Page 22 of Little Sparrow

The turn of the lock pulls me back to attention. I stand. It will be Leo now. I’m curious how he would handle punishing me. After seeing Dante, I need to feel the pain that I had caused Sofia. I’ve hurt the person he loves the most.

I’m confused when Leo smiles when he sees me. My brows furrow as I look around. I wipe all expression off my face while he examines me,be brave. “I’m sorry about hitting you, but I’m not a stupid man. That was very disrespectful of you to lie to me. You must have seen my son. He needs to come home for his duties. When he joins me, I will take you to your mother.” He places his hand on my shoulder, no doubt to be reassuring to me. I need to see my mum, but at the same time, I don't want anyone else killed.

“I never saw where he was.” The only thing I will reveal is the truth. Hope burns through my belly. Dante coming here could mean the end of me killing people for Leo. I’ve finally done enough.

Chapter twenty

Dante

Calabria, Italy

“Buongiorno, father.” I say while my hands slide into my pockets, my lips twitch in the corner when I watch the shock on his face. Even though I had been brought in by guards he must not have believed that I had finally come back on my own. The drive here went quick as I blasted my music while speeding through the city, weaving in and out of traffic. I had been outside those familiar black iron gates in no time. They seem smaller than they used to be, or maybe it’s just me.

Walking through the doors didn’t feel like home anymore, it was cold and empty. Only guards, Maria and the butler who I occasionally see. They all seem like they have aged a lot since I left. The large family portrait he had of us years ago had been replaced with a painting of the estate instead. His vanity will be the death of him one day.

“You’re home,figlio mio.” He takes a step towards me through the door. “But I know you’re not here to join the family again.” Good, he's still not stupid. No silly expectations.

My head tilts as his eyes bore into mine, I came here to play his game and gain his trust. I consider my answer while turning my back on him and taking steps towards the fireplace, now bare of our family photos too. Maybe he has a mistress now and wants to get rid of my mothers memory. He must have told people that she was dead. Although we hold the attention of women, we withhold what they desire. Marriage. That’s what a mistress really wants from us.

“Where is my mother?” I get straight to the point of why I’m here, even though he already would have known. My finger glides along the dustless wood to keep my hands busy, I can’t strangle him just yet, no matter how much my hands ache to.

“You’re too late, she’s not here anymore,” he takes a step closer. “Join us again. You won’t regret it this time. We don’t need to kill anymore.”

“So you found the weapon?”Fuck, maybe I can destroy it while I’m here. I just need to get to it. I’ll play nice while I wait for the opportunity to rise, hopefully, it doesn’t take long, I can’t stand to be here any longer than I have to.

“Yes, I did. She’s just as beautiful as her mother.” I can’t hide my shock as my eyebrows almost hit my hairline. “She?” I keep my voice steady. I don’t kill women, it’s against my rules. How dangerous is one woman to be considered a weapon?

“Yes. Maybe you will meet her one day. However, until then, I do not trust you. You need to earn that right. Not even all my soldiers get close to her.” He shrugs as he takes the remaining steps forward, the echo from his shoes on the floor getting louder as he approaches. When he reaches my side, the stench of cigars emanates from him, my nose wrinkles in disgust. The smell reminds me of my childhood. How he smelled after a kill, he must have finished a job not long ago, or his woman had.

“Your friend Antonio worked for me. He saw her. He was her guard.” He tells me, shoving his hands in his pockets, mirroring my posture.

“Past tense?” I question, not quite sure where this is heading.

“He tried breaking the rules. No touching her.” My father shrugs.

My brow furrows. “Where is he now?” My father sighs as though he is annoyed at my questions already. He must have been waiting a long time for me to be ready to join him. I must be a disappointment, finding my true self without him guiding me as a father must be killing him.

“He is downstairs. I can’t let him near her again without someone around. The consequences of what can happen are dire. He needs to be punished. You should do it to prove your loyalty to us. Be the underboss you were born to be. Deal with him in the way I taught you and we will talk.” He turns and walks away. Franco stands in the background waiting for my father, no doubt, to bring some news. This is confirmed when I look at them and they whisper to each other.

“You were with your uncle. You’re lucky I didn’t start a war to get you back.”

My whole body tenses at the realisation that he already knew where I was.

Chapter twenty-one

Rose

Ihadheardafamiliar voice from inside my room, my ear was pressed firmly up against the wood, I had to know if Dante had come here and he had. I sneak out onto my balcony and climb along the wall, like I usually do when I don’t have my collar on and want to sit in the gardens. Now I’m standing in his room, not touching anything, but my eyes scan his past. This is where the pictures are. Dante looks just like Sofia, I can’t help but trace my finger over his features in a photo. He looked so happy. My heart sinks, why did he run?

The door handle starts to turn and I hide in the dark curtains. He doesn’t notice me yet. I stare at his muscled back as they ripple with each movement of tearing up the rose I left him from the gardens, a hint that I am here if he hadn’t already guessed. He is so much bigger in person, my dreams didn’t do him justice.My realm. That’s what I call it, since it’s only mine to enter. He looks so confused. No one realises yet but the few minutes after a dreamwalk, I can hover in their mind. I had been watching him in his dreams. That little blonde storming through the door, having a tantrum when he told her to leave made me chuckle. She was mumbling curses, as though she had the right to be there.

It made me feel good that he rejected her. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m still pining over a kiss from a man I had only had contact with a few times. The man who gave me my first real kiss, my former friends had always told me that you never forget and I never did, not for one single moment.

“Your Leo’s son.” my head shakes when I look at him, stepping out of the shadows. How did I not notice the similarities sooner? Dante freezes, staying silent while he turns. His gaze travels over me. Does he recognise me? I’ve changed so much.

I’m now standing in front of his dresser when his footsteps get closer. I stand up straighter against it. He stops when we are face to face. His rough hand wraps around my throat, pushing me backwards until my back arches, our chests pressed together as he looms over me as I push back on his hold. I can’t help but wait for a reaction more than this. So I say nothing else.

That’s when his face changes, his eyes widen, and his face smooths over. “Rose?” he murmurs, his dark eyes searching for mine while loosening his grip.

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