Chapter 13 - The Door Between Them
Dante stood so fast the chair struck the wall.
Serena was already reaching for her shoes.
“What happened?”
He showed her the photograph.
She studied it.
“Those aren’t today’s clothes.”
In the driver’s seat, Elias wore the gray shirt from the garage.
He had changed before bringing them to the hotel.
Dante looked closer.
The photograph had been taken while Elias checked the entrance earlier.
Carlo knew the location.
But he might not know which room.
Or whether they were still there.
Dante called Elias back and passed the information to the investigators.
Then he turned off the lights.
Serena stood near the connecting door.
“What’s the plan?”
“We move when the officers tell us the route is clear.”
“And until then?”
“We stay away from the windows.”
She nodded.
Her breathing was shallow, but her hands were steady.
Dante wanted to apologize for every dangerous thing attached to his name.
Instead, he did something harder.
He told her the truth.
“There are businesses I need to leave.”
She watched him.
“Legal ones?”
“Some.
Others aren’t clean.”
“And people?”
“Yes.”
“Can you?”
“It will cost me.”
She looked around the dark hotel room.
“It already has.”
He nodded.
No speech.
No promise that love would wash his hands for him.
Just the beginning of an answer.
A soft knock sounded in the hallway.
“Mr. Cavali?
Hotel security.”
Dante and Serena went still.
His phone showed no new message.
The voice came again.
“We need to move you.”
Serena stepped quietly away from the door.
Dante called Elias.
Before the call connected, a key card scraped against the lock.
The handle turned.
The security latch caught.
A man outside swore.
Dante pulled Serena into the adjoining room and locked the connecting door behind them.
A heavy impact shook the first door.
Then another.
Elias answered.
“Officers are coming up.”
“Someone’s at the room.”
“Stay inside.”
The first door cracked.
Serena pressed a hand over her mouth, fighting the urge to make a sound.
Dante held her close, his back toward the connecting door.
Footsteps entered the other room.
A phone vibrated on the far side of the wall.
Then Carlo’s voice came through the intruder’s speaker.
“Find the wife.”
Dante looked at Serena.
For the first time, the threat had changed.
May you like
Carlo no longer wanted money first.
He wanted someone Dante would trade everything to save.
