30. Dante
DANTE
A knock on my door startles me.
“Elio, you’re supposed to be in bed—” I start, swinging the door open.
A man I don’t recognize grins at me and grabs me. I fight, but he’s gotten the drop on me. He gets my arms behind me and zipties my wrists together.
He pushes me toward the stairs. I stumble. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I work for Luciano Ricci,” he says idly. “Word on the street is the boss himself is going to show up for this.”
Luciano is coming himself? That’s beyond the pale. Luciano never does any of his own dirty work.
He leads me into the kitchen where Samantha lies on the floor. I drop to my knees next to her. “Are you alright?”
She nods quickly and glances over at Ricardo, who’s huddled in the corner of the room, his head in his hands.
“You fucking rat. You were working with Leo.”
“Leo was working with him,” the man who tied me up states.
Ricardo lifts his head. He’s trembling. “He paid for my mother to get into this experimental trial,” he babbles. “I couldn’t say no.”
“You sold us out for a few chemo treatments?” I fight against the restraints, trying to lunge for Ricardo, but the other man pushes me back. I grunt as I fall on my ass on the floor, unable to catch myself.
“Good. Stay there,” he says.
“I’m going to kill you so slow,” I spit out, but he doesn’t seem concerned. A second man I don’t recognize shoves a wild-eyed Elio into the kitchen. He drops to his knees next to Samantha, just like I did.
“If you touched a hair on her fucking head—” Elio starts to say roughly. The third man kicks him in the back and Elio groans and falls over onto his stomach, his wrists tied just like mine. He lies there, breathing hard.
“Ricardo,” he seethes, looking at the rodent. “He was playing us this whole time. For weeks.”
“Months,” Ricardo whispers brokenly. “But she was dying. You don’t understand, she was dying!”
Samantha whines, tears spurting from her eyes, and my heart twists. I have to protect her. Have to save her.
The gate intercom buzzes and the guy who grabbed me grins. “Boss is here.”
Ricardo stands up, bracing himself against the wall. He’s got a gun in one hand but he’s not pointing it anywhere.
Luciano Ricci walks in, wearing a suit and no tie, his hair slicked back. It’s almost as if he dressed for the occasion. “Out.”
The men file out of the room, but when Ricardo tries to go past, Luciano grabs his arm. “Not you.”
Elio shifts around, trying to reach Samantha, but it’s pointless. He’s too far away.
I’m closer. I wish I could put my hand on her shoulder.
“Sit her up,” Luciano orders, and panic rises, choking up my throat.
“Don’t fucking touch her.”
He gets close and I reach out to try and bite him, my teeth clicking together when he darts away. Luciano laughs. “You really are Elio’s bulldog, aren’t you?”
“Get a little closer and you’ll find out,” Elio says against the floor.
“I think I’ll stay right here. Sit them both up, Ricardo.”
Ricardo’s trembling as he shifts Samantha into a sitting position almost gently. He does the same with Elio.
Elio glares at Luciano. “What do you want?”
“Don’t you mind what I want. I’m getting it. At long last.”
“If it’s money—”
“You really think money could replace her? Could fill the hole you left when you let her die?” Luciano glares at Elio.
He’s lost his fucking mind. This is about Grace. Still. After all these years.
“This is about me, then,” Elio says, voice stronger. “Let Samantha and Dante go.”
“I don’t think I will.” Luciano draws a gun and points it right at Samantha’s head. I growl, struggling against the restraints, on my knees, unable to move. “You took her from me. I’ll take something from you. This is your family, now. She’s all you have left of Grace.”
Luciano steps closer, but just out of my reach.
I nearly yell, struggling to try and dislocate my thumb. I’ve done it before, popped out of handcuffs. It’s been twenty years, and I can’t seem to get it.
“Ricardo,” Luciano barks. “Watch the dog.”
Ricardo slowly picks up his gun and trains it on me. His hand is shaking so badly he can’t keep it straight. “You’re not going to kill me, rodent,” I hiss at him. “So stop pretending.”
Ricardo swallows visibly. “I will if I have to.”
“Take a good look, Elio. This is the last you’ll see of your family.”
“Don’t!” Elio cries out, struggling himself against the restraints, biceps bulging.
I’ve almost got it. I cry out as my thumb pops out of socket but Luciano’s face is blank, staring down at Samantha. “You have her eyes,” he murmurs, and cocks back the hammer. “Any last words, little girl?”
He reaches out and rips the tape from her mouth.
“Please don’t hurt me,” Samantha gasps. “I’m pregnant!”
You’re what?
The gun drops slightly. Luciano startles, shifting sideways only slightly, but it’s enough. I get one hand free and throw my fist into his face. The gun cracks going off, but the bullet hits the back wall of the kitchen. Ricardo’s gun clatters to the floor.
I hit Luciano again, grabbing his gun as I latch one hand around his throat, squeezing hard. He gasps, clawing at my forearm, but I don’t let up. I get hold of his gun. I scramble up on my knees again, and shoot him in the head.
