Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

DANTE

I feel like I'm on some other planet right now as I stalk across the De Luca estate. This place is unreal. I don't even think the White House is as heavily guarded as this mansion.

There are goons everywhere, as Bella would call them. They walk in groups of two or three, sometimes only one, but there's at least one at every corner. It's almost laughable how much security the De Lucas need. I don't know much about the men, but I do know they're dangerous—possibly one of the most dangerous packs in the country.

I'm not sure how much Bella actually knows about the operations her father are involved in, or the extent of their crimes against humanity. I won't stand here and act like my hands are totally clean—they're not, by far. But from some of the things Sam has told us over the last month, the De Lucas are a whole new level of fucked up.

I find Hector and Silas sitting by the pool, both staring into the dark, glassy surface that reflects the moon. They barely glance up as I take a seat on the ground, kicking off my shoes and shoving my aching feet into the cold water.

Silas's phone suddenly buzzes beside him, the screen lighting up his face. He grabs it and quickly answers, his expression turning serious. "Yeah, what is it?" he says gruffly, listening intently to whoever is on the other end of the line.

I exchange a glance with Hector, who raises an eyebrow curiously but doesn't say anything. We sit in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being the gentle lapping of the pool water and Silas's terse responses of "Uh huh" and "Got it."

Finally, Silas hangs up and sets his phone down with a heavy sigh. He rubs a hand over his face, looking troubled.

"What's going on?" I ask, unable to contain my curiosity any longer. "Everything okay?"

Silas hesitates for a moment before answering. "That was Rico. He just got wind of a new gentleman's club that's opening in New York in a few weeks. High class, exclusive membership, the whole nine fucking yards..."

Rico. His intel was invaluable. He was a beta who's been loyal to the three of us since we were kids. I'd trust him with my life. He was handling a lot of bullshit back home for us, looking into the De Lucas while we were here.

My stomach sinks and I glance over at Hector and see a knowing look in his eyes. We've seen this before.

"It's an Omega club, isn't it?" Hector asks quietly, voicing my suspicions. "Like the one we found Bella's sister in?"

A shiver of revulsion rolls through me as I remember the disturbing video I had watched. Bella's older sister was taken in by a Russian pack, possibly as a wife, but eventually ended up at a seedy club in a nearby city where she was deteriorating and heavily medicated, put on display for any alphas who were willing to pay.

Silas nods grimly. "Yeah. And I'd bet my left nut the De Lucas are involved. This has their stench all over it."

I swear under my breath, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. The thought of more vulnerable omegas being exploited and abused makes my blood boil with rage. "We have to do something," I growl. "We can't let those bastards keep getting away with this shit."

Hector nods in agreement, his jaw set with determination. "Rico say anything else? Like where exactly this club is going to be or who's bankrolling it?"

"No details yet," Silas replies. "But he's got feelers out. Said he'd update us as soon as he knows more."

I get to my feet, too agitated to sit still any longer. I pace along the edge of the pool, my mind racing. "This can't be a coincidence. The De Lucas finding us, trying to strong-arm Bella, and now this? They're planning something big."

"Agreed," Hector says, standing as well. "Question is, what's the endgame? This family is too smart to be this fucking brazen without a reason."

"There's no way Bella knows," comes a voice from the shadows. We all tense, but then I let out a breath when I realize it's just Sam.

"Stalk much?" Silas grumbles as he pulls out a cigarette and lights it up.

Sam shakes his head, rolling his eyes. "I'm starting to think there's more to Bella's story."

"Oh, you think?" I drawl, giving him a look. "Of fucking course there is. Did you see her in there? She was fucking terrified."

"She looked pretty cozy with her new alpha bodyguard," Hector mumbles, his eyes narrowed on the reflection of the stars in the dark water of the pool.

"Fuck off, Hector," Sam spits. "Could you fucking blame her if she was? She was fucking Nic before I even came to the De Luca pack."

Our eyes collectively snap to Sam. Rage ignites my blood as I let it sink in. "What the hell did you just say?"

Sam crosses his burly arms over his chest. "Nic was here way before any of you assholes. He's been training under the De Luca alphas since he was a teenager. They have history and shit."

"So you think they're still fucking then?" Silas asks through gritted teeth.

"Why do you care? You hate her now, right?" Sam challenges with a sneer.

The tension crackles between us, thick and charged with unspoken accusations. I clench my jaw, trying to tamp down the irrational surge of jealousy and possessiveness that threatens to overwhelm me at the thought of Bella with another alpha. With Nic.

