Nothing seems amiss.
I’m brought back from the intense scrutiny of our surroundings as the murmurs of “Amen” echo through the crowd. Relieved that the priest has finished, I stand abruptly and dismiss him with a curt, “Thank you.”
“Dante,” my mother admonishes.
I ignore her as I address the crowd. “I would like to thank everyone for coming out to honor the lives of Anna and Joseph Presutti. They were a rare breed and will be sorely missed. Now, if you’ll excuse us, those of us closest to them would like some private time before they’re lowered into the earth.”
Mutterings ripple through the crowd, but no one dares to speak against my missive, and unfamiliar mourners begin to make their way back to their cars. Pleased with their compliance, I catch Ivan’s eye and tilt my head toward Agent Tate. His eyes shift and he nods once, so I take Piper’s hand and lead her toward the silent figure in the distance.
“Is something wrong?” she asks as we speedily walk toward her father.
“Not exactly,” I reply, my eyes trained on Agent Tate. “But my senses are telling me that something’s going on.”
Piper pauses, her feet faltering beside me. “Is that my father?” she asks, looking from me to him.
“It is,” I reply with a single nod. I motion our linked hands forward, and her feet reluctantly start moving.
Agent Tate’s eyes are boring through me as we make the approach, but by the time we’re standing before him, all focus has moved to his daughter and a smile has overtaken his usually serious expression. “Piper,” he says, his voice gruff but reverent. “It’s good to see you, but I wish it were under better circumstances.”
Considering their troubled past—a lot of it to do with me—I’m unsure what to expect, but I’ll never apologize for protecting her. “Daddy,” she chokes out, throwing herself into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
“Surveillance.” Henry’s eyes shift to me, and so do Piper’s. “I already have one missing Simone. We don’t need anything happening to the rest.”
“You asked him to be here, didn’t you?” Piper touches my cheek. “To make sure I was safe.”
I smirk. “Like I said, I took precautions.”
Piper smiles and leans into my side, and it feels so fucking good. She’s not at all upset about the lengths I’ll go, and who knows? Maybe she and her father can find a norm in their relationship moving forward. As long as he’s accepted us, there’s no reason to deny a connection similar to the one he shared with my father.
“Everything’s quiet as far as I can tell,” Agent Tate says, his voice bringing my searching eyes back to him. “Nothing unusual to report in a ten-block radius.”
“Something’s wrong, though,” I say, pensive. “I feel it.”
“I have men station—” His radio crackles to life, disrupting his reassuring tone with static, followed by an urgent voice.
“Special Agent Tate, you copy?”
“Special Agent Tate here. Go ahead please.”
“We have shots fired at Dark Star. Repeat, shots fired at Dark Star!”
“Copy that. I’m en route”
Agent Tate releases his radio and meets my eyes. “I know your instincts are screaming to run over there, but I need you to stay here. Get everyone away from here, and I’ll come by your penthouse as soon as I have the details. It could just be a distraction. All your men are accounted for, right?”
“Almost everyone is present here, yes,” I reply, my tone hard. “Those are innocent people in that building.”
“Get this cemetery cleared, and I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
As much as I want to run to my car and follow him downtown, I know I can’t. I’m no longer the lower man on the totem pole; it’s my responsibility to make sure everyone is accounted for and put a plan into action. One that won’t end in bloodshed. We have no idea if this is a fluke with horrible timing or another part in the large plan to take down the Outfit—or more specifically, me.
As Agent Tate moves swiftly away, I turn to scan over the crowd left at the graveside, but my eyes land on my mother and the priest, who’re side by side, making their way to the line of cars. I tug Piper’s hand and lead her toward them, already anticipating Mother’s negative reaction.
“Dante, Piper,” she says as we approach. “Father Cordova and I were just leaving. The atmosphere is a little tense for a funeral.” Her eyes cut to where my men are gathered at the service site.
“These are tense times,” I say tersely before sticking two fingers into my mouth and whistling loudly. When heads turn my way, I motion for six of the hired security men to join us. Turning back to my mother, I say, “Two of these men will drive you, and two more will follow in one of the SUVs. Please go home and stay there for the time being.”
“Oh, Dante,” she says, waving as if I’m speaking nonsense. “This really isn’t necessary. It hasn’t been for a long time when it comes to me. I’m considered off limits. Your father made sure of that.”
“Pop is no longer around,” I say, my jaw clenched tightly. “You will do as I’ve asked.” I turn to Father Cordova. “I’d like to offer you an armed escort as well.”
The priest studies me for a silent moment before nodding. “If you think it is necessary, I will allow it.”
“Only a precaution, but necessary in my book.”
“Very well,” he replies.
I turn to the gathered men
