10. Chapter Ten Dante
Chapter Ten: Dante
I perched on the edge of my desk, the city a tapestry of shadows and lights below. It was late; the kind of hour that whispered secrets through its silence. Jade was a soft sigh in the next room, lost to sleep. At least I hoped so.
The shrill cry of my encrypted phone clawed through the stillness, a harsh reminder that rest was a luxury I couldn’t afford. I grabbed it. “Talk.”
“Boss, Marco’s got a shadow,” Sal’s voice came through, a clipped warning from the other end. My grip tightened, the words slicing through me like razors.
Tracking my dad was one thing. He was a fucking Don. Of course people tracked him.
Tracking my mom was one step too far, but of course, my dad was the one who needed to handle it. He would have been beyond furious if I tried.
Tracking Marco? That meant war, no two ways about it.
“Will do. And, uh, there’s more.” The hesitation in Sal’s voice spoke volumes. “He got spooked tonight, left his date standing dumb in an alley while he played hide and seek with shadows. She got away but…it’s not great.”
“Ever the fucking gentleman, huh? What a nightmare,” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration knotting my stomach. This wasn’t some random act of aggression. Lorenzo Caruso was making moves, and the thought set my blood simmering with both rage and a dark thrill.
“Boss, you know we’re on it,” he reassured me, but I barely heard it.
“Keep me updated.” I ended the call with a click, my mind already racing ahead to countermeasures and strategies. Protecting Marco wasn’t just duty; it was primal instinct.
The phone rang again almost immediately, and I knew before answering who it would be. “Marco, what the hell happened?”
“Hey, big bro. Just a little excitement to spice up the night, huh?” His attempt at humor did little to mask the tension in his voice—a tension that mirrored my own.
“Spill it.”
“Let’s just say someone’s interested in our family tree. Had a couple of guys tailing me, too close for comfort. But don’t worry, they won’t get another chance.”
“Dammit, Marco. This is serious.” My voice came out harsher than I intended, but fear for my brother’s safety edged every word. “You need to be more careful.”
“Relax, Dante. I shook them off easy.” But the bravado fell flat, and we both knew it.
“Stay sharp, and stay alive,” I warned him. “I’m not letting anyone take a shot at us—not while I breathe.”
“Understood, big man,” he said.
“Same people who were tailing mom?”
He considered that for a second. “I mean, that’s insane,” he said. “No one is stupid enough to both tail her and tail me.”
I didn’t know if he was right.
“Marco, I need you to come up to the penthouse,” I said, gripping the phone tighter as I glanced at the watch on my wrist. It was almost midnight; the city outside my window a maze of shadows and secrets.
“At this hour?” There was a note of surprise in his voice, but he knew better than to question my urgency.
“Make it quick,” I replied curtly, already moving through the dimly lit room towards my desk. The night was far from over.
“Alright, I’m on my way.” The line went dead, and the silence that followed was heavy with unspoken fears.
I hung up the phone, and for a moment allowed myself the luxury of closing my eyes. The chill in the air seemed to seep into my bones as I moved across the room. Every shadow felt alive, every creak of the penthouse an omen. In this life, I often found myself teetering on the edge of trust and paranoia—tonight, trust was off the table.
Restlessness took over, and I started pacing, each step thudding against the plush carpet in a steady rhythm. No matter how far I walked, it wasn’t enough to escape the gnawing anxiety chewing at my insides. Marco’s situation was the spark, but Jade...Jade was the fuse.
I stopped by the window, the city sprawling beneath me—a kingdom of chaos I ruled with an iron fist. But no matter how tight my grip, I couldn’t protect her from everything. Not in this world. Not when every decision I made could end with a bullet.
She was in my bed, sleeping. Oblivious to the fact that someone was now trying to kill my family. And that meant her, too, whether she liked it or not.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath. The truth was as cold and hard as the gun I kept in my desk drawer. To love her was to endanger her; there was no escaping that simple, brutal fact. That’s why she couldn’t leave—why I couldn’t let her walk away.
This was really bad.
“Fuck,” I swore, running a hand through my hair. There was no room for error, not with so much at stake. Especially not with Jade’s life—and that of our unborn child—tied to mine.
