Page 42 of Code Name: Dante

14

LARK

Alice suggested we fill the time while we waited for the results with yoga and meditation. I had no idea whether I’d be able to focus enough to do it, but it was worth a try. Anything to shake the feeling that I was about to crawl out of my skin.

Alessandro said he had some things to take care of but would be in the other room if I needed him. Part of me wanted to beg him not to leave, but I stopped myself when Alice took my hand and led me over to the two mats and zafu cushions.

“Sometimes, the only way through anxiety is to sit with it,” she said, lighting candles that filled the air with subtle hints of lavender and sage. “Let it wash over you instead of fighting it.”

While I settled myself in the lotus position, Alice placed different crystals in front of us—rose quartz for healing, black tourmaline for protection, clear quartz for clarity. The familiar ritual helped ground me, even as my thoughts threatened to spiral with each passing minute.

“Close your eyes,” she instructed softly. “Feel your breath moving in and out. Notice where you’re holding tension, and let it go.”

I followed her guidance, focusing on the steady rhythm of inhale and exhale. My shoulders gradually relaxed, and the knot in my stomach began to loosen. Each time my thoughts drifted to the DNA test, to Alessandro, to all the questions still unanswered, I acknowledged them and recentered myself.

The gentle splash of waves against the dock drifted through the crack in the window. A loon called somewhere in the distance. Little by little, the meditation began to work its magic. The crushing anxiety eased into something more manageable.

“That’s it,” Alice murmured. “Just be present in this moment.”

Time became fluid, marked only by my breath and heartbeat. I found myself thinking of the coffee shop, of early mornings watching steam rise from freshly brewed tea, of the simple pleasure of creating something perfect. Of Alessandro’s visits, though I hadn’t known then who he was—just another customer in a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses so I couldn’t see his eyes.

The memory of those mornings felt distant now, like something from another life. Had it really only been days since everything changed? Since Alessandro walked into Pershing and Alice’s wedding, shattering my carefully constructed world with his presence?

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

“I’ll get it,” Alice whispered, rising with her usual grace.

“Onyx has the results,” Pershing said in a low voice.

My earlier calm evaporated. The candles’ flames seemed to flicker in time with my racing heart as I opened my eyes and rolled my shoulders, trying to work out the returning tension. I had no idea whether ninety minutes had passed, but the candles had burned considerably lower.

Alice squeezed my hand when I approached. “Alessandro is on his way in.”

She led me to a chair I didn’t remember seeing before, its rich leather cool against my skin. The crystals still sat on the floor, near our yoga mats, their presence oddly reassuring. I shut my eyes, desperately trying to recapture some of the peace I’d found during meditation. Instead, my mind raced with possibilities—each one more terrifying than the last.

When I opened my eyes again, Alessandro was walking into the bedroom. One look at his expression made my breath catch in my throat. Relief warred with something darker, more troubled in his features, but I instantly knew that I wasn’t Vincent’s daughter. The weight that lifted from my chest was staggering.

He crossed the room in long strides, dropping to one knee before me and taking both my hands in his. His touch anchored me, warm and solid, as he confirmed what his face had already told me. “You and I do not share any DNA nor do you and Vincent,” he said in a low voice.

Those were the words I’d been praying to hear. But there was a hesitancy in his tone that made my stomach clench. “But?”

“My results revealed unexpected information.”

“Is it something you want to talk about?”

He nodded, then glanced over his shoulder to Alice and Admiral, who stood near the door. “Privately,” he said when his gaze returned to mine.

His troubled expression made it impossible to fully enjoy my relief about the DNA results. Every part of his body spoke of tension, of discoveries that weighed on him. I’d learned to read his expressions over these past few days—how his jaw tightened when he was worried, how his shoulders set when he was preparing for conflict.

“Can we go down to the dock?” I suggested, needing air and space. The bedroom suddenly felt too small, too confined, despite its generous size. Even the lingering scent of sage and lavender had become cloying.

He helped me up, his hand warm and steady around mine. We made our way downstairs and through the great room, where Gram was reading. She looked up as we passed but didn’t speak, though I felt her eyes follow us to the door.

As with other days, the afternoon sun painted everything in rich golds and ambers, making the lake shimmer like molten metal. Today, it looked different, as though it was tinged with danger. Security teams watched from discrete positions around the property—a reminder that even this moment of peace wasn’t truly private. The recent rain had left everything fresh and clean, and the distinctive, earthy odor the moisture brought mixed pleasantly with pine in the cooling air.

Alessandro’s hand tightened on mine when I slipped slightly on the wet grass, steadying me without a comment. The simple gesture spoke volumes about how natural it felt to rely on each other now, despite everything. The dock creaked under our feet as we made our way to the end, where the gentle waves lapped at the posts.

“Vincent isn’t my full brother,” he finally said. “My results were a match to someone in the criminal database.”

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