Made Man Dante

by Liliana Rhodes

  “What happened? Are you okay?” Dante asked, looking behind me as Sonny led Ron away.

  “I’m fine. My hand hurts a little, but I’ll live.”

  “Is that what you do to all your ex-boyfriends?” he asked with a smirk.

  “Yes, so make sure you don’t piss me off,” I said, slipping my hand in his. “Can we go home?”

  “Of course.”

  He touched my cheek softly with his fingertips then kissed my forehead. I was proud of myself and hoped Dante wouldn’t ask any more questions. I still wasn’t ready to tell him everything.

  As my blood continued to race, I felt embarrassed for what I did. The past flashed before me again and I wondered what Dante would think if he knew. I didn’t think he would accept my secrets or me after he found out the truth.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Gia

  With Sonny busy, Dante took one of his father’s cars to drive us back to Manhattan. Staring out the window, I couldn’t focus on anything. Ron’s words rang through my head like the bell of a clock tower.

  Slut slut slut! I turned to look at Dante. There was so much I hadn’t told him. He thought I was a good person. Would he still love me if he found out the truth?

  He rolled his window down as a man in a dark suit stepped out from a gatehouse. Where were we? I looked around and realized I had no idea where Dante had taken me.

  “Thirty-six. Gambino,” Dante said to the guard.

  The guard nodded, and the dark iron gate ahead of us slowly opened. Did he tell me we were going somewhere else and I forgot? Anything was possible after what just happened. I was just glad Dante wasn’t there to hear what Ron said, but how long would it be before he found out?

  Dante turned into the driveway of a cottage style home with brown weather-worn shingles and a gazebo attached to the wide white porch. As we stepped out of the car, the sound of the waves crashed onto the beach.

  “Come,” he said as he took my hand. “I’m surprised you haven’t asked me anything yet.”

  He smiled sweetly as he led me to the door of the house, pulled a key out of his pocket, and unlocked the door. I was so confused, my mind felt like mush. Who’s house was this? Why did Dante have a key?

  Dante turned on a light switch, and the ceiling’s recessed lights lit the empty room. The wide planked wood floor gleamed and as we walked, our footsteps echoed in the empty room.

  In the rear of the house was a large kitchen with white shaker-style cabinets and a double wall oven. Everything sparkled as if it was new. Through the sliding glass doors was a rectangular in-ground pool and just beyond that, sand and the ocean.

  “Where are we?” I finally asked. “Whose house is this?”

  “Ours,” he said, his blue eyes dancing as he smiled.

  He continued talking, telling me about the house, but his words never reached my ears. Ours? As he pointed outside, I saw a smaller version of the house facing the pool. The words ‘guest house’ and ‘office’ registered in my head, but then everything else turned into noise.

  We went upstairs and walked through the bedrooms. The master bedroom had a deck that overlooked the pool and the ocean. The view was breathtaking, but I couldn’t enjoy it. The more he spoke, the more I felt myself shutting down. And then a group of words made their way into my head as he spoke about the other rooms–‘when we have children’.

  No! I silently screamed in my head. I can’t do this! I don’t deserve this! I don’t deserve him. He deserves so much better than some SLUT.

  Ron’s laughter filled my head once more as his words taunted me. My chest felt heavy and tears stung my eyes. I thought back to the past, to my life before I entered the convent, and felt only shame. Maybe Ron was right, maybe I needed something as extreme as the convent to cleanse me. That’s how dirty I was.

  I tried to push the thoughts out of my head. I knew better. I was better than that. But Ron’s words kept winning. My throat closed up and I couldn’t breathe. I turned back down the hallway, my shoes clicking on the floor as I ran back downstairs.

  “Gia? Are you okay?” Dante called out from behind me.

  I couldn’t answer. I could only think of getting back outside. I had to get out of the house. I had to get some air.

