Page 137 of Power & Punishment

His brows fold together, waiting for me to continue. “It was Vince’s idea for me to leave and move to Boston. He didn’t want you to know because he knew you wouldn’t be on board. And maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I⁠—”

“He told you to leave?”

I nod, tracking the way his chest rises up and down. “You’re right. He wanted me to have a shot at a better life, and after everything that happened with Dad, I couldn’t be around that life anymore. It was like reliving my own personal nightmare every day, waiting for the same thing to happen to you and Vince.”

He lets out a slow breath through his teeth, his focus drifting to the floor. “He was always good at making hard decisions like that. He’s right, though. I wouldn’t have let you leave.”

“You’re not mad?” I ask quietly.

“No,” he says, huffing out a humorless laugh. “It would be kind of a dick move to be mad at a dead guy.”

I roll my eyes, smothering my own laugh with a long sip of coffee.

“At least now it makes sense,” he says, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “When Adrian kidnapped you, I thought I would never forgive myself. I thought you were⁠—”

“I wasn’t,” I say quietly. “I’m fine, Dante.”

His eyes flick toward mine, heavy with sadness. “I thought I lost you.”

The vulnerability in his voice pokes something loose inside me.

Dante and Vince kept me safe, but that didn’t mean they didn’t teach me a few things. Sure, our childhood wasn’t great, but they taught me that you never stop fighting for what you want. The second you give up, life isn’t worth living anymore.

Dante taught me how to throw my first punch in that ratty old bar we inherited, and Vince taught me how to stand up for myself and to be proud of my scars.

Some days I wished for a normal life and a loving family that wasn’t broken from the beginning, but today I’m thankful for what I got because I wouldn’t have survived last night without them.

“You and Vince are the reason I made it out of that house alive,” I say, my voice shaky. “I shouldn’t have left like I did—pretended you two never existed. I should’ve kept in contact because if I had⁠—”

“Let’s not think about that,” Dante says, taking a step forward and placing his free hand on my shoulder. “Vince would’ve been proud of the woman you’ve become. And even if he had his reasons for wanting you to stay away, I think he’d want us to be there for each other now.”

I nod, tears fogging up my vision.

Dante’s mouth twitches as he lowers his hand. “Besides, the apartment’s too quiet without you yelling at me all the time.”

“The only way to get your attention is to yell, asshole.”

“True,” he smirks, taking a sip of his coffee.

A comforting silence falls between us for the first time in years. It feels familiar and unexpected. I want to bask in the moment, but there’s still so much uncertainty.

“What are you going to do about Enzo?”

His expression stills, the movement shifting instantly.

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly, scratching the back of his neck. “Word is probably already out about last night, and I have no clue how much Enzo knows. All I know is my priority is keeping my men safe.”

“Do you think you’d ever leave the life?” I ask, thinking back to Vince’s reason for working with Leo. But I can’t picture Dante doing anything else.

His jaw flexes as he turns his head. His eyes ghost over the open doors, mind reeling for an answer to an impossible question. “Maybe one day, but there’s still a lot of work to do. I know that’s not what you want to hear and I don’t expect you to get it, but I’m just taking things one step at a time.”

I bite my bottom lip, softening my gaze as his head turns back to mine. “I can work with maybe.”

“Don’t get too excited,” he sighs, draping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. “We just cut the head off a snake, and ten more are going to pop up in its place.”

“Did you just use a metaphor? That’s huge for you,” I tease, letting him lead me back to Leo’s room.

“Don’t ruin the moment.”