CHAPTER 59
Idon’t know how long we’ve been in his room. Guilt tugs at me for leaving Finn with Greta for so long; I don’t want to take more of her time than she already gives, but Dante insisted we keep this day for ourselves.
If this is the kind of sex I’ll have for the rest of my life, I won’t mind one bit.
After everything—believing him dead and the constant fear—we deserve this. His absence only made my need grow in a way that feels almost absurd. I crave him so much I don’t even want to leave, not for food, not for anything. Still, we need to gather our strength.
Dante heads to the shower, and while he’s gone, I rise, a little uncomfortable with the wetness between my thighs.
I slip one of his shirts over my skin and hurry to my bathroom for a quick rinse.
By the time I’m dressed again and step into the hall, he’s just leaving his room too—wet hair slicked back, casual clothes clinging to him.
Heat rises to my cheeks, butterflies flickering to life in my belly at the reminder of how he had me all morning. His expression softens when his gaze finds me, and a smile spreads slowly across his face.
God, it should be illegal to look that handsome.
“Want to eat?” he asks.
“D-downstairs?”
“Outside… like a date.”
My heart quickens. I giggle, unable to hide my excitement. “I’d like that. I’ll have to get Finn ready and—”
“Mom can take care of him.”
My smile falters. “But she—”
“She’s his grandmother, amore. We both want to make up for the time we lost; she doesn’t mind.”
“I’m not used to… I’ve never left him alone for so long.”
“And that’s another reason for us to go on our own.” He extends his hand towards me. “He’ll be fine with his grandma.”
God. This feels like a dream.
“I’m heading to the restroom,” I say, leaning over the table to kiss him.
As I walk, I notice a woman at another table. She’s alone, wearing glasses, her ginger hair pulled into a bun. I freeze.
“Mum?” I whisper.
She couldn’t be. That would mean my father is nearby—and I don’t want to see him. Yet the woman is holding a menu. My mum never did that; she can’t read.
My stomach twists. She looks just like her, but… I shake my head. If she’s still here after I take the call, I’ll ask her. And if she really is my mum, and she saw me, maybe she doesn’t want to talk. She didn’t even look up when I called her.
I grab my phone and dial Greta. She picks up immediately. Finn is crying, and my heart thuds in my chest.
“What happened? Is Finn okay?”
“Oh, cucciola, Finn’s throwing a tantrum because I baked some cookies, and he can’t eat them yet. Nothing to worry about.”
I huff. “Do you need us to come?”
“If I can’t handle a tantrum, what kind of grandma would I be? Dante was even worse. He was an angel all day, but if you didn’t give him a sweet, then all hell broke loose.”
I grin, picturing a young Dante crying over a biscuit. I shake my head. “I just wanted to make sure. I’m sorry for the trouble, and thank you.”
“No trouble, piccola. Go enjoy yourself with my son, and bring him home safe.”
I blush. She hangs up, and I step back outside.
Dante is waiting in the hallway, a few eyes on him. I glance over to where the woman had been sitting—she’s gone. I sigh and hug Dante from behind. “Finn was throwing a tantrum over a biscuit.”
He huffs. “I can’t blame him. Mom’s cookies are delicious.”
“They are.” I look around again. “Where’s Javier?”
“He had to run some errands. You want to go back?”
“We could… or we could just spend time together. I’m open to suggestions.”
He turns and kisses my forehead, then takes my hand, and we step outside.
We’re heading back home after a whole day out. Dante had taken me to the fair and to the cinema, and we even went bowling again. This time, I won—and the prize was having him between my legs in the middle of nowhere. We ended up fucking in the backseat of his car.
I’d been terrified of the idea once; now, I begged him for it.
With my hand resting on his thigh, I stare out the window, still thinking about the woman I’d seen earlier.
“I have to get back to work,” he says. “I’m not leaving anywhere, but I might get home late.”
I nod, not entirely convinced. “Is it always like this?”
“No. Sometimes I can bring work home, but this isn’t one of those cases.”
“Have you ever… failed?”
He exhales sharply, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel. “I’d be God if I could save everyone.” He pauses, then adds, “In Ireland…”
I stare at him. He squeezes the wheel tighter.
“I want to know,” I insist. “It’s okay.”
