It was just past six when Marco met Kat at her desk. He removed her coat from the back of her chair and held it out for her.

“Come on. We’re going to be late.”

She frowned. “Late? Where are we going?”

“Dinner.” He paused, waiting for her to shut down her computer. “At my mom’s house.”

She whirled on him, only one arm in her coat. “Are you sure? I don’t know.”

He’d expected this reaction and had actually debated not telling her where they were going and making it a surprise, but Kat didn’t appreciate surprises. Or his withholding information.

“Why not?” Marco pressed. “She likes to cook. We need to eat.”

“But . . .” Kat stammered, and he could tell she was trying to come up with a good excuse.

“Plus, I haven’t seen her and Nonna in a few days,” he said, pulling out the big guns. While he didn’t want to make Kat feel guilty for that—and judging by her expression, she did—it was the truth. He wanted Kat in his life, which included visiting with the other women he cared about. And there was no time like the present.

“I’ll be fine at Tony’s apartment. I don’t want to intrude.”

“It’s not intruding.” Marco guided her toward the front of the building. “And I already told them you were coming. They’re excited to see you.”

He spoke the truth. Other than him, Tony, and Ginny, they didn’t see people.

“Pfftt . . .” Kat blew out a disbelieving breath.

“It’s true,” Marco said. “You’re a great woman and they’re not snobs. They won’t hold where you came from against you.”

She stopped in her tracks before exiting the building. “I wasn’t implying—”

“I know you weren’t. But I wanted to reassure you all the same.”

Marco was relieved to see that the reporters that had stationed themselves just off company property had finally given up. Adamo employees were given strict instructions not to talk to them. Hopefully the media had gotten it through their thick skulls that what was happening at Adamo right now wasn’t news—it was just a company trying to do business.

Kat was quiet on the drive. As they got closer, she pulled down the visor and peered in the mirror, wiping her fingers under her eyes to clear away smudged makeup.

“Relax,” Marco said. “You look great.”

When his mother had issued the invitation, he’d almost declined. But after a moment’s pause, he realized it would be good for all of them. They were each dealing with some shitty circumstances, so why not crack open a bottle of wine over dinner and enjoy some pleasant company?

If Kat could relax enough to be herself, she would get along well with his mother. They actually had some things in common—they were both spirited, independent women. Life circumstances had prompted the women to express these traits in different ways.

Had Kat grown up in better conditions, what kind of woman would she be? While he wished he could go back and make her past easier for her, he wouldn’t want to change the woman she was today.

Her phone rang and when she pulled it out, she looked over at him with a mixture of excitement and dread.

“It’s Knox. I’ll put it on speaker.”

“I’ve got a lead,” Knox said, getting right down to business.

“Wow, that was quick,” Marco commented. On one hand, that was excellent because the meeting with Roy was in less than forty-eight hours. On the other hand, he didn’t want Kat anywhere near X. Or Roy, for that matter, but that was going to happen one way or another. Or maybe not. From what Knox said, Roy himself probably wouldn’t show, sending men instead. Still, he hated to think what would happen if they blew off the meeting.

It was an entirely fucked-up situation and another reason dinner tonight was a good idea—it would take both their minds off everything.

“Like I said, I kept tabs on him,” Knox said. “And called in a few favors.”

“What do you mean?” Kat asked, hoping Knox hadn’t had to cross any lines best left uncrossed to help her out. She knew he’d turned his life around and didn’t want him to compromise himself.

“Let’s just say I didn’t come away from being X’s prize fighter without a lot of information people would prefer stayed secret. X has been staying with a woman who’s willing to set up a meet.”

“Why is she willing to do this?” Kat asked. “If she’s letting him stay with her, then why would she sell him out?”

“She’s been stepping out on him,” Knox said. “And he’d kill her if he found out. So she’s motivated to keep it quiet.”

Kat grimaced and Marco reached over to squeeze her hand.

“Did you tell her why I wanted to see him?” Kat asked.

“She doesn’t know who and she doesn’t know why. She was so scared she didn’t care.”

Kat chewed on her lip, obviously troubled. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry,” Knox said softly, seeming to understand Kat’s concern. “No one will ever know she ratted him out. He won’t punish her.”

Kat let out a breath, still not seeming convinced. Marco could understand her hesitancy, but they were doing what needed to be done in the safest way possible. That would have to be enough.

Still, he wanted to ask one more question before he got 100 percent on board with this plan.

“Do you trust this?” Marco asked. “If it were Natalie instead of Kat, would you be okay with it?”

Knox was silent for a moment and Marco knew he’d asked the right question. He’d only spent an hour with the man, but that was enough to know he had an enormous protective streak for Natalie. The man would kill for her with no hesitation.

“I wouldn’t like it, but this is about as safe as a situation like this can be.”

Marco pulled into his parents’ driveway and parked around back. He wasn’t entirely pleased with Knox’s answer, but he supposed it was an honest one. There was no way this was without risk.

But it could be minimized.

