Chapter 2 - The Man Who Never Asked for Help
Dante's office smelled of leather, coffee, and the faint metallic scent of a gun recently cleaned.
Arya stood in front of his desk, still wearing the pale-blue shirt she'd stained with pancake batter. She had chocolate beneath one fingernail and a small tear in the knee of her trousers.
Dante noticed both.
"You've completed the test," he said.
"That's what the clock tells me."
"Most people would have left yesterday."
"Most people didn't promise their six-year-old daughter they'd find a way to keep her home."
For the first time, his expression shifted. Not quite sympathy. More like recognition.
He pushed a folder across the desk.
"Your debts will be paid today. Your salary will be deposited weekly. You'll have a private apartment on the grounds, and your daughter can live here with you."
Arya stared at him.
"You've been reading my file again."
"I know what I employ."
"Then you know I don't want charity."
"This isn't charity. My sons need you."
"Your sons need stability. That's not the same thing as needing me."
Dante leaned back. "You're negotiating with a man who doesn't negotiate."
"Then this should be a new experience for both of us."
Silence settled between them.
Finally, Dante almost smiled.
Almost.
"Bring Mia here tomorrow."
Arya's relief was so powerful that she had to grip the back of a chair. She would have a home. Her daughter would have a bed. For the first time in months, the future didn't look like a hallway with a locked door at the end.
Then Dante's expression hardened.
"There's one condition. No one outside this house learns where your daughter lives. Not your friends, not your neighbors, not your former husband."
Arya's relief vanished.
"Why?"
"Because my enemies know I have three sons. They don't need to discover that I've acquired another child to care about."
"Acquired?" she repeated. "I'm a nanny, not a stray animal you've brought home."
"I didn't mean—"
"Then choose your words more carefully."
She walked out before he could answer.
At the nursery, Leo was attempting to balance a spoon on his nose. Mateo was explaining the mechanics of their latest prank to a stuffed bear. Enzo sat by the window, watching the driveway.
When Arya entered, all three boys looked up.
"Are you leaving?" Enzo asked.
"No."
"Even if Dad tells you to?"
Arya crouched beside him.
"Especially if somebody tells me to leave without giving me a good reason."
Enzo studied her face, searching for a promise he could trust.
Then he whispered, "Can your daughter play with us?"
"She's very good at making friends."
"Does she know our mommy is dead?"
Arya's heart tightened.
"She knows people can lose someone they love."
Enzo nodded solemnly. "Then maybe she'll understand."
The following afternoon, Mia arrived carrying a pink backpack and a stuffed rabbit with one button eye. She had Arya's dark curls, serious brown eyes, and the cautious expression of a child who had heard too many adult conversations through thin apartment walls.
She stopped in the foyer when she saw the triplets.
The triplets stopped, too.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Leo pointed at the rabbit.
"That thing looks ancient."
Mia hugged it to her chest. "His name is Mr. Buttons. He's older than you."
Mateo gasped. "That's impossible."
"He's six and a half."
Enzo stepped forward. "Can he keep a secret?"
Mia glanced at her mother, then back at him.
"Depends on the secret."
The boys exchanged a look.
It was the beginning of a friendship Arya couldn't have planned if she'd tried.
By dinner, the children were building a blanket fort in the family room. Dante stood in the doorway, watching his sons explain their rules to Mia. They had not invited another child into their world since their mother's funeral.
Arya caught Dante looking at her.
"Don't thank me," she said quietly.
"I wasn't going to."
"Good."
"I was going to ask why your daughter is teaching my sons to charge admission to their own fort."
"Because she understands business."
For a moment, they stood side by side, listening to the children laugh.
Then Mia crawled out of the fort and hurried toward Dante.
"Mr. Mancini?"
He looked down at her.
"Do you have a picture of your wife?"
The room fell silent.
Arya moved immediately. "Mia, honey, that's private."
But Dante raised one hand, stopping her.
He looked at the little girl for a long moment.
"Yes," he answered. "I do."
"Can I see it?"
His jaw tightened.
"Not today."
Mia nodded, accepting the answer without complaint. Then she returned to the fort.
Dante watched her go.
"Your daughter asks questions no one else dares to ask."
"She's six."
"So were my boys when they learned that questions could get people hurt."
Arya turned toward him.
"What does that mean?"
Before he could answer, his phone vibrated.
He read the message once.
The warmth disappeared from his face.
"Get the children upstairs," he ordered.
"What happened?"
"Now, Arya."
She gathered the children and took them toward the staircase. Halfway up, she heard the front doors open and several men enter.
One of the guards approached Dante, speaking in a low voice.
Arya couldn't hear every word.
But she heard enough.
"The police found another one."
May you like
Dante went completely still.
Then the guard added, "And this time, the victim had your wife's wedding ring."
