AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Willis already had his chance and he didn’t do it. I’ll take care of it. At least then, I’ll know it’s done.”
We started to walk down the driveway, and a memory of the last time we’d taken that walk together broke through the sadness and gave me a little something to smile about.
“It seems odd,” I teased lightly.
“What’s that?” Dante asked as he opened the trunk of his car and put my bag inside.
“No blindfold this time.” I laughed lightly as he held open the car door for me.
When I bent to climb in, he whispered near my ear, “maybe later,” and I shivered. The door snapped shut, and he entered on the driver’s side.
I didn’t pay much attention to the drive. It had been dark for hours. The streetlights flashed through the car as we drove down familiar streets and past recognizable landmarks. About a block past the Bridgeport Public Library, Dante turned down a street then pulled into the driveway of a townhome in a row of average looking townhomes.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“My home away from home. You’ll see.”
Dante took my bags out of the trunk. An average walkway led to a basic two-story townhouse. The front door was painted a lovely teal blue, but when Dante unlocked the door and ushered me inside, I found out that door was the last bit of color I’d see.
I looked around the open concept living area. The beige walls and black furniture suited him. Oddly, when Dante walked in, set my luggage down and took off his coat, he looked like he belonged there more than he did the Calegari home.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked politely. He seemed nervous and Dante Calegari was never nervous.
“Just some ice water, please,” I answered.
He went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. He handed it to me then went to the bar across the room where he poured himself a drink. I walked around the room, stopping to study the black and white artwork that hung on one wall.
“How long have you had this place?” I asked. Lilly had never mentioned that Dante had a second home. Wasn’t it also strange that his second home was in the same town he lived in?
“About twelve years now.”
“Why? I thought you liked your house.”
“I do, but it’s home. This is where I do most of my...” he hesitated. “Most of my work.”
I swallowed and nodded. I didn’t ask for details, but I could imagine him sitting at the glass coffee table with his laptop, orchestrating the means of someone else’s demise.
“Let me show you around and then we’ll get started.”
The townhouse was small, so the tour didn’t take long. I should have dallied, prolonging the time it would take before I had to fast the past, but I also wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. Dante showed me the guest room andensuite, his bedroom, and the room he used as his office.
“Make yourself comfortable while you're here,” he said when our tour finished, and he ushered me into his office. “All I ask is that this room remains off limits unless I’m in here with you.”
I sat on the big, overstuffed sofa that took up one wall. “I have no reason to be in here, Dante.” I hugged one of the pillows to my chest. “You can trust me.”
“I know I can,” he nodded.
He pulled some keys out of his pocket and unlocked one of the drawers in his massive mahogany desk. It was remarkably similar to the one he had in his office at the Calegari house.
He flipped through some files, then pulled out a manila folder and shut the drawer. My heart raced at the implications of the folder.
Dante sat on the couch next to me and held the folder out for me to take, but I refused. He frowned then set the folder on his lap.
“Are you sure you want to hear this?”
Did I?
“No, I don’t want to hear any of it, but someone put that envelope in my room. Someone wants me to think that you killed my parents. It’s too late to go back now.” My voice broke as I finished talking.
