She acted perfectly normal.
Except for the fact that Chase watched her every move like a hawk and when he didn’t think anyone was looking, wiped a tear from his eye and walked off.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Dante
THE RING FELT heavy on my hand the entire way to class. El joined me in bed later that night, she didn’t say anything, just held me.
It’s what I needed.
She was quiet again on the way to class, though she twisted my ring around my finger a few times like she was trying to figure out how much it weighed, how many sins it carried — if it would save us.
“You’re protected completely,” I reassured her. “My name, my blood, our families, don’t let anyone give you shit today and if Andrei corners you—”
“Dante,” she interrupted me with a blinding smile. “I’m fine, I promise, it’s just a lot to take in, you know?”
I shuddered. “Tell me about it. They give you a fucking black folder with every single family secret the minute that ring hits your finger. I have half a mind to feel bad for Phoenix, the shit that guy knows.” I cringed. “I only have intel on my own contacts, the Alfero associates, and of course you.”
I said too much.
She looked down at her hands. “What’s my last name then?”
I bit down on my lip. “Nicolasi-Alfero.”
“My maiden name?”
I didn’t answer.
“Did your Father know? Who my family was? Where they were from?”
“I don’t think you want to do this now, El.”
“Tell me.” Her voice was weak. “Please, just… tell me. I need to hear you say it.”
“You’re not Russian,” I finally said as we pulled through the gates of school.
“I know that.”
“You’re Italian.”
“I suspected that.”
With a sigh, I pulled into a parking spot and eyed her with concern. “It doesn’t matter who you were, what matters is who you are.”
“Who was Papa, who were my parents? You guys have to know by now, if you all have black folders, I want to see mine.”
“Hah!” I killed the ignition. “Trust me, you don’t.”
“Dante—” She touched my forearm.
“I didn’t know,” I didn’t mean to snap. “When we were at the ranch house, I had no idea, all right? It took Sergio and Phoenix working together and almost killing each other while we were gone — to figure it out.”
“Figure what out?” her voice shook.
“I told them you saw Luca,” I swallowed. “That he was there the day your parents died — it was the final missing piece.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Say it.”
“De Lange,” I muttered. “You’re a De Lange.”
Her face fell as she sank back against her seat. “Phoenix’s family? Mil’s?”
“Distant cousin,” I answered honestly. “Very far removed, so far removed that it was nearly impossible to find you once Xavier made it look like you died too. The trail stopped. But he took you, he kept you alive for his own sick reasons and because of that, you’re still a target. Not only were they supposed to wipe out every family member that was working with the Petrovs undercover — but they were supposed to kill the bloodline completely. Your papa isn’t really your papa, he was an associate for the Nicolasi family, he was under deep cover. He took you in, they fabricated a story — and he did the impossible.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “He fell in love with a little girl who called him Papa because she couldn’t pronounce his name right. And he protected her until his dying breath.”
Sobs wracked her body. I pulled her into my arms. “El,” I kissed her head. “I’ve got you, all right? I’ll kill them all for what they did, I’ll kill them, and whoever they love. I swear it.”
“When will it be enough blood? Enough war?” She whispered through her tears.
“When they’re dead,” I spoke the truth. “You’re a target but they can’t touch you, not as long as I’m alive—”
“So stay alive,” she demanded her nostrils flared.
“Aw, you’d miss me?”
She scowled.
“Now who’s scowling?”
El sagged against my chest. “Thank you, for telling me.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Why?”
“Because I swore to protect you and telling you doesn’t protect you, it makes you sad, angry, disappointed — I want to protect you from it all, El.”
She gave me a sad smile. “That’s just it, you can’t.”
“Let me try.” I promised. “I bet I could.”
She cupped my face with her hand. “The arrogance is sexy.”
I crushed her mouth with mine.
She pulled away and groaned. “Do we really have to go to class?”
“Until this is over with,” I sighed. “Absolutely, but the minute those pricks are dead I’m locking you in a bedroom and throwing away the key.”
“Sounds nice.”
“Keep looking at me like that and I’m going to have you naked and late for class.”
She shrugged a shoulder.
My eyes narrowed.
And then she was slowly crawling into the backseat.
“You’re serious?” I looked around like I was afraid of getting caught when I was already pulling myself free from my damn uniform.
El winked, and crooked her finger, spreading her legs wide as I made my way to the backseat and lifted her skirt.
“So we’ll be a couple minutes late,” she jerked me toward her with my shirt. “Worth it.”
“God, I love marriage.” I kissed her again.
And got lost in the moment.
She might be a De Lange.
From a hated family.
From a family who, up until Mil, had no loyalty to anyone.
But I’d given her my name.
And now? She was mine.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
El
THE THING ABOUT the mafia? You know all the secrets, you know the darkness of the world and some punk kid sitting next to you in class is listening to Justin Bieber and complaining about the hamburger they just ate.
You gain perspective on life when you’re in constant fear of losing it.
I stiffened when Andrei came and sat down next to me.
“I hear congratulations are in order.” He smirked and then leaned back in his chair while the professor talked about good communication in the work place. Useless, the information was useless.
“Yup.” I didn’t look at him. I pretended to listen to the communication I needed to be having in a work force I wouldn’t be joining.
“It would be a shame… for young love to die so quickly, hmm?”
I froze.
“Such a shame.” He shrugged. “I wonder what kind of monster he would turn into if I took everything that mattered from him? Just because I could?”
“Why would you do that to someone who’s on your side?” I just had to ask.
“Is he?” Andrei’s head tilted. “One chance, I give him one chance to prove it, and if he fails — well, I don’t think the story will be ending with and they lived happily ever after.”
“You can trust him.”
He snorted. “Just like I can trust you?”
“I never said you could trust me, I’m a woman after all,” I said in a snarky tone.
Andrei eyed me, I could feel his stare penetrate down to my bones. “I like my women quiet.”
“Lucky them.”