Dante's Way

by Marie Rochelle

  Rounding the corner, Amara ran out into the street and barely jumped back in time as a car nearly hit her.

  “You little bitch, come back here,” hollered a heated voice a few feet behind her.

  Glancing back over her shoulder, Amara spotted Randy gaining on her with Tony and Gus close behind him and the determined looks on their face sent instant terror through her body.

  Her heart pounded against her ribs as she continued across the street. She looked for anywhere to get some help when she suddenly realized where she was, giving her a sudden glimpse of hope.

  The shelter Mr. Lee told her about was only a block away from her. All she had to do was keep out- running the men intent on harming her. Remembering her mistake from last time, Amara looked both ways at the next corner as sweat poured down her back underneath her backpack.

  She darted across and felt a sense of relief when she spotted Pastor Allen’s outreach shelter at the other end. It was like a safety net waiting to wrap its arms around her.

  “Why do you keep running?” Tony snickered, his voice sounding too close for comfort making her stumble, but she caught her balance before she fell to the ground.

  “Leave me alone,” Amara screamed back as she was inches away from the welcoming sight of the steps. Rushing up them, she made it to the door and instantly started banging on it as if her life depended on it because it did.

  “Please, let me in,” she pleaded. “Pastor Allen, are you there. I need your help.” Without even looking back, Amara felt Randy and his buddies closing the small distance between her and them.

  Fear was rioting within her entire body because no one was answering her screams. Sweat poured down her back sticking her t-shirt to her skin. It even felt like her backpack was weighing her down but she continued pounding on the door.

  “Please let me in. Is anyone there? God, please help me!”

  “Hey, do you really expect someone to come out here and help you? It’s just you and us pretty little girl.”

  Twirling around, Amara froze at the sight of Gus, Randy and Tony standing at the bottom step staring at her with smug looks on their filthy faces. She looked around for a way to escape from them, but they had her blocked in at all angles.

  “You know better than to run from us. I wasted my best bottle of whiskey on you. You’ll have to pay for that and I’d much rather have you than liquor,” Gus said. He took a step towards her up the steps at the same time Amara heard the shelter’s door suddenly unlocking behind her.

  “What is going on out here?” a male voice asked. “Who is banging on the door as late as it is? Is there someone out here in trouble?”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Amara pivoted and looked into the eyes of an elderly white man who could have passed for Santa Claus in any Christmas pageant, and then she looked down noticing the white collar around his neck.

  Tears welled up in her eyes and poured down her cheek. “Pastor Allen, you have to help me,” she pleaded. “They’re after me. I need a place to stay. Please let me in. I swear I won’t be any problem. I can’t stay out here tonight. They wouldn’t stop looking for me. I know they won’t.”

  “Who is after you, my child?” Pastor Allen asked, touching her on the arm. “I don’t see anyone behind you.”

  “What?”

  Amara turned back around and she was shocked to see he was telling her the truth. Randy and his cohorts were nowhere in sight. It was like they had never been behind her threatening revenge.

  The emotion she felt was like a bottomless relief. She had never been so scared in her life. Maybe Mr. Lee was right about her getting off the streets, but her immediate future was all in Pastor Allen’s hand.

  “Can I stay here? Do you have any more beds? Mr. Lee told me if I ever needed any help to come here and see you. I have to admit that I’m not a teenager like he might have told you. I’m twenty-four. Is that too old to be here?” She sent up a silent prayer that he would take her in tonight despite her age.

  “Are you Amara?” he asked, coming a little further out of the door and standing on the step in front of her. “Mr. Lee called me about you yesterday morning. He wanted to know if you had shown up yet and I told him no. Why are you only showing up tonight? I can’t hold beds longer than a week.”

  Disappointment wrapped its cold hands around her heart squeezing it tight. She had waited too long to come and now she was out of options. Liam was still missing and now she had lost her chance to stay here because of her stubbornness.

  Amara hung her head in defeat. “You don’t have to tell me. I understand. I’ve waited too long and missed my opportunity for a bed. I’m sorry to have bothered you so late.”

  Why hadn’t she come here the same day Mr. Lee had given her the card? She could feel Randy and his buddies hiding out there in the shadows waiting and watching to see what was going to happen.

  She turned to leave, but suddenly Pastor Allen’s wrinkled hand touched her on the arm stopping her. “My child, I promised Mr. Lee that I would give you shelter. I never break my word to a friend especially one I’ve known for as long as him. Come on inside my child and let me show you to your room.” He took a step back holding the door open wider for her.

  Excitement and shocked mixed in with several other indescribable emotions raced through Amara’s worn-out body as she faced Pastor Allen and stepped inside. The second the door closed behind her, it felt like she was instantly wrapped up in a warm and secure blanket that would protect her from all of the dangers lurking on the outside.

  For the first time in a very long time, Amara felt like she would actually be able to sleep tonight without any fear. The feeling was so foreign to her; it brought fresh tears to her eyes.

