Page 12 of Brutal Don

Martha only nodded in acknowledgement. Cara got ready for her first trip to the outside world after being cooped in Dante’s apartment for one entire week.

She wore black flats and a yellow knee-length sundress, which she had only used once or twice. Cara couldn’t afford to take a lot of time off thanks to her father’s debts. She wondered what would happen to those debts now. Bringing them up to Dante didn’t seem right. Her father’s debts were her problem.

Cara opened the front door. A 40-something, tall, muscular, and scarred man with dark-gold hair approached her. Like all of Dante’s guards, he also wore a suit and tie.

“I’m Jack and I’ll be at your service today, Miss—” Jack began.

“Call me Cara please,” she said, cutting him off. Jack nodded.

He didn’t speak much as he led her out of the building and into a black sedan. She sat in the back seat alone.

Cara nervously rubbed her sweaty palms against the fabric of her dress. Would she really put her half-baked plan into action tonight?

“Where’s our first stop?” Jack asked.

“The pharmacy. I need to get some feminine supplies,” she said.

Jack coughed. “Very well. Did the boss inform you that I need to accompany you at all times?”

“Dante did, and that’s perfectly understandable.”

“You’re taking this better than I thought.”

Was that a note of suspicion in Jack’s voice? If there was one thing Cara did know, it was that all of Dante’s men were extremely loyal to him, almost on a fanatical level.

“It’s been a week that I’ve been Dante’s guest,” she said, staring out the windows.

Cara recalled how surreal it felt when she looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the apartment. How she had never experienced that view before. She felt the same awe when she gazed out the car. Cara couldn’t afford her own vehicle so she either walked or took public transport.

“Don’t get me wrong, I know what he is and what he does for a living, but I’m also grateful to him.”

“Grateful?” Jack echoed in disbelief.

“This is the first time I’ve ever felt relaxed since my father’s death. I have never taken a day off. Work and paying off bills was all I focused on,” she said. Not exactly a lie. Jack didn’t press further and Cara was grateful. They finally arrived at the pharmacy. Jack got out and opened the door for her.

“I have a daughter your age,” Jack said conversationally as they entered the pharmacy. “This job pays well, so Marissa has always been well provided for. She has never known hardship like you do. I’ll keep an eye on you as best I can, but understand where my loyalties lie.”

“I’ve always wondered. Is Dante really such a good boss?”

Jack nodded. “After I left the Marines, I was hurting for a job. I had a pregnant wife and we were going to be evicted if I didn’t get work.”

“I see. Then Dante saved both of us,” she said.

She turned left. Cara noticed Jack pretending to look elsewhere as she grabbed two boxes of tampons. She placed more items in a basket, before walking to the cashier. Jack tailed her.

The line was long, she noticed. Her heart raced when Jack said, “I’ll wait for you by the entrance.”

Jack handed her some cash. Cara joined the line. When it was her turn, she quickly asked for sleeping pills. The woman added the box in the brown paper bag containing her other purchases. Nervously, she glanced over her shoulder but Jack was looking at his phone. When he looked up, she waved before making her way back to him.

“Got everything you needed?” Jack asked.

“Yes. Next stop would be the grocery store. I’m making Dante dinner tonight. I might need to enlist Martha’s help, because I’m not the best cook in the world,” Cara said.

Jack drove her to a store two blocks away. Cara grabbed a cart and slowly ticked off the items on the list she made in her head. Her resolve started to waver as she started to place items in her cart. Doubts crept in her head.

Making plans was easy. Executing them was another matter. What had Dante really done to her? He hadn’t tortured her or hurt her. If Ted had gotten ahold of her first, her body would be discarded in a sewer or buried underground. She had a feeling Ted wouldn’t have made her death quick either.

Dante had been the lesser evil. In a twisted sense, he had offered her sanctuary, protection from Ted. Even if her plan succeeded, where would she go? Cara had considering stealing some cash from Dante, just enough so she could get a bus ticket.

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