The Syndicater (Dark Verse #6)

27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Dante, Tenebrae City

Vin had gone off the radar.

He didn't know if the man was alive or dead anymore—for the sake of his wife, he hoped it was the former—but he wouldn't bet on it.

Dante sat in his study, looking down at his phone at the last message he'd been sent by Vin. It had come from an unknown number—the same one he'd used to send the previous ones, the same one Dante had asked Morana to trace and found in the river. The text was nothing but numbers that he wouldn't have looked at twice had it not been for the two numbers he recognized—5057 and 5705. There were others there too—7505, 7055, 0755, 0557, and so on, all a combination of those digits, all confusing.

"Is that a game?"

Dante looked at Xander, who sat next to him on the couch, his eyes on the screen of Dante's phone. Dante's heart warmed at the boy. He reminded him so much of Damian in some ways, but he was much different too. Sharper than his brother had been, definitely more technologically inclined than Damian had ever been. Xander had been attached to Zephyr since he'd found out she was pregnant but had been in the study since the girls had all gone out. They had collectively decided to take Luna shopping, to spend a girl's day out bonding and give her some new experiences, with a dozen of his security gone with them.

Tristan was out doing whatever Tristan did; Alpha was taking calls in the gazebo and coordinating everything back at his base since they were staying a week before leaving.

In the beginning, everyone had decided to stay a week until his princess' first birthday party, but after Zephyr had told everyone that she was pregnant the next morning, Amara had insisted on her staying a bit longer to celebrate the good news. Morana decided it would be a good way for Tristan and Luna to spend more time together before the girl decided what she wanted to do, living situation-wise since she had begun relaxing in the space. And so, they all had one more week before they went back. Dante liked the house so much, though, realizing that he would miss having the whole family together when they left.

With everyone scattered, Xander was in his care, sitting next to him and playing with Tempest in his own way. Dante liked the fact that the boy felt comfortable enough to roam the compound as he pleased. Even though the boy was young, he had a soft way of being with Tempest that made Dante trust him with her, and his princess liked the boy too, trying to use his smaller body to stand on shaky legs. She should have already been standing alone at her age, and Dante hoped there was nothing unusual about her growth. For now, his mother-in-law reassured him that babies took their own sweet time to do things, and they needed to worry only if things were slower even then. Dante really fucking hoped it wouldn't be. Just the idea that the event which had made them lose one daughter could have impacted the other made his heart heavy.

"No idea," Dante told the boy at his, looking back at the screen. He'd have to show it to Morana and try to get her to analyze it.

"It looks like some kind of code." Xander pushed his glasses up his nose, holding Tempest with one arm as she talked to him in her baby talk. She was a yapper, as Zephyr said.

"Different sequences all summing up to the same number. Five plus five plus seven. Seventeen."

Dante blinked at the screen, realizing the kid was right as he pointed at the screen.

It was all summing up to seventeen. Why seventeen? What was the significance of the number? A date of some kind?

"You're right," he praised the boy. "Good catch."

They were silent for a while after that, with Dante perusing his other texts and catching up to things he'd missed, and Xander sitting on the rug so Tempest could climb over him better. Lulu napped in the corner as she always did, a lot more now that she was older and her energy reserves lower than they'd been before. Dante remembered picking her up as a little kitten, so tiny she fit the palm of his hand, her little meows tugging at his heartstrings, making him realize she was perfect for his queen. He had seen the same meows tug at a younger Amara's heartstrings too when she'd discovered her behind a potted plant, her whole face melting as she'd picked her up and cooed to her softly. In that moment, Dante had known she would be the mother to any children he had or he wouldn't have them at all.

Looking at their baby growing older too quickly for his liking, he hoped Amara would actually be okay—when she was sober and not high on post-coital bliss—with the idea of maybe having another sibling so Tempest could have the love growing up that neither he nor Amara did, him having been kept away from his brother and Amara never having any in a way.

His phone suddenly rang in his hand, the noise making Lulu perk up for a second before she changed position against the window and curled over again.

"Maroni," he said as he picked up.

"Mr. Maroni," Nellie, the rehabilitation center manager, greeted him from the other side. "I tried to reach Dr. Amara, but no one answered."

The girls were at the movies, their phones silenced. His security guy had updated him.

"She's occupied elsewhere," he told the woman. "Is it something urgent?"

"Not urgent," she reassured him. "Just that a woman came. Since we don't have her listed on the visitor's file, I didn't grant her access. She was mainly interested in Lex."

That was highly unusual. Dante knew all about the boy, Xander's friend, knowing what a soft spot Amara had for him. "Did she give a name?"

"That's the thing," Nellie cleared her throat. "She called herself Mrs. Maroni."

Dante frowned. "She was impersonating Amara?" That was stupid.

