Chapter 168

It took me ten minutes.

I thought Dante would knock on my door, but the environment was surprisingly calm.

When I arrived in the living room, I was met with all the boys, each in their usual everyday clothes, plus Torman. The moment I stepped foot in that meeting room, the atmosphere grew heavy, almost pressing down on my head.

Dante was hyper-aware of my presence. I swear I could see his atoms struggling to pretend to ignore me, but it was impossible.

I knew I had gotten to him.

I smiled at each of them, none of whom seemed to notice anything unusual about me, except for Dante and Jaxon.

When I sat beside Fish, smiling like a fool, I blurted out, "I hope you don’t mind that I stole your clothes. Mine are dirty."

Jaxon was kind, but of course, he was a criminal son of a bitch like the rest of them. So, his sadistic side spoke loudly too.

"You're welcome."

I glanced at Dante, who was fuming, scanning me and sending signals that I should prepare for whatever came next.

But I wasn’t afraid.

I always gave back what was done to me in equal measure.

"Looks like the girl is fitting in," Torman said, breaking the tension.

"Not willingly, if you must know," I shot back sharply.

Franci’s wrinkled and exhausted face showed a flicker of anger.

"What’s the point of this sudden meeting? I have things to do," Cole said, resting his leg on the table and crossing his arms over his chest. His expression was no different from Torman’s—always directed at me. Christ, didn’t he ever get tired of hating me?

"The deaths in Rome. Four men. Three inside, one outside. One of the guards! What the hell were you thinking?" he growled, seething with rage.

"They had to be killed. They found out things they shouldn’t have," Dante responded casually, his bone structure showing no reaction.

Dante was ice and austerity.

I understood Torman’s frustration, even though I didn’t like him. Faulkner was infuriating when he answered questions as if they were asking him what he wanted to eat.

"What do you mean they found out things they shouldn’t have? Do you have any idea you’re starting this place as a neutral zone? How are we going to clean up this mess?" Francis scratched his poorly trimmed beard. "Rome isn’t a place for deaths."

"We will. You won’t," Dante stated, crossing his arms and flexing his muscles. "These are matters that don’t require your attention. You can sleep soundly, old man."

"We only killed a rapist and three annoying guards. Who hasn’t done that?" Asher chimed in, his voice causing Torman to grit his teeth.

"Jesus, boys." He pulled his pipe from his pocket and lit it, the smoke rising over his face as he continued, "Everything has consequences. Every death. Every body that shows up. Don’t think my job is just about cleaning up your mess. I can’t protect you from people like Norman because I have to protect myself too."

"What happened wasn’t right. We understand it was reckless," Jaxon argued, rolling up his light green polo sleeves, which matched his eyes. "But it was necessary. No one in Rome will think it was the Dominion."

"Won’t they?" Torman asked, intrigued.

"Dante shot them multiple times, missing some. The guards died from blood loss, not instantly. We tortured them, interrogated them, and showed our victims’ deaths to them. It’s our modus operandi. Practical violence isn’t funny," Jaxon replied.

Torman took another drag from his old tobacco.

"They’re not stupid. Especially Norman." His tired eyes landed on me. "You know he’s looking for a slip-up from the Dominion to hunt us down. If he finds out, it’ll be a reason to start a war with you."

"But he’s smart, and if he concludes it was us, he’ll be forced to fight us directly, and it’s too soon. It’s too soon for both him and us," Dante stated, his words flowing as if from a prepared and well-thought-out speech. He acted like a leader.

"Dude, I don’t get the stress. In Rome, people probably have more enemies than I have condoms in my wallet—and trust me, that’s a lot," Asher said, stretching as he spoke.

"But why the hell did you have to get into this mess?" Torman argued. "Our focus is the damn Factory and, right now, Section E. What the hell do Owen and his guards have to do with this?"

I swallowed hard, realizing that my actions had indeed caused significant consequences for their plans. Not that I cared, but I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known the truth about what the Faceless Ones really were and who they killed.

"Ask the outsider. She’ll know how to answer you," Cole fired, making me hate him even more.

Francis examined me as if I were a piece of shit in human form.

"We need to solve this problem," he announced.

"Which one?"

"Her."

"What about her?" Dante asked, raising an eyebrow.

He stared at me, deciding to move from one side of the table to the other. Faulkner didn’t break eye contact, and I didn’t intend to give in because every fight with him required a win.

"You know what. It wasn’t in our agreement to have a meddling girl here."

"Now it is."

Dante stopped behind me, standing. His hands rested on my chair, and his body leaned slightly. His breath brushed my damp neck, reminding me that his damn atoms were colliding with mine.

"What is she doing here?"

"I invited her," Dante answered, as if I’d had a choice.

"That’s not the question, boy. What is Emilia Gray doing under your roof?"

The same doubt lingered in some minds.

Even Dante’s partners didn’t seem to have a concrete answer, though they knew about the agreement and what my inheritance could offer.

But were there no other options?

"What happens with the Dominion only involves the Dominion," Dante declared after suffocating seconds. "It’s one of our rules."

"I take care of you..."

"Only by being our scapegoat with the police. Nothing more," he cut in. "And while I’m grateful, don’t forget that questioning my decisions is also not allowed. What I do is always for the good of all of us. That has never been in question. I’m the leader. It’s my job."

I pressed my legs together, running my nails over the light fabric of my shorts. Hearing Dante speak with such authority was strange. For years, his voice had always been soft with me, accompanied by a mocking smile. The power he now wielded in every word he articulated caused strange reactions in me.