Page 74 of Code Name: Dante

Around us, federal agents began arriving, securing the scene and taking statements. But at that moment, holding Lark while my mother was loaded into a waiting ambulance, all that mattered was that we’d found what we were searching for—truth, family, and each other.

We all had a lot to talk about, then to heal. “Let’s go,” I said, taking her hand to lead her outside.

“Wait. There’s something I need to say.”

I looked into her eyes. “Okay.”

“I was sure I was going to die today, and my biggest regret was that I never told you how much you mean to me. You may think I’m crazy, but I love you, Alessandro.”

“God, Lark, I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I love you too.” I lifted her in my arms, never wanting to let her go.

26

LARK

Isat in the backseat, Alessandro on one side of me and my mother on the other as we returned to the hospital.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen Gram?” I asked.

“It’s been far longer since she’s seen me. It was a risk, I know, but there were days when the photos Vincent arranged to have taken and given to me just weren’t enough. I had to see you, even from a distance.” She reached up and cupped my cheek. “I’ve always been so proud of you, sweetheart.”

I closed my eyes and leaned into her hand. The love I felt was no different than I’d experienced from Gram, but it was more. There’d never be too much love, whether it was from my mother, my grandmother, or Alessandro.

I hoped it would be the same for him. That he could renew his relationship with his mother and get to know his sister. The only impediment I could see preventing that from happening was Vincent.

All three women had been kept safe—alive—by him. Would they see him as a hero or as the villain he’d been in every other part of his life? Would their mother forgive Alessandro for destroying a man she saw as protective?

My stomach clenched at the thought. And what of Chiara, who sat in the front seat next to Blackjack, who was driving. Would the tables be turned on Alessandro by her too?

“What worries you?” my mother asked, lowering her hand to mine and squeezing it.

I shook my head. “Things for later.”

She nodded once and turned to look out the window, but her hand still covered mine. When Alessandro did the same to my left, I turned to face him.

With his free hand, he pointed to himself, then to me. “No matter what,” he whispered.

I knew exactly what he meant. Whatever the next few days brought, he and I would be okay. As long as we were together, we could face it, weather the storms, and find comfort in each other’s arms. No matter what.

So many uncertainties loomed even after the number of questions that had been answered. There’d still be more. The biggest one of all was what kind of danger our mothers still faced. Mine in particular.

Would she have to go back into hiding for fear of the Mazzeo family’s retaliation? Would she face criminal charges for Anthony Mazzeo’s murder?

“Admiral and Alice are returning to Canada Lake once they wrap things up at the scene,” Blackjack reported from the front seat. “They’re suggesting everyone return there when they’re able to.”

“Roger that,” said Alessandro.

The hospital where Gram waited, not knowing that within a few minutes, she’d be reunited with her daughter, loomed in front of us. There, we’d also learn about Amelia Castellano’s condition. It appeared the Kevlar vest she wore had prevented the bullet that struck her from doing grave harm, but that in itself raised another question.

“Why were you there?” I turned to my mother and asked. “How did you know?”

“When we left the compound yesterday, we stayed in a house in Gloversville, where we had in the past. One of Vincent’s men saw footage of you being taken and alerted us. Since we were closer than he was, we went.”

“But…”

“Like you said, Lark, things for later. We’ll answer all your questions about what the last twenty-six years have been like for us and anything else you want to know. Then we’ll address the future and what that will look like. But know this, I have every intention of being a part of your life. An active part of it.”

In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder how she could be so sure.

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