Chapter 5 #2
“You can’t just move in there with him. It will be the same as having your face rubbed in what he’s done.” She bites off each word. “Every single day.”
A sudden bout of tiredness overwhelms me, the past as well as the unknown future weighing heavy on my shoulders. “Do I have a choice?”
“He can’t be that unfeeling. You’re the mother of his child, for crying out loud. Surely, he must care about what the memories will do to you.”
“Maybe that’s the whole point. Maybe he wants me to suffer.”
“For what?” she exclaims in a soft voice. “For saving yourself?”
“For not telling him about Noah.”
“He can hardly blame you for that.”
“I don’t think he sees it the same way.”
“He killed your fucking family,” she says under her breath.
My ribcage shrinks, squeezing like a fist around my heart. “And not a day goes by that I don’t think about that.”
“I’m sorry.” She takes my hands. “I didn’t mean to hurt you by bringing up those horrible memories. I’m just worried about this whole freaky situation.” She steals a glance over her shoulder before continuing in a whisper. “What are our chances of escaping?”
I hate to admit, “For the moment? Zero. Dante’s men aren’t here for our protection.” The truth hardens my voice. “They’re here to make sure we don’t get away.”
“Yeah.” She scoffs before muttering, “It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure that out.”
“Hey.” I give her hands a squeeze before letting them go. “I’ll get you out of this, Jazz. I promise.”
“Don’t worry.” Her grin is aimed at making light of a serious situation, but she doesn’t quite succeed. “It’s not as if I have anywhere else to be.”
“I’ll speak to Dante about letting you go.”
“Don’t,” she says quickly. “I’m not leaving you and Noah on your own with him. Let’s just take it one day at a time and see exactly what he wants from you. We’ll figure something out.”
She doesn’t sound convinced about the last part.
Frankly, neither am I. I’ve always prided myself on my escape plans, but Dante isn’t your average criminal.
He has an army of loyal and well-trained men as well as powerful alliances.
One of those allies is Saverio De Luca, a crime boss no one is dumb enough to mess with.
When Dante came back into my life after his disappearance, he was working for Saverio, who happened to be one of my father’s rivals. Together, Saverio and Dante manage the biggest territories in their state. Of course, they’re only the biggest now since Dante added my father’s territory to his own.
“Tiana.”
Jazz’s serious tone pulls me from my thoughts.
She searches my eyes. “He’s never hurt you—in the past, I mean—has he?”
“No.” But that doesn’t mean he won’t.
When Ulysses passes the doorway with a box of junk in his arms, she takes my hand and pulls me deeper into the room before asking under her breath, “What happened last night?”
“Nothing.” I don’t want to tell her I fucked him. I’m too ashamed of my demented behavior. The lingering effect of what I did does hurt, but not in the way she means. “He’s not going to kill me as long as he needs me.”
How much am I worth to Dante? How badly does he want to ruin Leander? Could the necklace change his mind? Would he accept a stolen piece of jewelry as payment for our freedom?
No.
Dante isn’t the kind of man who can be bought.
He might’ve been untruthful about a lot of things when he wooed me with false promises, but those kinds of values, the strong ones that are set in stone, can’t be faked.
Besides, he’s not going to let Noah or his vengeance go.
He may not have said it outright, but he’s made that clear.
I turn around, and then my heart stops. Noah is no longer in his makeshift tent, pretending the sticks he gathered from the garden this morning are sausages grilling over a fire.
I go hot and then cold. “Noah?”
“Shit.” Jazz looks around in a panic. “He was just here a few seconds ago.”
“Noah?” I run down the hallway, pushing men out of my way. “Noah?”
Jazz follows hot on my heels. “Noah?”
What if Dante took him? He could’ve ordered his men to take my baby. Noah has never disappeared like this. It’s my fault for having gotten distracted. I never let him out of my sight.
I skid to a halt in the kitchen. Two men guard the back door.
My tone is aggressive. Scared. “Where’s my son?”
They look at each other.
They all wear weapons under their jackets. I’ve seen the guns in their holsters. I asked Reino not to carry those guns around Noah, but he told me the Glocks were for our protection.
Ignoring those weapons and the possibility that Dante’s men may have orders to shoot me in the back of my head if I try to run, I yank open the door and almost fall through it as I trip over the threshold.
I catch the door frame, barely righting myself before stopping so abruptly that Jazz crashes into my back.
