by Angel Steel
I lean forward, resting my head on his chest above where my hands are, feeling every beat of his heart against my hands. I can’t believe he is alive, standing in front of me. I can feel him, every part of him as he holds my hands to him. I lift my head and look up. His thumb rubs over the side of my wrists as we both continue to stare at one another. I’d dreamt of this moment, of seeing, feeling and hearing him again. But there’s one other thing I needed to know.
“If I didn’t leave the shop, were you ever going to tell me it was you, or were you just going to leave me again?”
He doesn’t reply straight up. I remain staring at him waiting for his answer, but nothing. His grip on my hands loosens and I know right there and then my answer. I step back out of his reach. “You were going to leave after everything, weren’t you and not even tell me you were alive?”
“Yes,” he whispers and drops his head.
That’s it, I lose it completely! I shift forward and slam my fists against his chest. “How could you do that to me? You made me fall in love with Zane, with you… yet again, and you were just going to up and leave without a reason and leave me alone once again.” My fists come down hard repeatedly on his chest, he flinches allowing me to hit him, but he doesn’t stop me at all.
I push him as hard as I can until he stumbles back. “I hate you, Dante, or should I call you Zane now? It doesn’t matter, don’t bother answering. It will only be another lie that comes from your mouth.”
He steps forward to grab me as I go to walk around him. I turn quickly in his direction and raise my knee up and slam straight in between his legs hitting him squarely in the balls. He falls forward trying to grab a hold of my ankle, but I shift to the left and watch as he falls to his knees holding himself in hands.
I step near him enough that he can’t touch me. “I know it hurts, but it doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as you’ve just hurt me, Zane.” I can’t use his real name, it makes me feel sick. Sick that he is alive and well, and acting as someone different to himself, and also the fact that he wasn’t going to tell me who he really is.
I lean forward more, making sure I have his full attention. “Don’t ever come near me or talk to me again, Zane or whatever your name is these days. I don’t want anything to do with you, or your reason for being here. Do the thing you do best, finish what you’re here to do and leave,” I hiss and stand up and back away from him.
I’m not sticking around anymore to hear more lies come from his mouth. I turn and run to my truck, tears streaming down my face, my heart broken yet again. I ignore the pleas as he yells behind me to stay. I can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t allow him to destroy me like he did five years ago and again now.
Slamming the truck door behind me as I climb into the cab and lock the door. I start the engine and shift into reverse and jolt backward as my truck moves, and quickly shift into first gear and screech out of the carpark. I see Dante stand and move toward where my truck was parked, as I turn the corner out of the cemetery. Then my phone rings, I know it’s him but I’m not answering.
He took a part of me when he died, and I’m not allowing him to take the rest of me now. No! I change into second gear and push harder on the accelerator getting farther and farther away from him. I know it wasn’t going to work out, we worked at the same shop for God’s sake, but I’m going to rectify that right now as I make my way toward the shop.
My dad is about to find out who Zane really is, and the way my dad is, Zane is not going to be working at the shop for much longer.
Slamming my fist against the steering wheel as I drive away from the cemetery, not once glancing back to see if Dante is standing there watching as I leave. I don’t care. My heart is breaking all over again seeing him stand there right in front of me… alive, breathing, in flesh and blood, and not a figment of my imagination.
Tears trickle down my cheeks one after the other, blurring my vision as I turn into the shop’s parking bay. I can’t wipe them away fast enough because as soon as I do another lot spill straight after them. How could he do this to me? To us? All this time he was alive and doing God knows what, while I was here, morning him. The love of my life, the one that held my heart with his own. He doesn’t care if he wreaks me completely. This is all about him, not us. It was always about him and him alone, never about us.
Wiping the wetness away from the corner of my eyes and cheeks, I open the door and slide out. I don’t stop, not even to close the door as I hastily make my way to the main door and slam the door back against the wall, hard. The noise echoes through the shop as I walk past the counter and down the hall. Swallowing the lump in my throat, the pain in my chest is intensifying as I round the corner. Stopping suddenly and leaning against the wall, I try to breathe through the pain. There’s nothing to help me with what I’m going through, no drug will fix this, fix what’s happening deep inside of me. Nothing will ever fix this.
“Amelia,” I hear my name being called out.
Closing my eyes and controlling my breathing, the pain subsides enough that I can now move again and I shift from the wall and begin walking step by slow step toward my father’s office, ignoring the heavy footsteps thundering behind me. Stopping at the door to my father’s office, my hand on the door handle, I take one long deep breath and turn the handle then push it open. I step inside and look around the small room.
“Dad,” I say as I enter.
I step over toward the bathroom door and knock since it is closed, but there’s no answer. Pushing the door inwards, he’s not in here or the office. Spinning around, ready to leave, I freeze my movement as Dante stands in the doorway leaning against the frame, breathing heavily. My fists clench together as I stomp my way over and try to pass him. His arm slams in front of me stopping me from leaving.
“Move,” I growl.
“No,” his voice strains as he takes a step into the room.
Shifting back from him, I glance between him and the doorway and then back to him.
“We need to talk,” he says taking another step toward me.
