Page 85 of Unspoken Obsession

Dante steps forward to wait. He is standing tall, so bold and confident. The doors of the car parked right next to us open and our security crew gets out. He has already introduced me to Lorenzo, who stands just behind Dante, calm and casual as though he is getting ready to order some coffee or a movie ticket. How are they both so calm?

I try to take inspiration from them.

The most important thing is that Damion is safe, back at the hotel with Clarissa and an army of bodyguards. And we are here to get my father to back off. This is good. This is going to work.

I nod to myself just as my father's car pulls into the parking area, coming to a stop on the opposite side.

He climbs out with several men, including the two goons who are usually following me.

"What the fuck is this?" He snarls when he sees Dante.

"I thought you and I should have a face-to-face," Dante says stepping forward.

"I told you to stay away from this man, Francesca. Why are you testing my patience like this?"

I swallowed hard and decided to find my voice. "We have something you will want to see, and I think you should pay close attention because this is important."

My father chuckles, a dark, and sinister sound. "Oh, is that so? You want to show me something. Well, let's not fuck around - what is it?"

He walks closer to us, not bothered at all by the fact that Dante's men have drawn their weapons.

I don't know if it's good or bad. I assume it's good.

I walk over to stand beside Dante as my father gets close to him.

My father lifts his lip in a snarl and grunts at Dante.

Dante holds out the envelope, but before he lets it go and allows my father to look, he says. "This is not all of it, but itis enough to help you understand you are not in a position to negotiate." He yanks at the envelope. "You are going back off. Leave Frankie and Damion alone; you will never contact them again. You are going to disappear, become a ghost."

My father's laughter is so loud it makes me jump.

He snatches the envelope from Dante and tears it open, pulling the documents out.

I can tell straight away that he recognizes what they are.

"These are copies. Hm," he says, looking bitter, his confidence knocked down just a notch. "How the fuck did you get your hands on these?"

"It doesn't matter how. What matters is that we have them." Dante says, "We - there are copies all over the city already. Now, are you going to back off and leave, or do we need to show this evidence to the feds?"

My father steps forward and in a flash -- holding his guns against Dante's forehead.

I scream, and Lorenzo and the other security guards move. I don't know how he moved that fast; he must have been holding his gun the entire time.

Dante is still calm. He has his hands held out at his side while my father screams right into his face.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Threatening me; you are a fucking worm. You are nobody. You piece of shit. I will not tolerate this." His voice carries in the air. "You have just signed your own fucking death certificate. I will take my grandson. And when I have him, I'll kill the two of you myself." He's not afraid at all, he thinks this is nothing.

Dante waits until my father is done screaming, then he moves just as fast as my father did and spins. Knocking my father's grip loose, grabbing him around the throat, and slamming him to the ground.

My father drops his gun, and his men rush forward with their weapons aimed at Dante.

But Dante has the upper hand with his Glock inside my father's mouth.

"I'm done playing nice, Antonio. I asked nicely. If you don't want to oblige, we can move on to the other option -- the not-nice one."

My father's eyes are wide and brimming with anger. He is fuming. His fists are clenched.

Dante is pressing the barrel of the gun so hard into his mouth that he's gagging on it.

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