Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (6 page)

Her heart raced with emotion.
Isis hoped more than anything else they’d experience a lot more firsts together.

Chapter Four

Liliana
held her hand out in Nya’s direction.
“Take
my hand and I’ll get you inside.
”

Nya hated teleporting. It made her dizzy, but she’d have to do this in order to accomplish her task. Adonis had gone too far this time. She
clasped on to the witch as instructed
and
squeezed her eyes shut
. When she opened them again, she was inside a spacious penthouse apartment. Three women sat at the large dining room table, one of whom
was one of the few people she considered a friend
, Christine Grimaldi.

The women, who had been in the middle of what appeared to be a serious conversation, were immediately aware of their presence.

“Nya! What are you doing here?” Christine jumped out of her chair and ran toward her. Her movements were swifter and more fluid since she’d become a vampire. She threw her arms around Nya. “I was so worried about you.
I haven’t heard from you in weeks.”

Most times, she was uncomfortable showing affection toward
anyone
, but she returned her friend’s hug with a brief one of her own. “It couldn’t be helped unfortunately. I’d like to introduce you to my associate.
We’ve come to help. This is
Liliana
.”

Christine gestured to the other two women who
now stood on either side of her. “Nya, these are my sisters-in-law,
Maggie and Sasha.”

The petite brunette narrowed her brown gaze as she stared Nya and
Liliana
up and down. “Whose side are you on, exactly? Aren’t you working for Adonis?” Sasha spoke with a thick Russian accent.

It dawned on Nya she’d seen this woman on the night Giovanni had intervened on Adonis’s behalf. She should have known she’d meet some resistance, but her conscience wouldn’t allow her to walk away without at least trying to convince them of her sincerity. “No… I mean, it’s more complicated than that.”

Sasha raised her brows in apparent disbelief. “Not really. You either are or you aren’t.
The only reason why I’ve haven’t blasted the both of you is because you’ve somehow managed to get past the ward I put on this penthouse, which means you have no ill intent…for now. But don’t think I trust either of you, not after you helped that bastard escape.
”

“Of course you have every right to be cautious under the circumstances, but as you’ve just pointed out, we mean you no ill will or else your ward would have
kept
us out.”

The woman called Maggie, an attractive, pleasantly plump black woman, gave Nya a long, hard stare
, seeming unimpressed with her explanation
.
“So why are you here?”

Christine intervened before she had a chance to reply, moving to stand between Nya and the other women. “
Look, things are tense right now, but I trust Nya. If she really wanted to hurt us, she could. She’s much older than all of us, and any witch who can get past Sasha’s wards is probably no slouch herself. Let’s at least hear what they have to say.”

Nya had never been more grateful than this moment to have an ally like Christine.
“Thank you, Christine. I
have to be quick because there’s not much time before he sends someone to find me.”

“Who?” Sasha demanded.

“Adonis
, but there’s no need to worry
.
Liliana
can get me out of here before
that happens.”

Sasha tapped her chin with her index finger. “Hmm.”

Christine touched Sasha’s arm. “
Just give her a chance. For me.

The witch sighed. “Fine. I suppose you’re right about them being able to get past my ward.”

Liliana
chuckled as if something amused her. “That’s a powerful spell, baby witch.”

Sasha
narrowed her eyes and
held up her palm to reveal a birthmark that resembled a flower.

Liliana
gasped at the sight.
“The mark o
f Hecate.”
Nya didn’t know what it meant but the older witch seemed impressed by it.

Sasha nodded, lowering her hand. “My brothers assisted me with the ward. However, in time, I’ll be able to handle such spells on my own. I’m still trying to get a handle on my complete power. Baby witch I may be, but I’m certainly strong enough to handle the likes of you and to protect my family.”

“Then why aren’t you out with the men looking for the children?” Nya couldn’t help asking.