  Flying out the front door, I crashed into Sonny, who was climbing the porch steps.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just can’t do this,” I muttered as I pushed past him and stood on the lawn.

  Slut!

  I couldn’t get away from it. I took a deep breath as I covered my face with my hands. I had to get a grip! I should be happy.

  I turned back towards the house. It was perfect, like something out of a dream. And my dream guy stepped out onto the porch. But everything in me screamed ‘no!’ Every part of me said he didn’t deserve to be stuck with a slut like me and I didn’t deserve someone so good.

  Dante’s brow was wrinkled and his eyes narrowed as he looked at me. He was trying to figure me out. I imagined him looking at a bomb the same way, trying to evaluate how best to nullify it without it exploding.

  My heart ticked in my chest and I knew the countdown had begun. I had to let him go. I couldn’t drag Dante down with me. I wasn’t worthy of him or his love.

  He stepped off the porch and onto the lawn to stand in front of me. His eyes searched my face and tried to connect with mine, but I refused. If I looked into his pale blue eyes, I’d never be able to say what I needed to.

  His fingers brushed back my hair from my face and he cupped my cheek with his hand. The warmth was so inviting, so comforting, I briefly leaned my face into his palm and closed my eyes. But then I backed away.

  “Things are moving too fast,” I said. “You didn’t even talk to me about any of this. It’s too much. I can’t do this, Dante. I can’t.”

  “I wanted to surprise you. I thought you would love this house. I did it for you, for us, and our future.”

  Shaking my head, I pushed away his words as Ron’s laughter echoed in my head again.

  “No, Dante. This isn’t what I want,” I lied. “I need time to think, I need time to myself.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Dante

  What was Gia saying? I didn’t know what was going on, but something happened. Was it because of her ex? Did she still have feelings for him? I didn’t even know she had an ex. What else didn’t I know about her?

  The fire in my stomach rose with my temper. She wasn’t telling me something. Gia was keeping things from me, and I needed to know what. Was I wrong for trusting her?

  “This is bullshit, Gia,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her, her back still facing me. “I’m just telling you how I feel. I need time.”

  “I’m not stupid, Gia. You’re keeping things from me. What haven’t you told me? Is this about Ron?”

  Her body stiffened, and I knew I was right. She didn’t have to say a word, but I waited. I listened to her short breaths, I could see the slight tremor in her shoulders. She was acting like the rats I had taken care of–she was afraid. And fear was the last thing I wanted her to feel around me.

  Wrestling with myself, I knew I could get it out of her like I had gotten others to talk. Their fear of me was enough to make them tell me everything. But I didn’t want that. I wanted Gia to trust me. If she had a secret, I wanted her to tell me what it was on her own.

  “I’ve told you everything,” I said softly as I breathed in the orange blossom scent of her hair. “But you’re keeping secrets from me, aren’t you?”

  “Like you’re not?” she said, spinning around to face me. Her eyes were wild and her jaw was clenched. “You haven’t said anything about Terry.”

  She was fighting back. Part of me was impressed. She was stronger than some of the men I had dealt with. But I didn’t understand why she would feel so much anger towards me. All I ever did was love her.

  “There’s nothing to say ab
out Terry. He put you in danger.”

  “And you took care of him,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers. “You killed him.”

  Her words were like a slap, and my face burned from them. I stepped back from her, my rage and darkness beginning to take over. I was right all along, she could only see me as a killer.

  “I never said I killed him,” I growled, “but now I know what you really think of me.”

  “You didn’t have to say it, but it happened. Or are you going to tell me he magically ended up with a bullet in his heart?”

  She wouldn’t know that wasn’t my style. I didn’t like letting my marks suffer any more than they needed to. When someone needed to die, I made sure it was quick.

  “You’re not who I thought you were,” I said.

  I really thought Gia could see me as more than just a killer. But she was right, that was all I ever was. Why would I expect her to see something I wasn’t?

  “Then you won’t care if I leave,” she said.

