Page 130 of Thorns of Silence

Angelo Leone had been replaced by his son. The man of the Omertà. A mobster who once loved me. The man who broke my heart. The man I shot. So much history dragged us down. Could we—no, couldIlet go of it?

I flicked a glance at my daughter whose eyes sparked, darting left and right, up and down, mesmerized by everything she saw. The sun had started its descent and she took the time to run to every window, pointing at different trees and birds in the distance and the waves rolling in.

“Can we stay here?” she signed, dancing around like she was high on sugar. I brought a hand up to my mouth, amazed at this little girl and her ability to withstand so much change in her life. “I’m sad we left Aria. She was my friend. Could we invite her to visit so I can show her this castle?”

Before I could reply, Dante spoke. “Yes, I hope you stay here with us forever. I’m sure we can arrange a visit with Aria.”

My heart fluttered, but I immediately scolded myself. All my focus would remain on Skye. I was only using Dante for his… unhinged ways. Ruthlessness. His connections.

I wasn’t naive enough to think that the Nikolaev family wouldn’t come after me. After all, Tatiana knewexactlywho I was. The underworld knew my name, and there was no doubt that they were after me.

“Skye, want to see your room?” Dante signed, a smile brightening his face.

Her eyes widened, as did mine. “I have a room here?”

He nodded. “You do now. And we can change it however you’d like.”

Skye’s eyes darted to me in wonder and I gave her a nod, smiling. There was no chance in hell I’d ruin this for her. Not after I dragged her from the safety of the Nikolaevs’ home. Even I could admit she had a good life with them, and no one deserved it more than her after four years of constantly bouncing from one family to another. The foster families found her lack of hearing a shortcoming. The Nikolaevs took it as a challenge and loved her despite it.

For that, I’d forever owe them.

I would have to contend with my own selfishness. I’d need to make things right one day, no matter what, even if it felt like I’d been handed a solid dose of karma already. Robbed of my money, dragging my daughter across the world and forcing her to live in squalor compared to the arrangements I was sure she’d had with the Nikolaevs.

I wouldn’t change it, not when I had my daughter back in my arms, but I vowed to make sure she was taken care of from here on out.

“Come on. Let’s go show Skye her new room,” Dante announced, hooking his arm around me.

Next he directed Skye from the large living room, up the stairs, and down the hallway. It was like a treasure hunt, and our daughter loved every second of it.

I loved and hated how good he was with her, because it was a painful reminder of how he didn’t come through five years ago. Skye would have been spared years of bouncing from family to family if he had just shown up.

I couldn’t stop worrying every day and every night since I took her from the Nikolaevs whether I’d damaged my daughter. She didn’t show any obvious signs of trauma—not that I knew much on the topic—and she was comfortable enough with me to seek comfort when she needed it.

Yet, I worried. It must be every mother’s job—to worry endlessly about their children.

Skye opened the door Dante directed her to and her lips parted in surprise as her eyes darted around the room.

The last sliver of sun was setting over the horizon, its muted rays trickling into the pink bedroom. Pink fairy lights twinkled from the ceiling. Pink and white drapes hung on either side of the two floor-to-ceiling windows. There was a black chalkboard, Disney princesses scattered everywhere, and my personal favorite… Legos.

My thoughts churned as we stood in the bedroom that was every little girl’s dream. I swallowed a lump in my throat. I should have been able to offer my daughter all this, but all I had given her were bare hotel rooms. There was a static noise in my brain, blaming me for my poor choices.

“We can change anything you don’t like,” Dante signed and spoke, misreading my furrowed brow.

I picked up a stray Lego from the floor and turned it over in my palm while tears stung my eyes. The bed was made and the carpet looked freshly vacuumed, but there was no shortage of toys.

I blinked hard, trying to get myself together. I didn’t want to ruin this moment, but I couldn’t seem to stop all these emotions from swirling in my chest. It had been a long and confusing day, and I was overreacting to everything. This bedroom, the perfect little princess bed, the Legos… It all worked to showcase the confident, assured way Dante was in his skin, which I loved much more than I should.

“I love everything,” Skye signed while bouncing on her legs like an Energizer bunny. If she loved the room, that was all that mattered to me. “Can I play for a little bit?”

Dante nodded before taking my hand and pulling me out of the room. The door shut behind us and he turned me so that I was facing him.

“What’s wrong?” Since I refused to look at him, he took my chin firmly between his fingers and tilted it up. “Tell me what’s wrong or we’ll stand here all night.”

I sniffed, freeing myself from his grasp. “Nothing.”

My heart hammered, but not from panic. It was the growing swell of emotions suffocating me.

“Okay, then. Let’s get comfortable here, because we’re not moving until you tell me.”