Chapter 74: Chapter 5

NATE

The night is restless, filled with tossing and turning. We’re jolted awake by a loud “Fuck!” from Cami. It seems like her water broke.

The sound is followed by a cacophony of screams and arguments. Our door swings open abruptly, Cami clutching the walls as a contraction hits her. We watch as she demands Mandi to accompany her to the hospital.

Jace looks at her, confusion etched on his face. “But baby, why not me? I don’t understand?”

“Because with my luck I’ll be pregnant again the moment the baby is delivered!” Cami retorts, a sneer on her face. We all burst into laughter.

“Okay, kids, I’ll go with both of you and Jace, you get to sit in the corner.”

“Okay, deal!” Cami agrees, clutching her belly as she walks away. She’s probably headed for the door, but we’ll likely beat her there.

Everyone leaves and I lay there for an indeterminate amount of time. My phone rings, it’s Jesus.

“Talk to me Jesus!”

“Nate, boss man, some shit went down and we’re tailing him again. Ryan’s at the last stop dealing with the police.”

I sit up quickly, running my hand down my face, trying to clear my head.

“What do you mean shit went down?”

“He stopped at a house in the middle of nowhere. Ryan recognized the mom’s car with another car in the driveway.

“We hung back and heard some yelling and arguing, then two gunshots. He took off and we’re following him. Ryan called me after he went in and found the mother and boyfriend dead.

“The police are going to want him for murder now.”

“Just stay on him! I want him alive! Even if the cops get him first, we’ll see him at the station. I have a gut feeling this is bigger than we think. I want to know who he’s involved with.”

“You got it Nate!”

I hang up and send a text to the boys and Jessie to come to the room. I tell them to bring Angela and Angelia.

I throw on some shorts as I wait. Within a few minutes, they’re all standing there, looking at me.

I motion for them to sit on the couch. I don’t want them involved, but they need to know what their father did. I walk over and sit in the chair, elbows on my knees.

“Girls, we weren’t going to say anything, but this is getting bigger as time ticks by. Your dad showed up last night at your house with a gun, looking for you two.

“This morning, he found your mom and her boyfriend and killed them both. He’s on the run again, and we don’t know where he’s headed. Can you think of any reason why he’d be going west of here?”

They exchange a glance before looking back at me.

“He took a lot of “business trips” west of here, to the town of Tristen. We never knew why.”

I nod, thinking to myself, ~That’s in the next state! What’s over there? That town is in the middle of nowhere.~

Then it clicks. I know where he’s going. The girls leave to go back to their rooms and the boys stay.

I motion for Jessie to shut the door. They all sit, looking at me. I know Jessie will recognize the name.

We’ve been keeping tabs on this person. We had a feeling about what he was involved in. If I’m right, when he shows up without the “goods,” he’s as good as dead.

“Dante Barrella.”

Jessie’s eyes widen and he mouths, “Shit.” We explain to the boys who Dante is, and their faces pale.

Why would he hand off his own girls? It doesn’t make any sense. Unless they aren’t his to begin with!

DANTE

I’ve been sitting in this metal chair, feet up on the table, in a rundown warehouse for hours. I’m waiting for a couple of guys to show up.

One is bringing two girls, the other a twenty-year-old. I already have a few girls here who look scared.

I don’t blame them. They’re young, but I don’t take anyone younger than fifteen. They want a way out of their shitty lives, and I offer it.

What happens to them after I hand them off, I don’t care. I’m a twenty-six-year-old asshole, the spitting image of an Italian with the body to match.

I run a lucrative business supplying girls to clients. Some want good girls they can train, others want whatever they can get.

How they treat them and what they do with them is not my concern. A car pulls up and I motion for my guys to open the door.

Randy walks in, dragging a girl by her wrist. She’s dragging a suitcase. As they get closer, I see a girl who clearly doesn’t realize what she’s gotten herself into.

When they step into the light, she looks up at me and my heart skips a beat. She has jet black curly hair that hangs down to her waist.

Her skin is tanned, her eyes dark brown. She lets go of the suitcase and wraps her arms around herself, clearly uncomfortable.

