by LaQuette
She raked her fingers across her scalp. None of this was fair, not one single bit of it. Her baby could die from this evil-ass disease. How would she feel if she didn’t risk everything to save him and the worst happened?
She picked up her phone and dialed the only person she knew could help her make sense of the craziness swirling around in her head.
As usual, her friend couldn’t be bothered with a normal hello. “Shouldn’t you be resting or enjoying that fine man who’s been glued to your side for the last month?”
“Dante went home to check on some things before he returns here to be with Naz.”
“To be with you and Naz is more like it.”
A slight tremble of fear moved through her. Becca was right. Dante had informed her of the very same himself. He wanted her, was determined to have her, and that scared the living hell out of her.
How did you embrace the man whose very presence in your life had nearly caused you to be killed?
Dante’s pull on her had ravaged her when they’d met. Within days of meeting him, her emotional walls and her clothes were at her feet. The force of his presence made the insane seem rational and commonplace. She was a mother now. A mother of a sick child, an adult with responsibilities that almost felt too difficult to bear. She couldn’t afford to be swept away in Dante’s passion.
Her need to be rational aside, Dante was a force that kept her dancing a very thin line between need and desire. He embodied everything she wanted out of life just by drawing breath. Now he was dangling her son’s salvation in her face, and everything inside her wanted to leap off the diving board and say to hell with the shallow water sign flashing in front of her face.
Sanai closed her eyes and tried to close her mind to thoughts of Dante DeLuca. “Naz is downstairs with Mrs. Rossi tonight. I need your help with something. Will you meet me here?”
Not even a moment passed before Becca replied, “See you in an hour.”
* * * *
“If you’re fucking with me, DeLuca, you’ll regret it.”
“I’m not. If you want it, it’s yours. No matter the fact that we’ve been business rivals in some matters, we’ve always been friends, we’ll always be family, Jimmy. I wouldn’t lie about this. I just need you to keep your end of the bargain.”
Jimmy Rosen was quiet for a moment. That wasn’t so strange considering what Dante was laying on the table.
“And all you want in return for this is to be able to live in New York peacefully?” Jimmy questioned.
“You know just as well as I do others will come for me if I leave without a major player behind me. If it were me alone, I’d risk it, but it’s not just me anymore. Not to mention, we both know this is how my father intended it to be. He even said so publicly.”
“All right, do what you need to do. When do you need me there?”
“Now.”
There was another stretch of silence across the line. Dante needed this deal done immediately. The longer it played out, the more likely Tomassa would discover the impetus behind his hurried exodus.
“See you in a few hours, Dante.”
* * * *
“So exactly why am I here in the family-planning aisle of a drug store?” Becca huffed as she leaned casually against the wall behind her. Anyone walking by would assume the two women were engaging in meaningless conversation. Nothing about Becca’s demeanor screamed, “Helping my friend to make major life decisions.” And that was the precise reason Sanai needed her here. She would cut through the bullshit and help Sanai focus on what was important.
“Becca, this is serious. It’s the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. I need to make sure I’m making the right choice,” Sanai answered.
“Sanai, deciding to let Dante into Nazario’s life was difficult. But you did that, and I applaud you for that decision. This is not difficult.”
Sanai folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes at her friend. Becca could not be serious at this moment. How could contemplating having a child with a man she hadn’t seen in six years for the express purpose of creating a matching donor not be a serious decision?
Becca shook her head and focused her attention back on Sanai. “All right, you want an explanation? Here it is. Yeah, you haven’t been around Dante for the last six years, but after about two seconds of knowing he had a child with you, he stepped up to be the best dad he could be to that little boy. Is his request outrageous? Yeah, but this isn’t a simple problem, either.”
“Becca?”
Becca held up her hand and stopped Sanai. “Listen, Sanai. As a doctor I will tell you exactly what Linares told you—a sibling is the best chance at a match. Does that mean if Nazario had a sibling that child would be a match? No. However, it’s the best chance he has out there. Is what Dante’s proposing risky on all sorts of crazy levels? Yeah. Is there a doctor in the world that’s going to advise the two of you to have a baby just for this purpose? No. Anyone else is going to tell you to wait for a match on a donor list, even though he could be on the registry for years before a match is found. But fortunately for you, I’m not just any doctor. I’m that boy’s godmother, and I would give my soul to Lucifer himself to give him even the slightest chance at beating this damned disease.”
Sanai stepped back and leaned against the wall with Becca. Becca had confirmed everything Sanai believed. This plan was crazy, it was risky on so many levels, and the odds were stacked ridiculously high against them.
“Thank you, Becca.” Sanai smiled weakly.
“For what?”
“For being here and telling me the absolute truth. That’s exactly what I needed you here for. Well, for that and to help me pick out the best ovulation kit. Standard or digital readout?”
* * * *
Dante sat across the long conference table watching his wife at the end. Tomassa was a classically beautiful Italian woman. Long jet-black hair, slim build, olive skin. Men in their circles paid homage to beauty like hers, gave away their fortunes just to have a chance at winning her hand. For him, being married to her had always been about pain. Forgetting the pain of losing Sanai, a need to unleash his rage on the world because his heart was burned to cinders with Sanai’s body in the fire.