“I’ll go,” Marco said. “There’s no reason for Kat to meet with him this first time. I’ll go and let him know Kat wants to see him.”

“No,” Kat said. “X is volatile, and there’s no reason he’d trust you. Since I’m his . . . daughter,” she seemed to choke on the word, “he’s more likely to trust me. Like Knox said, the time I spent with Gram is the bait. I’ll tell him I have something she left him and to meet me Saturday to get it.”

“You’re not going alone,” Marco said.

“I would offer to go,” Knox said, “but there’s too much bad blood between us. One of us would end up dead and I promised Natalie I wouldn’t kill X. She doesn’t want me in prison.” There was a wryness in his tone and Marco nearly laughed out loud. Had Knox just made a joke?

Joke or not, Marco believed Knox would kill X if given the chance.

“And come to think of it,” Knox said, “you probably shouldn’t go either, Marco. You look too much like Tony.”

“What the hell . . .” Marco swore as pieces came together. Tony’s moves in the ring last week had surprised him. His friendship with Knox had surprised him as well. He was an idiot for not putting it together sooner. “Tony was a fighter in X’s ring.” It was a statement, not a question.

“You’ll have to talk to him about that,” Knox said, not denying it.

“Shit,” Marco said. “What the hell?” He gritted his teeth in frustration at learning he didn’t corner the Adamo market on making reckless decisions.

Because what the hell was Tony thinking? He could have gotten arrested or even killed. Perhaps he didn’t give his brother enough credit—Tony was a hell of a fighter. But the fights weren’t sanctioned. He couldn’t believe that all the fighters would fight clean.

Kat reached over and squeezed his hand. The small gesture made all the difference and Marco calmed himself. He’d worry about Tony later when he was back in town. They had a long talk in front of them.

“How soon can she arrange the meet?” Kat asked.

“Hopefully within the next day or two. It just depends,” Knox said. “As soon as I hear, I’ll be in touch. Be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

* * *

Kat closed her eyes in the darkness as conflicting feelings washed over her.

She’d soon meet her real father, the one she’d loathed from afar, the one whose existence was causing all these problems in her life. He was a notorious criminal, a dangerous, vile man—one who was capable of killing the woman he lived with. Would she be able to look into his eyes without cringing, knowing his blood flowed through her veins?

She opened her eyes. Yes. She’d be able to do it because she had to.

And then she’d set him up.

Technically, she was double-crossing him, but dammit, it was his fault she was in this situation. It was his problem, not hers. So she’d deliver it to him on a silver platter with a nice side of fuck you.

“Hey,” Marco said gently. “Are you okay?”

She nodded.

“I can cancel dinner.”

She was tempted to take him up on the offer, but that was the cowardly way out. Natalie’s status had never intimidated her. So why did she care so much what these women thought of her?

Because she knew Marco cared about them. And he might care what they thought. So if they didn’t approve of her . . .

She squared her shoulders. If they didn’t approve of her and Marco dropped her because of it, then he wasn’t the man she thought he was.

It was easy to think that, but she’d be crushed if that happened. Still, she’d doubted Natalie when she shouldn’t have. Maybe it was time she trusted her instincts a little more. And she trusted Marco. He’d said it would be okay, so it would be okay.

“Don’t be silly,” she said. “We’re already here.”

Marco shrugged. “We haven’t gone in yet. We can still leave if you’re not up to it.”

She glanced over at him and saw his comment was earnest. God, he was too good to her.

“I’ll be fine. I just need a minute.”

God, she hoped she’d be fine. In the span of a week, her life had been flipped upside down, rotated, and smacked around. Part of her longed for the simpler days when her life only consisted of working long hours tending bar and spending time with Ryan.

But not all the changes were bad.

She had Natalie and Ginny. She had a great job.

And now she had Marco.

It was that last one that made her want to pinch herself. First because she’d let her guard down enough to let someone in. Second because someone like Marco was even interested in her.

Here he was bringing her home to dinner with his family. Marco could deny it all he wanted, but this was a big step. No one had ever brought her home before.

The doubt crept back in.

“Are you sure you want to bring me?” she asked, hating how small her voice sounded.

“Kat,” Marco said slowly. “Look at me.”

She raised her gaze to his and despite the darkness, she could see tenderness in his eyes. There was more than that, though. There was also respect, something she’d once thought she’d never see in a man’s eyes.

“I’m falling for you. Hard. It started that first day I saw you on the side of the road. And when I see something I want, I don’t hesitate. Life is too short for that. There are no guarantees.” He stroked her cheek. “I don’t care what idea people have about us. All that matters to me is that we understand what’s between us.”

Kat examined his face, the skeptic in her looking for any sign that he was telling a white lie, but she found none. God help her, she wanted to believe him.

And she did.

“Okay,” she said quietly. “Let’s do this.”

There was a question in his eyes and she nodded. She was referring to everything—meeting X, dinner, and most importantly, them.

Marco kissed her lightly, the touch of his lips a faint caress, then he pulled away. “Let’s do this.”