Chapter Twenty-Seven
Melissa
As soon as Dante gave me a playful look, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, I couldn’t help but let out a groan and step away from Rowen. “It’s not like that,” I protested, my tone exasperated but tinged with embarrassment. “We’re just friends.”
Dante, undeterred, grinned mischievously. “Friend-friends, or friends with benefits?” he teased, his voice light and playful. “Because I’m good either way. You know, that’s how Danny and I ended up together. Friends make great partners.”
Rolling my eyes, I shot back, “No, you and Danny got together because neither of you could keep your hands off each other.” I dropped into a nearby chair with a hint of exasperation. “I have more restraint than that.”
Rowen, barely audible as he passed by, muttered under his breath, “Speak for yourself,” before he walked away, leaving me alone with Danika and a grinning Dante.
Determined not to discuss my own feelings, I straightened up and turned my attention to one of my closest friends. “Alright. Talk to me. What’s really going on with you?” I asked, inviting honesty and support between us.
Dante let out a groan and plunked into a chair, his sigh echoing the weight of his emotions. “I miss Danny,” he admitted, sadness evident in his voice.
I nodded in understanding. “Of course you do. You love him and you’re worried,” I replied, recognizing both the depth of Dante’s feelings and the anxiety that came with separation.
Dante’s gaze was serious as he continued, “It’s more than that, Mellie.
Danika misses him too, and I think we’re both feeling his absence more than we did before.
” I nodded again, recalling the last time Danny had been away from their lives.
It had been particularly difficult for Danika, who had grown close to Danny only to have him leave soon after.
Dante did his best to keep Danika occupied, but even I understood that the heart longed for what it missed most. “I know he’s helping the clubs out, doing what he can, but. ..”
“He’s forgetting he has other commitments too.” I voiced my concerns aloud, glancing at Dante for confirmation. He nodded in agreement, his expression weary.
“Yeah. I haven’t spoken to him in days, Mellie. I’m getting worried and I think it’s rubbing off on Danika,” Dante admitted, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. He hesitated, then added, “To make matters worse, Mercy called me.”
At that, I froze, the gravity of his words settling between us. “What does he want?” My voice was low, cautious. I knew exactly who Mercy was—the vice president of the Soulless Sinners Motorcycle Club here in New York City. The same club Dante belonged to.
“He wants me to locate Arizona Stone,” Dante said quietly, his tone serious.
I looked down at my hands, memories flashing through my mind.
The video I’d watched the other day still haunted me, and I knew exactly who Dante was talking about.
I’d actually met Arizona Stone when we were all in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Golden Skulls’ clubhouse—before everything went to hell.
“Did he say why?” I asked, unable to hide the hesitation in my voice.
“No, only that I needed to find him fast,” Dante replied, his words weighted with urgency.
“I see,” I whispered, my gaze dropping as I tried to process it all.
I wondered if I should tell him what I knew—that it was Arizona who had shot and left Montana to die in that chaos.
The secret pressed heavily on my conscience, wondering if I told him the truth, would he stay or go like Travis and Sypher did?
“I can’t do what I need to do and look after Danika,” Dante confessed, his frustration clear.
He wanted to go. There was no denying the pull he felt—it ran deep through his veins, a need that was almost instinctive.
Just like Travis and Sypher, he was driven by loyalty to his club and the bonds he shared with his brothers.
For men like them, the commitment to their other family—the club and its members—often outweighed the obligations to those who truly needed them at home.
That unwavering sense of duty shaped every decision, even when the cost was personal.
“Then leave my daughter with me,” I said, my voice distant as my mind began to spin through the possibilities.
In my heart, I understood the reality—if Dante walked out that door, there was a chance he wouldn’t return.
My words, my pleas, none of it would matter.
Those men were bound by something I would never fully comprehend, and frankly, I had no desire to.
That world, the biker world, was filled with dangers I could not control, and with every connection to it, the risk of losing someone only grew.
I had no intention of standing in their way or trying to change who they were.
If they needed to leave, to fight their battles and play their games, I wouldn’t attempt to stop them.
But there was one thing I would not accept: allowing that life to take another person from my daughter.
I would not let Danika’s life be upended by choices that were not hers.
“But before you go,” I continued, steadying my voice, “I want you to file her adoption paperwork here in New York City. I’m not willing to risk her being left alone in this world, parentless and unprotected. ”
“Mellie, I’m not...”
Getting to my feet, I couldn’t contain the frustration that had been building inside me.
“No, Dante! I’ve lost enough already,” I shouted, my voice trembling with emotion.
Without hesitation, I scooped my daughter into my arms, holding her close as if my embrace could shield her from the pain of abandonment.
“You want to go, then go. I won’t stop you.
But someone has to think about Danika and her needs.
” My words hung heavily in the air, echoing my fear of losing one more person I cared about.
Suddenly, Rowen stormed into the room, his expression angry. “What the hell is going on in here?” he barked, his glare fixed on Dante, waiting for an explanation.
Dante met his gaze, his voice steady but tense. “I was telling Mellie that Mercy called me. He wants me to locate Arizona Stone. She thinks I’m leaving her and Danika.”
Rowen stepped closer to me, his tone challenging but protective. “Well, are you?” he demanded, making it clear that his intentions needed to be known.
Dante quickly shook his head in response.
“No,” he replied firmly. “I just need a few hours a day alone to do my search. I can do it at home, but not with Danika around. I was going to ask Mellie if she wouldn’t mind watching Danika for a few hours a day in the morning so I could run over to the clubhouse, do what I need to do and then around lunchtime, I can grab Dani; that way I don’t disrupt her schedule.
” His words revealed the pressure he felt, trying to manage his responsibilities without abandoning his family.
Rowen’s tone softened as he turned to me.
“Melissa?” he whispered gently. I nodded, unable to hide the tears streaming down my face.
Understanding the situation, Rowen addressed Dante, “Danika’s routine does not get interrupted for any reason.
Understood? And you better pray you find Arizona before Sinclair returns home because he will have you and his granddaughter back under this roof if you haven’t, and you know it.
” The compromise was clear—Dante could pursue what he needed, but Danika’s well-being would remain the top priority.
Dante’s shoulders relaxed, a measure of relief in his voice. “Yeah,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, Mellie. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I reached up and brushed away the tears from my cheeks, doing my best to compose myself.
My smile was faint and trembling, but I managed to meet Dante’s eyes.
“It’s okay,” I said quietly, my voice still unsteady.
“I misunderstood what was happening—I thought you were leaving for good. Is that all this is about?” The relief in my words was tentative, layered with lingering uncertainty, but I was trying to find reassurance in his explanation.
Danika shifted in my arms, her small hand reaching up to touch my face, concern flickering in her bright eyes.
That simple gesture reminded me why I had to hold strong—she was my anchor, the reason I couldn’t give in to fear or anger.
Taking a shaky breath, I forced myself to focus on the present, on the family that remained in this room with me, fragile as it all felt.
“We’ll figure this out,” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. Dante nodded, offering a tentative, hopeful smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Rowen lingered at my side, silent now, but his steady presence spoke louder than any reassurance he could offer.
For now, that was enough.
As the tension in the room gradually ebbed, I felt the tiniest spark of determination rekindle inside me.
No matter what came next—no matter what dangers lurked in the world—I would protect my daughter.
I would fight for our peace, for our future, and hope that maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to survive it all.