the airline to see if I could get on another flight. I was lucky, they had one leaving in two hours with a changeover in London. I wouldn’t have cared if I had to stay in London overnight. If it meant not risking seeing Gabi again then it was worth it.

I shut the car door and thanked Jim. “I really appreciate all your help, Jim. I’m just going to grab a taxi. I’m sorry you were playing chauffer to me.”

He gave me a weak smile. “It was no problem. Like I said, let me check some things out. Things might not be what you think.”

Laughing, I shook my head. “This is why I always stuck with the poke and go method. Teach me a lesson to never fall in love again.”

I was almost positive Jim was figuring out in his head what was going on. Maybe he’d seen Gabi and Antonio together before and didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Whatever it was, I didn’t care.

I was done with this game.

Standing back, I watched as Jim took off and blended right in with the other cars on the street. I walked into the hotel. My phone rang and I knew it was her. Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw Gabi’s name flash across the screen. I hit Ignore and headed up to my room.

The sooner I got the fuck out of Italy the better.

ANTONIO WRAPPED HIS arm around me and ushered me into Uncle Alberto’s office. I tried to remain calm, but I knew it was him.

It was Nic.

“Antonio, it was Nic. I’m telling you I looked directly into his eyes.”

My brother cupped my face. “Look at me, Angelo. There are two reasons that is impossible. One, Nic is not in Italy. And two, the car was moving too fast to see who was in it.”