Page 51 of Rescued By the Mafia

Iris stiffened in Dante’s lap, tension drawing her shoulders tight.

Dante moved his hand to her nape and rubbed his thumb against her skin, above the collar of her shirt, willing her to relax as he addressed his words to his brother. “Then lead with that. What did they find?”

Mikey pulled his tablet from the shoulder bag he’d brought with him. “Technically what they found were a couple of receipts,” he said. “But as far as I know, Iris hasn’t been near that area of town. So he wouldn’t have been there chasing after her, yet he’s still gone back twice since you apprehended Deputy Mark. The most recent of them wasn’t even two hours before we hit that unit.”

Romeo leaned forward. “You don’t think he was looking for his buddy?”

Mikey swiped at his screen and held the device out for Romeo to see. “The second receipt was mostly junk. Stuff you might buy for a kid if you don’t actually know the kid’s tastes.”

Dante watched Romeo’s face as his sibling studied the screen. He watched Romeo’s expression darken with understanding, and merely shook his head when Romeo attempted to pass the tablet his way. If they agreed on this, that was enough for him. “So you think Bishop’s holding them somewhere near the locations on those receipts?”

“I do,” Mikey said. He set the tablet down again. “Either he bought the food and detoured all the way to the storage space before going to drop it off, but didn’t leave behind any other evidence of the food itself, or he was able to drop it off before getting to the storage facility. So I mapped it out, compared the options with known open buildings, and I found three possibilities.”

“Three?” Iris repeated. She turned her head, looking between them. “Isn’t that still…?”

Dante let a subtle smirk lift his lips. “Three is nothing.” He lifted his stare to his brothers. “Put teams together. We’ll descend on those buildings simultaneously. If the woman and child are in any of them, we get them home. If we find Bishop, you know what to do with him. I want this raid wrapped up in time for dinner.”

Mikey nodded.

Romeo frowned. “What about our other problem?”

Dante felt a scowl of his own bend his lips. “The Ink Blots. I’m not going to react to their provocation until we get more information. For now, keep your eyes and ears open and narrow your circles.”

His brothers stood, Mikey slipping away the tablet, and nodded their heads.

“I should have teams organized by hours’ end,” Romeo said.

“Good. Now go. I’ll see you then.”

Nothing else was said as the pair let themselves out, quietly pulling the door closed behind them.

Iris released a breath seconds later. “It sounds dangerous…”

“Most of what I do is.” Dante lowered his hand to her hip and tugged her into his chest. “I’m not comfortable leaving you home alone this time. How do you feel about—”

“I want to come.”

He stared down at the head of orange-red hair leaning against his shoulder, resting just beneath his chin. That wasn’t a response he’d expected. “I beg your pardon?”

Iris squirmed a little and lifted her head, adjusting enough to meet his gaze. Determination shone out of her jade green eyes. “Take me with you today,” she said.

Dante frowned. “Iris. It’s not going to be pleasant. There’s no guarantee we’ll find either of them alive, or at all.” He trusted Mikey’s instinct, though, so he was more worried about whether or not they were alive than whether or not they were there at all.

Iris rolled her lips between her teeth for a second, then curled her fingers in his shirt. “I understand. And of course, if they’re not okay, I’ll be upset. Megan is the first friend I’ve made in … years. She took me in and let me live with her when she found out I was living in my car and that my little paycheck was paying more for fuel than food. She’s the first person I told anything to and the first person who listened to me.” Tears built in front of her eyes but didn’t fall. “I need to be there, Dante. I need to see it through. I should have gone with you yesterday but I chickened out. I’m not going to let myself do that again.”

He couldn’t deny her that, could he?

Dante swept her up, stood, and set her on her feet. He enjoyed holding her in his lap, but this conversation required a different focus. Still, he tucked his hands into the dip of her waist, holding her in front of him. “If I bring you with me, you need to promise you’ll stay close to me.”

Iris nodded.

“You need to give me your word that if I tell you to get down, you’ll drop to the fucking floor. And if I tell you it’s time to go, you won’t fight me about leaving.”

She smiled, the expression somehow warm, and laid her palm over his chest. “I promise, Dante. I’m not looking to complicate the mission. I only want to see my friend saved—or not—with my own eyes. Maybe give her a hug after, if she lets me.”

This fucking woman. She was too good for him. Deep down, he knew that. But knowing something didn’t mean he intended to act on it, and the absolute last thing Dante intended to do was let Iris go. He’d given her two chances to keep herself out of his life. Now she was his, whether he deserved her or not.

Dante let his expression soften. “All right. We have a deal, Snapdragon. As long as you remember your words.”

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