Page 42 of Ivory Legacy

“Head down?” I scoffed, but my bravado faltered under the weight of his gaze. “And what about you?”

He reached across the small table that was cluttered with our lunch spread—a stark reminder of the normalcy we both craved. His fingers brushed mine, sending a jolt of warmth despite the winter chill seeping through the apartment windows. “I love you,” Dante murmured, and it wasn’t just the words but the way he said them, like a confession made at gunpoint.

“I know,” I managed to reply, feeling the knot in my throat tighten. It was the truth, stripped of any pretense.

His hand retracted, and he leaned back in his chair, the shadows of the room accentuating the hardness in his jawline. “I probably won’t be back for a while. Detective Rodriguez has me on a tight leash; I’m not supposed to leave the city.”

“Everything’s such a mess.” My voice broke, betraying the chaos swirling inside me. “I miss you.”

The admission hung between us, as raw and exposed as an open wound. We continued to eat, the silence stretching out, filled only by the clink of cutlery and the muffled sound of waves against the cove.

The silence was a living thing, broken only by the clink of our forks against the plates. I toyed with the remnants of my salad, unable to ignore the gnawing feeling in my stomach that had nothing to do with hunger.

“Jade,” Dante said, his voice low and careful. “Is there anything else you miss?”

My chest tightened, and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I blinked them away, but one betrayed me, sliding down my cheek. “The people at the diner, the inn... they’ve been so kind.” Ipaused, my voice a mere thread of sound. “But I was on the cusp of a breakthrough with my research, Dante. It feels like I’ve left a piece of myself behind.”

He reached out again, this time cupping my face in his hand, thumb brushing away the tear. “I’m so sorry I left you in a place of despair.” Regret laced his words, pulling at the fragile threads of composure I held onto. “It’ll never happen again. You need to have a phone—something secure. I’ll ship one to you.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, taking a moment to steady my breath before picking up my fork again. But the food tasted like cardboard now.

Dante checked his watch and then stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. “I shouldn’t even be here.” His voice was rough, like it pained him to say it.

I followed him to my feet, my heart thumping against my ribs as we headed for the door. Our footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, an ominous drumbeat that seemed to herald the end of something. Or the beginning.

We exited the apartment, and the crisp sea air hit me, carrying the scent of brine and freedom. A freedom that felt more like a prison without Dante by my side.

“Let’s get you to the car,” he said, his hand finding the small of my back, guiding me toward the black sedan waiting ominously outside the harbor cove apartment. The sun glinted off its polished surface, an illusion of peace in a day that was anything but tranquil.

The world outside the Harbor Cove apartment had always felt like a sanctuary, until it wasn’t. As Dante and I approached the car, my senses, usually dulled by the serenity of the sea breeze, snapped to attention at the sharp crack of shattering glass. My head whipped around, scanning for the source, just in time to see silhouettes—men in masks—materializing from the edges of our vision.

“Get down!” Dante’s command came in a fierce whisper, his hand firm on my shoulder as he shoved me towards the ground, an instinctive move that folded space into a blur of motion.

The thud of my body hitting the pavement was lost in the chaos of footsteps and grunts. I could barely make out Dante’s shape as he positioned himself between me and the attackers, his presence a shield against the unknown threat that dared to intrude upon our fleeting moment of peace.

“Stay behind me!” he growled, his voice a low vibration under the clatter of closing danger. I could feel the urgency pulsing off him in waves, even as my mind struggled to process the swift transition from calm to combat.

I pressed my palms against the cool concrete, the rough texture grounding me while Dante’s silhouette danced violently with those of our assailants. The glint of metal flashed in the sunlight, weapons brandished with lethal intent, and a new kind of fear gripped me—one that came with the possibility of losing more than just my freedom or research.

Pavement bit into my palms, icy against the adrenaline-warmth of my skin. Dante was a blur of motion, dodging and weaving with a precision that belied the chaos unfurling around us. I watched—fascinated despite the terror—as he countered eachattack, his body a weapon honed by years in the shadows of his family’s dark empire.

“Jade, now!” His command cut through the haze of fear.

His hand clamped around mine, calloused and unyielding. With a yank that sent my heart into my throat, he hauled me to my feet. There was no room for hesitation; Dante’s grip on my hand was an anchor in the storm, a lifeline pulling me towards the promise of safety—the car.

“Jade, get in now!” Dante’s voice was a sharp command that cut through the chaos.

I lurched toward the open car door, my hands shaking so violently I could barely grasp the handle. The leather seat felt alien against the pandemonium of my racing heart as I threw myself inside. My fingers stumbled over the seatbelt, the simple action maddeningly complex as fear slicked my palms.

“Come on, Jade,” I muttered under my breath, willing my trembling hands to work. With a click, the seatbelt locked into place, a small victory amidst the encroaching peril.

Dante slammed the door shut, the sound merging with my own ragged breaths. His gaze was a sweep of the area, quick and efficient, before locking onto mine with an intensity that almost made me forget the peril we were in.

“Jade, if anything happens—“ he started.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” I cut him off, more for my own sake than his. My voice was a whisper of defiance against the fear.

A nod was his only reply as he twisted the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, a growl that seemed to rise above the chaos unfolding outside. Dante’s hands gripped the steering wheel, every muscle coiled like a spring, ready to unleash the full force of his will upon the gas pedal.

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