Page 276 of Dante
Because this is what matters. Not the blood on my hands. Not the secrets I've kept. Not the monster I've been.
This. Her. Us.
The attendant clears his throat. "Sir? Ma'am? You need to exit the ride."
Marina pulls back, grinning. "Sorry. We're going again."
The attendant sighs. "Back of the line."
She grabs my hand and pulls me out of the car, already heading for the entrance. Her laughter echoes across the platform.
I follow her.
I'd follow her anywhere.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Dante
Alejandro hangs from chains in the center of the room. His wrists are raw where the metal bites into skin. His head droops forward, chin against chest. The bullet wound in his leg has stopped bleeding, but the flesh around it is angry and swollen.
He looks smaller than he did in his office. Stripped of his guards. His guns. His power.
Just a man now.
We share blood.
He's family.
I think about my mother. The way she used to sing while she cooked. The way she smelled like lavender and fresh bread. The way she screamed when the bullets tore through her.
I think about Lucio. Seven years old. Still afraid of the dark. Still believed in monsters under the bed. He never knew the real monster was standing in our living room with a gun.
I think about my father. The man who hid me in that closet. Who told me to stay quiet no matter what. Who died protecting a son that wasn't even his by blood.
Alejandro killed them all.
He pulled the trigger. Watched them fall. Stepped over their bodies and walked away.
I never said I was a good man.
I roll up my sleeves.
The door behind me opens. Footsteps echo across the concrete. I don't turn around. I know who it is by the sound of their walk. Bruno's heavy, deliberate stride. Nico's lighter, more precise steps.
They stop a few feet behind me.
"You don't have to be here," I say.
Bruno moves to stand beside me. His jaw is tight. His eyes are fixed on Alejandro's hanging form.
"Yes," he says. "I do."
Nico takes position on my other side. He doesn't speak. Just watches. Calculates. Files everything away in that analytical mind of his.
Alejandro stirs. His head lifts slowly, like it weighs a thousand pounds. His eyes find mine through the dim light.
He smiles.
