Chapter 10

Melanie

The drive back was silent, except for the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I had stopped thinking of Dante’s words, not that I wasn’t terrified about what was to come. Oh, trust me, I was. But I had much scarier thoughts to deal with by scarier I mean Gustavo’s death.

As I stared out the window, all I could think about was Gustavo’s body hitting the ground, the blood, his voice echoing in my head when he called me a destruction.

I felt like absolute shit.

I felt like a killer, even though I wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger.

If I had just stayed away from his home, he’d still be alive. Just like if I hadn’t run away with Miguel… he’d still be alive. And so would my dad.

I tried to breathe, but the guilt clawed at my chest like a wild animal.

I was officially the queen of fucked-up decisions. Someone hand me a crown and a sash already.

Right in the middle of my mental breakdown, Dante slammed the brakes so hard my body jerked forward, and I had to catch myself on the dashboard.

“I hate when people ignore me,” he growled.

I didn’t even realize he was speaking. I was so deep in my thoughts that nothing seemed to matter.

I turned slowly, and as I looked at him. I blurted words that I shouldn’t have said. “You didn’t have to kill him… You just didn’t.”

He tilted his head, like he was studying an insect. “I do what I have to do. You should be thanking me. I saved your life.”

“No!” I screamed, my voice cracking, tears finally pushing out of my eyes. I hated that I was crying in front of him. I was supposed to be strong. I was supposed to be above this. But the pain in my chest couldn’t be ignored.

“You’re doing the same thing every man in this city does,” I choked out between sobs. “Kill. Hurt. Destroy. You’re all the same.”

His lip curled into a cruel smirk. “From what I discovered. you’re the one that destroys.”

My eyes snapped wide. My heart stopped beating for a second. Did he know about my past?

Of course not, but what if he did?

“I would advise you to stop pointing fingers and probably focus on thinking about how you will handle the fucked up situation you’re about to experience. ” he added, his voice crawling under my skin.

He didn’t say anything else. He turned back to the wheel, started the engine again, and pressed down hard. The car surged forward, swallowing up the road in an angry blur.

I pressed my forehead against the window, and just like before Gustavo’s voice continued haunting me.

When we finally pulled up to the estate, I didn’t even wait for the car to stop fully. I reached for the door, desperate to get away from him, from everything.

But his voice snapped again. “You’re not stepping inside,” he barked, pointing his gun towards me. “That’s your punishment for stealing my bike.”

I froze mid-step.

“If you try to go in, I’ll kill you the same way I killed Gustavo. Understand?”

I didn’t nod. I didn’t breathe. I just stepped out and shut the door behind me, feeling the cold air blow pass my skin.

Dante walked past me, stopping in front of the entrance of the mansion where two heavily armed men stood.

“Make sure she doesn’t go in until the next morning.” He yelled loud enough for me to hear.

“If she manages to step inside. You two are goners.” He snorted.

Without sparring me a second glance. He walked away.

I stood there in the dark, and trust me, all I wanted to do was grab a gun, go after Dante down, and shoot him right between those cold, smug eyes. But let’s be real, I’d never actually do it. Why? Because I was terrified of guns.

So instead, I could only wish. Hope. Daydream about it dramatically.

An hour passed by, and after that, I completely lost track of time. My phone, which was my only weapon against the soul-crushing boredom had died, leaving me alone with my own thoughts.

My legs started to ache like I’d just run a marathon I never signed up for.

At some point, I gave up and slid down against the wall, hugging my knees to my chest, staring at absolutely nothing.

When dawn started to break, I saw my mother coming out for her usual morning jog.

My mother stopped when she saw me. “Mela? What are you doing out here?”

I tried to smile. “Getting some fresh air,”

I lied, I knew I should probably tell her what Dante did, but that was exactly what Dante wanted, for my mom to be angry. For her to want to leave for the sake of her daughter.

I wasn’t going to let that happen.

My mom walked closer, her brows furrowing. “You never come out to get ‘fresh air. You know if something’s wrong you can always tell me.”

That look in her eyes, the concern in her voice. It broke me.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” I said in a cracked tone. “I’m so sorry.”

“What are you talking about, sweet girl?”

I didn’t realize I was shaking until she reached out to hold me. My arms just sort of flopped around her waist like soggy noodles, and tears slowly dropped down my eyes.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday. I really want you to be happy here.”

I wasn’t crying because of her. Not really. I was crying because of Gustavo. Because I had watched life drain out of him like water down a cracked pipe. It reminded me of my dad. Of Miguel.

She rubbed my back and guided me into the kitchen, whispering things I couldn’t even hear over the hammering of my thoughts.

The kitchen smelled like fresh bread and expensive coffee beans.

