Dante finishes the task, so I pull away, self-conscious about my untimely reaction. When he’s taken Noah’s hand and led him to the bathroom at the back, Jazz scoots to the edge of her seat.
She glances over her shoulder to where Reino, Ulysses, and two of Dante’s men sit in the front. One of them, a man with a blond brush cut, glares at me with so much loathing in his pale blue eyes that I look away.
Jazz touches my hands that are clasped together in my lap. “Are you all right?”
“As good as can be, considering.”
Her expression hardens. “Don’t let it get to you.”
She means going back to my parents’ condo, which now belongs to Dante, for the first time after my mom’s death, and facing my brother, who hates me.
“You’re stronger than this, Tiana.”
I nod, not feeling so strong when the pilot announces our descent.
Two cars wait at the airport. Ulysses and the guy who gave me the dirty look in the plane get into the first one. A child safety seat is fitted in the back. Dante lifts Noah into the seat and secures his safety belt. He says something I can’t hear with the noise of the plane engines in the background.
When I make to go around the car to get in on the other side, Dante holds me back.
I frown at him.
He high-fives Noah. “See you later, buddy.”
Reino takes Jazz’s arm and leads her to the back passenger side, but she shakes him off. I give her a panicked look as he manhandles her into the car next to Noah, protecting her head with a hand to make sure she doesn’t bump her head on the ceiling.
I pull on the tight hold of Dante’s fingers around my wrist. “What’s going on?”
My pulse kicks up as Reino shuts the door and the car pulls off. I stare after the vehicle, my heart speeding up more as my child and my friend are being taken away from me.
Dante grips my chin between a forefinger and thumb and turns my face to him. “You’ll see them for dinner. Ulysses is driving them to my house.”
“Where are we going?” I ask through dry lips.
Dante takes my elbow and leads me to the other car. “We have a stop to make on the way.”
He helps me into the back and secures my seatbelt before getting in next to me. Reino drives.
Biting my lip, I stare through the window while doing my best not to fidget with the strap of the handbag that I’m clutching in a death grip in my lap. I don’t ask where Dante is driving me because he’s not going to tell me. I can only trust that he’ll take me back to Noah and Jazz when our business, whatever that may be, is done.
Not knowing what’s waiting for me only makes my apprehension worse. I resist the urge to fan myself as my skin turns clammy and hot despite the cold air blasting from the AC.
As we near Manhattan, the scenery turns familiar. The view is both reassuring and frightening. I left New York City for reasons that still traumatize me, and coming back isn’t easy because it means I have to face my demons. At least I know where I am, not that I’m able to escape Dante.
Downtown, Reino pulls into an underground parking lot. Dante gets my door. I’m surprised to see ten or more men waiting there, all armed.
I look at Dante quickly when he helps me out of the car.
“Don’t worry.” He takes my arm again, locking his fingers around my bicep as if he’s worried that I’ll run. “They’re mine.”
The men escort us to an elevator. Five stay in the parking lot while the others and Reino accompany us.
We get out on the top floor. The sign on the double glass doors reads Morici Holdings. Dante uses his thumbprint on a fingerprint access control reader on the wall to unlock the doors. We step into a large reception area with cream-colored sofas and glass side tables but no welcome desk.
A self-service health bar takes up one corner. The fridge is stocked with bottles of juice and water. A commercial Italian coffee machine stands on the counter. Baskets hold an array of fruit and individually wrapped muffins. A few bar stools are placed in front of the counter. Various potted plants and trees create a green space at the back while the continuous, gentle trickling of water from an indoor fountain is soothing.
Despite the Zen ambience, I’m anything but calm as Dante leads me down a hallway past an open space with a few scattered desks to a big glass-encased room at the back. The blinds are down, preventing me from seeing inside.
Dante made me wear the Rolex. I check the time. It’s after six, which means the staff who work here have already left. The floor seems to be vacant except for the woman who exits the big room and walks toward us with a brisk pace, her stilettos clicking over the polished hardwood floor.
