“She’s a whore.”
“That’s it.” I pushed Val aside and opened the door to face Dante. “You are a serious pain in my ass.”I threw on my shirt and buttoned my pants then faced the guy who I was seriously itching to punch in the face.
“You married my sister, doesn’t make you my father, makes you my brother-in-law, so if we’re done here…”
He tried walking away, so I grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.
But it was Dante.
He wore his anger like a badge of honor. It didn’t help that he’d been fighting again. I could see it in his eyes; they gleamed with the need to punch something.
And for being only twenty years old, he had more muscle on him than sense, which made my job that much harder since we were equally matched. Though his immaturity made me want to pull a gun on him and use his body as target practice.
“It’s fine,” Ella said in a quiet voice. “Really, I can go by myself.”
Her face was flushed red.
Frank had brought her home after his dealings with Xavier. Though she had been married to Xavier by force after he’d murdered her parents, it still made Dante feel like she was our enemy. That was made worse by the fact that she refused to come under our protection unless she was allowed to bring both of Xavier’s bastard kids.
They were easier to deal with than Dante.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Look, why don’t both of you just stay home?”
“Home,” Dante snorted. “I’m sorry, I don’t have one of those.” With that, he shoved past me, ran down the stairs, and slammed the front door.
“Give him time.” Ella always went to Dante’s defense even though he treated her like shit. “He’s just angry.”
Val watched everything in silence.
“Sorry.” I pulled her in for a hug.
“It’s his fault, not yours.”
“It feels like it’s mine.”
She sighed. “What are we going to do with him?”
“Well I’m sure as hell not going to keep training him with weapons. Last time he nearly took my head off — and was upset he missed.”
“I don’t know why he’s acting like this.”
I didn’t say anything.
Because it wasn’t my place.
Nor was it my story to tell.
No. That was another story entirely.
About carrying the weight of a legacy you never asked for, never wanted, and don’t feel like you deserve, only to discover that you’re alone in the world.
I knew his anger. His hate. His resistance.
I just didn’t know how to break through to him — and was afraid that by the time I figured it out — I’d be speaking them to a corpse as they lowered his lifeless body into the ground.
“Hey!” Val elbowed me. “Think we can go back into the room? I want to hold the baby.”
“Yup.” I steered her away from Ella and the drama of Dante and followed her into the room. She made a beeline toward the baby and everything felt right in my world again.
Because soon, that would be us.
A family.
Want to read Enrage, Dante’s story?
Be looking for it Summer 2017!