  “Amara, are you all right?” Pastor Allen asked, watching her closely over the top of his wire-rimmed glasses.

  “Yes sir, I’m fine,” she answered, softly.

  “How about I show you to your room? You can get settled then get cleaned up while I find you something to eat in the kitchen. I can even show you where to do some laundry if you need to wash any dirty clothing.”

  Turning her head, she stared at the man next to her. “I get my own room?” she whispered, taken by surprise. She thought she would be sharing a huge room with other people like in the YMCA.

  “Yes, we aren’t that big of a place to house a lot of people, so each person gets their own room. Right now, you’re the only person here. However, you will have to pull your weight around here for your room and food. Is that something you can handle?”

  “I will give you and anyone else all the help you need. I’m not afraid of hard work. In fact, I miss working more than anyone knows.”

  Pastor Allen gave her an understanding smile as she walked back with him towards her room. “I bet you have. I hope this place can give you the peace and guidance that you have been searching for since you ended up on the streets.”

  “I know I can find my way here.”

  Amara was sure of one thing. She had gotten blessed with the opportunity and she wasn’t about to blow it by not taking full advantage of it in the best way she could.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Opening the sliding door to his back deck, Dante strolled outside and took a seat in his favorite lounge chair. It was way past time for him to be in bed, but he was too wired from the bar tonight.

  The sales he raked in from the 80’s theme were better than what he’d anticipated when he’d outlined it on paper a few months ago. Tonight was an absolute success; however, he didn’t feel the fulfillment he should have from having a packed house. Most bar owners prayed for nights like he got blessed with a few hours ago, yet he still wanted more. Nights were his favorite time of the day. The quiet and serenity gave him the opportunity to reflect over his day and then go over new ideas for tomorrow.

  However, coming home to a dark house every night was getting old faster than he thought it would. He wouldn’t admit to Jim or any of his guys that he was lonely and missed having a com
mitted relationship.

  Taking a sip of his bourbon and Coke, he relaxed more in his seat wondering why he was feeling so restless all of the sudden. For the better part of his life, he loved living each day as it came and not getting tied down by his history.

  Setting his glass on the table next to him, Dante crossed his ankles and folded his hands on his bare stomach. He looked over his property and remembered how the picturesque view of the city below was the deciding factor that made him put an offer on the place four years ago.

  Every single detail of his new house was different from the small, cramped two bedroom house he’d lived in with his parents and his four brothers. However, those conditions back then didn’t make him love his mother and father any less. He knew how hard they worked to keep food on the table for him and his younger siblings.

  He lost count of how many times he tried to reconnect with his family especially his brothers, but all of them returned all of his letters unopened and changed their phone numbers. It was hard for him to believe his entire family had truly washed their hands of him.

  Why were they still holding that one incident against him after all of these years, he would never know; but his parents had always preached to him and his brothers that it was their way or the highway. Despite all of the turmoil they caused him, he still wanted the connection that came with having a family.

  Family support was so important to him. Which was why a huge part of his heart still hurt from the way his own family disowned him. He understood why his parents wouldn’t want to do anything with him, but what about Rowan, Morgan, Tanner and Lucas?

  Sometimes people made mistakes, but life was about understanding, yet he hadn’t been shown any kind of forgiveness. It was like the day he moved in with Griffin’s family and they accepted him into their lives. He no longer existed to any of them. One thing he learned very quickly when he moved out on his own and into the real world, was he wasn’t going to let anyone to push him into anything.

  Now he cherished the close bond he had formed with Jim and the rest of his friends over the years. All of them had welcomed him into their close knit group with open arms, yet he still wanted what all of them had for himself. Dante didn’t know how much longer he could sit around and watch their families grow with smiling and laughing children.

  He constantly came home to nothing but his dog, Bear, night after night; it wasn’t something he wanted to continue doing but right now, he didn’t see a way out of it. He wasn’t getting any younger and it was about time he got his personal life the way he wanted it.

  He was more than ready to romance one special woman. Working hard to accomplish his dreams had taken center stage but now he needed...no wanted...more to enrich his life and soul. His girlfriend should want to devote some time to him and their relationship. Now, he wasn’t expecting her to spend every single second with him but when he was with someone, he loved all the aspects of it. Like walking hand in hand on the beach or just staying in bed late on a Sunday morning reading the newspaper.

  He was a romantic at heart. He hadn’t been given the right woman to shower all of his skills on and he wasn’t about to waste his time on another relationship that wasn’t going anywhere. The need to be the other half in a strong committed relationship was pushing him more and more each day. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t just settle for any woman, not at his age, because he was in it for the long haul now.

  Okay, enough was enough. Sitting here feeling sorry for himself wasn’t his way and it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. When it was time for his woman to find him...she would. So, until that day arrived he might as well find other exciting ways to keep himself busy and out of trouble.

