The Bodyguard

chapter 20

Dante led me to the far side of the garage. There were at least a dozen cars inside. Some looked brand new. Others looked like they belonged in a museum. I stopped beside a sleek black sports car.

“Okay,” I said. “What's the challenge?”

“You tell me what's wrong with it.” Dante leaned against the hood.

“That's it?” I looked at him.

“You said you wanted a challenge.” He replies.

“What's wrong with it?” I walked around the car.

“I'm asking you.” He says with a raised brow.

I crouched beside the driver's side. I looked at the tires first. Then the body. Nothing obvious. I opened the door and looked inside. The interior was spotless.

“You've driven this recently.” I glanced at Dante.

“Yes.” He says simply.

“How recently?” I ask.

“Yesterday.” He states.

I looked at the dashboard. Then the floor. Then the driver's seat.

“You have a problem.” I smiled.

“What?” Dante crossed his arms.

“Someone else drove it.” I stated matter of fact.

“How do you know?” His expression changed.

“The seat is too close to the steering.” I replied..

“So?” He asks.

“You're taller than me.” I point out.

“True.” He nodded.

“But the mirrors are adjusted differently too.” I said. Dante walked over. He looked at the driver's seat. Then the mirrors.

“Interesting.” His eyes narrowed.

“You said you wanted to know if I was good.” I smiled.

“I did.” He looked at me. “And?”

“I think I passed.” I say smugly.

“You noticed all that in less than a minute.” He laughed.

“I notice things.” I responded.

“I've noticed.” He says with a laugh.

I walked around the car again. “Who drove it?” Dante didn't answer. I stopped. “Was it one of your men?” I ask.

“Yes.” He says.

“Why?” I ask him.

“Because I asked him to.” He shrugs.

“Then why make me guess?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Because I wanted to see how you think.” He says. He walked toward me. “You're different from what I expected.”

“You keep saying that.” I crossed my arms.

“Because you keep proving it.” He replies. We stood there for a moment. Then Dante smiled. “I have another challenge.”

“Of course you do.” I roll my eyes.

“This one isn't about cars.” He says pointedly.

“What is it?” I became curious.

“I want you to come with me.” He says giving a motion to follow him.

“Where?” I ask following him.

“You'll see.” He says

“That sounds suspicious.” I mutter.

“It should.” He says with a laugh.

I laughed. He held out his hand. I stared at it. Then at him.

“You're not going to shoot me, are you?” She looks at him seriously.

“No.” He says straight faced.

“Kidnap me?” She asks.

“You're already kidnapped.” His eyebrow lifted.

“Good point.” I placed my hand in his. His fingers closed around mine. It was such a simple touch. But something about it made me pause.

Dante noticed. He didn't let go. Neither did I. For a few seconds, we just stood there.

Then he gently pulled me toward the door. And for the first time since I'd arrived at the estate. I walked beside Dante willingly. Dante led me out of the garage and toward a black SUV parked near the house.

“You're taking me somewhere?” I stopped.

“Yes.” He replied.

“Am I allowed to ask where?” I ask.

“You can ask.” He says.

“That wasn't an answer.” I responded.

“Get in.” He opened the passenger door for me.

“You're really enjoying being mysterious, aren't you?” I ask.

“A little.” He says.

I climbed into the SUV. Dante walked around to the driver's side and got in. The gates opened as we approached.

“We're actually leaving the property?” I looked at him.

“For a little while.” He says.

“Does this mean I'm free?” I ask.

“No.” He replied.

“Had to ask.” I sighed.

He smiled and pulled onto the road. For the first few minutes, neither of us spoke. I watched the countryside pass by through the window.

Eventually, I noticed we were heading toward the mountains.

“Where are we going?” I ask again.

“You'll find out.” He says.

“You know, normal people just tell someone where they're going.” I point out.

“I've never claimed to be normal.” He replied.

“That might be the most honest thing you've said.” I laughed.

“You're enjoying yourself.” He glanced at me.

“I might be.” I smile.

“Good.” He was smiling.

Something about the way he said it made me look at him. Not the dangerous smile I'd seen before. A real one. I looked away before he could notice me staring.

About thirty minutes later, Dante turned onto a narrow road surrounded by trees. The road climbed higher. Then suddenly, the trees opened. I gasped.

Below us was a huge lake. The water stretched between the mountains, sparkling beneath the afternoon sun.

“Wow.” I say stunned.

“I thought you'd like it.” Dante looked over at me.

He pulled into a small parking area overlooking the lake. I climbed out. The air was cooler up here. I walked toward the edge of the overlook.

