“For fuck’s sake, Mia!” he said, voice rising. Apparently, Dante’s patience was wafer thin and I’d already ripped through it. “This isn’t a fucking joke.”
“Does it look like I’m laughing?!” I yelled back, unable to keep a lid on my temper. Between the implication that I’d had an affair and it being made out that I’d run away on a whim, I’d had enough.
“Then tell me why you left!”
I clamped my mouth shut so tight that my jaw ached from the effort. There were moments, in the dead of night when the heartburn made it so I couldn’t sleep, when I wondered what would happen if I told them the truth. What would happen if I told them everything I knew? Those thoughts were usually chased away by the more sinister visions of Dad’s body. It was more than enough that I had put my own life in danger by accidentally uncovering Xavier’s secret.
“Mia,” Dante pleaded, clasping his hands together in front of him as if in prayer. “I can help you if you let me in. Was it to do with Hector?” The mention of my Dad’s name caused a painful lump to materialise in my throat. “I’ll help you find who killed him, boss. We can set things right; I swear to you.”
A mirthless laugh escaped from my lips. “You can’t help me with that.”
He blinked a few times before he shook his head. “Of course, we can. We have enough connections. It shouldn’t take us long to figure it out.”
There wasn’t a problem they didn’t think they could solve. Enough money and enough arms that the world should fall into line as and when they demanded it. “And what happens when you find out it’s someone you can’t go up against?” I asked, wanting to knock the confidence out of him.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” I said, pushing myself to standing and walking into the kitchen. “Coffee?”
“Mia,” Dante said, and I could hear him get up from his seat. “What did you mean if it’s someone I can’t go up against?”
“Do you still take it with three sugars?” I asked, busying myself with setting the mugs out on the counter as I realized my mistake. My cupboards held the bare minimum. I had tried to stay as frugal as possible on Carmen’s generosity and my dwindling savings.
“Mia.” It was more forceful this time and when I turned around, Dante had left very little space between us. In the time I had known him, Dante was carefree and childlike. He was Luc’s opposite in every sense of the word, but the Dante that stood before me was pure business. There was no laughter held in his eyes, no teasing tone laced in his words. “Do you know who killed Hector?”
I could feel it: the undeniable desire to share the secret that I’d carried for so long. The man who I had taken as my brother, who had looked after me from the moment I stepped into this world, was standing before me asking a question, and all I wanted to do was tell him the truth. “It’s not important.” But the words came out strangled, and I had to lean back against the counter, palms planted on the worktop, to keep myself steady on my feet. Gio, who had followed us and stood in the doorway, watched me with eagle eyes.
“Bullshit,” Dante said, narrowing his eyes. “Utter bullshit, Mia. You loved your Dad. You were devastated when he died. Who are you trying to protect?”
“Myself,” I told him desperately, cracks appearing thick and fast in my defenses. “Everyone.”
“I don’t understand.” Creases puckered Dante’s brow, aging him, as he tried to figure out what I meant. I had to resist the urge to reach out and straighten them. They didn’t belong there. I wanted to apologize for all the chaos I had left in my wake. I should have just done my time and walked away like we had all originally planned, and then maybe none of this would be happening.
And then, all of a sudden, I saw the realization dawn on Dante’s face. There was a weird sensation that churned in my stomach and I was uncertain whether it was fear, relief or an uncomfortable combination of both. Like, if Dante had guessed my secret it was some sort of loophole and it would be less damaging than if I had told him myself, when the reality was, he would be in just as much danger if he made an educated guess.
Whatever the feeling was, it seemed to be displayed across Dante’s features as he said, “Xavier? You think Xavier had your father killed?”
Chapter Six
Dante
“Why would Xavier kill your father?” I asked her. From what Mia had inferred, the suspect was narrowed down to two candidates. Either Luc had lost his shit before she had even left us, or Xavier had taken a dislike to Hector that none of us had been aware of. The former was highly unlikely. Luc had let a lot of things slide where Hector was concerned, all for the sake of keeping Mia happy, and so that left Xavier in the spotlight.
Mia paled a few shades and gripped the counter behind her again, giving me enough confirmation that I’d solved the puzzle.
“Hulk,” I said, looking to Gio. He narrowed his eyes at me, unimpressed by his newest moniker. Gio had never quite earned the same respect as the rest of us. “Grab a glass of water and bring it through.” I turned my attention to Mia. “Come on, Momma. Let’s get you sitting down before you pass out on me.”
She allowed me to help her away from the counter and back into the living room. Once Mia was settled on the sofa, she tipped her head back and took in a few deep breaths. Gio appeared with the glass of water, accepted by a grateful Mia who sipped from it. When the color returned to her face and her breathing was under control, I tried again. Crouched on the floor between her legs, I asked, “Why would Xavier kill your father?”
Mia swallowed before answering me quietly, “That’s what I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“What if the same thing happens to you?”
“It won’t,” I assured her gently, with no guarantee. My relationship with Xavier was complicated, and I’m sure he topped the list of people that would happily put me in the ground. “What did Hector do?” I attempted to keep my voice steady and calm. This was a situation that needed to be handled with diplomatic delicacy. Not something that I was known for, but the alternative was to demand answers and watch her close off again.
“Dad didn’t do anything,” Mia snapped quickly, defending her late father fiercely. The fire died as quick as it had come, and she dropped her head into her hands. “It was all my fault.” That was not a sentence I had expected to fall from her mouth. What dealings had Mia had with Xavier? Luc and I had done everything possible to minimize Mia’s interactions with anyone outside immediate family.