  Dante got up from his seat and went back into the kitchen walking past his black Lab who was relaxing by the end of the island. He glanced down at his stubborn best friend before heading over to the sink.

  “Why didn’t you come outside with me?” he asked, washing out his glass in the sink before placing it in the dish rack to air dry.

  Bear raised his head and looked at him for a few minutes before putting it back down like he hadn’t seen anything worth his attention.

  Dante had adopted Bear as a puppy about two months after opening Inked. Honestly, he went to the pound to pick out a full grown dog, but the moment he spotted Bear peeking at him through the bars of his cage he knew he wasn’t going to leave without the adorable puppy.

  Bending down, Dante rubbed his buddy on the head before Bear sat up licking him on the face. ‘”Okay, there is no need to get all loving. You can sleep in my room tonight, but you have to stay off the bed. I need my rest.”

  He stood up and strolled out of the kitchen with Bear following closely at his heels. One thing was for sure, whoever he ended up with would have to love dogs because all of his ex-girlfriends had hated his dog, especially Bambi, which made tossing her ass out of his life permanently that much sweeter.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Walking around the tiny bedroom, Amara ran her hand over the desk as the morning sun shone brightly through the open window casting a warm glow inside the room...her room. When she had been running for her life last night from Randy and his two friends, she never imagined waking up in a warm comfortable bed with nice clean sheets.

  Stopping in front of the mirror, she ran her hands over her hair and then the clothing she got to wash and dry last night before going to bed. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she stared at an old reflection that she never thought she would see again.

  She was clean...not a quick two minute clean from washing up in a gas station bathroom because she was afraid of being caught. But a long, hot shower that she stayed in as long as her body could handle until the water turned cold.

  Amara couldn’t believe how in a span of twenty-four hours how much her circumstances had changed for the better. This small room was paradise and she would do any kind of work to show Pastor Allen how much she appreciated his kindness. Turning around, she couldn’t help but look at herself again and secretly wonder what Dante would think at this moment if he saw her all cleaned up like this instead of wearing dirty, stained clothing.

  As much as she tried to shove the handsome...no gorgeous...bar owner out of her mind Amara couldn’t do it. Every time she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, his face was there and his compelling eyes watched her like he could see all of her wishful dreams.

  How could she still be thinking about a guy who only wanted to hurt her? Well...maybe not physically but mentally he was driving her crazy. The last time he spoke with her at the park was completely strange.

  Why would he want to help her now?

  He did seem so sincere, but she wasn’t about to believe he had turned over a new leaf where she was concerned. God, Dante wasn’t even smart enough to see that she was a grown woman instead of a teenage girl.

  Moving away from the mirror, Amara wandered over to the window hoping to get Dante Braden out of her mind. She should stop thinking about him because she wouldn’t run into him again, no matter how much a small part of her wanted to see him and get lost in the scent of his expensive cologne.

  She gazed out of the tiny window noticing there wasn’t much of a view, but for the time being it was hers and she was going to cherish tiny details. Being here could be her first step at getting her world back on track and finally making something out of herself.

  A part of Amara believed her parents had a helping hand in bringing her here to the outreach shelter. They were big believers in good things happening to good people. How could she not think they had been looking out for her through the hardest struggle in her life?

  Not once did she ever think about not finding a permanent way out of her situation. Both of her parents had given her a strong constitution to constantly find the best in every situation no matter how unbearable things might look at the moment.

  Resting her shoulder against the wall, Amara watched as a food truck pulled up in the shelter’s alley. Minutes later, Pa
stor Allen along with two other men, started unloading different items from the vehicle. As she continued to watch them, she began to feel a little guilty she wasn’t down there offering them some help.

  Amara rushed away from the window and went out of the bedroom door and then down the hallway excited about the thought of finally doing some kind of work. It didn’t matter to her how small it might be as long as she was being kept busy.

  ****

  Hurrying out the bathroom, Dante wrapped the towel around his waist and picked up his cell phone from the night stand by his bed answering it on the third ring.

  “Hello,” he said out of breath

  “Hey man. Did I catch you at a bad time?” Caleb laughed. “Should I call you back in about ten minutes or something?”

  “No, I’m not busy in the way you think. I was getting out of the shower when I heard the phone and I was trying to catch it before the person hung up. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m here at the bar and I was wondering if you could make a trip to Inked for me. I left my phone at the front desk. I can’t be without it until I get back there later on this afternoon.”

  Dante made his way over to his closet. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Coming back over to his bed, he tossed them down on top of it. Today was already busy enough for him, but Caleb didn’t ask him do a lot for him so he guessed he could swing by the tattoo shop.

  “Sure, I can run by there. I was going to be in that part of town anyway. I need to drop off some donations to the local shelter downtown. I haven’t checked in on Pastor Allen lately. I’ve been so busy with work and putting the final touches on the tournament.”