Page 34 of Dante
Smiling at the last part, she knew he cared for his soldier, but it obviously wasn’t the same care he had for Leo.
“I appreciate you caring for him,” Dante revealed quietly, needing to clear his throat to continue. “He’s had a tough timelately, and none of us—I…” Dante changed his words, seeming to put responsibility on himself alone. “I don’t know what to do to help him.”
Nadia swallowed, carefully thinking about her next words, as she stared into those icy depths she could now see appeared a bit helpless. When it became too much, she averted her eyes and gazed at the low sun that had turned the ocean orange. “I think you bringing him here was actually a good start.”
“You think so?”
“I do.” She could practically see the relief starting to ease in his eyes. “Sometimes, kids just need someone who’s not their parents, or even family, to talk to.”
“Is that what you did …? Talk to him?” he asked curiously, taking another sip of his drink. When Nadia’s eyes went slightly wide, he came out with it, “I could tell you must’ve talked to him by the way he was looking at you. I can’t get him to hardly look at me anymore, and you two seem tounderstand each other.” He phrased the words with a slight hint of jealousy, but he wanted to make it clear. “I’m not upset, though. I’m glad he had someone to talk to.”
Relief flooded her at seeing he was genuine. She had encountered how some foster parents didn’t appreciate her talking with their children.
“We did,” Nadia confirmed his suspicion, but she made it clear with her face that she wasn’t going to divulge what they had discussed. That was between her, Leo, and the ocean. “We talked about a lot of things, but he didn’t tell me how it happened …”
It was a long shot to drop the last bit in, and maybe she should only want to hear it from Leo, as it was his story to tell, but a part of her couldn’t help but want to know how it happened. Maybe if she knew, she would better understand him, if and when he came back to talk to her.
Dante sat back, the weight of the world apparent on his shoulders, while any ease that had been brought to his ice-blue gaze came flooding back.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ask—”
“No, it’s okay,” he assured her before she could finish. “It’s only natural to be curious about what happened.”
Nadia sat there quietly as the sun ominously disappeared into the ocean, like it had been swallowed whole. The only thing they had been left with was the sound of the salted waves.
“One of my men went to pick up my children to take them to school,” Dante began slowly, telling her the story, “and right before he was about to get in the car … it blew up.”
Nadia somehow knew in her bones the last few words he was about to say, but it didn’t make them any less jarring as every single piece of her shattered into a million pieces.
“Thankfully, the blast didn’t kill him, but he was unlucky enough for a fragment to lodge straight in his eye.”
“Oh, my God,” Nadia whispered, covering her mouth. The gruesome image that came to her mind, she was sure the real thing couldn’t even compare to her imagination.
The fact that Leo still stood on this Earth brought tears to her eyes, knowing the initial blow didn’t account for what came after. It was a testament to the teenager’s strength for him to be where he was now.
But then it hit her. “It was …”
“One-Shot,” Dante said the name of the person responsible, a name she couldn’t. “The last thing I want to do is scare you more than I’m sure you already are, but—”
“No. Thank you for telling me.” She was grateful to know what had happened to the boy who had fascinated her all weekend. The part inside of her that desperately called to fix broken kids needed it. “I haven’t slept from wondering what happened.” It might’ve been worse than all the scenarios she hadimagined, but at least the mystery was no more. Now she just might be able to sleep more peacefully tonight.
“Well, you should certainly sleep tonight,” he said, nodding his head toward her almost empty rum runner. They had no idea what number she was on now.
She took a sip of her drink to finish it off, and the light change in mood brought happiness to both their faces. “If only I had a tub in my bathroom to take a hot bath, that would knock my ass right out.”
“I have one in mine,” Dante revealed. “You could use it, if you’d like.”
“Oh no, that’s ok—”
“Seriously.” Deciding against persuading her since she was clearly hard-headed, he quickly stood up, taking her hand to come with him. “It’s a waste up there with me. I’ve yet to use it.”
“Really, that’s okay,” Nadia insisted, not wanting to intrude on his space.
“It’s a clawfoot …” he tempted.
“Well, why didn’t you start with that?” Nadia said, practically breaking out into a run.
Suddenly, she stopped to quietly poke her head into the indoor area to see what Leo and Amo were doing.
