Page 81 of Vow of Hate

She doesn’t listen and remains seated beside me, pulling her seatbelt across her body. “I am going. I am not going to let you hurt yourself.”

“Fine. But I have to save Dante.”

I drive as fast as I can to the address Aurora gave me. The tension in the air between me and my mom is palpable. You would need more than a knife to cut it.

“Why are you doing this?” she whispers.

“Because I care for him. I don’t know if it’s love. I just know I can’t see him die.”

“He is not a good man.”

“I know. And I’m not a good person. I killed a police officer and felt no regret for it. Even if it was in self-defense. No regret. No guilt.”

“That’s different –”

“I gave him my virginity,” I cut her off.

She sucks in a breath. “Sienna… I… you were waiting for marriage.”

“I know. But would it have mattered anyway? Gabriel wanted me to marry Dante. He would have taken it if that had happened. But I made this choice.”

“Only after he kidnapped you.”

My eyes close for a second. “I know. But I still made my choice. Dante never forced me to have sex with him. I chose it. I wanted it. He made me feel more free than anything else in this entire world ever has. Yes, he’s terrifying and scary, and I still can’t make sense of my feelings for him. But I know I have to fight for him. I want him in my life.”

“I’ve never heard you speak of anyone this way before.”

“Dante changed me. Whether for the good or the bad, I don’t know. But I am changed.”

She goes silent the rest of the drive. We make it to the address Aurora gave me. A run down house in the middle of nowhere. Easy to torture someone for days and have no one else notice.

A guard is out front. This is the place.

I get out of the car with my gun drawn and fire into the air. He flinches before raising his own gun. I am getting into this house, one way or another.

I guess it’s time I embrace Dante’s chaotic energy as my own.

Chapter Nineteen

Sienna

“Let me in,” I say to the guard, pointing my gun at him. “Now.”

His laugh is mocking. “Why would I let you in, little girl? You’re aiming your gun at me. You’re the enemy right now.”

My mom steps forward. “I am Henrietta Lanza. Let me and my daughter inside that house.”

He looks back and forth between my mom and I, uncertain. “I’m not supposed to let anybody inside.”

“I will shoot you,” I threaten.

“Then I will shoot you back.”

“This is my daughter, Sienna Lanza. Gabriel Romano will not appreciate you killing her. So back down.” The firmness in my mom’s voice is admirable. Even though she doesn’t agree with me about Dante, she’s still willing to fight for me. It’s why I love her so much.

“I need to call Gabriel,” he says. “Don’t shoot me.” He gives me a pointed look. I don’t lower my gun. I need to save Dante. I need to understand my feelings for him. I can’t do that if he’s dead.

The guard calls Gabriel and speaks on the phone for a moment. Once he’s done, he raises his gun again. “He said no. You’re not allowed inside.”