Page 36 of Tesoro: Mayhem Makers

Moving to stand, Angelo tightens his hand on my hand. “You’re better than she was, not a selfish bone in your body,” he laughs, his deep eyes searching mine. “Go get some rest, Kate. Dante can look after me for a while.” He pats my hand twice before letting it go.

Remaining silent, I stand from the bed and head out the door. My sleep had been interrupted last night, and I’d remained awake with Angelo all day. Frankie stands outside my door as I make my way down the hall.

“There are clean towels on the foot of your bed and I have roast almost ready in the oven if you're hungry.”

“I’ll get back to you after I shower.” I could feel the exhaustion taking over. “Where is Dante?”

“On the phone with Boston.”

I don’t care for his tone, clearly Boston meant more than their home.

“Don't worry, he’ll be in once he finishes. I’ll have him bring you a plate when he does.”

“Thanks, Frankie.” I smile before closing the door behind me. Snatching a towel from the bed, I make my way into the tiny bathroom, turning on the shower before stripping out of my dirty clothes.

A part of me expected Dante to join me, but as the water began to run cold, I reasoned he must still be on his call. Twisting off the faucet, I wrap the towel around me, grabbing another folded over the bar to dry my hair.

The bedroom was as empty as I left it, exchanging the towel for clean clothes. I sat on the edge of the bed to brush my hair. Movement outside my window grabs my attention. Dante stoodin the side yard, phone to his ear and a sharp scowl on his face. Clearly his call wasn’t going well.

The sky was gray with angry looking clouds and I shivered at the chill in the room. Placing my brush on the nightstand, I crawl between the sheets in search of warmth as I wait for Dante.

Pulling the blankets to my chin, I stare at the ceiling. As much as I hate to admit it, especially to myself, I did look almost identical to Bellamia. Was Angelo right when he said she wasn’t a nice person? Clearly Dante loved her, as his grief was real.

As my eyelids grew heavy, my heart ached as a tiny voice of doubt shouted in my head. What if Bellamia was his Tesoro, too? And if so, am I just a way to bring her back?

Chapter

Twenty-Six

DANTE

My leg bounced as I listened to Kate as she spoke with Angelo. He had to get better, there wasn’t any other option.

“Father is on the phone for you,” Frankie whispers in my ear, placing his cell phone in front of me.

Taking the phone, I slip from the room before raising it to my ear. “Si, Padre.”

My greeting is met with laughter. “Things must be good if I’m your priest and not your uncle today.”

“You’re always my, Zio. Frankie said Father was on the phone, he planted a mindset is all.”

Heading for the front door, I step into the yard, needing the cool air to clear my thoughts.

“I was headed to my brother’s house for Sunday dinner and thought I’d check in on Angelo’s progress.”

Zio, or Father Michael, was Marcus’s brother. They were a contradiction in terms as one was a servant of God and the other, one of the most infamous hitmen to walk the planet. Joseph jokingly called the pair Saint and Sinner when he was alive, but Angelo and I called them Zio, or uncle.

“You um…” I trailed off as I look at the darkening sky. Never had I wished for bad weather, but as I thought of the beautifulgirl inside I wanted it to snow so much it buried this house for days.

“You called at a perfect time. Angelo woke up a few hours ago. Kate has been checking him over.”

“Kate? Who is she?”

Zio never missed anything. Oddly, I couldn't wait to tell him about Kate.

“It’s Doctor Romano. She and I have grown close due to being in the same room with Angelo.”

“Dante, you sound happy. Tell me more about this Kate.”

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