Reino and two of the guys are kicking a ball around on the grass, and Noah is in the middle of their circle. I sprint over the lawn and grab Noah to me. My chest heaves as I battle to breathe. I’m not sure if the reaction is from shock or relief.
The men stop and stare at me with baffled expressions.
I address Reino, who seems to be in charge. “Don’t ever do that again, do you hear me?”
He raises his hands. “Easy, Miss Teszner. I’m not sure what you think we were doing, but you should calm down.”
“Don’t tell me how I should react.” My words are harsh. “You had no right to take Noah outside without asking me.”
“He came out by himself.” Reino observes me as if I’m insane.
“I didn’t think it would be a problem. We were just playing soccer.
” He waves at two recycling bins with a broom over the top where one of the men stands with his hands on his hips.
“Ted found an old ball in the shed. We wanted to teach Noah how to kick a goal.”
Noah pulls on the hem of my T-shirt. “It’s okay, Mommy. We were just playing. Am I in trouble?”
I look at his face. His round little cheeks are flushed red from running.
His T-shirt is wet beneath my palms, sticking to his back with perspiration.
I feel like an idiot for thinking the worst. I feel like a failure for not having noticed when Noah walked out of the house.
Most of all, I feel guilty that my baby, who’s not such a baby any longer, has always been deprived of playing outside because I tried to hide and protect him and failed on both accounts.
“You’re not in trouble.” I smooth his curls from his forehead. “Just don’t sneak outside without asking, okay?”
“Can I play soccer?” He jumps up and down, tugging on my hand. “Please? I’ll eat carrots tonight.”
I open my mouth to say no—let’s face it, I don’t trust any of Dante’s men—when Jazz, who must’ve followed me outside, puts a hand on my shoulder. She points at the side of the house where Dante has just rounded the corner and is making his way to us with long strides.
Noah looks in the direction Jazz is pointing. He breaks free from my hold and runs to Dante. “Dante!”
Dante catches him and swings him through the air, which invites a laugh from Noah.
Once Noah is on his feet again, he takes Dante’s hand and pulls him toward the lawn. “Look, we’re playing soccer.”
Dante smiles at Noah even as he holds my gaze with a question in his.
Noah stops at the edge of the lawn. “Do you want to see?”
Dante doesn’t take his eyes off of me. “What’s going on?”
“I couldn’t find Noah and…” I clear my throat, feeling stupid for over-reacting. “I just thought…”
Oblivious of the conversation taking place over his head, Noah runs to the ball that lies discarded on the grass. “Do you want to see how I kick a goal?”
Dante pins me with a look. “And you thought I took him.”
“I…” I lick my dry lips. “I panicked.”
Jazz puts herself between us. “Tiana is used to having Noah in her sight. When he disappeared, we both got a fright.”
“Dante!” Noah places the ball on an invisible line and takes a few steps back. “Look!”
Dante turns to Reino.
Reino shoves his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “The kid came outside. I didn’t think there was any harm in playing a game with him.”
“Next time, clear it with Tatiana first.” Dante’s tone leaves no room for argument. “She’s his mother and needs to know where he is. That means at all times.”
“It won’t happen again.” Reino nods at me. “My apologies.”
Noah charges and kicks the ball with every ounce of strength he possesses in his short leg. “Look!”
The guy who plays goalkeeper—Ted—makes a big show of trying to catch but missing the ball. It rolls between the recycling bins and hits the fence at the back.
The guys cheer and clap, which makes Noah’s chest puff out with pride as he runs back to us. “Did you see that? Did you see?”
“Well done, buddy.” Dante high-fives him. “What’s the score?”
“We’re just kicking for fun.” Reino winks. “I’m sure Noah will rub our faces in the dirt if we play for real.”
Noah laughs from his tummy. “That’s not true, silly.” He’s young, but he’s never been gullible.
When Dante faces me again, his smile carries an edge. “Jazz can play referee if you prefer to have someone you trust watch him while you finish your work inside.”
I make a point of ignoring Dante, addressing Noah instead. “Only ten more minutes. It’s almost time for your snack.”
Snacks have never failed as a bribe when it comes to Noah. It’s low, but desperate measures and all that…
Jazz offers to stay while the game continues. Dante follows me inside.
“Give us a moment,” he says to the men standing at attention next to the back door.
They go outside and close the door behind them, leaving me alone with Dante in the kitchen.
“Tatiana—”
“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have thought the same if the roles were reversed.”
“We clearly have trust issues.”
I laugh. “Did you only figure that out now?”