"I don't hate her," Hector finally says, his voice low and rough. He takes a long drag of his cigarette, the ember glowing bright in the darkness. "I could never hate her. No matter what she's done."

"She hasn't done anything wrong," Sam snaps, glaring at him. "She's a victim in all this, same as her sister. The De Lucas are the ones to blame."

Silas scoffs. "Right, because Bella is just a helpless little omega who had no choice but to spread her legs for us and keep her family's dirty secrets. Give me a fucking break."

In a flash, Sam is on him, slamming him up against the side of the pool house with a snarl. "Watch your fucking mouth. You don't know a thing about what she's been through."

Silas laughs harshly, shoving Sam off him. "And you do? Face it, asshole—none of us really know who Belladonna is. Not even you."

The accusation hangs heavy in the air between us. As much as I hate to admit it, Silas has a point. Bella is an enigma, a puzzle we've all been trying to solve since the moment we first laid eyes on her.

But that doesn't change the fact that she needs our help. That she's in danger from her own family, from the twisted empire they've built on the backs of exploited omegas. My resolve hardens like steel.

"It doesn't matter what secrets Bella is keeping," I say firmly, meeting each of their gazes in turn. "What matters is stopping the De Lucas before they can hurt anyone else. Before they can open that sick fucking club and destroy more lives."

Sam nods, his shoulders losing some of their tension. "Dante's right. We need to focus on the mission. Bella...she'll have to wait."

Hector takes one last drag of his cigarette before flicking it into the pool. "So what's the plan then? We can't exactly go charging in guns blazing. The De Lucas are too well-connected, too powerful."

"We go after their weak spots," I say, my mind already turning over possibilities. "Their business fronts, their allies, anyone who might have dirt on them. We squeeze until something breaks."

"And Bella?" Silas asks, his tone carefully neutral. "What do we do about her?"

I hesitate, a dull ache spreading through my chest. As much as it kills me, I know what has to be done. "We leave Bella out of it. For now. She's too close to this, too vulnerable. If her family finds out she's helping us..."

I trail off, not wanting to voice the ugly possibilities. But they all understand. The De Lucas wouldn't hesitate to punish Bella in the worst way imaginable if they discovered her betrayal.

"Agreed," Hector says grimly. "We keep her in the dark, for her own protection. Let her think we've given up on her, that we don't care anymore."

It feels wrong, deceptive in a way that makes my stomach churn. But I know it's necessary. Bella's safety has to come first, even if it means hurting her in the short-term.

"So you really think she's being forced into this?" Silas asks skeptically, his eyes bouncing between the three of us, "We're taking a fucking risk believing that."

Sam nods. "I'd bet my fucking life on it. Besides, I haven't seen her mother since we got here. The De Luca omega never leaves the mansion. They keep her here like some kind of breakable doll. So where is she?"

I frown, suddenly realizing he has a point. Bellas mom was suspiciously absent, and I don't know how we hadn't noticed it before. It makes me wonder if Sam's right. Are the De Luca alphas using their own omega to get Bella to work for them?

"I don't like it," Silas grumbles, his expression pained.

"You think any of us fucking like it?" I snap, my temper flaring. "I hate this just as much as you do. But we don't have a choice. The De Lucas are closing in and we're running out of time. The omegas in that damn club are running out of time."

Hector just nods, his eyes hard and determined as he throws his own cigarette into the pool. "So we go to ground. We make it seem like we've moved on. Make her think they've fucking won. As far as our pretty little omega knows, she's Carbone enemy number one."

Entering a large building to the left hand side of the property the next morning, I can immediately feel the change in the air. It's warmer in here—almost stuffy. The smell of sweat and body odor assaults me as I make my way further in.

I was told this building houses a gym and training facility—state of the art and fucking expensive, so I figured I'd check it out if we're being forced to stay here for the time being. I pass room after room of equipment, impressed at the cleanliness of the place.

There are several men running on treadmills who ignore me as I pass. I don't miss the fact that every single one of them is fucking jacked to the max. I wonder if these men live here, or if they ever leave to live their own lives.

"Get it together!" booms a man's voice from the end of the hall. His accent is thick and possibly Russian if I had to guess.

I follow the sounds of skin slapping matted floors until I reach a door with a large window at the top that looks in on a vast training room covered in blue wrestling mats.

