CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

DANTE

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I sit and wait and watch. Like a stalker.

She is my prey.

I am her...I don’t know what the fuck I am to her.

I thought I knew. Yet here I am sitting outside a fucking motel room in California, watching the shadow of the woman I love.

Let me backtrack.

I’d been asleep for maybe an hour on the night I shot Jono when I got a call from Ricky, who I’d told to stay watching the Baldoni estate.

I didn’t tell anyone else. Just him.

The phone had rung for a long time. I guess I’d exhausted myself and finally crashed. When I finally came out of the deep sleep, I reached for the phone.

“What?” my voice croaky.

“Boss. Ms. Baldoni is on the move,” Ricky said.

I blinked, my eyes burning at the sun coming through the curtains. “Where?”

“Well, um, she’s just climbed on a bus.”

What?

What the fuck?

“What bus?”

“A Greyhound, sir,” he said, sounding worried.

“Follow it.”

“The bus?”

“Yes, the fucking bus. Follow it and get the plates and then get Tiny to trace where it is heading.”

“California. It said Cali, sir.”

Cali-fucking-fornia?

What in the fucking hell is Adelina up to?

I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

“You sure?” I ask roughly.

“Yes, but I’ll get ahead of these other cars and check the plate number.”

I flopped back down.

I needed more sleep, and if she was headed to California I knew it would take her hours. From New York, it had to be at least two-and-a-half days' driving.

“Get Vinny or one of the boys to meet you in Kansas City and take over driving.” I told him then flopped back down. “Do not take your eyes off her.”

I didn’t need to warn him about what would happen. Everyone, by now, knew about Jono. Plus, he’d been there.

“Not for a second,” he replied predictably.

I’d fallen back asleep in minutes thanks to the adrenaline crash and alcohol but woke to another call eight hours later.

“Hey big brother,” Gianna said.

Jesus.

I flicked back the covers. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my traitorous little sister.”

I could hear her eyes roll. “I got married, not sold out to the FBI.”

“No, but your husband did,” I growled.

“He has his reasons,” she replied softly. “He’s a good man, Dante. I love him.”

“Which is the only reason he’s still breathing. Tell him he owes you his life.”

“I thought I owed you,” Braxton said.

I was on speaker.

And he does.

“Who else am I speaking to?”

“Connor Barrett,” another powerful voice said.

“And three other men who won’t give you their names,” Braxton shared.

“Nice chatting to you, I guess, Gia.” I shook my head and walked into the bathroom for a piss. Not bothering to hide the sound.

Someone chuckled.

“Gross, Dante.” Gianna moaned.

I grinned, flushed, then stared in the mirror, waiting for someone to get to the point.

“Listen boys. Nice to hear from you, but I have to catch a plane.”

Silence.

“I heard you wanted our help,” Barrett finally said.

I was too hungover for this conversation. Addy was my priority, and I needed to get my ass to California.

“Maybe another day. The woman I love is on the run and I’m going to be like Superman and save her.”

I think I was still a little drunk.

“You mean kidnap her again.” Gianna groaned.

“I see married life hasn’t changed you.” I reached for a towel and turned on the shower.

“How about we talk on the flight? I’ll meet you at my private airfield in an hour.” Connor offered.

Fucking billionaire.

It irks me that I don’t have a private plane. Chopper, yes, but it doesn’t get used all that often.

Barrett is one of the richest men in the country. He probably had matching his and hers jets. Given I did want to talk to these men and get to my girl fast, I consider it.

But on my terms.

“I’m taking three men with me. We will need to speak in private. If you can guarantee the conversation won’t be recorded or overheard, then I’ll accept the ride.”

“Agreed,” Barrett said, and while I wasn’t sure I trusted him, I did trust my instincts. So I planned to just enjoy the food and luxury flight to the West Coast if any red flags went off.

When I was showered and packed and had spoken to Ricky, I head downstairs for a coffee.

“Mama.” I kissed her forehead. “I’m heading to the West Coast. I’ll be back in a few days.”

“What? Why?” She turned.

“Business,” I replied, pouring a cup of black coffee. “I’ll be back for father’s funeral in a couple of days.”

She wasn’t happy

I watched as Nick walked in, poured himself a coffee, then leaned against the counter.

“What’s the plan?” he asked, then eyed my overnight bag on the floor.

“I’m heading out of state for a few days.”

His cup lowered. “I’ll go pack—”

“No need. I’m taking a couple of the men. Need you to stay here with Angela.” I replied, referring to my mother.

He stared at me and then at her.

“Dante—"

I held up my hand and shook my head, then drained my mug. “Decision is made. Nick, I need you here.”

“What’s going on?”

I couldn’t tell him.

He was right to look concerned, but I needed him here in New York, keeping things running.

Plus, I couldn’t have him meeting the Dark Kings.

If that is who they are.

Once I had Adelina back in my arms and a plan, I would consider Nick’s future. He was my best friend...but whether he was someone I could trust going forward was something I had to consider.

Our entire lives were about to change, and no one had a clue.

Thank god.

I slapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll be home in a few days. Keep things going here for me. Stay in touch.”

“Talk to me, Dante.” Nick followed me outside after I kissed my mother’s head, and she shot me a soft smile.

The more I thought about the plans I had, the more I wondered about Adelina running away. Were our visions for the future so different?

My mother was right. I never asked Adelina a single fucking question.

Not an important one in any case.

Do you want my cock is probably not what my mother had in mind.

Ugh...get that visual out of my head.

Now, as I sit outside the motel Addy’s staying in, I make the decision to watch her for a while before confronting her.

It’s a hard call. When I saw her climb out of the cab with her bags, I’d wanted to run across the road and throttle her.

