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And while I have no idea what the future will look like, considering we are the least likely pair imaginable, I am not going to face it without her. Deep down, I know she feels the same way. She might not be ready to admit it to herself yet, but some things can’t be denied forever. She’s mine, plain and simple. And I have gone against everything I thought mattered for her sake.
There are voices outside the front door. Familiar ones. I brace myself, pushing the sleeves of my sweatshirt up to my elbows. Considering this is the first visit I’ve received since I was escorted here, I figure it must be important.
Dante steps through the door first because, of course, he does. Why would he waste an opportunity to look like a big man and be the first to glare at me in disappointment? “Going casual, I see,” he remarks, eyeing my hoodie and sweatpants, clearly comparing them to his own bespoke suit.
I don’t bother concealing my irritation. “It’s the funniest thing. My schedule has been wide open the past couple of days, so I’ve been leaning more toward comfort.” He simply rolls his eyes and steps aside for Papa to enter after his brief conversation with my guard.
The fact that he barely glances at me confirms he’s not feeling much more generous than he did on my arrival. “She’s awake. Thought you’d want to know,” Papa says in a detached voice.
His words stir up relief I can’t contain. “She’s okay? You’ve seen her?”
The two of them exchange a look that’s heavy with meaning. It sets my teeth on edge until I can’t help but blurt out, “Would you stop acting as though she’s a deadly weapon? There is nothing wrong with me being concerned about her.”
“Obsessed with her,” Dante mutters.
“Stand down,” Papa advises with a sigh, staring down at the fists clenched at my sides until I loosen them. “I’m not going to have you two bickering and throwing punches. That’s not what we’re here for.”
“Then what are you here for?” I ask, irritation coating my words as I look back and forth between them. “For two days, you’ve ignored me, and now you show up unannounced.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell us?” Dante asks in a deceptively soft voice. Instantly, my hackles rise. What is he driving at?
“You’ll have to elaborate,” I fire back. “What are you referring to?”
“Son.” Dad heaves a sigh, lowering his brow like a bull ready to charge. “Enough bullshit. We know who she is. One of our guys in the NYPD got word of a detective who went missing from her apartment out in Brooklyn. We got our hands on the address. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put everything together.”
I would swear every drop of blood in my veins has turned to solid ice. Just when I think they can’t surprise me, they drop a bomb on my head. They’ve known who she is and expect me to believe she’s still safe?
It was inevitable, wasn’t it? That’s what I have to tell myself as I absorb this without any major reaction. Call me a stubborn prick, but I’m not going to let them know they startled me. “And you’re still going to tell me she’s alive and well?”
“You aren’t surprised?” Papa asks, incredulous, while Dante sputters.
“It was bound to happen. With all of your inside connections?” I shrug blithely and don’t bother hiding my satisfaction when Dante’s tanned face goes red. What did he expect? That I’d collapse in tears?
“You knew all along, didn’t you?” he demands. “You stalked and kidnapped a fucking detective assigned to taking down the famiglia.”
“And the Vitali,” I add. “She would’ve gotten around to them too.”
“At a time like this, you make jokes?” Dad shouts, his voice loud enough to make both of us flinch. No, there’s nothing funny about this, but I need to get my satisfaction where I can, and Dante’s indignation is very satisfying.
“Clearly, she was unsuccessful,” I remind them. “So no, I don’t see the point in holding that against her now. She has not done anything to get in our way.”
“Like hell, she hasn’t,” Dante growls out. “Or have you forgotten the Vitali are determined to get their fucking hands on her? And here you are, protecting her, shielding her, killing for her. Pouring gasoline on the fire. She doesn’t have to arrest any of us to be successful in taking us down. You’ve practically handed us to her on a silver platter.”
I hear what he’s saying, but it means nothing. “That’s not true. We were already going to war with Vitali, and that’s not on us. Allesandro is a fucking psychopath. He only needed…” My voice quits on me when my brain catches up with my mouth and reveals what a smacked ass I am.
“Go ahead,” Dante urges in a voice that brings to mind a snake’s hiss. “Finish your thought.”
He only needed an excuse. “He would’ve found some other reason to accelerate things,” I insist.
“Who are you trying to convince?” Dante asks, wearing a sickening smirk. “Us or yourself?”
“Go to hell.” I snarl.
“Listen to yourself,” Papa urges. “You would tell your own brother to go to hell over some little bitch cop?”
Something caustic, like acid, rises in my chest and comes dangerously close to pouring from my mouth in the form of words I couldn’t take back. I won’t disrespect my father that way, but he’s taking me damn close to the point where I can’t be held accountable for my actions.
“Don’t tell me you’re in love with her,” Dante taunts, snickering, and all I can do is stare at the floor and remind myself how it would break our mother’s heart if I snapped his neck. “Of all the ways you could fuck up.”
