Dante (Steelwood MC - Meadow Falls #7)

1. Dante

one

Dante

Ifeel like a monkey stuffed into a suit. Hell, it's even worse when I'm cramped up in the back of a van with my face getting attacked by Cassia.

My face is already sensitive from shaving, but now, my entire appearance is getting altered for tonight.

"Stop crinkling your nose." My sister blots my face with a wet sponge that smells like soil. "I'm almost done. God, did you really have to take such a long cut to the face? Don't let anyone get close enough to see beneath the foundation."

Grunting, I glance over at Casper, who grimaces in return. "Yell at him, not me."

"I could've done it from ear to ear." Shrugging his shoulders, Casper grins, clearly enjoying the sight of me shifting uncomfortably in clothes I don't belong in. "In my defense, he was trying to kill me at the time."

It was a time I usually preferred to leave buried—back when it was every man for himself, and a failed job could risk me seeing the end of my life by a gun or a blade. I never expected a punk holding a knife would end up as my second-in-command.

"Back then, I thought you were some poor, defenseless teen," I grumble, shaking my head, much to my sister's dismay.

Defenseless, my ass. He might be near-blind, but he did well at almost taking my own eyes out. If it weren't for being so scrawny, I wouldn't have been able to knock him out and drag him back to the clubhouse to deal with his owed debts.

If that asshole Blaze hadn't found it so entertaining that his VP had his face mutilated, he may not have kept Casper alive, amongst other cruel reasons.

"Rather than reminiscing on how wonderful the past was, maybe you should be thinking about the present.

" Cassia blots my eye on purpose, making me flinch.

"You're literally about to sneak into Edward Ashford's house.

You know how dangerous that is, right? With the beef he has for you, I'm pretty sure he'd find any excuse to have one of his bodyguards shoot you. "

I've taken a bullet many times before. It doesn't matter who is the one pulling the trigger; I'm hardly afraid of the bastard holding the gun. Especially by one hired by the mayor who runs this pitiful town.

"I know what needs to be done. Have more faith, Cas."

Hex has done the best she can with the few cameras in his home. I have spent what feels like a lifetime planning this event. I don't think it's possible to be more prepared than I already am.

The worst part of this is knowing that I am going to appear as someone that I am not. Even now, I feel the heavy urge to yank at the buttons at my throat, the ones choking me out. If it weren't for the ink on my skin, I would ditch the jacket, too.

"You're sure you really want to go alone?" Casper rests his elbows on his knees, leaning toward me. "I don't mind joining you."

No amount of makeup or change of clothes could make him not stand out like a sore thumb. He knows it, too, by the way he shoots me a grin.

No matter what, I'm on my own.

"Are you ready to do this?" Cassia pulls back to look my appearance over, nodding over her work. "I've done the best I can. Throw on a pair of glasses, and you may as well be the next Clark Kent."

Next to me, Hex offers up an earpiece. While I get it tucked into my ear and fidget with my hair, her eyes never leave her laptop. "The party is already in full motion. Do you remember where to go?"

With what she was able to get me? I feel like I'm going in blind. But I nod anyway, because there's no other answer I'll accept.

Once she almost blows my eardrum out by testing her mic, I'm finally free from Cassia's attempt to make me unrecognizable. Knowing we're only wasting time at this point, I urge the few people inside of the van to move aside so I can escape the tight space.

Now outside, the crisp, cool summer air nips at my skin. Besides this van, there is another, containing a few more of our members in case things go sideways. When it comes to a job like this, there's no telling what direction it'll go.

Hearing a multitude of voices in the background of my ear, I immediately tell them to keep the line quiet unless something pops up. Knowing that Hex is the only one who has a direct line to what I'm saying, I listen to her tell Casper to be quiet.

Sneaking inside of the mayor's house is the easiest part of this mission.

The guy who looks over my invite doesn't look interested in anything but making sure I'm unarmed.

He doesn't notice the thick layer caked on my face, hiding the scar I've carried for years.

The one wound that warns everyone that I'm not some kind of normal citizen.

I don't mind the mark across my face, not after all of these years. By this point, I've grown accustomed to the double takes and startled looks. Now it feels strange not to have anyone glimpse my way.

Well, I shouldn't say no one. There are a few women in sparkling dresses caressing glasses full of golden liquid who let their eyes drift my way and linger. Those are the ones I need to avoid at all costs.

Conversations are off limits. I can't possibly imagine what topic I could talk to them about.

What I need to do is blend into the background, not draw any attention to myself.

There is only one woman I am here for, and as far as I can tell, she is nowhere to be seen. Expecting her to be the brightest thing in the entire back area of the home, the one source of light that draws people in, I'm frustrated to see that isn't the case.

She's nowhere to be found.

This is supposed to be an easy job, an in-and-out kind of deal. Instead, I will have to search for Madalyn Ashford.

Tucking myself closer to the invisible wall wrapped around this outdoor party, my fingers brush my ear. "How many inside?"

"The usual guy is nowhere in sight," Hex informs me, "but I can see two wandering guards. Be careful; they're armed."

A gun is the least of my worries; all I know is that if Mayor Ashford becomes aware of my presence, he'll stop at nothing to take my life. Whatever lies he'll try to spin, he'll make it seem like I'm here to kill him. If circumstances were different, I could see myself succeeding at the act.

