Unspoken Obsession (Casino King #4)

28. Dante

DANTE

A ntonio and his men have driven away from the meeting place, and I stand, overwhelmed with rage, holding Frankie in my arms.

I am not a man who likes to react with rage. I prefer to hold it back and keep my emotions in check - but with Antonio, it is the hardest fucking thing to do. That man is a fucking asshole. I am so angry. I wanted to rip him to pieces. His ego is too big for his brain. He does not know who he is threatening when he threatens me. He has crossed the line now though.

I kept my cool - on the outside - but on the inside, I was burning anger. He has threatened my son - and the woman I love. He doesn't seem to care at all for his daughter, and I can see the pain in her eyes when I look at her.

When Frankie tells me she doesn't want to wait - that she wants to take him down now - I am so relieved, because now I don't have to convince her that there is no reasoning with her father. She knows.

She sees the logic in it. We need to strike first before he does something worse.

For the sake of my son, for the sake of Frankie, and for the sake of getting justice for my sister, Antonio Musetti must pay for what he has done.

I lead Frankie back to my car with my arm wrapped around her waist.

Holding the door open for her, she climbs inside, and I close it behind her. The situation is tense even though Antonio has left.

Lorenzo and his team wait until we are in the car before they climb into theirs to follow us back to the hotel. We aren't taking any chances. We will stay on high alert from now on - until we have sorted out this problem once and for all.

I will stay with Frankie now, at the hotel. I don't care if it angers Antonio if he finds out; his tantrums are no longer my concern. My only concern right now is keeping them safe.

Driving back to the hotel my eyes are on the constant lookout for Antonio. I expect him to be waiting around every corner, ready to strike. I expect him to come scream from a side road and ram into our car. I am gripping the steering wheel and not speaking. I have to focus. I need to get us back to safety.

It is a comfort to know that Lorenzo has my back right now.

I am grateful for everything he does for me - for my little family.

Once I am underground in the parking area, Lorenzo comes to my window and I tell him he can go. There is enough security here at the hotel with the men we have inside.

Safely back in our room at the hotel, Frankie holds Damion in her arms, and I can see that having him with her calms her down.

I know how she feels - being separated from him is risky.

In the same way, I want to stay near both of them.

I need to speak to Frankie about so many things - it's hard to piece it all together in my mind.

I want to tell her what I found out about my sister. She deserves to know that because it is something that is always on my mind.

And I want to tell her how I feel about her.

"Frankie?" I say, drawing her attention.

She looks up from the sofa where she is sitting with our son.

"Mm?" She says her eyes still filled with fear and worry after what happened this morning.

I walk over to the sofa and sit down on the coffee table in front of her.

"I have to tell you about something I saw in the evidence."

I take a deep breath, and she waits for me to continue.

"In the list of girls that Antonio sold - I found my sister's name - and the name of the man who bought her."

Just saying it out loud makes me ill. The knot in my stomach pulls and twists and my mind screams.

Frankie reaches out and touches my face. Her eyes are soft and gentle but glittering with tears. "I'm so sorry, Dante. I'm so sorry."

"I just wanted you to know - because I want - I don't know what I want. I need to know who the man is. He lives in New York. I need to see him. But my key priority is keeping you two safe, right now. Ok."

She shakes her head. "Dante, you are already keeping us safe. Your sister's disappearance is something that has haunted you for years. Do whatever you need to do to find out what happened to her."

Relief at her understanding eases the knot in my stomach. I close my eyes and lean my face into her touch.

Taking a deep breath, I lean forward and kiss her tenderly.

"Remember what you keep telling me - it is going to be ok." She says, smiling.

Standing up I grab my phone to call Lorenzo. I need him to send a team to New York. While I am sorting out the shit storm here in Las Vegas - the team can investigate what happened in New York.

I want the man who thought he could buy my sister to understand the consequences of his actions.

The phone rings as I press it against my ear, waiting for him to answer.

"Lorenzo, when can you get to the hotel? We need to talk."

"I'm just down the road. I can come through now if it's convenient."

"Good. I'm here. Come straight up."

Lorenzo arrives and we sit at the dining room table.