"No," Nellie clarified. "She said she was related to you. I didn't know what to do but since Dr. Maroni had given me clear instructions, I told her to come back later."

Dante stared at the window, thinking. The only one alive who went by Mrs. Maroni was Amara. His dead uncle's widow, Chiara, had been a Mancini. Rest of the relatives had different last names. And though Chiara was shady enough to pull shit like this, she had pretty much gone into the woodwork since his uncle died, and Dante cast out any of their loyalists. What the fuck was she playing at, if it was her at all?

He'd need to check the footage at the center just to verify it was her or see if it was someone else. Amara needed the breather and he didn't have anything better to do, so he decided to check it out himself.

"Thanks, Nellie. I'll be there in an hour and check things out."

He cut the call and picked up his little princess, Xander standing up and accompanying him as he strode out to find his Zia, his wonderful mother-in-law, without whom he had no idea how he or Amara would function as parents. She was the only one they could leave their daughter with without a shred of worry, knowing that Tempest and her grandmother had a bond, that the older woman absolutely doted upon the baby.

He found her in the gazebo talking to Alpha about kids. He was happy for his brother. Fatherhood was a joy and a blessing he wished his brothers—blood or not—could experience in their own ways so their lives could be as rich as his was. And knowing both Zephyr and Alpha, he already knew they were going to be fantastic parents.

Zia saw them coming, her face creasing with a smile, wrinkles around her eyes that had once been smooth when Dante had been younger.

She automatically took Tempest from his arms, placing her on her hip, and turning to head back into the house.

"I'm taking a trip to the rehab place," Dante told Alpha, knowing the other man hadn't seen it yet. "Wanna come?"

Alpha straightened. "Sure."

"Can I come too?" Xander asked from his side. "I'll meet Lex."

Since Lex had been the center of attention for the strange impersonator, Dante saw no problem in letting the boy accompany them. "Of course." He took the younger boy's shoulder, and they all walked to take one of his vehicles.

In a few minutes, Xander was strapped in the back and Alpha took the passenger seat. Dante drove out, down the driveway and down the hill, heading toward the city. The rehabilitation center—or New Haven as Amara wanted to call it—was half an hour away, on the edge of the city. In just a little time, Amara had somehow managed to make it stand. He didn't know how she did it, between being a new mother and taking on her role by his side and her own practice, and take care of their new undertaking. Even after so many years of knowing her, she never ceased to amaze him with the sheer strength she possessed. he couldn't have imagined a better partner than her.

"How're you holding up?" Dante asked Alpha, breaking the silence. "With the baby and everything?"

The other man relaxed in his seat, so big he occupied the entire space in the large vehicle. "Good," he said, his voice gruff. "I was ready for a family, and she needed something to keep her going. I'm glad for the baby."

Dante nodded, happy to hear that.

"How did you give her your gift?" A voice asked from the back, and Dante looked in the rearview mirror to see Xander looking out the window.

"What gift?" Alpha asked him, his face frowning permanently on one side. Hector, the sick bastard, had done a number on him. Good thing he was dead. Alpha had told him that the Shadow Man might have killed the man after brutally torturing him. For once, he was on the same page as the mysterious man. Anyone who tortured and killed a piece of shit like Hector had a point in his book. He didn't know what the Shadow Man's beef with him had been. He'd cryptically told Alpha that Hector had broken his toy, and it made Dante wonder. Had it been a thing or a person? Did he have someone he cared about that Hector had hurt? Given that asshole's tendency to hurt people, Dante wouldn't be surprised to learn it.

"The one you gave Zephyr," Xander brought him back to the present. "She told me you gave her a gift that made the baby."

Dante exchanged a look with Alpha, a grin splitting his face as he swallowed his laughter. His brother sat stumped at his side, floundering to find the appropriate words.

A streak of mischief, the one that loved pissing off Tristan, came over him. "That's a great question, Xander. But it's something I think you should ask Tristan. He can explain it to you best."

"But he's not given Morana his gift," the child retorted.

"Oh, I'm sure he has," Dante chuckled. If he were to count the number of times he had seen them before or after they did dirty things, he would need ten hands. He was happy for both of them, really. They both deserved a happy relationship and great sex. But the way they'd been at it in the beginning especially was hilarious to Dante.

"But Morana doesn't have a baby in her belly."

Tristan was going to murder him, but what the hell. "Well, when you talk to him about it, maybe you should suggest he do it correctly. He might not be delivering the gift properly."

Alpha snorted next to him, making Dante laugh again. Xander was going to grow up one day and look back on this conversation and think Dante was his funniest uncle and thus the best. It was all about future planning and investment in child favoritism.

They reached the center's gates, guards on the side opening them when they saw Dante's car pulling in. Nellie was at the entrance waiting for them.

