Yet I’d worried the entire time, unable to relax, especially since Dante had continuously glanced into the rearview mirror. As if monsters were on our tail.
As if one or both of us would die.
Now this.
My stomach churned, my heart beating rapidly from the tragedy that might have occurred as well as knowing Lorenzo had come to find us. As if he actually cared. I wanted so much to believe so, although I barely knew him any longer.
I’d thought of nothing but the rugged man since being dragged out of his house. There was no rhyme or reason, other than knowing he was hiding his true self from the world.
And I wanted to be the one to rip apart the shields of steel.
I was a stupid girl to think fantasies could actually come true.
My scream cut through the air the moment the gun was fired, the horrible grunting sound as Dante fell to the floor remaining like a dense roar in my ears. Everything moved in slow motion as I twisted my head from right to left. Everything was dark, the blackness suffocating.
“Sierra!” Lorenzo bellowed out my name, his hand wrapping around my arm and allowing him to yank me against his chest.
“Oh, my God, you killed him. You killed Dante,” I muttered, uncertain of what had just occurred, blood rushing to my head.
“Fuck. Fuck!” he hissed then kissed the top of my head. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Yes… Please check on Dante.”
“Jesus, boss. Just a couple more inches and I would be dead,” Dante managed, grumbling under his breath. “Maybe I should be glad your aim is off.”
“What the hell is going on? Why didn’t you return my calls?” Lorenzo demanded.
Suddenly, a light filled the room, the beam moving from my face to Dante’s.
Dante groaned and struggled to get to his feet. I rushed to his side, trying to help in any way I could. “I’m fine, Sierra. The bullet just nicked my shoulder. Flesh wound. Trust me, I’ve had much worse.”
Lorenzo exhaled. “I had no way of knowing what the fuck was going on. There was zero communication.” He was exasperated, something I would never have expected.
“Sorry about that, boss, but with the storm, cell phone service was down, and I knew you wanted me to get her to safety. I thought the storm would break.”
“And the damn power?” Lorenzo demanded.
“Don’t bark at him,” I snapped, hearing the quiver in my voice.
“That’s all right, Sierra. I was supposed to call in. I should have found a way,” Dante said before grimacing. “The power is on. When I saw the headlights coming up the road, I turned off all the lights and I kept watch just like you ordered.” He moved into the main room and within seconds, light flooded the downstairs.
Lorenzo seemed shaken, his eyes sweeping the cabin as if he anticipated there would be masked men holding us at gunpoint. “You weren’t compromised?”
“Not a chance. I know how important Sierra is to you,” Dante answered. “I know my job, boss. I would have died to protect her.”
I realized that the brawny soldier would have done just that.
“We’re fine. Dante is good company,” I said as I closed the distance, allowing my eyes to fall to the gun still in his hand. “What happened?”
“We need to talk.” Lorenzo shoved the weapon into his shoulder holster before pacing the floor. “Where’s the damn SUV?”
“Do you think I’m stupid enough to park it in front of the cabin?” Dante said, snorting then easing his gaze to the floor as if trained to do so.
Sighing, Lorenzo shook his head several times before walking into the living room, staring at the blazing fire. “Some shit is going down.”
“What is it, boss?”
“Can’t this wait?” I demanded. “He’s hurt.”
Lorenzo exhaled, waving his hand. “See what you can find to help him.”
I rushed into the downstairs bathroom, searching for bandages and any sort of antiseptic, fortunately finding a first aid kit. When I walked back into the living room, I could tell the two had been discussing what was going on. “If this involves me, I deserve to know.”
Another look shared between the two.
“I went to see your father,” Lorenzo finally said. There was such angst in his tone.
“My father?” I asked, incredulous he’d do such a thing. I placed the kit on the coffee table, trying to steady my nerves. While my father and I didn’t necessarily get along, I knew he had to be worried that he hadn’t heard from me.
“As I’ve told you before, there are aspects regarding this business that you shouldn’t know about.”
“We’re talking about my father.”
Dante took a step back, darting glances back and forth.
Lorenzo huffed, rubbing his eyes before answering. “I think your father is working directly with the Movinos. I wanted to make certain he was aware of what was at stake if he was.”
I knew what he was getting at. He’d used me as a bargaining chip. “You mean my life. You told my father that I belonged to you as long as he played nice.” I walked directly to Dante, peeling back the edge of his shirt and peering at the wound. Thank God Lorenzo’s aim had been off. While there was some blood, I knew his life wasn’t in danger. “We need to get that wound cleaned.” I snapped my head in Lorenzo’s direction.