Chapter 35 What A Day!
Dante's POV
I knew when he was serious. I could tell when he really meant it, and this was one of those moments.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, feeling my knuckles turn white as I held it with all I had.
"Go on," I said in a rough but steady voice.
Nico rather went silent on the other end, he kept the silence for a full minute as I watched the time tick by. I gripped the wheel harder, wanting to snap as I wondered what the hell was taking him so long.
But I took a deep breath in and kept my focus on the road, weaving through cars. Finally, he spoke up. "Scusa il ritardo, Don. Dovevo confermare alcuni dettagli."
"Alright then," I replied, like I wasn't about to lose it a few moments ago. "Fill me in."
"Okay, the team has gotten a breakthrough on digging out Serena's roots," he started in a clearly unimpressed voice.
My pulse kicked up slightly at the sound of that. "Talk."
"There was no trace of the father though," he said grimly.
That kind of got to me. Why would Serena's father disappear after her daughter put a bullet in his son-in-law's head.
"What do you mean by nothing?" I asked rapidly. "There's nothing about him online?"
Nico cleared his throat on the other end. "Yes, not a thing. Like he vanished out of nowhere."
I didn't reply immediately, I just gave it a thought for a second longer. "Or he was made to vanish," I finally muttered out, like I was talking to myself. The system caught it anyway.
"Whatever it is, Don. It's not our fight," Nico said flatly.
"Yeah," I replied without putting too much thought into my response. My thoughts lingered, going far beyond the car I was in.
Maybe he was stolen, or hidden. Either way, why? That's the heavy question with no answer and who must have taken him? And for what?
"Don?" Nico asked, snapping me back from my thoughts. "I hope you are not thinking of anything crazy," he added and I could feel his scrutiny.
"No, I'm not thinking about it. At least not now, at least not this way. Let's get to the bottom of this one first," I replied calmly.
Nico hummed and I could tell he clearly didn't believe me. But again, he pushed it aside and went on. "But we have successfully tracked the mother down to a town she's currently in."
"Good, but don't say it," I cut in quickly. "There could be ears anywhere."
"Right," he replied stiffly. "That's smart."
"You've done good. I'm heading there right now. We'll map it out and move soon as possible," I said.
"Tonight?" He asked in a tired tone.
"Not sure. See you soon."
And with that, I hung up, took a deep breath and locked my eyes on the road.
"Hope I'm doing the right thing here," I breathed out.
Serena's POV
It was getting dark right about now and I had nothing to show for the day. Today was by a country mile the worst I've had since I stumbled into Dante's world.
It felt crappy from the breaking of dawn, waking up with that feeling that he hated me and I had no way to escape. After last night, the odd talk we had and the zipper mess, I needed to know if sticking around was right.
But he didn't want to talk. He walked out on me. Not like it's the worst he has done so far. No note, no word the following morning.
Finding out that he is sleeping around won't come as a surprise at all, but I would rather be told to the face than kept in the dark.
"Arghh!!" I groaned loudly and pulled a hand over my face. I had gotten nothing done today. Not even a piece of meal had found its way to my tummy, and to be honest, I had absolutely no appetite.
I felt like I was still in the hospital. A thought hit me for a second there. Then I pushed myself up to a sitting position and screamed. "Hospital! That's it, I should go to the hospital."
I jumped off the bed quickly and splashed cold water on my face. I grabbed a simple white top and jeans, throwing them on quickly.
Then I got my hair all packed up in a messy bun, applied light makeup to hide the bags under my eyes, and splashed a few sprays of perfume for good measure. Then rushed to the door at once.
I rushed all the way to the exit and was just about stepping out when the guard's voice stopped me cold. "Miss Moretti? Where are you headed?"
"Shit," I cursed under my breath. "I had completely forgotten about these motherfuckers," I whispered.
Then I turned around slowly, faking a sweet smile before... "None of your fucking business. I'm heading out."
He marched to the door and stood between the door and I, blocking the path. "Sorry, miss. I can't let you go anywhere."
That was it. The frustration from the whole damn day came rushing out. "The fuck you mean can't? Move you motherfucker!"
"Orders, miss. You have to stay inside."
"Orders from who? Dante? He's not my keeper!"
He kept calm all the way with his arms crossed over his chest. "Just doing my job."
I yelled louder. "You freaking asshole! Who the hell are you to trap me? Get out of my way!"
"Miss, please calm—"
"Fuck calming! This is bullshit, I'm locked up like some prisoner!"
I tried dodging him to his left, but he adjusted quickly and blocked me off easily. Then to his right, but the same thing. I shoved at his chest hard, but he didn't budge an inch. "Move, you prick! Let me through!"
"I can't do that."
"You think you're tough, huh? Guarding a girl like some babysitter? Pathetic piece of shit!"
He didn't flinch. "This is not personal, miss."
"Oh, fuck you! This house is a cage, Dante's little fucking prison!"
Minutes later, tears threatened to flow, though I was hot and angry, my emotional side threatened to break free. "Just let me go, you bastard. Fuck you!"
I yelled it out one last time. "Fuck you!"
Then stormed back inside and slammed all the doors leading to Dante's room. I paced around for a few seconds before kicking the bed and dropped on it with a heavy grunt.
I covered my face with my hands, then ran my fingers through my hair roughly, pulling at the strands.
I rubbed my face again, like I could wipe the shit off me. Then cursed aloud. "Stupid guard, stupid fucking house. I'm trapped like a goddamn rat!"
The words felt so vile, so much like things Marco would say, but I couldn't stop now.
"Asshole prison! Can't even step out for air."
I couldn't tell how long I sat there with my legs curled up but my rage soon watered down to exhaustion.
Then my phone beeped suddenly in my pocket, disturbing my peace. I pulled it out slowly, then stared at the screen and sat up immediately with so much force I nearly tumbled forward.
What the hell did I just see?