  “Go. Just go,” I said, letting my anger take over. “But remember, you got lucky when I found you. You wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for me.”

  “Dante!” Sonny snapped from the porch. “I need to talk to you. Now.”

  I pulled my gaze away from Gia as she fought back tears. Sonny had some nerve interrupting me. I turned towards him and could tell something important had happened. I cocked my head to the side and he jerked his head towards the house and went in.

  “Come inside, Gia. This is ridiculous. Let’s talk,” I said.

  “I…I don’t know. I’m so confused,” she said, her face crumbling. “I…I need time to think.”

  She was forcing her words out and I didn’t know why she kept repeating them, but I didn’t have time for it. I had to find out what was so important that Sonny interrupted me.

  Putting my arm around her shoulders, I steered her up the porch steps and into the house. Sonny was pacing the floor of the living room like a caged animal.

  “What happened, Sonny?”

  “He was shot,” he said, sounding upset. “In his own home. He was shot.”

  “Papa? What happened? How did it happen?”

  My mind quickly went through the list of everyone who was there. It was mostly Gia’s family, the Carlisis. They wouldn’t have done it, but I had my suspicions about another family.

  “He’s at the hospital. He’s stable, took it in the gut. It was Bruno Vitale. I think he’s a made man. He said he came to pay respects to the Carlisis. He was asking for Gianna Carlisi. The Don came out of the library and told him she had already left. Bruno said she was next, then shot him.”

  “And what about Bruno? He still there?”

  “No, Roman had his gun.”

  I sighed. What a mess. Roman knew better than to kill someone in our house, even if it was in self-defense.

  I turned towards Gia. “Do you know Bruno Vitale?”

  She looked pale and her face was crumpled with sadness. She shook her head slowly. “No, I don’t think so. I’d have to see a picture–”

  “He’s still at the house,” Sonny said.

  “No, she doesn’t need to see that,” I said. “I’ll reach out to your brother Carlo, he’ll know if Terry knew Bruno. I don’t like what Bruno said though.”

  I looked at Gia and wondered if she realized the kind of danger she was still in. Bruno had to have ties to a family and I suspected I knew which one, but why now and why Gia?

  “Sonny, take her home. I have some things to do.”

  “No, Dante,” Gia said. “I want to stay with you.”

  After everything she said that night, those words stung just as much. Did she know the kind of danger she was in? Was she only staying for my protection?

  “I thought you wanted time to think,” I said crossly.

  I walked out the door without looking at her and got into the sports sedan I borrowed from my father earlier. Throwing it into gear, it chirped as I raced down the street.

  After hitting the numbers on my cell phone, it started to ring and I waited for Carlo to answer.

  “Dante?” he said, sounding surprised.

  “I need your help,” I said.

  “Did something happen to Gia?”

  “Why are you asking that?”

  My anger was flaring again. Just the way he responded told me he knew something.

  “No reason.”

  “Then tell me what you know about Bruno Vitale,” I said.

  “Listen, Dante. I left the life a long time ago. I’m married, I have kids now–”

  “So you understand what it means to love someone so much you’ll do anything to protect them. Now tell me what you know about Bruno Vitale.”

  The line was silent, but I knew he was still there. In the background, I could hear children’s laughter and a baby crying. The background noise became muffled before I heard the click of a door being closed.

  “There’s a reason I didn’t go to your family’s house after the funeral,” Carlo said. “I was going to, I figured Gia needed me there especially when I heard the rest of our brothers and sisters were coming, but…” He breathed out a long sigh before continuing. “When I got back to my car at the cemetery, there was a manila envelope on the seat of the car. I should’ve known better. I should’ve brought it over to you, but I wasn’t thinking. I don’t think like that anymore.”

  “Go on,” I said.

  “I opened the envelope and it had pictures of my family–my kids, and Darla, with the baby. There was a note that said if I was smart, I’d stay away from the Gambino family. It also said it was too late for Gianna.”