I step to the side, closer to the desk not wanting to be anywhere near him. I watch carefully as he makes his way fully into the room, closing the door quietly behind him, but he stays close to the door.
Shit! I can’t be near him now. I need to get out of this room!
His eyes flick over me, searching my face. “Lia, you can’t say anything to Chopper,” he says stepping right in front of me.
Crossing my arms over my chest. “Oh really? Well, I can assure you, yes, I will be, Dante. There is no way I want to be in the same place as you. So I’m telling him, so he can get rid of you,” I hiss out.
He’s suddenly towering over me, pushing flush against my body. Gripping the desk with my hands, I hold my breathing not wanting to breathe him in.
“Lia, as soon as you tell him or anyone else, they’re dead. Do you understand what I’m saying? Fuck! You weren’t supposed to know, but I had to let you know myself,” he states.
Ignoring the rest of what he’s just said. “Is that a threat? You do know who my dad is, right?”
“There are more dangerous people out there than your father, Lia. And if it gets out that I am here, and especially here with you, they will kill anyone, including you, and I don’t want any harm coming to you. That’s why I faked my death in the first place, to keep you safe,” he says the last part in a whisper, but I hear the words perfectly.
I’m starting to cave, I can feel in my body and heart, but I can’t allow it to happen. Standing straight, I push against Dante’s chest. “It’s not your decision anymore what happens to me. Whatever you’re involved with, my dad and I can handle it. I don’t need you at all,” I hiss and step sideways around him and walk toward the door, but I’m stopped when Dante bangs his hand on the door, stopping me from exiting.
I feel the heat of his body on my back, his other hand resting on my hips and his breath at my ear as he leans in. “Your father can’t handle Carlos, Lia, not
on his own. And not even with who he knows. Carlos will kill you and everyone you know if he finds out about you and your connection to me,” he replies sternly.
“How would you know what my dad can do or who he knows can handle, Dante? You haven’t been here for the last five years. And I’m not connected to you anymore,” I hiss not moving from where I am.
“I’ve been watching over you and him for the past couple of years, Lia. The times I couldn’t watch you, one of my team members did. I know everyone that he affiliates with. And you are, Lia, you’re my wife. Even if I am dead to everyone else.”
Oh my God!
“You fucking asshole,” the words tremble in my throat.
I try to turn my body around to face him, but he stops my movement and pins me to the door. My breath begins to wheeze in my lungs. He’s been watching over me? Tears start to well in the corner of my eyes. Closing my eyelids and resting my head on the wooden door, I feel Dante’s hand shift from my hip and slowly trace up my back and stop at the base of my neck. My whole body sags into the door, as my tears slide down my cheeks.
He leans closer to my ear, his voice low, “I can tell you everything you need to know, Lia, just not here.”
I hear footsteps coming down the hallway toward the office, by the heaviness of each step, it’s my dad heading this way. Raising my head from the door, I push Dante back away from me and the door and he allows me to do so. I spin around facing him. I don’t even feel my hand raise as I watch in slow motion as my hand slaps him hard across the face. His head rotates on his shoulders and slowly returns facing me. My hand throbs from the impact, but I don’t care right now. I reach out for the door handle and begin opening it.
“Lia, you can’t tell anyone, please. Don’t do it for me, but do it for yourself and for your father,” he says before I walk out of the room.
I wipe at my face, removing all the evidence of my tears before I came face-to-face with my dad as I walk out and close the door behind me.
“Lia?”
I lift my head up and stare into my dad’s eyes. My lips begin to tremble, as I stand there in front of him.
“Jesus, Lia. You had me worried. Where have you been?” he says pulling me into a hug. My arms wrap around him instantly as he pulls me tightly against his body. I swallow the sob in my throat as he steps back and looks down at me. A frown covers his face. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”
No, Dante never died. I never buried him. And he’s standing in your office, right now.
How could I keep this from him?
How could Dante keep it from me?
He searches my face and steps up to me again and raises his hand to my cheek. Closing my eyes, I lean into his hand. “Dad,” I sob slightly.
His hand slides to my chin and lifts it up. “What’s wrong, baby girl?”
The door behind me opens, and my dad’s hand on my chin grips slightly, but not painful. I open my eyes instantly as I feel Dante’s heat behind me. Dad glances from Dante to me. I freeze. He does it a couple more times and his stare hardens on Dante behind me.
“What’s going on?” he questions, not asking me, but Dante.
Dante doesn’t say anything. My dad’s grip tightens on my chin as he glares over my shoulder. I raise my hand to his wrist and grasp onto it. His eyes drop to mine straight away. I can see the questions in his eyes, but I can’t answer them, even if I want to.
“I’m going to head home and have a shower,” I murmur then I rise up on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek.
I don’t wait for his reply. I move past him and make my way down the hall. I know both of them are staring at me, I can feel their eyes, but I’m not stopping. I know if I do, I will tell my dad about Dante.
Could I though? Could I actually tell Dad that Dante has been working for him for the past several months?
No! Well, not yet.
I needed to listen to what Dante has to tell me. I need to know the whole reason why he is here and why he is being someone else.
