“What the hell are you talking about?”
He whipped around, eyes blazing. “First the message on the wall at the banquet hall, and now this? Sienna, they’re targeting you. And I’m not about to make it easy for them.”
“So, what? I should just stay home? Locked behind my own door?” I shook him off. “Hell no. This is my family. My responsibility!”
“Even your own father went underground as soon as he knew his life was threatened,” Dante replied darkly. “Don’t be fucking stupid. Mateo can handle this while we figure everything out. From a safe distance.”
“I’m not a coward.”
Dante swiped a hand across the stubble along his jaw. “I never said you were. But right now, you’re obviously in danger.”
“Like you care,” I muttered.
Dante stepped closer, his voice dropping. “I do care. Even if you think I don’t, I do. You’re my wife.”
“No, I’m just a business contract to help your father expand his empire.” I sneered. “Don’t think for a second that I don’t know what your plan is. Your father looked absolutely ecstatic to watch our shit go up in flames.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake—” Dante let out a sharp breath, irritation written all over his face. “I’m not going along with my father’s plan. Or anyone’s plan. I’m trying to help you.”
“Help me?” I asked, scoffing. “You didn’t marry me to help me. You’re just helping yourself.”
I gasped as his fingers curled around my chin, forcing my head up. He was so close that I could feel his chest brushing against mine with each breath. “Is that what you really think?” Gray eyes searched mine, a tidal wave of intensity.
“Go home, Sienna. Lock the door. I’ll be home in half an hour.”
I jerked away from him. “And what exactly will you be doing?”
“Looking for answers.” He motioned towards one of his father’s men. “Jules, make sure my wife gets home safely.” Jules glanced down at me, expressionless.
“I’m not—”
“Jules will carry you if necessary,” Dante replied calmly.
The man stepped forward, towering over me. I stepped back. “Fine. I’ll go,” I snapped. “But don’t you dare think—”
“Great.” Dante blew me a kiss. “Love you, honey buns.”
I stared after him as he stalked back towards the warehouse. Jules grunted, crossing his arms, one eyebrow rising. “Don’t you even think about it,” I snapped.
Turning on my heel, I pulled my own keys from my purse. Jules followed me, but I ignored him. Dante might think he can order me around like that, but I’d show him otherwise. Slipping into my car, I locked the doors before the brute of a henchman even reached for the handle. Jules yanked on the door, glaring at me through the tinted glass. Flipping him off, I backed out of my parking space, tearing out of the parking lot.
I was not going home because Dante told me to and suddenly developed some hero complex. I was going home because that’s where my laptop was with all of our family’s business saved and loaded on the back web. I needed to assess the damage—the true damage. And that wasn’t something I could have done while the cops were crawling all over my docks.
Plus, if Dante knew what was in that warehouse, and whoever had blown it up had known, then that meant our secrets weren’t safe. I’d seriously need to move some shipments around, maybe even ditch our old storage spots altogether. I scowled at the car in front of me, just thinking of all the extra work I’ll have to do today on top of finding out who was attacking my family and leaving me threatening messages.
Even if Dante had been with me the entire time, I couldn’t rule him out. His father’s offices were just a building away, on the same docks, though I wasn’t sure if Sal was crazy enough to set a fire next to his own warehouses. He was probably dealing with the cops right now, trying to keep their noses out of his ‘business’—if you could even call it that.
But if it wasn’t Dante and his family, who else could it be? The Rosanias had spent the last decade making peace with the Irish and the Russians, so it was hard to imagine any of them destroying the beneficial trust we’d given them. They’d have a lot to lose if my family fell, and while we did have a list of enemies, I couldn’t think of a single one who was powerful enough to pull off these attacks and get away with it. Besides, even if Dante knew what was in that warehouse, it didn’t mean anyone outside the mafia would know.
Unless…
I nearly caused an accident as the thought hit me. Whoever had set the fire hadn’t just known how to get past our security, but they’d known exactly where to hit to cause the most damage. Which meant that our attacker was a fucking rat.
And soon to be a very dead rat.
TEN
DANTE