Page 16 of Targeted By Vengeance

“Do you know where your wife is?” I asked the moment he did.

“Yeah, she’s at Simone’s place,” he replied. Faint music played in the background, a sign he was likely doing office work in one of his clubs.

“They’re not here.”

“Fuck,” he sighed. “Hold on. Let me check her location.” He was silent for a moment, then another swear came out his mouth.

“What?” I asked, not liking the way my heart damn near skipped a beat at the newfound annoyance in his tone. “What’s wrong?”

“She turned her damn location off.”

“Why the hell would she do that?”

“Why else? She doesn’t want to be found.”

“And let me guess: this is normal for her?”

“Before we got married, yes. But since then, she’s been good about keeping it on. It’s weird she switched up like this.”

“You don’t think something happened to them, do you?”

He scoffed. “Have you met my wife? If anything did happen, she probably fucked up whoever messed with them. But we’re not beefing with anybody right now, so the chances of that are low.” Static crinkled on the other end as he shifted his phone. “Let me call Miles, and I’ll hit you back.”

I could’ve done that my damn self, but I understood Dante’s need to check on his wife. The request would sound better from him anyway.

Dante didn’t leave me hanging for long. He texted me not even five minutes later with an address to a club on the other side of the city and firm instructions not to go inside without him.

I tossed the flowers and chocolates on the living room counter as I hurried out of the apartment. On the road, I swerved through the nightlife traffic and sped through nearly every light.

I was surprised to see Dante’s car already parked across the street from the establishment when I arrived. For once, his perpetual smile was absent from his face. Leaning against the door, he stared at the club with a hard expression.

“You cool?” I asked as I approached him.

“Yeah. This place is run by a bunch of assholes,” he replied. “Fuckers won’t fall in line for anybody - not even the Ruiz’s.”

I raised a brow. “Then, what the hell is your wife doing around here?”

“Testing her boundaries.” He straightened up and started walking towards the entrance. “Come on.”

I followed him to the entrance. A tall, burly man stood in front of the doors with his hands clasped behind him. He smirked at the sight of us. “What’s up, Harris? Surprised to see you around these parts.”

Dante didn’t return the smile. “Step aside.”

The bouncer held his hands up. “Can’t. Full house tonight.”

“It’ll be an empty house if you don’t get the fuck out of my way.”

He chuckled. “And what are you going to do, pretty bo-”

Before he could finish his sentence, Dante’s fist was slamming into the man’s throat.

His large body crashed into the wall as he clutched his neck, gasping for air.

“Damn,” I muttered, following Dante as he opened the doors and headed inside. “I’ve never seen you swing so fast.”

“Been hanging around the Ruiz’s too much lately. I should’ve shot his ass.” He glanced over the dancing crowd, scanning for his wife’s face. “Second floor in one of the VIP sections,” he stated once he found her.

I followed his gaze to where Lexie sat on one of the cushioned booths, sipping on a glass and talking to the man sitting beside her. My stomach clenched when I didn’t see Simone with them.