I hear Dante call my name, but I ignore him and keep walking. How much can one person take in twenty-four hours? I’m not ready for anything more he has to say right now. It’s way too much now, just knowing that my Dante, my husband is alive and not buried. Sliding behind the steering wheel of Dad’s truck, I’m going to head home for that much-needed shower and then drown my sorrows until I can’t feel a damn thing.
Cursing under my breath, I watch her walk away and disappear from my view as I stand here with Chopper now glaring at me.
“Are you going to explain to me what just happened?” Chopper demands, stepping in front of me.
“She’s upset because I told her I’m undercover working here,” I rumble. It wasn’t a lie really. She already knew I was, but now she knew her dead husband was alive.
“Jesus, Zane. Of course, she would be hurt by that news!” Chopper answers.
I glance his way thinking, she’s hurt because I lied to her for the last five years.
Changing the subject. “Masen has narrowed the list to two people both are affiliated with Carlos. We have footage of them both coming and going from Carlos’ estate in the same truck they were here in. We’re bringing them in for questioning and to find out just how deep they are into Carlos’ gang,” I tell him staring down the hall.
“I want to be there when you question them, Zane.”
I face him fully. “You know that can’t happen Chopper. No one can know that you’re involved in this.”
“Fuck that! This is my shop. My family. And whoever is messing with either of them, deals with me, Zane. I take good care of what belongs to me,” he gripes, then pushes past me, and storms off into his office.
Least we had something in common, whether Amelia agrees with me or not, I’m making sure she is safe from all this shit, even if it is my last mission. My last moments spent with her I am going to make sure she’s safe, even if I’m not going to be here once it’s all over and done with.
The last five days I’ve ignored Dante as best I can. It’s been hard to do so, knowing he’s alive and breathing. I make sure I have someone with me wherever I go. I can’t be alone with him because I’ll cave and I won’t be able to prove my point. Which is, showing him what he has missed for the last five years? Yep, this is the bitchy side coming out in me. Yes, I am hurt, that he kept this all from me, but he was the one that made the decision to stay away. To end what we once had.
Reaching into the back of my closet, I pull off the black garment bag and lay it on my bed. Wonder how he’s going to feel when you can’t touch the one thing you want most. Now he’ll know how I felt the last five years. The last several months when he pretended to be someone else when, in fact, I was actually with my husband all along. But this time I’ll be ignoring him, acting like he isn’t here, but also showing him the one thing he will not have again. Just like he did when he stood there in the shadows keeping an eye on me, over the years.
Sliding the zipper down on the garment bag, the sides fall open revealing the clothes on the inside. A slow grin covers my lips as I pull out the black leather pants. Dropping my towel, I step into them and pull them up my legs and over my ass. Doing the button and zipper up I stand back from the bed and check myself in front of the mirror.
The thin leather covers my legs like a second skin. It’s like they’re painted on me. As I twist to one side, then the other watching the material doesn’t shift with my movements. The outline of my G-string isn’t visible. It looks like I’m completely bare under them, which is the look I am going for. I bend forward reaching for the white top on the end of the bed and pull it over my head. The bra I have on pushes my breasts higher into the ‘V’ at the front, exposing them more. I pull the top up enough that only a small amount of cleavage is showing.
I quickly tie my newly dyed blonde hair back into a ponytail, pull on my boots, and walk out of my bedroom and into the living room. Finding my bag on the countertop, I drop my phone into it and turn around and walk o
ut the back door and toward my dad’s truck that’s parked behind my house.
Opening the door, I throw my bag across the bench seat and hop up, closing the door behind me. Let’s see how well he can handle being completely ignored. To feel just how I have felt the last five years thinking he was dead. But, in fact, he’s been hiding in the shadows all along. I won’t be hiding though, I’ll be in plain sight for him to see.
How much can a man take, watching as his wife walk around wearing leather? Tight ass fucking leather for that fact? All week she’s worn leather. First it was the pants. And as each day passes, the tighter they get. I swear the damn things are painted on. I know what she’s doing and it’s fucking working. My hand twitches at my side as I can’t take my eyes from her ass, as she squats down in front of the bike, inspecting it.
I bite my tongue, as she leans to one side. The top rises up her back giving me a small glimpse of her creamy, perfect skin. Groaning deep in my throat, my hand shifts to the front of my jeans and I re-arrange myself. It doesn’t help. She rests her hands on her knees and slowly begins to stand, pushing her ass out more while sliding her hands up and along the front of her thighs then resting them on her hips. She turns around to face me and Torch while we both stand there.
“The front fender doesn’t match the back one.” She steps to the back of the bike, pointing at it, then the front one. “The tip needs to be curved more, here,” she says as she leans over and begins to trace over the area.
“Amelia,” I groan under my breath.
She looks into my eyes as her finger slowly begins to glide up the metal. Then her eyes fall from mine and slide down my body until they rest on my dick. I know she can see the outline of my cock as it pushes painfully hard against the zipper. Shifting my hand to the front of my jeans, I rub over my erection once and drop my hand, her movement continues as she lifts her eyes to mine again. A smile forms on her lips then her hand drops away from the bike and she stands to her full height.