More of that man's gruff commands filter through the door along with grunts and curses, so I peer inside and take a look around, only to pull up short. Bella circles a man twice her size, clenching her jaw tightly and narrowing her dark eyes.

Scanning her from head to toe, I can't help the way my dick throbs at the sight of all that creamy skin covered in a sheen of slick sweat. She's wearing a black sports bra that shows off that raven tattoo that snakes up her torso. My mind flickers to all the times I've run my tongue over those lines.

She wears a tight pair of bike shorts, making her legs look miles long and her thick, dark blue hair is up in a high ponytail that falls long enough to graze her shoulder blades. She looks fucking delicious, and I want to shoot myself for even letting my mind wander there.

The man, who I'm realizing now is the same one from the dining room last night—the alpha who'd stood way too close to her, circles around, sizing her up before lunging. He swipes low, but Bella leaps just in time, causing his hands to grasp at empty air. Landing lightly on her feet, she kicks out her bare foot, landing a blow to his shoulder that satisfies me for some reason when he grunts in pain.

I watch in fascination as my little bird pounces and gets in a few good licks to his cheek. The man spits blood and snarls.

The behemoth moves faster when she gets too cocky and flings her up and over using her momentum to throw her off balance. He grabs her by the bicep, squeezing his fingers into her soft skin. Seeing his hands on her makes me see red.

When her back hits the mat and he pins her down, it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to grab him by the neck and let him know just how bad of an idea it is to touch what belongs to me.

Cursing myself, I have to remind myself that she doesn't belong to me—not anymore. Not yet.

The man holds her down by placing his knees on her thighs. She grimaces in pain. My hands tighten into tight fists as I watch the way his meaty palm slides over her skin. There's no reason he needs to be touching her like that. She's already down and she should have been tapped out by now, but he just holds her there.

I watch in morbid fascination as his face lowers to hers slowly, her face turns away from his slightly and she shuts her eyes, and I suddenly can't take any more of this shit.

I burst through the door and the man doesn't even flinch. He just raises his head—green eyes meeting mine in annoyance as I stalk through the room. "Get the fuck off her," I snap. "Now!"

"Dante?" Bella says, wiggling her out from beneath the giant. Reluctantly, the man moves, standing to his feet, but not before crossing his arms over his expansive chest and glaring at me like he could burn me to a pile of ash.

"You can leave," I tell him, but he makes no move to comply. He may be larger than me, but I'm not afraid of him in the slightest. He's just a goon—expendable and unimportant. "I said fuck off."

I flick my head in the direction of the door, but the guy just settles in by adjusting his stance a little wider.

"You can go, Nic. I'm fine on my own," Bella tells him and his irritated eyes flicker to her in annoyance.

"I'm supposed to be training you for the next hour. Now isn't the time to sneak off with your boyfriend," he grumbles.

"I'm not her boyfriend, meathead, but my little bird and I have some things to discuss that don't involve henchmen." His eyes narrow and I can tell already that he wants to hit me. My lips pull up into a small smirk. He has no power here and he knows it.

"Just go," Bella repeats, pushing on his back lightly. He doesn't move an inch, but I feel my lip pull up in a snarl. I don't like her touching him at all. She may not be mine, but she'll never be his either.

He stalks from the room in a huff, and I can't suppress the bitter smile that stretches my lips in satisfaction at seeing the douche with his tail between his legs. I'm watching him closely enough that I don't realize I'm down until I'm seeing stars.

The next thing I know, I'm staring up at the white ceiling with blood dripping from my nose. Reaching up, I swipe my hands across it and look at my palm, marveling at the dark crimson streaks.

"You have two seconds to walk out that door, Dante. I have nothing to say to you." Bella's voice is hard and unfamiliar. She sounds colder than I've ever heard her.

Gathering what little bit of dignity I still have inside of me, I bring myself to standing, until I tower over the little blue pixie girl once more. I can still feel my nose bleeding, but I've had much, much worse. In fact, I'm actually sort of impressed. I hadn't even seen it coming. She's getting better, now that she's back in her element again.

"Are you fucking him now too?" I sneer, but the fire in her eyes only burns brighter.

Her pretty face twists up in disgust. I hate to admit it, but a tight ball of tension leaves my chest at the look of utter revulsion on her face at the suggestion that she might be fucking that alpha.

"You jealous, alpha?" Her brown eyes sparkle with lies and mischief.

I clench my jaw, trying to ignore the way her taunting words make my blood boil with a primal need to claim, to possess. To mark her as mine for all to see, especially that hulking Russian asshole.