She’s wearing skinny jeans, worn out shoes, and an oversized hoodie. I can’t help but stare at her. ~My God, she’s beautiful. Why run away now at twenty? What is she running from?~

I stand up and walk around the table to stand in front of her. I can tell she’s nervous; she’s fidgeting with her fingers.

Her perfume is intoxicating. I just stare at her.

“Are you scared of me?”

Her eyes shoot up to mine. She shakes her head no. I know she’s lying; her body language says otherwise.

But I’ll let her have this moment of bravery. This is my business, but she won’t be leaving my side.

“What is your name, mia bella?”

“Ramona.”

“Mia bella Ramona. I love the way your name sounds. My name is Dante, Dante Barella. I must warn you, mia bella, I am very dangerous. But stick by my side and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

She just looks up, nodding her head. I place my hand on her cheek, leaning over to kiss her other cheek.

I whisper so softly, only she can hear.

“I promise I will never hurt you or send you away. You will be my queen.”

I lean back, watching her look at me when we’re interrupted.

“This is cute and all, but can I get my money now and go? I got shit to do and a slut to go fuck!”

In an instant, I draw my gun and aim it at Randy’s head, pulling the trigger. The sound of my girl’s scream fills the air as she covers her face, crying, while Randy’s body crumples to the floor. I holster my weapon and pull her into my chest, holding her tight as she fights against me.

I signal my guys to remove the body from my sight. Once I feel her body relax against mine, I lean back and cup her tear-streaked face in my hands.

“I’m a dangerous man,” I tell her, my voice steady. “I won’t apologize for that. But I promise you, I’ll never hurt you. I’ll treat you like a queen.”

She doesn’t say anything, just rests her head on my chest and cries. We stay like that for a while until my phone rings, breaking the silence.

It’s a call from Ezra. “He doesn’t have the girls, boss,” he reports. “I watched him go to the house, they weren’t there. Someone got to them before he did. He took care of the mom and boyfriend, and he’s headed your way. But he’s being followed.”

“Shit!” I curse. “Get to the safe house. I’ll meet you there. We need to get out of here. I’m not going down because of his mistake!”

I quickly gather my things, my men, and the girls we have with us. I reach out and take Ramona’s hand, leading her out of the warehouse.

We pile into the SUVs and drive away. I only got involved with this asshole because he promised me two girls. As we drive, I scroll through my phone and an article with his name catches my eye.

I click on it and read that his two girls are now in the custody of the Maxwells. ~That must be who’s following him.~ I think. ~And if he’s coming my way, they know who he’s meeting.~

This gives me a chance to escape, at least for now. We need to get out of here and lay low. If the Maxwells are involved, they won’t stop until they find me.

But now I have Ramona. If I need to change my line of work to keep her safe, I’ll do it without a second thought.

I know Nate’s number—I have my sources. I’d gladly hand over Marcus, the girls’ father, if it means getting Nate off my back. I glance at Ramona, considering my options, and then I make the call.

“Hello?”

“Nate, it’s Dante,” I say. “I know you’re after Marcus. I can tell you where I was supposed to meet him. I’ll have my guys there to hold him for you. Just leave me out of this. I didn’t know who he was bringing me. He said they were willing, and like an idiot, I believed him.”

“Dante,” Nate replies, his voice stern. “If you give me Marcus, I’ll back off. But don’t come around my state again. I don’t care where you go, just not here. Understand?”

“Deal, Nate,” I agree. “You’ll never see me again.”

“Hey, Dante,” Nate says, his tone changing. “Why did you call? It’s not because we’re after you, is it? It’s about a girl, isn’t it? The kind of girl who makes your stomach tighten and your heart skip a beat. The kind of girl you want to protect from the world.”

“Nate, how did you know?”

“I’ve been there,” he admits. “Now, what’s the address?”

I give him the address of the warehouse and hang up. I look at Ramona and instruct our driver to take the girls to the safe house.

I tell him to send some men back to the warehouse to wait for Marcus. “Tell the airport to have my jet ready,” I say. “We’re heading to another state.”

“Mia bella Ramona,” I ask her, “if you could have any kind of house, what would you want?”

“A cabin in the woods where there’s snow!” she replies.

Perfect. We’re moving to the Northwest. She’ll have her cabin, and anything else she wants.