Tomassa was smart and fun. It was why they’d been such close friends throughout their fathers’ mutual dealings. She was the only daughter of a mob kingpin who felt girls had no place in business dealings. No matter how hard she worked, no matter how brilliant she was, her father was never going to leave the running of his family to a daughter.
Most women would have accepted their father’s edicts and moved on to creating a life on their own terms. Unfortunately, Tomassa couldn’t just let it go. Her solution to her father’s shortsightedness was to marry the only son of another powerful Don and collude to steal her father’s power by proxy.
When she’d proposed this plan, Dante had quickly dismissed her. There was no point to entertaining her ideas, her pleas. He was with Sanai. And now here he was six years later, painfully aware how she’d managed to get her way despite his opposition.
“Dante, so glad you’re home.” Tomassa smiled. “We have much to discuss.”
“Yes, we do.” He returned her smile as he picked up an envelope in front of him and walked it down to her end of the table.
She picked it up and opened it. Dante could tell the moment realization settled. The sinister smile she always seemed to wear dripped from her face one glorious inch at a time.
“What the hell are you playing at? You can’t divorce me.”
“It’s either divorce you or murder you. Which would you prefer?”
Sharp eyes collided with his. She attempted to stand, but Dante’s hand was around her neck before she could rise from the chair.
“I know what you did, wife.” The word was harsh and deadly on his lips. “You killed her. You set up the woman I loved, and you burned her alive to get what you wanted.”
The anger in Tomassa’s eyes turned
to icy fear. “Dante,” she pleaded as his fingers squeezed tighter around her neck.
“Don’t try to lie your way out of this, Tomassa. Your henchman already gave you up. It’s amazing how truthful a man will become when he’s watching you carve his partner up into little pieces.”
“I did it for us, Dante. I knew what we could do together if you only listened to reason.”
“Reason?” He stepped away from her, watching her gasp for air. “Well, here’s me being reasonable. Sign those damn papers right now, and I’ll let you live.”
“And if I don’t?”
“If you don’t, I’m going to watch your mother bury her only child.”
“And what’s to say I won’t sign these papers and kill you in your sleep anyway?
She was lethal; he’d always known that about her. The fact that he had willingly chosen to enter into any kind of an agreement with her six years ago was proof how out of his mind with grief he was.
Now, he wasn’t looking through rage-colored lenses. Now he saw Tomassa for exactly who she was—a poisonous snake—and he knew exactly how to deal with her from here on out.
“You may have wanted power all your life, but my father actually taught me how to use it and keep it. I know what happened to Eli Rosen, Tomassa.”
Her eyes went wide for just a second before she schooled her features. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“I know you killed him. I have a tape of you killing him.”
He smiled as the pulse in her neck jumped at his revelation. “You didn’t know that he taped his sexual conquests. Good thing he did. He ended up filming his own murder. That tape is tucked away somewhere you’ll never find it. If I or anyone I love so much as gets a hangnail, that tape is scheduled to make an appearance for Jimmy Rosen’s viewing pleasure.”
She slammed her balled fists on the table, making the various pieces of the place setting jump. “You didn’t even like that slimy bastard. Why the hell would you rat me out to his cousin?”
Dante shrugged casually. “Eli meant nothing to me. As a cousin of a cousin, we shared no blood and no loyalty. I actually think you did the world a favor by killing him. But Jimmy might not feel the same. He was Jimmy’s cousin on his father’s side. Jimmy didn’t care for Eli much either, but that doesn’t mean he can let you get away with killing him. So it all boils down to this—if I or anyone I love dies, you will too.”
He held out a pen and smiled as she snatched it out of his hands. She quickly scrawled her signature in all the indicated places and threw both the pen and the documents at him.
“You’ll never get away with this,” she muttered.
“I just did…ex-wife.”
There was a knock on the door, and his expected guests began to filter in. Dante could feel the waves of fear rolling off Tomassa when she watched Jimmy Rosen walk through the door.
“Jimmy, friends, thanks for coming so quickly.” He beamed as people filtered around the table, taking up the available seats. Dante remained standing next to Tomassa and pressed a tight hand on her shoulder.
The last person to walk in the door was Bernadino Rossi. A man he’d called friend for most of his life. Bernadino regarded him carefully. Dante had no doubt Mrs. Rossi had informed him of Dante’s presence in Brooklyn. Dante could only assume Bernie kept quiet because he realized he couldn’t out Dante without outing his role in Sanai’s escape.
Dante simply nodded toward the man and returned his attention to rest of his guests. “In the interest of time, I’m going to get right to the point. My wife and I have led this family for the last six years. Taking on the DeLuca family was a huge responsibility that we’ve both given everything to. We’ve given so much, in fact, we forgot to save a little something for ourselves, which has led to our decision to end both our marriage and business dealings.
“You all know my father never wanted me to take over. The only reason he did make me Don was there were no other blood members of the house interested or qualified at the time. My cousin Jimmy was always my father’s choice, but because Jimmy was serving a bid at the time, he couldn’t step into my father’s shoes before Pop died. Now that he’s home, he can.”