“This is beautiful.” I respond.

“When things get loud, I come here.” Dante stood beside me.

“Things get loud for you?” I looked at him.

“You know what I do.” He gave me a look.

“Fair.” I turned back toward the lake.

For a while, neither of us spoke. It was peaceful. Almost too peaceful.

Then Dante said quietly, “Caden knew about this place.”

“What?” I froze. I looked at him.

“He came here once.” He said.

“You knew him better than you said.” My heart tightened.

“I told you. I knew of him.” He said.

“You just said he came here.” I responded.

“He came here trying to get information about me.” Dante looked toward the water.

“Of course he did.” I frowned.

“He wasn't very good at hiding what he was doing.” A small smile crossed Dante's face.

“That sounds like Caden.” I smiled too.

Then I remembered he was gone. My smile disappeared.

Dante noticed. “I didn't bring you here to upset you.”

“Then why did you bring me?” I asked.

“Because I wanted you to see something that belonged to me before you knew me as the man you were afraid of.” He looked at me.

“What does that mean?” My heart skipped.

“It means I wanted you to see that I'm more than the man everyone tells stories about.” He stepped closer.

“You're still the head of the Aldo Mafia.” I stared at him.

“Yes.” He said.

“And your people killed Caden.” I point out.

“Yes.” His expression hardened.

“Then I don't know what I'm supposed to think about you.” I nodded.

Dante looked at me for a long moment. “You don't have to think anything.” He turned toward the SUV. “Just enjoy the view.” He waved.

I watched him walk away. Then I looked back at the lake. For the first time, I wondered who Dante Aldo really was when no one was watching.

And worse...

I realized I wanted to find out. I stood there for several minutes, staring at the lake. The view was beautiful.

But I couldn't stop thinking about Dante. I turned around. He was leaning against the SUV, watching me.

“You're staring,” I said.

“So are you.” He replied.

“I was looking at the lake.” I responded.

“So was I.” He smirked.

“You're impossible.” I rolled my eyes.

“Come on.” He smiled.

“Where?” I ask.

“There's a trail.” He said pointing just a little ahead of us.

I followed him down a narrow path toward the water. We walked in silence for a while. It felt strange. Not uncomfortable.

Just...easy. Eventually, we reached a small wooden dock. Dante sat on the edge. I sat beside him. For a few minutes, neither of us said anything.

Then I asked, “Did you grow up around here?”

“No.” He said simply.

“Where?” I ask.

“Chicago.” He replied.

“Really?” I looked at him. “What brought you here?”

“My father.” He nodded. I waited. Dante looked out across the water. “He was involved in the organization before me.”

“So you were born into this.” I replied.

“Yes.” He said.

“Did you want it?” I probe.

“Not at first.” His jaw tightened.

“What changed?” I studied him

“My father died.” He said. I didn't say anything. “He left everything to me.”

“And you took over?” I questioned.

“I didn't have much choice.” He said.

“You always have a choice.” I replied.

“Do you?” Dante looked at me. The question caught me off guard.

“I suppose not.” I looked away.

“You understand more than you think.” He nodded.

“That's not necessarily a good thing.” I looked at him again.

“No.” He smiled faintly. “Probably not.”

A breeze moved through the trees. I tucked my hair behind my ear. Dante's eyes followed the movement. I noticed. He looked away. For some reason, that made me smile.

“What?” I ask with a smile.

“Nothing.” He said with a small smile himself.

“You're smiling.” I responded. “You were staring.”

“I wasn't.” He stated.

“You were.” I replied..

“You're trouble.” He shook his head.

“I've been told that too.” I smirk.

He laughed. I smiled. Then I remembered something.

“Why me?” I ask seriously.

“What do you mean?” His smile faded.

“Why are you talking to me like this?” I push.

Dante was quiet. “Because you're interesting.” He said finally.

“That's it?” I asked.

“No.” He said simply.

“I don't know what it is yet.” He looked at me. My heart skipped.

“Come on.” Dante stood.

“Where are we going now?” I asked.

“Home.” He said.

“Already?” I stood too.

“You're disappointed.” He points out.

“No.” I smiled. “Maybe a little.”

He looked at me for a moment. Then he reached for my hand. I hesitated. But I let him take it. His fingers wrapped around mine.

Neither of us spoke as we walked back toward the SUV. I knew I shouldn't be getting comfortable with him. I knew exactly who Dante Aldo was.

But somewhere during that week, something had changed. I wasn't just afraid of him anymore. And I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

Because every time Dante looked at me… I felt something I hadn't expected to feel.

Curiosity and maybe… something more.