Samantha screams at the gunfire.
Pregnant. She said she was pregnant.
Ricardo mumbles out apologies, huddling in the corner again. I look at Samantha, searching her face. “Is it true?”
Her amber-brown eyes stream tears. She nods.
I gasp, drawing her into my arms and close to me before I reach into my pocket and take out my pocketknife. I cut the zipties around her wrists and ankles and she melts into me, sobbing into my chest.
Elio stares at us, confused. “What the fuck is going on here?”
“I’m sorry, Elio,” I say softly. “But I can’t let you out of the restraints yet.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Dante?”
I don’t answer even as his voice rises. I jerk Ricardo to his feet harshly. “What do you want me to do with him?”
“I want you to let me out of these fucking restraints, Dante.”
His voice goes low, but I can’t let him out. Not yet. “In a minute.”
He looks over at Samantha and she trembles. “Papa just listen–”
“What the fuck is going on here?” he asks, voice going even lower and more dangerous.
He’s going to fucking kill me. But that’s a problem for future Dante.
Present Dante just learned he’s going to be a fucking father, and that trumps everything.
I haul Ricardo down to the panic room, throwing him inside. He doesn’t fight me. Doesn’t protest. He just seems tired.
I head back into the kitchen and kneel besides Samantha. I put an arm around her and look at Elio. “I’m in love with your daughter, boss.”
Elio goes still and silent, his eyes staring straight at me but not quite seeing me. Samantha shudders against me.
“You what?” he roars, lunging against the restraints, but he can’t go anywhere. He’s stuck.
“I’m going to need you to calm down before he lets you out, Papa,” Samantha says shakily. “Because I’m in love with him too.”
My heart floods with affection for her and I draw her close, press my forehead against hers. “Don’t say things you don’t mean,” I rasp, looking into her eyes.
“I do mean it,” she says, and her voice is stronger. “I do love you, Dante, even though God knows I’ve tried not to.”
I laugh brokenly. “Me too.”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get the hell away from my daughter!” Elio screeches, still fighting the restraints.
I let out a long breath, looking at Samantha. “I’m going to have to let him go eventually.”
She looks over at Elio. “Papa, calm down and he’ll let you out.”
Elio thins his lips, but relaxes his shoulders slightly. “I’m calm. I’m calm. Just… let me out. We should talk about this.”
I look at him warily. I finally inch my way over to him and cut the zipties. Elio rubs at his wrists for a moment before lunging at me, tackling me to the hardwood floor. We roll around, wrestling, kicking around Luciano’s body.
“Stop it!” Samantha yells, authoritatively, and it makes us both freeze. It doesn’t stop Elio from drawing back and punching me in the jaw, though. I grunt as my head jerks back, my head spinning before the world rights itself.
“Papa!” she screeches.
“Sorry,” he mutters, glaring at me. “I had to get one in.”
I bark out a laugh that borders on hysterical. “I deserve it.”
Elio looks between the two of us. “How long has this been going on?”
“Ever since I came back,” I say, and Samantha stares at me, blinking.
“Not as long for me, but… months.”
“And you’re pregnant?” Elio asks incredulously.
Samantha nods, wincing. “Around twelve weeks now.”
It all suddenly makes sense. How upset she was. How sick. The crackers. The ginger ale. The sudden want to “settle down.”
“I’m going to be a grandfather,” Elio whispers, and I want to grin. I know he’s starting to accept it. Accept us. My heart swells so much it feels like my chest is puffing up.
Then Elio points at me. “All this time, that mystery girl was my daughter?”
I nod slowly.
“I’m going to fucking kill you.”
I think he’s going to lunge at me again. Elio pulls his phone out of his pocket, calls Volkov. “I have another body for you. Maybe two.”
“Don’t kill Ricardo,” Samantha says quietly. “He was only doing it to help his mother. You can understand that.”
Elio slowly hangs up the phone, his mouth twisted in a sneer. “He tried to kill you, cara mia.”
“He never even pointed the gun at me,” she points out. “And he was never going to hurt Dante, either. Just make him leave town, take his mother with him.”
Elio sets his jaw, looking away.
“Please, Papa. I don’t want any more death.”
He looks back at her, and curses under his breath. “Alright, cara mia.”
If it were up to me, I’d kill him, too, but it’s not what Samantha wants.
“I need to sleep on this,” Elio mutters, shaking his head, and then he walks out of the kitchen, leaving us alone.
I stand up, tugging Samantha with me. “We should probably all sleep on this,” she mumbles.
“Fine. As long as you’re sleeping with me.”
She blinks at me. “You want me to sleep in your room?”
“Every night for the rest of your life.”
Samantha gives me a slow grin. “Yeah? Just like that?”
“Just like that.” I scoop her up, bridal style, and carry her up the stairs.
She giggles, wrapping her arms around my neck and tucking her face against my neck.
I’ve never felt more at home than when she curls up next to me in bed.