Dante waved Jimmy over to him and waited for him to stand at his side. Dante took off the gold ring his father placed on his finger six years ago and gently slid it onto Jimmy Rosen’s. He picked up a glass and lifted it to the air. “Cent’ anni! May he reign for one hundred years.” Everyone in the room raised their glasses in kind and saluted their new leader. Everyone except the viper sitting next to him grinding her teeth so hard she could chew the delicate champagne glass in her hand.
He glanced across the room, and his eyes connected with Bernadino’s. Don’t worry, my friend. I haven’t forgotten about you at all.
Chapter Thirteen
“Hey, how are you?”
Dante waited for her answer. Only twenty-four hours had passed between his departure and this phone call, but he wanted to check in on Sanai and their son.
“I’m all right. Naz had a good night.”
“What about you?” In the short amount of time he’d been in their presence, he’d learned one thing. Sanai would sacrifice herself without thought to meet their son’s needs.
She was a nurturer. Had been for as far back as he’d known her. From their first date to the last time he’d held her in his arms, she’d given her all to take care of him. On nights when his civil engineering studies would leave him with an aching head, back, and neck, she’d come over to his apartment, fix him dinner, and spoil him with a back rub. It took him months to realize she was doing this at the expense of her own wellbeing.
She’d stay late, spend the night making love to him, soothing him, only to stand on her feet for a full day of being a cosmetologist intern in a beauty salon. If she’d sacrificed so much of herself for him, he knew she was sacrificing even more for their son.
“I got up to check on him a few times during the night. But I did manage to get some sleep. How about you?”
Dante turned, looking at the man bound to the bolted radiator on the floor. This abandoned warehouse served as a place where Dante and his underlings could conduct the nasty parts of the family business.
The man was naked, bound by handcuffs and shackles, bloodied and battered. A mix of sweat and blood covered him. His head bobbed slightly with each labored breath he took.
“I didn’t really sleep last night. Spent too much time tying up loose ends so I can get back to you,” he answered.
“Don’t rush, Dante. We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll be here when you get back. Just take your time.”
“I’ve lost too much already with you. I’m not losing another second I don’t have to. I’ll be done today. Should be headed to you by the evening,” he answered. He took another breath, pausing slowly before he spoke his next thought. “Do I need to arrange a hotel room close by or can I stay with you?”
“I thought you might be staying with Tony?”
“I can, if you want me to,” he replied, trying his best to keep the disappointment out his voice. “I…I just don’t want to be that far away. If it doesn’t work for you, I’ll get a room at a nearby hotel.”
“You don’t have to do that, Dante. I want you here. Naz needs you here.”
His chest felt full. They were far from being a solidified family, but the fact that she wanted him near, was making room for him in this scenario… It felt like hope. Something he’d been bankrupt of for a long time.
“I won’t be long. I’ll see you tonight.”
“You’d better. Otherwise it’s going to be very difficult for us to try to make a baby.”
His mouth dried and his heartbeat pounded in his ears. Had he heard her correctly?
“Did you just…”
“Yeah, I did. You made a very convincing argument. We were both robbed of the love we shared. There’s obviously still something there on both our parts. I know I’m crazy for agreeing—I know there’s
still so much we need to know about each other—but honestly, we’ll have to learn it as we go along. If you’re still willing, I’d like to try to save our son’s life. If we find our way back to each other during that process, I’m all for that too.”
Dante released one long breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She was agreeing. Everything he wanted was right at his fingertips, and all he had to do was get on a plane to go get it.
“Of course I’m willing. I’ll be back tonight.”
He clicked the phone off and stared at the bare concrete wall in front of him. He had no clue what had tipped the scales in his favor, but whatever it was, he was grateful. He was about to have his woman back, his family.
“You’re crazy if you think it’s going to be that easy.”
The slurred voice pulled Dante’s attention out of his musings and back to the present. He slipped his phone in his pocket and turned slowly to face the other occupant of the room. “If you were a smart man, Bernadino, you’d keep your mouth shut until I required you to open it.”
“She’s not one of us, Dante. She’s not meant for this life. She will never be able to accept who you are.”
“Who I am?” Dante questioned. “Or who you and Tomassa made me?” Dante walked closer to Bernadino. He was a friend, much like Big Tony. Dante had always been able to count on Bernadino’s friendship. Knowing his friend played such a large role in keeping his son from him ate an acidic hole in his gut.
“I was never a part of this, Bernie. My father never wanted me to be mixed up in La Cosa Nostra. You knew that. Tomassa knew that.”
“The old man thought you walked on water. Thought you were too good to be one of us!”
“It was never about me being better than anyone else, Bernie. It was about me following my dream. If being a mob boss was something I’d wanted, he would have backed me. But it wasn’t. It was always what Jimmy wanted. As my first cousin, it was just as much his right as my own to take over.”
“You’re going to put her in harm’s way. They will get to her to get to you,” Bernadino pleaded. It was strange, watching him defend Sanai so vehemently. When Dante and Sanai were together, Bernadino only knew her superficially as Dante’s girlfriend.