“I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. The men believe they’re protecting us by keeping us away from the action, but I can’t remain idle while my baby is missing. She’s not even a month old.” Maggie sniffed, quickly wiping a tear away.

Sasha put her arm around Maggie’s shoulder. “We can’t give up hope.”

“I’m not, but I feel so helpless right now when I know I could be of more use by GianMarco’s side.”

“As you should be,” Nya murmured. “
Like I said, my time is running out.
We have to formulate a plan to get to the children.”

Anxiety entered Christine’s eyes. “How much do you know?”

“I know a group called the Serpent Gang has the children. They’re a dangerous band of cutthroat rogues. They’ve been in cahoots with Adonis for some
years,
doing his dirty work.”

Sasha began to pace the floor. “Yes, we’ve already learned who’s holding them, but we need to know where. If there’s anything else you can share, please tell us.”

Nya moistened her lips
with the tip of her tongue
. “From what I overheard, they’re being held in Florence. That’s
where
Black Adder’s
secret
hideout
is located
.
Only a few of his top ranking members even know about it.
Is there a way to get in contact with the men
to
let them know?”

“They’re all probably still en route, but
I will try to establish a
psychic link with my
brother
s
and let them know. Are you sure of this, Nya?” Sasha asked softly, a hint of mistrust still underlying her voice.

“I overheard Adonis speaking on his phone with Black Adder.”

Maggie folded her arms over her chest.
“Why are you helping us
anyway
? You won’t give us a straight answer on whether you’re in league with Adonis or not. For all we know, you could be leading us into a trap.”

“She’s here to help. What does it matter? She’s putting
herself in danger
by being here,”
Liliana
retorted.

Nya
patted the redhead on the arm. “It
’
s okay, Liliana
. I’ll answer that question. I’ve never had a reason to care until now.” She turned her gaze toward Christine. “You reminded me of my humanity, and for that, I owe you so much.
For a very long time
, I’ve merely existed in a state of apathy, not caring one way or
the
other
what became of me. In many ways, I still don’t, but I know if I don’t stand up for what’s right, I could become something far worse than what I already am. There’s only so much one soul can take in a lifetime.”

Christ
ine wrapped her arm around Nya’s waist
. “I don’t understand how you became
entangled with Adonis in the first place but
I know you’re not evil.”

The words
neither is
he
,
was
on the tip of Nya’s tongue, but she knew they wouldn’t understand.
There were times she had trouble making sense of it all herself
, but she
wouldn’t get into semantics, not when the situation was already so tense
.

“He made me
a vampire
. That bond is not an easy one to break.
But getting back to why I’m here, you have to act quickly because I believe whatever he has planned won’t bode well for the children.”

Christine’s sherry-colored eyes filled with unshed tears before her face contorted to an angry scowl. “
Are you saying he plans to kill them?
No! I’m not going to let that happen. I don’t care what Romeo says; I’m going to get my babies back.”

“Not without me you aren’t
.” Maggie’s eyes now glowed
,
a fierce bright gold.

Sasha stepped forward, determination etched on her face. “And of course me, but
the rest of the team have
has taken all the private conveyances to get to their destinations. We’ll have to arrange for commercial airline tickets.”

Nya shook her head. “No. That won’t be a good idea. Adonis has men posted at all the airports within a hundred-mile radius. We have a jet at your disposal.
Liliana
will take you there. Giovanni will be waiting for you.”

Maggie frowned. “He’s
Il Diavolo
! Are you out of your mind? Do you expect us to go with someone who’s been a source of pain for this family?”

Nya shook her head vehemently, wishing she had more time to explain the situation properly, but if she didn’t get back to Adonis soon, he’d know for sure she was working against him. He already knew of her connection with Giovanni, though he’d laughed at the association as being no threat to him.
Giovanni is weak and would never lift a finger to harm me because his emotions will always get in the way
. If Adonis knew what she was up to, however,
there was no telling what he’d do
.