"Grab a drink or something," Casper instructs in the background, "you look like you have a stick up your—"

Thankfully, Hex cuts the line before I can hiss under my breath at him and blow my cover.

Looking around, I spot the very man who has been a pain in my ass for entirely too long. The man of the hour. Edward Ashford. He’s sucked into a conversation with a silver-templed man who has his arm wrapped around a beautiful woman clearly half his age.

Tearing my eyes away from him, I start making my way toward the other side of the gathering, hoping to catch a glint of blonde hair.

A laugh ripples through a huddle of city councilmen to my left—easy, light, and completely unbothered. These people possess the kind of relaxed posture that only comes from a lifetime of financial insulation.

They look like they wouldn't know a day of real hardship if it hit them square in the face. It takes everything I have to grit my teeth and keep moving, the stiff fabric of this jacket choking me out.

Every polite nod I force myself to give feels like swallowing glass. They’re entirely oblivious to the real world just outside these iron gates—and entirely oblivious to the small tragedy unfolding right under their noses.

"Where in the fuck is she?" Never known as a patient man, my eyes jerk around every smiling face to see not one of them is my target.

For someone who puts her on a pedestal, not even the mayor looks worried about her disappearance. Rather, he's too busy laughing over a glass of whisky to notice his daughter is missing.

As frustrating as it is, this is good. Just means when I get my hands on her, he won't notice just how gone she truly is.

"Try inside? Maybe she's still perfecting her makeup. You know how they are on appearances."

Looking up at the house, I run through the entry points in my head and the locations of the few cameras. After spending so much time memorizing what layout I had, I may as well live here myself.

I have to circle the home without being noticed. Trying every window to see if any of them are unlocked, I'm relieved to find one. Shoving it open, I look both ways before squeezing my way inside. Grunting, I curse when the jacket catches. I think it tears.

"Keep making those sounds, and I'll think you're abandoning the mission for something better, Prez."

"Ew, gross. Can we not sexualize my brother, please?"

Is Hex letting everyone hear my frustration?

"Shut the hell up. I'm about to just get rid of this thing.

" Landing on the carpet, I look through the darkness to realize I'm in some kind of bedroom.

Thankfully, no one is inside. Not wasting any time looking around to figure out who it belongs to, I'm cracking the door open to see if anyone is outside of it.

The coast is clear, and I slip out. Unsure of where to look for a woman in her mid-twenties, I hope to hear the familiarity of her voice. She's a talker; I know that much. I'm sure she'll take every advantage to speak to whoever is willing to listen.

Turning the corner, I suddenly stiffen when spotting movement further away. A man in a suit is talking casually to a device strapped to his shoulder.

Spotting one of the guards down the hall, I have to make a quick decision. To approach and take him out, or to hide. As much as I hate hiding, the last thing I need is for a body, unconscious or not, to be found, and I lose my one chance at this.

Trying to avoid being spotted, I slip inside the closest room. As soon as the door clicks shut, I hear it. A soft gasp.

A curse escapes under my breath.

"What happened? Are you in trouble?" Hex's voice rings out in my ear, but it feels distant as I look over my shoulder.

Sitting right there is Madalyn Ashford, staring at me with reddened, tear-filled eyes. In front of her, kneeling on the floor, is another woman with similar blonde hair.

I was supposed to find my target alone or coax her somewhere I could get my hands on her without anyone being alerted. Knock her out so she couldn't put up a fight. Be in and out as if I was never here. Every little detail, I had memorized.

But now, I can't do that. Or, at least, I can't adjust quickly enough to the change of plans. All because of the woman kneeling in front of her.

When she turns her head to look at me, the world goes dead silent. A sharp pain spikes behind my ribcage, freezing the breath in my lungs as if my throat has suddenly swollen shut. A heavy, suffocating heat floods my chest, radiating outward until my skin burns under this stiff jacket.

My pulse pounds a deafening rhythm in my ears, completely blocking out Hex’s voice.

A heart attack, I think, cataloging the symptoms in real-time as I wait for my legs to give out.

But the dizziness never hits. Instead, that cold panic morphs into a strange, heavy warmth that settles deep in my gut.

She looks nearly identical to Madalyn. They share the same blonde hair, the same brown eyes. Even the same button nose, but she isn't her. Not even close.

I don't know what the hell is happening to me, but as I look between the apparent twins, my mind is already made up. This mystery woman is coming with me, even if I have to alert the entire house that I'm taking her.

"Who are you?" Unlike the sweet tone I've heard from Madalyn in clips captured by Hex, this woman's voice has some bite.

"Oh my God." Madalyn lets out a sob. "Did he already find his replacement?"

Not having a clue what she's talking about, I tear my eyes away and take in the room, looking at any possible exits. There are a few windows that these two won't have a hard time getting through, but I may face a challenge.

Can I risk them running if I order them out?

Without realizing it, my plans have already altered, all on their own. Now, I've already accepted that I'll want to take both of them with me.

I have questions that demand answers.

Hex has kept an eye on the mayor for two years now. How in the hell did she not realize he had more than one daughter, let alone a set of twins?

"Dante? Casper's ready to make a scene if you don't say something."

Steadying my breath, I look between the two. "There's been a change of plans. Cut the house feed. Things might get messy, but if they do, don't let anyone come in. The distraction is still set to go. I'll get back one way or another."

No matter what happens, my mind is already made up all on its own.

I'm leaving with more than I planned on bringing with me.