Besides the small chit-chat initially, Dante’s father had been pretty tame compared to the Commission meeting a week ago. He hadn’t tried to push or pry as much as I thought he would, which might have been because his wife was seated just beside me. From what I gathered, he tried to keep her out of the family business, but whether it was out of love or contempt for the opposite gender, I couldn’t tell. I tried to picture Sal as being the Snake, tried to imagine him really doing the things this psycho had done the past month, but couldn’t. Sal had always been ambitious, but he was also a stickler to the rules, which were limited, but still existed between the mafia families. Sal wouldn’t jeopardize the law and order we stood for just to obtain his goal, would he?
Dante would know better than I, and even he suspected his father. Or maybe he didn’t. The thought that this was all just a ruse—his cooperation, him seeming so against his father—crossed my mind again. When I’d first met Dante, he said he wished he could run away, just like me, but couldn’t. Was that why? Was this plan of his father’s the thing keeping him here?
“Sienna?” Marie’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I turned, a smile already on my face. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to say that I’m very sorry for your loss.” Her hand found mine, squeezing it gently. “The boys might not think I know what happens out there, but I do. And I know how dangerous it can be for our families.”
Blinking back my surprise, I said, “Thank you.”
“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. The men might have their grudges, but I do not.”
I studied her for a moment. She seemed sincere, but in this life, one could never tell. “Thank you. I will.”
“Are you ready?” Dante asked, coming back down the stairs.
“Ah, before you go, I was hoping you’d have coffee with me tomorrow?” Marie turned to her son, her hands automatically reaching for his hair to smooth it down.
Dante expertly dodged her. “I think I can squeeze it in. What time?”
“How about nine in the morning?”
“Great. Just text me which cafe you’d like to go to.” He planted a quick kiss on her cheek before turning back to me. “Let’s head out?”
“It was great to see you again!” Marie called from the door. I sent her a small wave, half-turning. Behind her, Sal stood in the foyer, watching us.
Shivering, I turned my back on him. I might have survived dinner with him tonight, but tomorrow was a whole other ball game.
FOURTEEN
DANTE
Just before Sienna unlocks the car door, I grab the keys from her hand.
“Hey!” She tried to snatch them back. My arm went up, keeping them well out of her reach.
“I’m driving,” I said with a shrug.
She eyed me angrily. “Where the hell is your car?”
“Back at the restaurant I met Killian at. We had one too many drinks to drive ourselves home.” Backing away slowly, I unlocked the car before making a mad dash to the front seat. The door slammed between us, locking again before Sienna could reach for the handle.
“Then you shouldn’t be driving now!” Her voice was muffled through the glass.
I pretended that I couldn’t hear her, cupping a hand to my ear. “Come again?”
She let out a muffled scream of frustration. “You are such an ass sometimes!” I watched as she stomped around the front of the car, jiggling the passenger side’s handle before I unlocked it again. “I swear, if you fucking kill us, I will haunt you.”
“How can you haunt someone who’s also a ghost?” I asked, face scrunching.
She smacked my chest. “I’m serious.”
“Relax, I’m fine now. That sordid dinner sobered me up,” I joked, starting the car. Sienna huffed, crossing her arms and glaring out the window.
I glanced over at her. She was cute when she was angry. No, scratch that. She was sexy as hell. I loved seeing her mad—especially at me. The way it turned me on should have been taboo, but I didn’t give two shits. Following the drive back to the road, I let her stew for a bit longer, allowing the flames to stoke themselves.
“So.” My voice filled the silence. “What did you think about dinner?”