Page 58 of Code Name: Dante

“So there is more than one person staying there,” I said more than asked. I sat back, processing this new information. Once again, every answer led to more questions. The occupants could be our mothers, or it could be another dead end, another piece in Vincent’s elaborate game. But something about this felt different—like we were finally getting close to the truth.

“We need to be careful,” I finally said. “Whoever these people are, they’ve managed to keep themselves hidden for years.”

The image on the screen changed again. “Look,” said Alice, pointing.

“Is that a fourth person?” I asked.

She nodded, then opened another window that showed the man we presumed was a caretaker. His size and his manner of carrying himself was different than any of the others that had appeared in the footage Tex had found so far.

“Who is that?” Lark whispered, leaning in for a closer look.

“The easiest way to find out is to ask,” I said, already forming a plan of attack. Tomorrow, the speculation and guessing would end when I visited the compound and found out exactly who lived there.

Something occurred to me. “Can I see the date stamp on that last one?”

Alice zoomed in on the image.

What I saw aligned with my suspicion. It was captured shortly before my brother was taken into custody. “That’s Vincent,” I stated emphatically, knowing with absolute certainty it was him.

Lark wasquiet for the remainder of the day and into the evening. Between her grandmother’s withdrawal into her bedroom and the fear that we’d discover the unidentified woman found in the mining shaft was her mom, it seemed like she was giving up. Letting go of the hope she’d ever see her birth mother again.

“Come here,” I said, snuggling her close in front of the lower-level fireplace. When she buried her head into my chest, the dampness of her tears soaked into my shirt. I’d never wanted to take on another’s pain more than I did right now. I hated that she was hurting and that, for now, I was powerless to make things better.

“Will you sleep with me again tonight?” She raised her head, and her eyes bored into mine.

I’d ask if she was sure, if she feared it would upset her grandmother more, but this wasn’t about Barbara. Lark needed me, and that trumped everything else.

“Of course I will.”

“Alessandro?”

I cupped her cheek. “What,cuore mio?”

“I want it to be different tonight.” She rested her hand on my thigh. Its proximity to my quickly hardening cock underscored her meaning.

Again, I’d ask if she was sure, but the last thing I wanted was for her to think I was rejecting her. Every kiss we’d shared, every touch, sent desire coursing through me. I wanted her as much as my next breath.

When she leaned closer, I brought my lips to hers. Our kiss was soft and gentle, as though our mouths were making slow, sweet love.

Not wanting anything or anyone to ruin this moment, I shifted my body so I could lift her in my arms and carried her into the bedroom. When I lowered her onto the mattress, Lark clung to me, bringing me down with her. I deepened the kiss, spurred on by how she trembled beside me and held onto my shoulders as if she’d never let go.

Our tongues stroked rather than battled as I reveled in her sweet taste that I’d become addicted to since the very first time her mouth opened to mine.

Lark lowered one hand to my waist and dipped under my shirt. I gasped at the feel of her palm on my bare skin, making my already straining penis ache with want.

Mimicking her actions, I eased my hand under her sweater, reaching up and covering her breast. When my fingers found her tight nipple, she groaned, and, God, how I wanted to taste her.

“Alessandro…” When she pulled away enough to make me think she’d changed her mind, I prepared to roll off the bed in the opposite direction, leave the room, and make my way upstairs to the bed I’d sleep in alone. And I was okay with that. This was about Lark. What she needed, what she wanted. Always.

As I raised my eyes in anticipation of her unnecessary apology, I saw she’d removed her sweater and was working to unfasten her jeans.

“Do you want me?” she asked.

My eyes flared. “You know I do.”

“Then, touch me.”

I was off the bed in a flash, standing next to her. When my hands landed on her bare waist, she moved them to the zipper of her pants.

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