Page 81 of Unspoken Obsession

"Mommy, are you sad?" Damion asks, lifting his head off my shoulder and brushing his hand over his mother's cheek.

"Mommy is ok. She just had a fight with someone. But it's all ok now."

"He is gone. We're not allowed to fight - it's no nice."

"He's gone, baby. He won't come back." She replies, but then she looks at me as though she is wishing it were true and wishing that she wasn't lying to our son.

"No, we don't fight. It's ugly and we want to be nice."

"It's going to be ok, Frankie," I whisper against her hair. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it ok," I promise.

I am a father. I have a son. And I have a woman that I have fallen in love with twice. Because I know I fell in love with her the first night we met at the gala. It was something I had to put aside, thinking I would never see her again - but now she is here.

I know I love her.

I cannot lose her.

When Frankie is calmer, I take her hand and lead her to the kitchen. "Let's make breakfast for Damion and I'll make some coffee for us."

She nods, grateful to have something to do - to distract her thoughts from the way her father bombarded his way into her safe little haven.

It makes me realize how much access that man has to her. There is really nothing stopping him -- knowing he can get to her, and she can't stop him.

She had a reason to be so fearful all this time.

"Frankie - I want you and Damion to come and stay with me at the penthouse."

She shakes her head. "I would love that, Dante, but imagine how my father would react if he found out. It would be like throwing nitroglycerine on the fire and hoping it doesn't go bang. He would become savage with rage."

"But staying here is a risk. He just walks into your apartment without even blinking an eye. It's too easy for him."

"I'll find somewhere else to stay. It doesn't have to be here. I can go to a hotel or something where they at least have some kind of security. But I can't risk staying with you. It would put you in danger too."

I sigh. Doesn't she understand? I don't care about the danger for myself. I only want to keep them safe.

"I am going to book you in at the Madison Grande. I have people there and I can have guards discreetly set up around the hotel -- just to keep an eye out if anything happens."

She nods. "Ok. That will work. As long as my father doesn't think you are the one arranging the room or that you have people there."

"I'll make sure it is booked under another name. It's not my casino, a close associate owns it."

After breakfast, I am reluctant to leave. I want to take them with me. I don't want them out of my sight. But I need to go because Arman is waiting. He has news and I am hoping like all hell that he has something solid to show me.

Kissing Frankie goodbye breaks me after what happened this morning, but she smiles and puts on a brave face, so I have to do the same.

At the Russo River Casino Lorenzo is waiting for me in the foyer. He walks fast to fall into step with me as we hurry to my office.

"Did anyone follow him here?" I ask, remembering my promise to keep Arman safe.

"No, my men escorted him from just outside the territory line. He is alone. He has concrete evidence."

"Fuck, you do not know how happy I am to hear that," I say with a massive sigh of relief.

Lorenzo and I walk into my office and Arman stands up, looking pale, but standing tall.

"Sir, Mr. Russo - I got what we needed."

He steps forward, handing me a brown envelope that is scrunched as though he has been gripping it, holding onto it as though his life depended on it.

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