He sighs, eyes fixed on the road. “In Ireland, I found men with girls. Two were already dead. Days later, two more girls passed away. There was a group planning a suicide; I found them as they were talking about it. I didn’t even ask how long they’d been there, but I knew it had been more than a month. ”
He scratches the steering wheel. “One of the girls died in front of me. I never caught her killer. Most of them were malnourished, cold… sad.”
He glances at me for a heartbeat before turning back to the road. “I try to get them all safe, but sometimes there’s just too much trauma. Some of them have no one—or feel alone. So, when the people from the shelter go to check on them… They’re dead.
“We try to keep an eye on them, but no matter how much support we give, sometimes it’s just… too much.”
My stomach twists. I was in that situation once. I’d thought about ending everything—even while I was with Stefan. I hadn’t done it because I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving my mum alone, suffering… but that’s exactly what ended up happening anyway.
“You care, even if you don’t know them?”
It’s hard to imagine him like that. Dante always looks so cold, so collected, the opposite of a man who rescues broken girls and suffers their losses.
“Of course I care.” His voice softens. “I was torn, Lana. All I wanted was to get back to you, to see you safe. Whenever I’m too hurt by something, all I need is to see you or Finn.”
My chest tightens. “When Finn took his first steps… you were sad. Covered in blood. What happened?”
A grin flickers over his face. “I killed Alexei. He killed my father.” The grin fades. “Sad thing is, it didn’t make me feel better. All I wanted was to be with both of you.”
Oh, my God.
I fall silent—not out of disgust, but because I don’t know what to say. I didn’t know Alexei had anything to do with his father’s death. Now I understand why Dante hates that family so much.
When we pull up to the house, Dante stops me before we go inside. His hands rest firmly on my shoulders, his eyes locking on mine.
“Being with me means you’re in danger, Lana.
So please, remember this. Wherever you are, if you’re in trouble, scream.
Scream for me. Scream my name. Yell as loud as you can.
I have men watching different places. If you scream, they’ll hear you, either from a rumour or because they’re nearby.
I’ll come. I’ll find you. No matter what happens—if you hate me, if you think I’m angry, if you’ve lost all hope… I’ll always find you.”
I nod. I don’t fully understand why he’s this worried all of a sudden, but if it’s what he needs, I’ll do it. He presses a kiss to my forehead and hugs me before we step inside.
He’s hiding something. But I’m not sure if I want to know what it is.
Finn stays asleep in my arms after a warm bath. He got his cookies earlier and even saved one—covered in drool—for me. Thankfully, Greta had left some on the counter as well, so Dante and I could enjoy a few for breakfast tomorrow.
I take my phone and call Mum. I need to apologise.
Maybe it’s just guilt twisting my mind. She’d been beaten so many times because of me.
She was raped and humiliated, and all she had was Tara and me—then only me.
Her marriage was far worse than mine, and I was already scared.
I can’t blame her for not standing up; Dante’s right, she did what she could, and that was enough in her position.
She doesn’t pick up. No matter how many times I call, there’s no answer… so I try my sister.
“Hello!”
“Have you talked to Mum? She won’t pick up, and—”
“Yes. She told me you two fought the other day.”
I sigh. “Is she mad?”
“Heartbroken.”
That breaks me even more. “If you talk to her, could you tell her I’m sorry? I need her to answer her phone. I… I wish I could do more.”
“It’s okay, Lana. She knows you’re just hurting. I tend to do the same when I’m upset.”
“I just… she told you why?”
“Yes. She messed up. I’m not going to defend her, but she really had no choice. You know Dad.”
“I do… Anyway, please tell her that I’m sorry. I need to talk to her.”
“Okay. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
I hang up and walk over to Dante’s room. I knock three times and peek in, careful not to intrude or catch him naked, but he’s lying under the covers, looking at something with a sad expression.
“Are you decent?” I ask.
He looks up. His face softens, his eyes beam, and he sits on the bed. “If by that you mean dressed, then yes… though I can—”
I step inside, pushing the door with my body. “Is there space for two?”
He smiles and nods, pulling the bedsheets back as I move closer. I lie down, leaving Finn nestled between us. He has no intention of sharing me, but I know he wants to spend as much time as he can with me—and our son.
God. Our son.
“Thank you,” he whispers, causing me to melt instantly.
I shake my head. Dante lies down just like yesterday, with Finn close to his chest, and he reaches over to me. Our faces are so close, I can feel the warmth of his breath.
“So…” I pause. “What about crosswords? What happened to your grandma?”
He exhales slowly. “She got killed.”