Page 128 of Brutal Crown
“You drugged me.” My voice hardens. “What about the baby?”
He exhales through his nose. Not guilty. Just like he’s annoyed by the accusation.
“I’m not a fucking animal, Rosalia. I used propofol in a controlled dose monitored by a private physician. It was administered in just the right amount to put you under without crossing the placental barrier.” He adjusts the cufflink on his sleeve like this is just another business transaction. “You slept through the worst of it. The baby’s fine. I assure you.”
I blink at him, deadpan. “Oh, well, as long as you drugged meethically, that makes it all fine. You should have just shot me while I was unconscious so I wouldn’t have to deal with this.”
Dante raises a brow. “If I wanted you dead, Lia, you wouldn’t be breathing or glaring at me right now.”
My throat tightens because I know he’s right.
My mind brings up flashes of that particular memory I wish to forget. I remember the blood… how it spread across our living room floor, the way my father’s life disappeared from his eyes,and the way Dante pointed that gun at me next. He would have killed me if Francesco hadn’t walked in and stopped him.
“You’ve always wanted me dead,” I whisper. “You would’ve killed me too, if your son hadn’t walked in. So why now? What changed?” I pause when it hits me. “Or you’re the one your Society sent because I refused to go by their archaic rules and properly complete the stupid ritual?”
His expression flickers, just slightly. A shift behind the usual mask he has over his face. He takes another step closer, but he stops, like he’s careful not to get too close.
“You think the La Mano Nera ordered your death,” he says, his tone flat. “You’re right. They did.”
“So this is it?” I whisper. “You’re here to finish up the job?”
A cold chill seeps into my chest
“You think the Society will let you live just because you survived the fire?” He scoffs. “You spat on their laws. You humiliated their heir. And now you’re carrying something they can’t control.”
His voice drops lower.
“If the Elders have their way, they’ll take the baby—and then they’ll kill you. Clean. Quiet. Like you never existed. But I’m sure they’ll wait long enough for you to give birth first. So no, I’m here because Ididn’tlet them take you.”
I stare at him, not comprehending. “What?”
I scoff bitterly. “You expect me to believe that?”
“You don’t have to believe it,” he says simply.
“I was just a girl when you pointed a gun at me with no hesitation. You were going to put a bullet in my skull like it was nothing. Don’t you dare stand here and expect me to believe that you’re a changed man now.”
His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t deny it.
“So why now?” I continue, my voice shaking with rage and disbelief.
There’s a pause. A long, heavy one. And when Dante speaks, his voice is quieter than I expect, but no less sharp.
“Two years ago, I killed Adriano because I believed it was necessary. I did what I believed was right. I thought he was a threat to the balance I thought we had. But I was wrong.”
He takes another step toward me.
“I was wrong about him,” he says. “And I was wrong about you.”
I swallow hard, fury and confusion colliding in my chest. “You despise me.”
“I did, yes, but I’ve had time to think,” Dante continues. “And to see what the Society really is. The Elders don’t enforce order or balance. It’s power. And fear.”
I don’t respond. I don’t know how. The room feels too small, too cold. The pain in my body suddenly blurs with the ache in my chest.
I don’t trust him. Not even a little.
But I’m listening.