I grabbed my phone, my thumb a blur as I scrolled through the contacts list. There was one name that stood out, one man I knew could handle this escalating threat with the necessary discretion and ruthlessness.
“Luca,” I said into the phone without any pleasantries, “get here, now. We’ve got a situation.”
“Understood, boss,” came Luca’s immediate reply, his voice steady and calm. “I’ll be there in ten.”
“Make sure you’re not followed,” I added, knowing full well the streets were likely teeming with eyes hungry for a glimpse of weakness.
“Always.” The line went dead.
My gaze swept across the lavish room, lingering on the shadows that seemed to press closer with each passing moment. Jade was somewhere beyond these walls, her presence a beacon that both guided and tormented me. I couldn’t bear the thought of her caught in the crossfire of my world—a world she should have never been a part of.
I was pacing the length of my office, the click of my shoes on the hardwood a rhythmic beat that did nothing to ease the tension coiling in my gut. The city lights outside the window had dimmed to a dull glow, the night cloaking everything in its deceptive serenity.
The elevator dinged softly, and I turned sharply toward the sound. The door slid open, and Marco stepped out with that familiar edge to his gait—a mirror to my own restlessness.
“Marco,” I greeted, my voice betraying none of the unease that gnawed at me. “Good, you’re here.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he replied tersely, the undercurrent of strain in his voice as clear as the blade he always kept concealed.
Behind him, Luca walked in. He was our cousin in all but blood, one of my most trusted capos, and right now, I needed that trust more than ever.
“Let’s not waste time,” I said, gesturing them both toward the leather chairs before my desk. “So, someone’s been tailing you.”
My words were blunt, straightforward—the only way to speak when every shadow could harbor a knife waiting to plunge into your back.
“Could be a rat,” Marco suggested, his eyes hard as flint. “If there’s a leak, we plug it—permanently.”
I stared at him. “Kind of weird you jumped to a rat instead of one of our known enemies’ men…”
Marco’s eyes met mine, heavy with the weight of his words. “I don’t jump to conclusions, Dante. I consider all possibilities. Rat or rival, it doesn’t matter. They pose a threat.”
“I agree,” Luca chimed in - his voice was the verbal equivalent of a steel door closing, final and definitive. “We need to take action. Find out who’s behind this.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I mean, you might consider all the possibilities, but I definitely think it’s Caruso.”
“No way,” Marco said. “He’s ambitious, but that’s suicidal. Enzo would’ve already put a bullet in his brain if he thought he was trailing Mom.”
“But Enzo doesn’t know everything,” I countered, leaning back in my chair. “And Caruso’s cunning. He could sniff out a weak spot and pounce without Enzo even realizing he’d been betrayed. And after what we pulled, turning his low-level men against him…”
“No offense, man, but we haven’t pulled anything yet,” Marco said. “We have the routes for the drugs ready to go between labs, but until they start using them to steal product under his nose, do you really think they’re going to turn on him? And how would he find out?”
I clenched my fist, feeling the familiar sting of frustration. “We’re not dealing with usual street thugs here, Marco,” I retorted, my voice echoing through the expansive office. “Caruso’s men are loyal to him, but they’re also greedy. The chance at a lucrative cut from the drug trade directly from our labs will have them chomping at the bit. And if Caruso gets wind of that...”
“Giovanni would kill them if they leaked it to him,” Marco said.
“Or,” Luca countered. “He just wouldn’t know. Caruso is smart. He’s probably working his people somehow.”
“Yeah, but he’s also an egotistical narcissist,” I said. “It’s kind of what I was counting on. Making sure that he wouldn’t talk to his mid-level people because he doesn’t care enough about them.”
“But someone could surely become a made man if they went to him with this information?” Marco countered, leaning against the wall.
We sat in silence for a moment, letting the weight of our words fill the room. The hum of the city outside was a faint murmur against the heavy drapes, a world away from all this shit.
“Should we tell Dad that we met with Caruso’s men?” Marco finally said.
I snapped my head to look at him. “Do you want him to kill us?”