She didn’t care if he killed her. Death was preferable to living with the blood of the Grimaldi children on her conscience, but if she could help her friend in any way, she would do it. “Giovanni’s on our side,” Nya finally answered.

Christine turned to Maggie and Sasha, her irritation evident. “I thought we already established that they’re here to help. I don’t know about the two of you, but I
,
for one am
,
not going to stand here and argue about the validity of Nya’s claim when it gives me the opportunity to go get my kids instead of just sitting around talking about it. Whether you two come with me or not, I’m going with them.”

“You’ll be in good hands,”
Liliana
assured them.

Maggie didn’t appear so easily swayed.
“Okay, let’s say we believe Nya’s reasons for helping us, but what are yours?”

Liliana smiled
,
although it didn’t quite reach her eyes
. “Let’s just say
,
I have a score to settle with an old enemy. Once I take Nya where she needs to go, I’ll be back to take you three to the airport. If it didn’t ta
ke so much of my energy
, I
’d
teleport you all, but the plane ride will provide me with the respite I’ll need to recha
rge. Are you ready to go, Nya?”

Certain
Liliana
would take care of the Grimaldi women in her absence, Nya took
Liliana
’s offered hand, but Christine grasped her arm. “Wait. You can’t go yet.”

“I have to
.” Nya closed her eyes against the concern in Christine’s face.
Her
friend meant well, but she didn’t know all that was involved
and that was probably for the best.

“But Adonis is dangerous. He could kill you.”

“Christine, my soul died a long time ago. What happens to my body is inconsequential.” She brushed her lips against the young vampire’s cheek. “Take care of yourself.”

“Nya—
”

Nya clutched
Liliana’s
hand tighter, signaling her readiness. They were out of the penthouse before Christine could finish her statement. Nya hated long good-byes, and this one could possibly be their last. She only hoped her help hadn’t come too late.

<><><>

Dante glanced through the back window of Sidewinder’s house. “There seems to be some kind of party going on. We’re not going to be able to take all of them.” Sneaking onto the grounds had been easy. There had been no one guarding the gates, and now he knew why. There was no need with all those rogues inside. Dante counted fifteen in this room alone.

There was no telling how many
there
were throughout the rest of the house.

“Really?” Paris murmured. “There don’t seem to be that many. We’ve taken
out
more than this by ourselves before.”

Dante didn’t want to agree with Paris, but he was right. In most circumstances
,
he probably would have gone barreling into the house himself, but not with Isis around. She claimed she could take care of herself and Dante was sure she could, but he didn’t want to risk her getting hurt. What had happened on the plane had changed everything and forced him to deal with feelings he still wasn’t certain of. He might not have a complete handle on his emotions where she was concerned, but Dante did know if something happened to her, it would cause him
a great deal of distress.

“Maybe there’s a way to sneak into the house and check all the rooms without being noticed,” Isis suggested, craning her neck to get a good look into the window.

“That may be a possibility, but I
can
tell
that some
of these vamp
ire
s are pretty old. It won’t be easy to slip by all of them,” Dante mused.

Paris
shook his head
. “Or we can go in there and pluck off those sons of bitches one at a time. Why are we even standing here talking about it when we should be inside?”

“Because I’d like us all to get out of this alive,” Dante
countered.

“I have an idea,” Isis volunteered. “I could go inside and distract them. You two can go in and search the rooms.”

“No!” Dante spoke more loudly than he’d intended. Stealing a quick peek inside, he checked to see if anyone had heard him. The group inside seemed too engrossed with their discussion. “No,” he whispered this time. “If you go in there, you’ll be torn apart.”

“I know these guys, remember? I can make up a story about hearing some news through the grapevine about the Grimaldi family, maybe feed them something to throw them off your scent.”

Dante wasn’t willing to budge on this matter. “It’s too dangerous, Isis.”

“I knew of the risks before I decided to come with you.
If you want to play on the safe side, this is the best option.”