Hold her.

Kiss her.

Something told me to wait.

Plus, while Nick holds off a mafia war with Carlos, who thinks I’ve taken Adelina again, I need to gather my thoughts after speaking to Connor and the Dark Kings.

“Ricky said she drove out of the fucking gate. Tell one of Leo’s men. And tell them I said back the fuck off or I will go to war.” I snapped at Nick while in midair.

Braxton had done a shit job of hiding his grin when I hung up. Then made up for it, moments later, when he shared his reason for infiltrating my family.

We’d had his cousin, Amy.

She had been one of the women in the shipment.

The judgment in my sister’s eyes had been hard to look at. But I did. I wasn’t going to hide from any of it. What I am going to do is change things.

The Dark Kings are going to help me.

“So who the fuck are you guys?” I asked Connor, who took his time before answering.

I had a feeling he’d kill me if I broke their trust.

Given what I was going to share with them today, it was mutual.

“We are five men—US Marines—who came together to seek revenge on the crime families who hurt those we love,” he finally said.

Really?

Like fucking Batman.

“Jesus. How are you all still alive?” I asked, looking each of them in the eye.

“Nearly wasn’t.” Decker shook his head and gave me a brief rundown on what he was doing in Mexico. “Still looking over my shoulder.”

“Jesus.”

“Not sure how long we'll stay in NYC,” Nathan shared next. “My wife is pregnant and I’m feeling edgy. I was inside the Mancini family for a long time.”

I narrowed my eyes at his profile and nodded slowly. “I recognize you. I’m sure of it.”

“We met. Not personally, but we were in the same places a few times,” Nathan confessed.

Yeah, he needs to leave the state. It’s far too dangerous for him and his wife and child. While the family was wiped out, if any other mobster learned what I know they’d be dead in days.

“Well...I guess it's my turn to share.”

“Ya think.” Mack let out a dry laugh.

“I want out. For my entire family.” That includes Adelina. “I don’t want to close our legitimate companies because too many people and their families rely on the income. But all the illegal stuff? I’m shutting it down.”

Which, if I was just a dodgy businessman, might be easy enough. But I’m not. I’m a don. Head of the notorious Baldassare crime family.

I know too much.

If I suddenly decided to become a fucking accountant, I’d be six feet under in less than three months.

So I need help.

“You committed to this?” Connor asked.

“Yep.” I nodded. “The day I learned we were moving women and kids around the world, I knew something had to change. RIP Papa, but his death has gifted me with a free will I never had when he was alive.”

Braxton watched me, and I realized he doubted me more than the others. No doubt because he saw me with my father and at the warehouse that night.

But did he pay close enough attention?

“Why do you think I walked away when you went to inspect the shipment?” I asked him.

Braxton ran a hand through his hair. “I wondered. I didn’t want to read into it and make you a good guy in my head, but I knew something was off.”

I glanced at my sister. “Did you know? Did you know we were doing that shit?”

“No. Not until that night,” Gianna replied, shaking her head in disgust. “I hate it, Dante. Please, you have to stop it.”

When I first boarded the plane, we’d hugged, and I’d taken a look at the rock on her finger.

“Congrats, sis. But goddamn you.”

She’d smiled and shrugged, but she looked happy, so I shook Braxton’s hand.

“I am, Gianna. Nothing has moved through the business since Papa died. But the financial impact is huge—” I’d held up my hand when she started to react. “I know that sounds fucking disgusting, but like any business we have costs. Salaries to pay, people to feed, bills to pay. I’m trying to work out how we pivot and not have everything fall over.”

“He’s right,” Connor said. “It’s the most deplorable way to make money, but this is highly dangerous, and you need to protect the innocent as you adhered to moments ago.”

I knew he’d understand. I appreciated his pragmatism, and it was then I started to think these men might just be the help I needed.

“It is an enormous risk.” I stared out the window as we flew through the skies to California.

Thoughts of how much danger I was putting my mother, Adelina, and even Gianna in by doing this.

But those innocent women were no less important, and I couldn’t live with myself if I followed in my father’s footsteps. The argument that I was new and putting that arm of the business on hold with our customers would quickly run out of steam.

“First, you need to stay out of prison,” Braxton said. “We’ll help you, but we need something in return.”

Of course they did.

The fact he owed me his life seemed to have disappeared from his memory. But could I really keep threatening him now he was my fucking brother-in-law?

I’d lifted a brow in question.

“We need information on the other families.”

They wanted me to be a snitch. The worst kind of man, as far as the families are concerned. My father would be turning in his grave. Yet, he was happy to take women and children, starve them, and sell them to people around the world as slaves.

I know which one is worse.

He didn’t.

But I do.

When I nodded, Braxton grinned. “Looks like you’re one of us now.”

“Calm the fuck down. I only wanted a ride,” I replied, but my lips twitched.

My sister married a good man. We may come from different worlds, but in the few hours I spent with him and the Dark Kings, I knew if things were different, we might even be friends.

When I was about to debark, Gianna grabbed my arm. “Tell Adelina I said hello. And...tell her what you’re planning. I have a feeling she might not think so differently. If she loves you, she’ll be happy.”

Yeah, but if not, I’d have to kill her.

I couldn’t have her walking around with all that information.

A truck whizzes past, bringing me back to the present.

I wind up the window and rest back in the leather seat of the SUV we rented.

Ricky and Vinny went back to New York. Now I have Dom and Mikey with me.

“Get us a room and take shifts watching her. I want to know every move she makes.” I tell them as I watch her shadow through the net curtains. My fingers itch to go to her.

“Or if she leaves.”

Soon I will make my move.