Dante parked the car, and they all got out, walking to the main building. Alpha looked around and took the place, and Xander looked around like he was searching.

First things first. "Nellie," he greeted the efficient woman. "This is Xander, Lex's friend."

The woman smiled. "Oh, I've heard so much about you. Let me call Lex so you can meet him. He'll be so happy to see you!"

Nellie flagged one of the staff members, asking them to find Lex and bring him out. In the meantime, Dante introduced Alpha and let the two have a conversation about the place's running, how things were managed, and so on. He looked up at the camera, pointed at them, and nodded to one of the security guys.

"Get me the footage for the last twelve hours," he instructed.

"Yes, sir."

The guard left and entered the surveillance room to get the tapes just as a boy barrelled out toward them, his teeth crooked and exposed in a big smile.

"Xan!!" Lex came to a stop in front of his friend before hugging him tightly. Xander pat his back, which was the equivalent of a tight hug for him, and pulled back. Both the boys went to the side, Lex talking rapidly with loud gestures and Xander much quieter, more subdued. Nellie took Alpha on a little tour of the place, and Dante leaned against the wall outside, taking a cigarette out while waiting for the tapes. He had quit smoking, rarely doing it anymore at home, especially after Tempest was born. Sometimes, though, he liked to take a puff, especially when he was out and about.

He lit it up, taking a deep drag and letting the smoke roll out of his nose, looking around the beautiful property. The city he had called home all his life, that his daughter would call home, was becoming better since he had taken control. The violence had been curbed a lot more; his rules were strict—play dirty in his domain and die. The system might not eradicate the criminal elements, but he did, especially in his territory. There was only space for one criminal empire in Tenebrae, and that was his. The rest could stop or move.

"Have you talked to him?" Lex's voice reached Dante. Dante stayed still, realizing the boys were standing behind the wall he was leaning on, hiding him from their sight.

"Yeah," Xander said in a quieter voice. "He said everything was going as planned."

Dante's ears perked, honing in on the conversation. Who the fuck were they talking about? Could it be the guardian Amara had mentioned?

"Cool," Lex's tone was excited. "I wish he'd give me another task. I like being on cool secret missions. Since the morning he dropped us off, it's been soooo boring."

"Do you like it here?"

"Yeah," Lex nodded. "Everyone is nice. But there's no excitement. I want some more fun adventure, you know. The last time we had fun was when they all found us. That was like more than year ago!"

"You need to chill, Lex," Xander echoed Dante's thoughts. The boy had a lot more to him than met the eye. He focused on Xander talking. "Things are going as planned. It takes time for everything to happen. Don't make it difficult."

Lex laughed a little, almost like a little maniac. "I already broke a rule."

Xander's voice was serious. "What did you do?"

"I talked about him in therapy. Just a little mention. Nothing more."

Xander was quiet for a second before there was a slight thud on the wall, like he had pushed the other boy into it.

"Are you mad?" Xander hissed. "Why would you do that?"

"I was bored." Dante could hear the grin in Lex's voice. Well hell. The boy was a little chaotic and much more complicated than they'd suspected. More cunning than they'd given him credit for. What they'd thought was a slip of the tongue was a deliberate seed.

Who the hell were these boys?

Dante narrowed his eyes as he stared ahead, wondering why Xander had never said a word about any of it to any of them. The boy loved his new family, that was pretty evident, but his loyalty wasn't fully theirs, not yet. He was in contact with someone else, in cahoots with someone else, and the instincts inside Dante were conflicted between protecting him and protecting his family.

"Fine," Lex grumbled. "Don't get mad. I won't do it again, Xan."

Xander stayed quiet.

There was shuffling before the boys came out from behind the wall. Lex blinked up at him innocently but it didn't fool Dante, not anymore. Xander stared straight ahead, his face grim.

The guard chose that moment to come through and hand him a drive with the footage with a laptop. Dante refocused, letting the matter of the boys go for now, and skimmed through the footage.

And just as he'd suspected, it was Chiara, the older, gorgeous, reptilian woman who had been unfortunately related to him. What was she doing back in Tenebrae, and why hadn't he been told about it, especially since he had an alert out for whenever she stepped into the city? Chiara might have had the face of an angel, but Dante had seen her prey on young boys in a manner that was demonic.

He thanked the guard, and once Alpha and Nellie came out, he thanked her, making a mental note to call her and let her know to keep an eye on Lex, but in a different manner now.

As he drove them back to the compound, his eyes going to the reflection and seeing the boy in the rearview mirror, wondering how much of what they knew about him was true and how much wasn't, once again wondering who the fuck he was and where he came from, Dante felt grim.

The boy was in contact with someone else. Morana would have to break her own code and hack into his phone.

They needed some fucking answers.