“She’s right, Dante. If Isis is able to distract t
hem for even five minutes, it’
ll be long enough to tell if the children are inside.”

Dante growled, baring his teeth. “Stay out of this, Paris.”

Paris furrowed his brows
. “
Out of what? Because as far as I can tell, I’m already in it.”

“You might be the Alpha of your pack but I’m in charge of this mission and I’m not going to allow anyone to take unnecessary risks.”

“
Anyone…or just Isis?”

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” His friend was far too perceptive.

“
It’s reasonable plan, Dante. I understand you wanted to makes sure there are as few casualties as
possible
but the point is now moot.
It looks like Isis has already made up her mind.”

Dante frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Paris pointed over Dante’s shoulder. Isis was already heading to the front door. Dante would have rushed to stop her before she could knock on the door, but Paris held him back. “Let her go. You’re going to compromise us all.”

“I can handle it, but what if she can’t?”

“Then we’ll back her up. If you weren’t one hundred percent sure about her ability to aid us, why the hell did you allow her to come along? Don’t tell me it was so you could have a convenient piece of ass on hand.”

Dante grasped Paris by the collar. “Don’t you ever fucking talk
about her like that
,
again
.”
His incisors descended in his anger.

Paris, on the other hand,
remained unfazed by Dante’s outburst
. “Fine.” He
glared
. “I won’t besmirch the name of the fair Isis, but you need to get a hold of yourself.”

Dante didn’t particularly care for the shifter’s tone, but
he released Paris’s collar
.
He
suspected Paris didn’t completely like the female shifter, but he’d have to get to the bottom of
tha
t
later. For now
,
he had to
make sure no harm came to Isis.

He stole another glance inside to see Isis surrounded by members of the Serpent Gang, yet they weren’t attacking her. In fact, they almost seemed to welcome her. Dante hadn’t been sure what their reaction to her would be, but this was unexpected. He frowned.
She’d told him she had a friend in the Serpent Gang.
Meaning one. Yet she seemed quite friendly with everyone in the room.

Paris broke into his thoughts. “Judging from the look on your face, my friend, you’re thinking the same thing I am.”

“You couldn’t possibly know what I’m thinking unless you’ve read my mind
without my consent
, which I thought we agreed not to do to each
other
.
”

“I didn’t need to. Your face says it all, but let’s not argue. I suggest we figure a way
to get
into the house without drawing any unwanted attention.”

“You’re right. I believe I saw a window slightly ajar when we originally circled the ho
use. It’s on the second floor, however
.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Let’s go.”

Once they made their way to the back of the house, Dante was relieved to see he hadn’t imagined the open window. “The lights are off, so hopefully that means no one is in that room.” He observed the windowsill was large enough for him to hold on
to
with one hand and jimmy the windowpane all the way up with the other. Positioning himself beneath it, he bent his knees and leaped, catching on to the spot he’d targeted.

Quickly, he widened the entrance and slipped through. Paris followed seconds later. It took a moment for Dante’s eyesight to adjust to the darkness. The room was completely bare. It could have been a bedroom or office had it been furnished.

“I think we should split up. I don’t hear anything or anyone up here. I believe they’re all downstairs.”

Dante nodded in agreement. “I’ll take the other side of the house and you stay on this side. We’ll meet in the middle. Howl if you get into any trouble.”

They were both careful as they slowly made their way out the door. Paris slipped into the next room and Dante made his way down the hallway on silent feet.
Dante couldn’t help but wonder what
Isis
was
doing downstairs and
why there was so much laughter.
Unable to help himself, he walked to the stairway and cocked his head to the side to listen in on the conversation going on below.

“Black Adder would be interested in knowing what happened to you,” one of the rogues
declared
.

“I’ve been around. I’m sure B.A. has other things to keep him occupied rather than worrying about what I’m up to,” Isis replied with a trilling laugh.

