Page 96 of Between Sin and Silence

“You don’t mind?” Nova meets my stare for a fraction of a second.

“Not at all. We’ll be back in an hour. Two, max. I’m going to take Luca’s car.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a bit. Have fun.”

I slip on Zeke’s shoes and then mine. I keep the dragon tucked under my arm and head out to the car, buckling Zeke into the backseat.

“Mama, my dragon.” Zeke points at the stuffed animal, which I had tucked the head under my arm so he couldn’t quite see the damage done to the toy.

No sense in upsetting him.

“How about you count everything red that you see outside the window?” I ask, distracting him. He’s been working on learning to count.

He nods vigorously. I strap him into his car seat, shut the door and climb into the front seat, putting the stuffed dragon in the passenger seat up front with me.

I’m relieved Nova didn’t insist on tagging along. I pull the car to the gate and press the buzzer to exit.

The intercom buzzes, and immediately, a gruff voice I don’t quite recognize crackles through the system.

“Where are you going?”

It doesn’t sound like Dante, but it could be him. The voice is a bit muffled through the intercom.

“I’m taking Zeke to the park, and then we might get a snack since it’s hot outside.” I don’t want to say the word ice cream and then not deliver it. He’ll be devastated.

That seems to satisfy the man on the other end of the intercom, and he buzzes me off the property.

The gates open slowly, and once they’re parted, I turn left toward the park before backtracking on another road away from the house, to head in the direction of the police station.

“Mama, you drive funny,” Zeke says, and I glance at him in the rearview mirror.

“Are you counting red, buddy?”

“One. Two.”

Ten minutes later, I pull up outside the police station, unbuckle Zeke and carry him inside. On one hip, I have Zeke, in my other hand, the torn stuffed dragon. I try to keep it out of Zeke’s reach and his line of sight, because the moment he sees it, I fear what will happen.

There’s a male officer in his fifties seated behind the front desk. He glances me over, noticing I’m carrying Zeke, and offers a polite nod. “Can I help you?”

My breath catches in my throat.

Am I nervous?

I’m terrified.

But fear can’t control me.

Dante is a monster.

He kidnapped a little boy and murdered an entire family.

He must be stopped.

To protect my son and family, I have no choice but to take down Dante Ricci.

* * *

To Be Continued…