Page 90 of The Empress

My top lip curls up, and I roll my shoulders as I fight the urge to kill. I need to get all my questions answered before I end Nicolo.

When I hear a car pull up to the house, I glance at the front door.

“Can I talk to her first?” Haven asks.

Gesù Cristo, she’s asking a lot of me.

“I’ll try to give you a few minutes,” I mutter, not able to make any promises.

When the front door opens and my gaze lands on Dakota Romano, my fingers grip the tumbler so hard the glass cracks.

The sound has Haven’s head snapping in my direction. She rushes to my side and takes the tumbler out of my hand, setting it on the side table. I watch as she inspects my palm, and seemingly pleased I haven’t injured myself, she links her fingers with mine.

She came to me instead of running to her mom.

Her voice is strained when she says, “Hi, Mom.”

Dakota glances around the foyer before looking at us. “Hi. What’s going on?”

“Come sit.” Haven gestures at the couches. “We have to talk about something serious.”

Massimo comes in and makes a beeline for me. “You okay?”

I shake my head, then have no choice but to move when Haven tugs on my hand, pulling me to the couch across from the one Dakota is taking a seat on.

“We found out something today,” Haven begins to explain after we sit down. “Leo knows me from before you adopted me. He was best friends with my older brother.”

Confusion and shock shudder over Dakota’s face. “You didn’t have an older brother. You were an only child.”

“Like fucking hell she was,” I growl.

Haven squeezes my hand, then continues, “Leo is the boy in the nightmares, Mom. I was taken during an attack where they tried to kill him.”

“No. Your parents were killed in a robbery gone wrong,” Dakota argues.

“She was kidnapped right in front of me.” I snap angrily, drawing Dakota’s stunned gaze to me.

She shakes her head. “I saw the police report. It was a robbery gone wrong.”

“Carina Messina,” I bite her name out. “Was that the name on the police report?”

Dakota nods. “Yes. She was given a new identity because she saw the robbers.”

I let out a chuckle, my control slipping fast.

Massimo comes to sit on the armrest and places his hand on my shoulder. I know he’s doing it so he can restrain me fast if I lose my shit.

“Mom, I remember Leo. He has my stuffed unicorn. He has a photo of me with him and my brother.”

Shock tightens Dakota’s features again, and she looks truly confounded. “I…but your dad…but how?”

I’ve dealt with so many people who’ve lied to try to get out of shit, and my gut’s telling me Dakota is just as in the dark as we are.

My tone is a little calmer when I ask, “How did Haven end up with you?”

“Santo came home with her and said we needed to protect her. He had all her legal documents.” She shakes her head again. “We couldn’t have children of our own, and we were so happy to finally have one. We threw ourselves into helping Haven work through her trauma. I didn’t think to ask more questions.”

I give her an incredulous look. “Your husband comes home with a six-year-old girl that doesn’t speak a word of English and is traumatized out of her fucking mind, and you don’t think to ask questions?”