“He was pretty pissed when you disappeared,” the same rogue
replied
.

“Well, here I am. What have you boys been up to in my absence? Have you been staying out of trouble?” She almost sounded as if she was flirting. One thing was certain. Isis was much more familiar with this crew than she’d let on.

A hand fell on Dante’s shoulder and he swiftly turned on his heel, ready to strike. It was Paris. “Did you check the other rooms already?”

“I, uh…”

“You were eavesdropping, weren’t you? Perhaps
,
you’re beginning to have doubts about her?”

“No.” Dante walked away from the shifter before he said something he regretted. It didn’t take him long to check the remaining rooms upstairs before he returned to Paris. “When we looked through the windows downstairs, we saw no sign of the children. The only other place they might be keeping anyone hostage would be in a basement. It might be too risky making it down there without being noticed. I’m going to project my thoughts to Isis.”

“Good idea.”

“
Isis
.” There was no reply, and he wondered if she was picking up on his mental signal to her. “
Isis
,” Dante tried again.

“
Dante? Where are you
?”

He released a small sigh of relief at the connection established with her. “
We’re upstairs. Can you figure out if this place has a basement
?”

“
No. It doesn’t. Did you find anything upstairs
?” Her answer came too swiftly, as if her knowledge of this place was that of a person who’d been here more than once.
He made a mental note to ask her about it when they were away from this place.

I need you to leave now while their guard is still down.

Can’t
. You
and
Paris should g
et
out the way you came in. I’ll keep them distracted a bit longer and figure out what they know about the kidnapping. Sidewinder isn’t here. Apparently he’s away on business
.”

Dante would have bet every penny he had this so-called business had to do with the children, but then who were all these people in Sidewinder’s house? “
What else have you learned
?”

“
They’re expecting an attack. They’ve recently learned the Underground knows about their involvement with the kidnapping. When we get out of here, we should probably warn the rest of the groups
.”

“
Speaking of which, if you’re not outside in ten minutes, I’m coming back in to get you
.”

“
No! It would be too dangerous for you. I can handle this
.”

“
Maybe
,
a little too well
.”

“
What
?”

“
Nothing. You have ten minutes
.” Dante blocked his thoughts before he turned back to Paris.

The shifter raised a brow. “Well?”

“They’re not here. Let’s go outside. I told Isis we’d give her ten minutes before we go after her.”

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Once they were outside again, Dante paced back and forth, worry making his heart beat erratically.

“Would you stop walking in circles? You’re making me nervous,” Paris drawled.

Dante glanced at his watch. Damn it. Only a couple of minutes had passed. How could he get through the next eight? “She’s taking too long.”

“If she runs into any trouble, we’ll go in there.”

Dante peeked through the window again. Isis was laughing with the rogues. What the hell? Something didn’t sit well with him. Full of nervous energy, he turned to Paris and blurted out the question that had been plaguing his mind since they’d shown up at his penthouse the night before. “What is it you have against her?”

Paris lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “I’m careful of anyone who befriends my children. I respect my daughter’s wishes of who she befriends, but if I have my concerns I keep a close watch on them. She and Persephone have become quite close, something that causes me great concern.”

“And what are your concerns about Isis?”

“You know as well as I what lone wolves are capable of. Most of them are ruthless by necessity, but others are that way simply because
they choose to be
. Without the guidance of a pack, lone wolves can be quite dangerous. I’ve questioned Isis about her past, yet she gets evasive when I do.
She seems fine on the surface
, but I wonder what she’s hiding exactly. I only say this because I care about you, but you should watch out for her. Is she a woman you can trust?”

“Of course. Why else would she be out here with us?”

“Why, indeed. How about taking another look at that cozy scene inside and tell me it doesn’t make you wonder what she hasn’t told us?”

Dante didn’t want to agree with Paris, but his doubts were beginning to pile up. After all these years, he believed he may have finally found his bloodmate, but could he
trust her?