Chapter 13
DANTE
T he moment I got the call, my blood went cold.
“Mimi... She’s in the hospital,” the voice on the other end said, one of the neighbors who’d been at the scene. “Someone... someone attacked her. Dante, it’s bad.”
I couldn’t think straight. My head spun, and all I could see was red. Chant. This had to be him. There was no other explanation. He couldn’t have Genesis, so he went after the one person I cared about.
Genesis was in the living room, playing with Mia. She looked up when I entered, her smile fading instantly when she saw the expression on my face. “Dante, what’s wrong?”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep the fury out of my voice, but I couldn’t hide it. “It’s Mimi. She’s been hurt.”
She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my God. Is she...?”
“She’s alive,” I said quickly, though my voice was tight with barely contained rage. “But barely. I’m going to the hospital.”
Genesis stood up, panic in her eyes. “I’ll come with you.”
I shook my head. “Stay here with Mia. I need you safe.”
Her face fell, but she didn’t argue. “Be careful, Dante.”
I grabbed my phone and called Beniamino on the way out the door. The rage was boiling over now, mixing with a fear I couldn’t shake. Mimi was tough, but she was old. It would be difficult for her to bounce back. She didn’t deserve this. Chant had crossed a line, and I wasn’t going to let him walk away from it.
Beni picked up on the second ring. “What’s going on?”
“It’s Chant,” I growled, my hands gripping the steering wheel. “He went after my grandmother.”
There was a pause, then Beni’s voice, low and deadly. “How bad?”
“Bad enough. She’s in the hospital now. I need you there. I need... protection. I can’t let this get any worse.”
“I’m on my way,” Beni said, no hesitation in his voice. “But Dante... you know what this means, right?”
“I know,” I said, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt. “I can’t let him live after this.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment before Beni spoke again. “You sure?”
“I’m sure,” I said, my voice hard as steel. “This is it. He touched my family. Now, I’m going to bury him.”
Beni didn’t say anything for a moment, but I could hear the weight of it in his silence. “Alright,” he said finally. “We do this right. No mistakes. I’ll be at the hospital in twenty.”
I hung up, my mind racing with the possibilities. Chant had made his move. Now it was my turn.
The hospital’s fluorescent lights hummed, too bright, too sterile, for the chaos going on inside my head. I stormed through the automatic doors, my mind locked on Mimi. How the hell could Chant go after her? She was the one person who had nothing to do with any of this.
I barely registered the nurse's instructions as I pushed past them, heading for her room. My fists clenched so tight I could feel my nails digging into my palms. The moment I got near the door, I spotted Beni leaning against the wall, waiting for me.
“Where is she?” I asked, my voice raw.
Beni straightened, nodding toward the room. “She’s stable, but it’s bad. Doc said she’s lucky to be alive.” He paused, glancing around before speaking lower. “That’s not all, Dante.”
I froze, feeling the hair on the back of my neck rise. “What do you mean?”
Beni shifted, eyes flickering with something unreadable. “Genesis brother—Cecil’s here too. ICU.”
I stared at him, not sure I heard right. “Cecil? What the hell happened?”
“Chant,” Beni said, the name sounding like poison on his tongue. “He went after him too. From what I’ve gathered, it didn’t go as planned. Cecil fought back, but... he’s barely hanging on. Doc’s saying it could go either way.”
For a second, I felt like the floor had disappeared under me. Mimi, and now Cecil? That bastard was trying to tear everything I had left apart. My vision blurred with uncontrollable anger.
“This wasn’t an accident,” I muttered. “He planned this. Mimi, Cecil—it’s personal.”
Beni nodded slowly, his eyes hard. “It’s more than personal, Dante. He’s trying to break you. Both of you.”
My chest is tight with fury. “Well, he’s going to fail.”
Beni’s jaw tightened, but there was an understanding in his eyes. We both knew what needed to be done now. It was official.
“He’s not going to stop, you know that,” Beni said quietly. “He’s not just sending a message anymore. He’s waging a war.”
I met his gaze, my voice low, lethal. “Then we end it.”
Beni nodded, his expression dark. “You know I’m with you, but we need to be smart about this. No mistakes. No loose ends.”
I stepped toward Mimi’s room, pausing at the door. “I’ll be with her. Make sure the protection is tight. I can’t risk anything happening again.”
“You got it. I’ve already got the men in place. No one gets near this room without us knowing.”
I gave him a nod of gratitude, then stepped into Mimi’s room. The sight of her lying there, bruised and fragile, broke something inside of me. She was tough, always had been, but seeing her like this—so vulnerable—made the anger burn even hotter.
“Mimi,” I whispered, kneeling by her side. Her eyes fluttered open, a weak smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“Dante... my boy,” she croaked, her voice raspy.
“I’m here, Mimi,” I said softly, my throat tight. “I’m going to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Her hand trembled as she reached out, gripping mine. “Don’t... don’t go doing something reckless. I’m still here. And so are you.”
I swallowed hard, nodding. “I know. But I can’t let this slide.”
She sighed, her eyelids heavy. “Just... be careful. You have too much to lose now.”
I pressed my lips to her hand, unable to speak. She was right. I had too much to lose—Genesis, Mia, and even my pride. But right now, I had too much rage to contain.
I stood up, turning to face Beni, who’d stepped quietly into the room. “We move tonight.”