Marco’s lips twitched into a defiant grin. “Maybe it’s what he needs to know, Dante. We’re changing the game here – protecting our family, our empire.”
I sighed, rubbing my temples as if I could erase the impending headache. “We’re not telling Enzo anything until we have concrete proof. Do you understand? He’d burn everything to the ground, and us with it, if he suspected a rat among us. And we knew going to Giovanni was a risky play when we did it. We knew it would be difficult. But we…we have to make it work. So Dad doesn’t kill us, right?”
Marco shook his head, grimacing. “You’ve got a way of making me feel like I’m walking through a minefield, Dante. One wrong step...” He didn’t need to finish the sentence. We both knew the kind of devastation that could follow.
“It is a fucking minefield,” I said. “And that’s why you need to be careful.”
Marco rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Right, well, I’m going to go home and wash the adrenaline off.”
“Alright. Text me when you get home.”
He nodded. “Sure. You got it, big bro.”
“Stay safe, Marco,” I said. “I mean it. If you don’t, I’ll kill you.”
He smiled. “I love you too, man,” he said. “Bye, Luca.”
“Goodbye, Marco,” Luca responded in his typically quiet manner as Marco left the room, leaving just the two of us in the dim light of my office.
“I worry about him,” I confessed to Luca, running a hand through my hair. “He’s not careful enough.”
“He’s a Moretti,” Luca stated matter-of-factly. “He knows what’s at stake.”
“I think keeping a secret this big from your father might not be the greatest idea,” Luca said.
“Neither is a war with Caruso,” I countered bluntly. “We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place here, Luca. One wrong move and it could all blow up in our faces.”
Luca nodded, understanding etched into the lines of his face. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
He cocked his head, confused. “Boss?”
“Sit,” I said, pointing to one of the leather chairs opposite my desk. As Luca did so, I leaned against the cold surface of my mahogany desk, crossing my arms. “I’ve been watching the cameras. Jade ordered food delivery earlier this week.”
Luca’s brows pulled together in bewilderment. “And?”
“And she found the secret door that leads to the access elevator,” I finished flatly, watching his reaction closely.
“Are you...are we keeping her here prisoner?” Luca’s tone wavered between disbelief and a dawning understanding.
“Jade stays until Lorenzo Caruso is no longer a problem,” I stated unequivocally, my jaw setting firm.
“Understood.” Luca nodded slowly, processing the gravity of the situation. “And what do you need from me?”
“Any time I’m not here, you’re on Jade duty. You keep her safe, you keep her here. No exceptions,” I instructed, locking eyes with him to cement the importance of my words.
“Of course,” Luca replied, his voice devoid of hesitation.
“Then you can leave,” I said, giving him a nod that carried the heavy weight of trust I was placing on his shoulders. He understood the unspoken rule—protect her as if she were family.
The moment the door clicked shut behind Luca, I turned and made my way back to the bedroom where Jade rested. The soft light from the bedside lamp cast a warm glow on her peaceful face. She looked serene, almost angelic, but I wasn’t fooled. There was a subtle tightness around her eyes, a telltale sign she wasn’t truly lost in slumber.
I stood there for a moment, watching her feigned sleep, wondering what thoughts churned beneath that beautiful facade. Shaking off the musings, I stripped down to my boxers with quiet movements, acutely aware of every rustle of fabric, every whisper of movement that might betray my presence.
Sliding into bed beside her, I was careful not to jar the mattress too much. Her warmth radiated towards me like a beacon, inviting yet untouchable. Slowly, I edged closer, allowing myself the simple pleasure of her proximity. I pulled her gently into my arms, taking care not to wake her, though part of me hoped she would stir so I could look into those steely eyes again.
She remained still, but the slight shift in her breathing told me she was aware. Aware of me, of our closeness, of the delicate dance we had begun. I closed my eyes, resigning myself to the pretense of sleep, even as every fiber of my being was acutely attuned to her.
“Hey,” I said into her ear. “Hope we didn’t wake you up. Just had some business to attend to.”
Her eyes opened. “Everything okay?”
“Sure,” I said, holding her tight. “Everything is going to be just fine.”