DANTE'S POV
After I had left the house after giving Helena the ring, the next agenda on my mind was to deal personally with Tony Anotti, of course he knew Helena was engaged to me, the only reason he had decided to pull the stunt with me and that was why I decided to give her the ring. I had rushed earlier that morning before she woke up, pulled up at the nearest jeweler and purchased the one that caught my eye, I didn't care how expensive it was – it was my claim on her, to prove to everyone in Algreen Cove that she was mine now.
I arrived at the warehouse where we'd been keeping Tony Anotti to find Paulo was already there, but he looked a tad bit disheveled with his normally crisp shirt untucked and his brow furrowed with worry.
"Dante," he said, his voice low and urgent, "Tony... he's gone."
The words barely registered for a second, and when they did, the rage simmering just beneath my skin flared up. "What do you mean he's gone?" I barked, stepping closer to him but Paulo held my gaze with the same intensity.
"I don't know how it happened. One second he was locked up tight, and the next... he was gone. Cunny little bastard"
I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to punch something-or someone. "And what about the other guy?" I growled, my voice barely contained.
"Tony escaped without him, that's for sure. He's still locked up"
Without another word, I strode toward the cell where the other guy-the one who had tried to kidnap Helena-was being held. Paulo followed close behind, but I stopped him at the door. "Leave us alone," I ordered.
He hesitated, his eyes flicking toward the bloodied figure inside the cell. I think he was more worried that I was going to shoot without so much as a warning and well deserved if you ask me "Dante, maybe we should-"
"Now," I snapped, my tone leaving no room for argument. Paulo nodded reluctantly and walked away, leaving me alone with the bastard.
The guy was in rough shape, slumped against the wall with blood streaked across his face. His lip was split, one eye swollen shut, and his hands were bound tightly behind his back. The sight of him barely conscious, still breathing, only fueled my anger.
I stepped closer, towering over him. "Who sent you?" I asked, my voice calm but deadly.
He chuckled through cracked lips, spitting out a glob of blood. "Go fuck yourself D'angelo" he muttered, his voice thick with defiance. I could see the scorpion tattoo running on the right side of his neck, he clearly belonged to the Anotti clan, maybe not by blood but he was one of them.
A cruel smile crept across my face. "I'm not going to ask again." My hand slid inside my jacket, pulling out my gun. I wiped the nuzzle slowly, the gleam of the metal catching the dim light of the room. "Tony Anotti already left you for dead. Your life is over either way. So, you've got one chance to start talking."
The guy's smirk faltered for a second, fear flashing in his one good eye. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Wait. I'll talk."
I raised an eyebrow, urging him on. "Go ahead."
"It was Tony, he paid me to take her. It was right there in the club when we entered and he spotted her by herself, he told me to drug her and take her and that he had a plan"
"Did he know that she was there with me?" I asked him and he nodded
"Yes, he had seen you too walk in together"
I scoffed loudly "You know what this means right, Tony dared to cross me" I said stepping closer "This means war"
Before I turned to leave, I glanced back at him one last time. "and by the way, you can say your last prayers"
As I stepped out of the cell, Paulo was waiting for me just outside. His eyes met mine, a silent question hanging in the air.
"Finish him," I said coldly, not bothering to look back.
As I left the warehouse, I had just one thing on my mind and it was her – Helena, I needed to see her. My phone pinged with an alert and it was a debit from a restaurant on my avenue and I knew that's where she'll be, I didn't waste anytime turning the steering around. I drove straight to the restaurant, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
When I arrived, my eyes immediately locked onto her. But she wasn't alone. Standing there, talking to her, was Christian. My chest tightened immediately, jealousy burning through me.
Rage surged through me, and before I even knew what I was doing, I was storming toward them. I grabbed her hand, pulling her away from him. But Christian had the audacity to grab her other hand, holding her back.
"I wasn't done talking to her," Christian said, his tone calm but firm and I could have punched him square in the face.
I glared at him, the anger bubbling to the surface. "You want her so bad? Then have her."
Without thinking, I pushed her toward him, harder than I meant to. My heart skipped a beat as she stumbled, crashing into a woman carrying a tray of food. The plates scattered to the ground, and Helena fell hard.
I rushed forward, but Christian was quicker. He stretched his hands out to help her, and the sight made me want to punch him in the face.
Helena glanced at me with a biting glare, and she stood up on her own, brushing past both of us like we were nothing.
"Helena," I called out, catching up to her. I grabbed her arm again, not caring if she was pissed. "Let's go home"
She yanked her hand away, her eyes blazing. "I'm not going anywhere with you"
"Helena"
"You'll have to carry me against my will"
A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. "You don't know who you're messing with."
Before she could respond, I lifted her off the ground, throwing her over my shoulder with ease. She let out an indignant gasp, but I barely noticed. She was lighter than she seemed, and I carried her toward the car without another word while she pounded on my back but I pretended not to notice.
When I put her down beside the car, I gave her a hard look. "Get in," I growled. "I'm leaving here with you, whether you like it or not."
She huffed, glaring at me but sliding into the passenger seat.
The ride home was tense, the silence between us filled with unspoken anger and resentment. My entire body was still boiling with jealousy, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as I tried to calm myself down. Seeing Christian touch her had made something snap inside me, and I realized, with growing horror, that my feelings for Helena were getting harder to contain. It surprised how greatly her little actions could affect me and I had never felt this way before. I hated to admit it – but it scared me.
The only way to stop it was to avoid her. But how the hell was I supposed to do that when every part of me was drawn to her like a moth to a flame?
But I needed to, it was the only way – before she destroyed me beyond recognition.
I was going to avoid her.