Chapter 9 - A Promise Kept
The small cabin was filled with the rich scent of pine and burning birch wood. A stone fireplace cracked merrily in the corner, throwing a deep, comforting heat across simple wooden furniture and thick wool rugs.
While Elena washed Sophie’s face in the bathroom, Dante stood near the small kitchen counter, wrapping a clean white bandage around his neck where the glass had cut him.
Elena walked into the kitchen, looking at him with concern. "Let me help with that."
She took the medical tape from his hands. Her fingers were warm and gentle against his skin as she wrapped the gauze securely around his neck. Dante stayed completely still, his eyes fixed on her face.
"You're very brave, Elena," Dante said softly, his voice low in the quiet room. "Most people would have broken down hours ago."
"When you're a mother, you don't have the luxury of breaking down," Elena said quietly, tearing the tape with her teeth. She looked up, meeting his gaze. They were standing very close. "Thank you, Dante. You saved our lives tonight. You lost your home... your hotel..."
"I didn't lose anything that mattered," Dante said smoothly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek satellite phone. "Marco called ten minutes ago. Federal agents raided the Belrose Grand an hour after we left. The backup files from the drive were sent directly to the U.S. Attorney’s office."
Elena’s eyes widened. "And Victor Hail? Isabella?"
"Victor is in federal custody," Dante said, his voice flat. "He'll spend the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison for murder and treason. Isabella was arrested at the airport trying to board a private jet to Zurich. The Donati family's operations in Boston are completely dismantled."
Elena let out a long breath, a weight that she had carried for three years suddenly lifting off her chest. She was free. Truly free.
"What about you?" she asked softly. "Won't the police come for you?"
Dante offered a faint, dangerous smile. "The Moretti family has very good lawyers, Elena. And tonight, I was officially a victim of an armed home invasion who protected two innocent citizens."
From the living room, a soft, sleepy voice called out.
"Mommy?"
Elena and Dante turned. Sophie was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, wearing an oversized flannel shirt that Mrs. Hudson had packed in a emergency bag. She was rubbing her eyes with one hand, holding Mr. Bun in the other.
She looked around the warm cabin, then out the window, where the sun was just beginning to peek over the snow-covered mountains, painting the morning sky in breathtaking shades of pink and gold.
"Mommy," Sophie whispered, her big brown eyes shining. "Is it Christmas?"
Elena felt tears prick her eyes. She knelt down on the rug, opening her arms. "Yes, baby. It's Christmas morning."
Sophie ran into her mother's arms, but then she paused and looked over Elena’s shoulder at Dante, who was standing quietly near the fire.
"Mr. King?" Sophie asked innocently. "Do you have Christmas here?"
Dante blinked, surprised by the question. He walked over slowly, kneeling down on one knee so he was at eye level with the little girl.
"I haven't celebrated Christmas in a very long time, Sophie," Dante admitted gently.
Sophie reached into her pocket, pulled out the heavy silver pocket watch, and held it out to him.
"You can share Daddy's watch with us," Sophie said seriously. "And we can have cocoa. Mommy promised."
Dante looked at the watch, then at Sophie’s honest, sweet face, and finally up at Elena, who was smiling through her tears.
May you like
Something inside Dante Moretti—something that had been frozen and hard for thirty-five years—finally melted away.
"I would like that very much," Dante said softly.