"Jealous?" I scoff, aiming for nonchalance even as my pulse pounds. "Of what? You spreading your legs for every alpha who gives you the time of day?"

The words are cruel, deliberately calculated to wound. And they hit their mark. I see the flash of hurt in Bella's eyes before she blinks it away, her mask of icy disdain slipping back into place.

"Fuck you, Dante," she spits, shoving past me towards the door. "You lost the right to ask me about anything the second you believed their lies. It was so easy for you, wasn't it? It's like you wanted me to be a double agent."

I grab her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She glares up at me, defiant even as I feel the tremble that runs through her. "I'm not done talking to you."

"Well I'm done listening," Bella retorts, trying to yank free of my grip. "Let go of me!"

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here," I growl, tightening my hold. "Why are you training with these assholes? What are you and your pack up to?"

"My pack?" she laughs mockingly. "I stupidly thought you were going to be my pack. For just a fucking minute, I thought maybe I found a pack I could actually trust. I thought you were smart enough to see through the lies they spin. But once again, I was fucking naive."

Bella's words cut deep, slicing through my anger and leaving behind a throbbing ache of regret. I loosen my grip on her arm, suddenly feeling like the biggest asshole on the planet.

"Bella, I..." I start, but she cuts me off with a sharp shake of her head.

"Save it," she says coldly. "I don't want to hear any more of your accusations or half-assed apologies. You made it perfectly clear whose side you're on. And it's not mine."

She tries to walk away again but I move to block her path, desperation clawing at my throat. I can't let her leave like this, thinking I don't trust her, that I don't care. Even if it's safer for her to believe that right now.

"Just listen to me for a second," I plead, holding up my hands. "Please. I know how this looks, but it's not what you think."

Bella crosses her arms, her jaw set stubbornly. "Oh really? So you didn't just burst in here like a jealous knothead and insult me? You're not assuming the worst of me, just like everyone else?"

I wince, knowing I deserve her scorn. "I...I was out of line. I shouldn't have said those things. But you have to understand, from where I'm standing, it looks pretty damn bad. You're here training with the enemy, getting cozy with that Nic fucker..."

Bella lets out a harsh laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "Getting cozy? Are you fucking kidding me? Nic is the last person I'd ever get 'cozy' with. He's a tool, a weapon my father uses to keep me in line."

Her blunt words make me pause, uncertainty creeping in. "What do you mean?"

She sighs heavily, some of the fight draining out of her. "Nic has been with the De Lucas for years. He's loyal to them, not me. My father assigned him to be my trainer, my handler. To make sure I don't step out of line or try to run. Yeah, Nic and I fucked when we were younger. Don't act like you didn't have a line of omegas outside your door."

Anger shoots right through me. "Except I didn't, remember? I didn't fuck omegas. Not after Sage…"

The memory of our old omega hits me like a truck. The first and only male I ever loved. After him, I swore off omegas. I swore off pussy and dick and love and affection and everything else. Everything but violence and hatred.

Bella's expression softens slightly at the mention of Sage. She knows how much he meant to me, how deeply his loss scarred my heart. But then her gaze hardens again, the momentary flash of sympathy vanishing.

"Well, good for you," she says flatly. "But some of us didn't have that luxury of choice. I did what I had to do to survive in this fucked up world my family created."

I feel a surge of frustration at her words, even as a part of me knows she's right. Bella never had the same freedoms I did, never got to make her own choices. She was born into this life, molded by it from the very beginning.

"You think I don't know that?" I snap, running a hand through my hair agitatedly. "You think I can't see how trapped you are, how much your family controls you? But damn it Bella, I'm trying to help you! We all are!"

Her dark eyes flash with a mix of anger and something else, something raw and painful. "Help me? By accusing me of betraying you? By treating me like I'm the enemy? Some fucking help that is."

She starts to turn away again but I reach out, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to face me. Her skin is hot to the touch, slick with sweat from her training session. I can feel the coiled tension in her muscles, the barely restrained fury and hurt radiating off her in waves.

"Save the excuses, Dante. Run back to your fucking brothers and tell them that I'm done. I'm done with you all. The blows keep coming from every fucking side, and I honestly don't know how much more I can take before I bow out."

Taking a step forward, my heart lurches. "What the hell does that mean?"

Her brown eyes darken, their sparkle dimming. The side of her lip tilts up sadly. "I think you know what that means, Dante. I won't live like this forever. That's a fucking promise."