Chapter 15: The Return
864 Words
The mansion looked different when they returned.
The same iron gates. The same tall hedges. The same men in black suits.
But everything felt darker. Heavier.
"The spy is gone," Dante said, as if reading her mind. "The house is secure."
"It doesn't feel secure."
"It will. Give it time."
Elena stepped out of the car. The air was cold. The sky was gray.
Rosa went inside to prepare dinner.
Dante took Elena's hand. "Walk with me."
---
They walked through the garden.
The roses were still blooming. Red. White. Pink.
"Your mother planted these," Elena said.
"Yes."
"You kept them because they remind you of her."
Dante was quiet for a moment. "I kept them because they're beautiful. And because beauty is rare in my life."
"You have beauty now."
He looked at her. "Yes. I do."
They sat on the bench. The same bench where they had watched the stars.
"I've been thinking," Elena said.
"Dangerous."
She smiled. "About after. When this is over."
"What about after?"
"I want to go to college. Finish my degree. Be something other than the mob boss's girlfriend."
Dante's expression softened. "You're not just my girlfriend. You're my partner."
"Then let me be your partner in more than just this. Let me have a life outside the mansion."
"You can have anything you want, Elena. I'll make sure of it."
She kissed him. "Thank you."
---
That night, Dante received news.
Enzo Rossi had gone into hiding. His men were scattered. Disorganized.
"He's scared," Elena said.
"He's regrouping. Planning his next move."
"Then we find him before he finds us."
Dante nodded. "I have men searching. It's only a matter of time."
"And when you find him?"
Dante's eyes went cold. "He dies."
Elena did not flinch. She had accepted this life. The violence. The death.
But she would not let it change who she was.
---
The next morning, Elena trained harder than ever.
Punch. Kick. Block. Dodge.
She imagined Enzo's face. The man who wanted to kill Dante. The man who wanted to take everything from her.
She punched harder.
"You're getting stronger," Dante said from the doorway.
"I have to be."
He walked to the mat. "Spar with me."
They circled each other. Dante threw a punch. She blocked. Swept his leg. He dodged.
"Good."
They sparred for an hour. Elena held her own.
"You're ready," Dante said.
"Ready for what?"
"To defend yourself. If something happens to me, you won't be helpless."
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"If I fall, you run. You don't look back."
Elena's eyes filled with tears. "I can't promise that."
"You have to."
"I won't."
Dante pulled her close. "You're impossible."
"So you've said."
---
At noon, a call came.
One of Dante's men had spotted Enzo. He was at a warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
"Should we hit him?" Elena asked.
"No. Too many of his men. We need to wait for the right moment."
"How long?"
"A day. Maybe two."
Elena nodded. She trusted Dante's judgment.
---
That afternoon, Elena found a letter on her desk.
Not a threat. Not from Enzo.
A letter from her father.
*"Elena,*
*I'm safe. Dante's men are taking care of me. They won't let me leave, but they're kind. I'm sober. I'm healthy.*
*I'm sorry for the life I gave you. The gambling. The debt. The fear. You deserved better.*
*I'm proud of you. Not for surviving. For living.*
*Your father,*
*Marco"*
Elena cried.
Dante found her in the study. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Everything." She handed him the letter.
He read it. "He loves you."
"I know."
"Are you going to write back?"
"Yes."
---
She wrote a letter to her father.
*"Papa,*
*I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. You made mistakes. So did I. But we're still here. Still alive. Still family.*
*I love you.*
*Stay safe. Stay sober. I'll see you soon.*
*Elena"*
She gave the letter to Dante. "Can you make sure he gets this?"
"Of course."
He kissed her forehead.
---
That night, they lay in bed.
"The Rossi family won't stop," Elena said. "Even if Enzo dies, someone else will take his place."
"Then we'll deal with them too."
"It will never end."
Dante turned to face her. "It will. When I step back. When I leave the life. Then it will end."
"You really think you can leave?"
"I can try. For you."
Elena kissed him. "That's all I ask."
---
In the morning, Dante received news.
Enzo was on the move. Heading toward the mansion.
"He's coming here?"
"Yes. Tonight."
"Then we'll be ready."
Dante called his men. Gave orders. Prepared.
Elena helped. She was no longer just his assistant. She was his partner.
"You should stay inside during the attack," Dante said.
"No."
"Elena—"
"I can fight. You taught me."
"I taught you to defend yourself. Not to go to war."
"I'm not hiding while you risk your life."
Dante stared at her for a long moment. Then he nodded.
"Stay close to me."
"Always."
That night, they waited.
The enemy was coming.
But they were ready.
- Writer
