DANTE
There weren't a lot of things that could piss me off. One thing I prided myself on, was the amount of self-control I always had, regardless of the situation.
Which was why I didn't understand the reason for that irritation that wouldn't stop crawling underneath my skin.
"What do you mean you let him get away?" I growled into my phone.
"Look, our men are already on his tail. They've already pinpointed his location as we speak. You'll have him back in those chains in twenty—no—fifteen minutes tops." Cassian, my second in command, explained.
I cursed underneath my breath. "Fine then. More than fifteen minutes, and somebody's having their dick cut off."
"Ai, ai, captain." Cassian drawled.
I ended the call without a second thought. Bastard. I could basically hear the smirk in his voice. In any case, I trusted Cassian to get the job done. He was as reliable as they came and loyal to a fault.
My main focus now would be on getting to my jet. I had a couple of meetings that I'd held out for long enough. There was only so much you could delay. My gaze flickered to the watch on my wrist. How long till the jet would take off again?
"Excuse me!"
What was all the commotion? I looked up to see some people being shoved to the side, others mumbling under their breath. What was going on? I'd barely craned my head for longer than a second when my body froze.
Hazel eyes locked on to mine and for a moment, it felt like the whole world had come to a halt. I'd recognize that long brown hair any day. She had recognized me as well.
"Dante?"
The corner of my lip tugged up a little. "In the flesh."
Irritation flashed on her face instantly. "Oh, fuck me. Why are you here?"
"Still got the vocabulary of a sailor I see." I said flatly. "Anyone ever tell you how crude it is to swear? You're a lady, Amara. Don't you think it's time to start acting like one?"
Her glare only deepened. "Don't you think it's time to get your head out of your ass?"
My eyes narrowed on her instantly. Any other person would be scared shitless by my glare. But not her. She didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by it. She didn't even give a damn about the fact that my men were behind me.
If anything, I know she'd go for my head given the chance. It was amusing. And also annoying as hell.
Amara had been my rival for as long as I could remember. It dated as far back as when we were kids. It wasn't just an individual rivalry though. This was a family rivalry. The Vitales and the DeLaurentis' had been at each other's necks for decades. Our rivalry was something born as a result of it.
Even now that I'd taken then position of Don, it didn't mean things would end just yet. I hated her and she hated me just at much. I hated her father Viktor and the rest of her brothers. Nothing could dissolve or change that. Things were better that way.
"You little shit." I clicked my tongue. "I don't have time for this."
"Hey!"
Her head instantly snapped back and I watched some of the color drain from her face. A couple of men were approaching her from multiple sides of the airport. Viktor Vitale's cronies no doubt. The question was, why would he send them after his own daughter? Strange. Way too strange for comfort.
She turned back to me. "While I'd like to catch up and take some more jab at that big head of yours, I can't stay here."
I turned to the men behind me and sent them a nod. They got the message instantly, all spreading in different directions to intercept Viktor's men.
Without a word, I grabbed Amara's hand. "Let's go!"
There was a look of repulse on her face as she snatched it back. "Don't just grab me like that. I'm not following you anywhere."
"Oh?" One of my brows twitched. "Then by all means, feel free to turn back into their welcoming arms."
She swallowed, eyes set in a weak glare. Even she knew she was trapped. There was only one way out of here.
"Fine. Let's go!" She quickly grabbed her bag.
I lead the way, weaving through different people at the airport. It was hard running at full speed in such a crowded place. Amara did a pretty good job of keeping up, gliding past people with a gaze that would leave anyone in awe.
I dared to turn back a little, muttering another curse. Two of Viktor's men were on our tail. Without warning, I reached for Amara's hand again and pulled her towards the exit. Making one last dash for it, I led her to the spot where I'd parked my car.
"Get in!"
She nodded, making her way to the passenger side. Once we were in, I put a hand to my lips. The men stepped outside, eyes scouring the perimeter in hopes of finding us.
They seemed to give up after a while and headed back into the building. I turned my focus back to Amara who had her eyes shut.
"They're gone now."
She opened it, letting out a small breath. "Damn it."
It wasn't so hard reading her thoughts. Her face was a mix of different emotions. Relief, and something along the lines of…sadness. Or maybe I was just imagining things.
"What?" She snapped.
I'd been staring for too long. It didn't matter. She was in my car. Which meant I could do as I so please.
"What?"
She glared hard. "Don't stare at me, you asshole. It's weird."
"I think the words you're looking for are 'Thank you'." I leaned back into the chair. "I just saved you if it wasn't obvious."
"Why? Surely it wasn't out of the kindness of your rotten heart." Her glare didn't waver even once.
"Oh, you wound me Amara." I put a hand on my chest. "You owe me for this."
She clicked her tongue, but didn't say anything else. My gaze flickered to the bag in her hands. She seemed to notice my stare, holding the bag even closer to her.
Amara was running from her own father's men. It meant something was up. And if it was something I could use to my advantage, then best believe I had to find out.
"Those men won't leave here anytime soon." I reasoned.
She scoffed. "You think?"
A smirk tugged at my lip. "So tell me, princess. How exactly do you plan on getting out of this mess?"