"There are two matters to discuss. First, this—" I push the evidence towards Lorenzo with my finger pointed at my sister's name. Lorenzo knew Daniela well. He worked with me for so many years that she became as much family to him as she was to me.

He stares at her name on the manifest and his eyes grow dark and serious. I wait. Because I know how he feels seeing that. Words don't come. His body is raging even though he is sitting dead still, his eyes locked onto her name.

After a long while he looks up at me.

"What do you need?" He growls, deadly quiet.

"I need you to take a team to New York to have a brief visit with this Bernard Lux. If my sister is still alive - bring her home. If not - make him pay."

"When do you want me to go? With everything happening here, don't you need me here?"

"No. I can handle Antonio. And I don't trust anyone else with what I am asking for here." I tap my finger on the documents sitting on the table.

Lorenzo nods. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"You can leave tonight, but before you go - I want you to help me strategize a plan of attack against Antonio."

"I'll just message the team now and tell them we are going to New York. I'll take four men and the private jet. We will have plenty of time on the flight to plan what we need to do. Once I've sent this message, I am all yours for the afternoon." Lorenzo stands up to handle the New York team and takes a deep breath. Things are happening. Everything is going according to plan. It's all going to work out as it should.

All afternoon Lorenzo and I discuss our plan. We put together something so solid and well thought out that I'm confident that taking down Antonio Musetti is going to be a smooth process -- with the help of the detective who owes me, of course.

We rally our allies, telling them our plan, bringing them together for a massive attack against a man that none of them like. They are eager to move the scum he is from our city.

We might be dangerous people; we might do dangerous things - but none of us approve of or will tolerate human trafficking.

I don't want to kill him.

I want him to sit in a jail cell for decades, bored out of his mind, eating shit food, thinking about the life he used to live and the freedom he used to have. I want him to suffer - day by day - wasting away in becoming a shell of who he used to be -- a shell of a man who used to have power. It will break his ego down, and bring him back to the earth and dirt from where he came.

He doesn't deserve death. He doesn't deserve that peace.

It is late in the evening. Lorenzo left a while ago to catch his flight.

Sitting down on the sofa with Frankie in my arms and Damion fast asleep in hers – it feels like the calm before a storm. Brushing my hand across Frankie's cheek, tucking a stray curl behind her ear, I smile. It is all worth it.

Everything that I had to go through to have her back in my life - it is worth it.

I will fight for her.

And for my beautiful little boy.

We sit together on the couch watching a movie. I don't even care what's on. I just know I feel like this is what home should be. When I see Frankie has fallen asleep as well, I lift both her and Damion in my arms and carry them each to bed.

Damion snuggles into his blankets, not even flickering awake for a second.

Frankie mumbles something and when I climb under the blankets to lie next to her, she stirs awake and pulls herself right up against me.

"I am in love with you, Dante." She mumbles.

My heart races at her words.

"Frankie?" I whisper, trying to figure out if she is awake or not - but she is breathing deeply and doesn't realize she said anything at all.

I smile a massive, radiant smile that spreads across my entire face.

Closing my eyes I drift off to sleep - because she loves me - and I love her.

In the morning, I wake up to a message from Lorenzo. The team has arrived in New York, and he has already begun the investigation.

They have found Bernard Lux's mansion and plan to pay him a visit tonight.

People say that he hosts luxurious parties for his clients, where the house is always filled with new girls dressed in lingerie and men can do as they please.

People have warned Lorenzo to stay clear of him because he has very key members of the legal system in his pocket and a few high-ranking politicians. Of course, we are ignoring the warnings because I don't give a shit who he knows. And if the law won't take him down - there are other ways to get justice.

I have a quiet breakfast with Frankie and Damion, but my mind is in so many places I can't even find the strength to have a conversation. I have plans and routes and everything that could go wrong spinning inside my head, like a blender of chaos.

Frankie is just as distracted as I am. She is as quiet as me, despite that, she reaches out to rest her hand on my leg and leans over now and then to rest her head on my shoulder.

We are here for each other, even when we have no words to share. The bond is unbreakable.

She has my entire heart.