  “Did it say Gianna or Gia?”

  “Gianna,” he said.

  “That’s what Sonny said Bruno called her when he was asking where she was. Bruno Vitale showed up at my family’s house, threatened the woman I love, and shot my father. Tell me everything you know.”

  Carlo was silent again. If things had been different, I would have spoken to him in person and I would have been able to get everything out of him very easily.

  “I don’t know much more, Dante. I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Then tell me what you do know,” I said, getting tired of him. “The sooner you decide to help me, the quicker I can help you. You’re worried about your family, right? Well, I worry about mine. Help me help you.”

  Carlo wasn’t a dumb guy, and he had been in the life long enough to know what I was saying to him. I was offering him protection if he told me everything he knew. It wasn’t something I did very often, but if it meant protecting Gia and my family, I would do it.

  “Terry knew Bruno Vitale. I never met him, but I remember Terry telling me one day that he was in trouble. He said Bruno was a Soldier for the Palumbo family and he owed him. I didn’t believe him. I thought he was smarter than to get mixed up with the Mafia. It wasn’t until everything that happened with Gia that I realized Terry was telling me the truth.”

  “What’s the truth?”

  “He said he had to get money to Bruno, and I thought he was full of shit. He was always coming up with new ways to scam the family so I thought this was just another way. He knew my old connections. He knew I’d never touch anything dealing with the Palumbos. When I said no, he said he’d have to think of another way to pay them off. That’s when he got mixed up with the Lords. When Terry fucked up, he really fucked up.”

  I suspected it was the Palumbo family. There were a lot of families in New York, but the Palumbos were the closest thing to what my family would call an enemy. No matter how many times my father tried to work things out with them, relations never got better.

  What I didn’t know was what the Palumbo family wanted with Gia. It wasn’t like them to go after someone who wasn’t connected. There had to be more going on, but I could tell Carlo told me everything he knew.

  “I’ll arrange for your family’s protection, Carlo. You won’t see it, but it’ll be there. You have my word. And I exp
ect to hear from you if you hear or remember anything else.”

  “Yes, you will. Thank you, Dante.”

  Hanging up, I hit the gas and sped down the highway faster. I had to get to my parents’ house and clean things up. I couldn’t rely on my brother Roman in times like these, he was too much of a hothead. Someone there would have more information about the Palumbos and why they would do this.

  Shooting my father and not killing him was sending a message. And it was one I didn’t like. They showed they could get to us, but I wouldn’t let it happen again. They didn’t know who they were dealing with.

  I moved up to Capo to protect Gia. Now I needed to use my position to protect both our families. The Palumbos probably thought we were lost without our Don, but I would show them the Gambino family was strong even when their Boss was in the hospital.

  My phone lit up with Gia’s name, but I didn’t answer. She was safe with Sonny, and that was all that mattered. I had things to deal with and work to do. Gia was a distraction I didn’t need at that moment. I needed to be the man I really was, the one guided by his darkness, the killer. Gia didn’t need to know any more than she already did.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Gia

  “No! Take me with you,” I called out as Dante jumped into the car.

  I ran down the porch steps and towards the car as it backed out of the driveway. Sonny rushed in front of me, blocking my way.

  “Get out of my way!” I yelled.

  I tried to push past Sonny, but he was as solid as a brick wall. I couldn’t let Dante go with those being his last words to me. I was so confused. He was better off without me, but I didn’t think I could live without him.

  I wanted to be with him. If something happened to his family, I wanted to be there to support him. How could he leave like that? I didn’t want to think anymore. Thinking was what got me into this mess to begin with.

  Quickly stepping to the side, I tried to get around Sonny, but he was too fast. He put his hands on my shoulders. It didn’t hurt, but somehow I couldn’t move. Pounding my fists on his chest didn’t seem to help either. Sonny took my abuse without flinching, and the emotionless look on his face never changed.