“I know you have it,” he said eventually.
“Incorrect,” I responded. “See, I have my own issues to be dealing with. I couldn’t give a damn about you or Perkins.” I turned the words he’d used on me back to him. The footage was for me to figure out who’d been after Mia. Chastity and Gabe’s safety hadn’t and would never make it onto my priority list. “So, instead of wasting my time, why don’t you figure out who actually has it and bother them?”
He sucked his teeth and took in a deep breath through his nose, chest puffing out as he did so. “I can’t wait to see you rot.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” I assured him. “Now, get out.”
Gabe didn’t need to be told twice. Whether he believed me or not, he wouldn’t be getting what he came for. I wasn’t about to roll over just because he was in a piss-poor mood and had caught feelings for Chastity Perkins. He was welcome to keep chasing his tail while Xavier pulled the strings from wherever he was.
The door bounced off the wall as Gabe stormed out of the office. Before it had a chance to slam shut, Dante caught the handle and stepped inside. “That sounded like a whole lot of fun,” he commented, looking over his shoulder after Gabe.
“Always a joy dealing with a Moretti.” I collapsed back into the chair.
“Anything we need to be concerned about?”
I shook my head. “He’s all bark and no bite. We need to stay focused on the only Moretti that matters.”
Chapter Eight
Mia
“I’ll be two minutes, Lyds. It must be at Dante’s place,” I said, huffing out a breath.
I’d just searched the entire house for Link’s comfort blanket. It was a small plush piece that looked like a tiger. It was the last thing I could think of that might calm him down from his current tantrum. He wasn’t hungry. He didn’t need to be changed. He refused to go down for a nap. Every other toy we tried barely caught his attention and this was my last-ditch attempt before joining him in screaming the house down. Luc was dreaming if he thought we were having an entire baseball team worth of this. If he was giving birth and staying home with them then I might change my mind.
“Take your time. I’ve got him,” Lydia said. She had helped me navigate parenting and whenever I felt like a complete failure. “Go,” she ordered me, but the smile that came with it was kind.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
She waved me off out of the living room and I called for Dom before stepping outside. He walked toward the garage. “We’re not taking the car,” I told him. “It’s a ten-minute walk.” One of the reasons I loved our home, and one of Luc’s selling points when he’d first shown me it, was that we were a stone’s throw away from Dante.
“Mia, it’s not a smart move to be walking around in the open even if it is for a few minutes,” Dom explained. That was all it took to change my mind. I’d had a lucky escape and we still weren’t clear on who’d attacked, so the less time out in the open, the better.
Luc’s Maserati was missing from the line-up, but the rest of the cars and his bike gleamed in the winter sun as the door came up to reveal them.
“How about we take your baby for a spin?” Dom suggested, knocking his shoulder against mine.
“I think I’m banned from driving,” I muttered. The vision of Luc’s horrified face raced through my mind. He didn’t expect me to enjoy speed just as much as he did. It was less of a thrill in the passenger seat and more of a near death experience, or so he’d told me. I denied that I was any more reckless than he was behind the wheel.
“In this case, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Dom said conspiratorially. A small flicker of life before things had changed. Dom was still my terrible influence beneath all the black clothing and ammunition. “You seem stressed,” he said once we got into the car and the engine came to life.
“I have a screaming kid who can’t tell me what’s wrong, a soon-to-be husband with a less than traditional job, and I’m trying to organise a christening and a wedding while attempting not to get murdered by a seasoned psychopath. Yeah. I’m probably a little stressed.”
Dom made a cat sound next to me, and I snorted. “If it makes you feel any better,” he said and I could already hear the amusement in his voice, “you’re managing it all with a lot of poise and grace.”
“Brilliant.” I laughed, almost hysterical. “Because I feel like I’m going to drop the ball at some point and I’m a hair away from telling Luc that Link will be an only child.”
It was Dom’s turn to laugh. “You think he’d let you do that?”
“No.” I sighed but I wasn’t upset by the admission. One more is what I told myself. Being an only child was lonely business. I just hadn’t plucked up the courage to tell Luc that yet. “You’ve seen him with Link. Those two are peas in a pod. Luc’s got his mini-me.”
Every doubt I had about expanding the family was abolished the moment Luc walked through the door and doted on Link after work. On more than one occasion I had caught them asleep together, along with Cerb, peaceful and as if butter wouldn’t melt; my heart and soul personified. Those were the moments when I forgot about the night feeds, tantrums and mess.
I pulled up outside Dante’s house and unbuckled but before I could move to get out, Dom placed his hand on mine. “You don’t regret any of this?” He phrased his true question behind a different set of words.
Dom had been the other person affected deeply by my disappearing act. We had a strong bond that I’d disregarded when I’d left without a word. There were days where I caught him watching me closely, like he was trying to dive into my mind and work out what I was thinking — if I was unhappy enough to leave them all over again.
Lacing my fingers through Dom’s, I squeezed his hand tight. “I don’t regret a single thing. You can’t get rid of me.” There was a logical part of my brain that told me that my situation now was much worse than it had been all those months ago and running would be the smartest option. Running would help me to survive this. However, my heart refused to let me go anywhere. Unlike last time, the people I loved knew the truth and we were fighting to survive together.
