Chapter 14
DANTE
My brothers don’t know, but I’ve been talking to our parents over the years, for as long as they’ve been gone. I don’t know if they can hear me, but if there’s a chance they can, I want them to know I miss them. That we’re doing okay.
I’ve spent the past three days figuring out my feelings for Raquel. I’ve stayed away as much as I can, sleeping in a separate room and giving us both space.
I won’t be free of my guilt over having feelings for her until I talk it out with my father. I can’t help wanting his guidance, wherever he is. If anyone can give me the peace I need to accept how much I care about her, my father can.
I was only twelve when he was murdered, but I remember how kind he was. He treated every person with decency and respect. He’d be ashamed of me for what I’ve done to her, using her as a pawn in our game for the Bianchis.
There’s one thing I do know, though. Utilizing her as a way to get her father to come out of hiding is no longer an option. We’ll have to figure out another way. I’ll fight like hell to keep her away from all danger, and I won’t be the source of it.
“Hey, Dad,” I say in my office at work, looking up at the ceiling as though he’s an invisible force floating or something.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen what’s going on, but things with Raquel are a mess.
I thought I could keep her at arm’s length, even while being married to her, but I’ve realized I can’t stop how I feel. ”
My fingers dig into my eyes, my shoulders now slumped over the desk as I continue.
“I know you never hated the Bianchi name like we do now, but I thought having feelings for her was betraying what they did to you and Matteo. She’s nothing like them, Dad,” I explain, sighing as my eyes go back to the ceiling.
“I didn’t want to like her. It just happened, and I’m not willing to let her go.
I want what you and Mom had. That strong kind of love.
That connection you shared that I remember now, through the eyes of the man I am today. ”
I run a hand down my face, gripping the back of my neck.
“She could be that for me. If she’ll forgive me for all the lies and bullshit, that is.
” I laugh, as though hearing him tell me to stop being a fool and tell her the truth before it’s too late.
“I’ll tell her, Dad. I just need more time.
Once we take care of the Bianchis and Carlito, I’ll tell her everything. ”
And that’s when it hits me: I can’t keep her. Not unless she chooses me. Once she’s truly safe, I’ll get the marriage annulled. It’s the right thing to do. The thing my father would want me to do. In the end, I want to be the best parts of him, even though I might never be.
“I’m sorry for being who I am, Dad. I know you’d never want this.
I’ve killed too many in the name of revenge, but I’m not done yet.
I won’t be done until every son of a bitch pays for your and Matteo’s deaths.
You hear me, Dad? They’re gonna fucking wish they’d slit their own damn throats when I’m done. ”
There’s a loud knock on the door—or more like a pounding. I instantly know it’s Enzo.
“Yeah?” I say before the door swings open.
“I have to talk to you. Call up Dom. Now. It’s important.”
Narrowing my eyes, I get out my cell. “What’s going on?”
“It’s about Joelle and the Bianchis.”
The phone rings twice before Dom answers.
“What’s up?” he asks, harshness marking his voice.
“How’s Chiara?” I ask him.
He’s probably still worried about her after Cain, our gun supplier, assaulted her during a charity event Dom was holding at his place three days ago.
“She’s fine. She’s strong. Everything’s been taken care of.”
I immediately know he means the cleaners have disposed of Cain’s dead body. He’ll never be found.
“I’m glad she’s good, man,” Enzo throws in.
“Thanks. Why are you calling? Something happen?”
None of us are big on talking on the phone. If any of us calls, it means some shit is going down.
Enzo pulls in a long inhale. “The Bianchis are worse than we thought.”
I lean deeper into my seat, finding that hard to believe.
“What do you know?” Dom asks impatiently.
Enzo’s jaw tenses. “They’re trafficking women and kids, bro. Young fucking kids.”
“What?” I stand, my palms landing roughly on the desk. “How do you know?”
He curls a fist on his thigh, and the anger in his face would scare any motherfucker. “Because they did it to her. And to the others she saw working at some private sex club the Bianchis started. Kids, man. They had kids working there.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Dom’s words loom with something menacing.
“There’s more. They have her son. He’s only eight. A baby, like Matteo was. They took him from her the second he was born.”
“Fuck!” I slam my fist on the desk, rattling the pen holder.
Just the thought of what those children and women have had to live through has me spiraling.
“Who’s the kid’s father?” Dom shoots off.
“She says she doesn’t know, but I don’t buy it. I think she does, but she’s scared to tell me.”
“Does she know where they’re keeping her son?” I’m the one asking the question now. “We’ve gotta find him.”
There’s one thing I don’t tolerate, and that’s anyone who hurts children. Every single person responsible will wish they’d never been born.
“She has no idea. But every month, they allow her to see him for ten minutes. They’ve been doing it since the kid was born.”
“Motherfuckers!” Dom’s enraged voice rips through the line.
“We need to go and find them all,” I say. “And I don’t mean days from now. I mean tomorrow.”
“You’re right,” Dom agrees.
“Let us take care of it,” I tell him. “Chiara needs you. Stay with her.”
If Raquel was the one going through what Chiara did, there’s no way I could live with myself if I had to leave her alone. I know my brother well enough to know he’s torn from both ends: duty to those kids and duty to the woman he cares about. I want to take that burden off his shoulders.
“Yeah, man. Dante and I have this,” Enzo adds. “We’ll keep you in the loop, but you stay where you belong.”
A long, silent moment passes before he speaks. “I should be there with you two. What if something—”
“We’ll be fine,” I reassure him. “You’ve gotta stop trying to protect us, Dom. It’s not your job anymore.”
But he can’t stop. Protecting us became embedded in his genetic makeup from the moment we ran. He carries this fear of losing another brother. It’s unspoken between us, but we all know it’s there, tormenting him.
Not to say losing another brother is something I don’t think about, because I do, but it’s different with Dom. He never dealt with the aftermath of watching Matteo die, and I don’t think he ever will.
“You both better be fine, or I’ll fucking haunt your asses,” he throws in.
“It’s settled, then,” I tell them. “Let’s call the team and get some intel. If we find one of their men who might know something, then there’s a good chance we could find where they’re stashing the victims.”
“I know exactly where we can start,” Enzo offers. “Joelle told me they have a lawyer, Joey Russo. The guy knows everything, including where her kid is. She’s sure of it.”
“Then we’ll start there,” I decide.
A wild grin spreads over my mouth as fury rises from every ounce of my blood, like an invisible layer of smoke, filling me with the need to spill theirs.