My mom handed me a glass of water after I settled on the stool and Aria walked inside the kitchen at that exact moment. Her emerald eyes sparkled against her tan skin, as she grabbed an apple from the counter.

She chomped it down, then tilted her head in our direction like she just finally noticed we existed.

“What’s going on? Mother and daughter emo bonding moment?”

I forced the fakest smile ever.“Yep. Mother and daughter emotional bonding.”

Aria raised an eyebrow and pulled out her phone. “Weird,” she muttered, scrolling as she took another loud crunch from her apple.

She didn’t stop, though. “Would you like to help me shop for my quinceañera? It’s in a week, and I was gonna take the boys, but they’re basically allergic to fun. And my best friend Heather, who's such a bitch by the way, decided to pick a fight with me when I needed her most.”

My mom’s face lightened up like a Hallmark card. “That’s why you have me, mi amor. I’d love to help. When do you want to go?”

“Today,” Aria said, tossing her curls. “I managed to convince the driver to be free today.”

As if on cue, Dante stepped inside. To be honest there should be a law against him looking that good in sweatpants. He wore a plain white T-shirt that showed off his tattoos snaking down his arms, the fabric clinging to his muscular chest. His grey sweatpants sat low on his hips, and I could actually see the ridges of his abs under the thin cotton. His blue eyes scanned the room like a damn panther looking for prey and that little amusement I felt seconds ago disappeared.

I was back to seeing him like the devil he was. I literally glared at him.

Aria on the other hand, lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw him. She strolled up to him, and they did this weird signature handshake that looked too complicated for my fragile brain.

“What’s your plan today?” he asked Aria. “Because if you’re heading to Elegance with Heather. I’ll have to drive. Samuel hurt his leg.”

Aria rolled her eyes, throwing her apple core in the trash. “I’m going to elegance but not with Heather. We fought, so I invited Melanie and Maria.”

Dante’s eyes flicked toward me, and the disgust there was so thick it could clog a sink. He looked like he’d rather eat broken glass than ride in a car with us.

“Tell them to be ready by one,” he ordered, like we weren’t standing right there with functioning ears. He turned to the coffee machine and started fiddling with it, completely ignoring us.

Aria stood up and moved in his direction.

“You’re having my coffee!” He smiled, looking at her.

“I don’t want your coffee. I want a favor. I want you to shoot Antonio.” She leaned against the counter.

“Heather’s boyfriend?” Dante raised a brow. She nodded.

“What did that shithead do?”

“He made me and Heather fight, and she took his side. I figured if he’s dead. My friendship would be safe. He’s literally the reason why Heather and I fight all the time.”

Shockingly, Dante didn’t shut her down. Instead, he nodded, actually listening. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, sounding almost… brotherly. “I would have one of my men rattle him up, but you know I don’t kill people if they don’t deserve it.”

My mom tried to jump in to say something when Leonardo shuffled into the kitchen. He was wearing a dark navy tracksuit.

Aria perked up instantly. “Oh my god! Did you go jogging?”

Leonardo grinned sheepishly. “Yeah…”

“Wow! The last time you jogged was when you had a crush on Annabelle!” she squealed.

Dante barked out a laugh. “Who’s the new bitch, Leo?”

Leonardo’s cheeks turned even redder. “There’s no one! And I actually chose the worst day to jog in the lower part of Città dei re. They found a gangster burned to death. His organs were all… out.”

“His name ends with stavo.” He said slowly. “I think it’s Gustavo.”

My stomach did a full gymnastics routine.

Dante only shrugged like Leonardo had just told him the weather was nice.

“Probably overdue,” he muttered, unfazed.

My mind went to Dante’s last sentence before he stepped into the car; Clean up this mess.

That was Dante’s idea of cleanup? Fire and gutting?

Leonardo kept describing the scene. He was saying something about intestines, charred flesh and Aria covered her ears, screaming.

I pushed back from the counter. “I have to go…”

My mom’s hand shot out, gripping my wrist. “Are you okay, Mela?”

I forced another smile, hoping my face wouldn’t crack. “Yeah… I just need a quick nap before we go shopping.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay, cariño. Rest.”

I was halfway up the stairs when I felt a presence behind me.

“Guai!”

I froze so hard, I almost fell backward. Then I turned to see Dante staring at me.

He climbed up two steps, his tall frame towering over me even from below.

“Don’t forget, you need to get the fuck out of this house with your mother. I’m giving you until the quinceañera. After that…”

He didn’t finish his words just walked away.

‘Yeah, keep walking, asshole, ‘ I said to myself. ‘Because whether you like it or not, I’m going to do everything in my power to stay in this house with my mother. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.’