Dante's Angel (10 page)

Tammy’s eyes
narrowed. She knew his rep, and was secure in the belief that he wouldn’t
really touch her in anger. The anger in his ice-blue eyes made her nervous,
though.
 
“Don’t you tell me what to do,
Dante Fox.”

Dante rolled
his eyes. Good God, why had he ever touched this spoiled brat? Just looking at
her make his stomach roil with regret. “Do you really think that just because your
daddy is on the city council that makes you better than everyone?”

“It makes me
better than you.”

Dante laughed,
honestly amused. “Keep thinking that.”

Jimbo appeared
around the corner, coming from the front of the building with two nervous looking
women. “Boss, is everything okay out here?”

Tammy
sauntered over to them as soon as she saw the group and plastered a smug smirk
on her face. “Let’s go. This place is so over.”

“Yeah, take
your friend home, and don’t bother coming back. At least not with her,” Dante
ordered them, nodding at Tammy, whose mouth dropped open in shock.

One of the
women gasped, while the other said, “You’re banning us?”

“Not all of
you…just her.”

“Dante, you
can’t be serious!”

“Oh, but I am.
You insulted my woman and my bar. I don’t take that shit from anyone, and
certainly not from some bitch who’s here slumming.”

The two women
hurried away, pulling a stunned Tammy with them. After they’d disappeared with
Jimbo trailing after them, Dante let out a vicious curse and braced his hands
on his hips.

“You keep
banning people, we aren’t gonna have anyone left here to serve.”

Dante turned
on Brix with a snarl on his lips, but the other man just stared at him blandly.
“What the fuck was I supposed to do? Just let that woman get away with talking
about Zoe like that? Fuck that.”

“Of course
not. But I find it interesting that you’re more pissed off about that than the
fact that woman grabbed your junk.”

“My dick tried
to crawl inside my body the second Tammy touched me. But fucking hell, I know
that bitch can be vicious when it comes to gossip, and if she goes after Zoe…”

“What? You
can’t fight Zoe’s battles for her.”

“But it’s
because of me.” The words burst out of Dante with an anger that surprised him.
“I don’t want my past touching her. She deserves better than that. Hell, she
deserves better than me. I know it. I’m just too selfish a bastard to let her
go.”

Brix sighed.
“When are you gonna claim that girl, Fox?”

There were a
few beats of silence before Dante said, “When she’s ready.”

“What the hell
does that mean?”

“It means that
I feel like I’m chasing a ghost, Brix.”

Brix shifted
uncomfortably on his feet. He didn’t do emotions—at least he didn’t talk about
them easily. He could put them into his art, but discuss them? Hell, no. It
made him itchy. However, seeing his friend look so defeated didn’t sit well
with him, either.

Clearing his
throat, he said, “Dude, you know she cares about you. Maybe…you know, she needs
to hear how you feel about her or some shit before she can take the next step.”

“I’ve made it
pretty fucking clear how I feel.”

Feeling like
an asshole, Brix forged on. “Want is different than love.”

“Yeah, it is.”
Dante tilted his head up so he was looking at the night sky. Was it even worth
it to wish on a star? It hadn’t done him any good so far. “She’s got my soul,
Brix. Before I give her the chance to rip the heart out of my goddamn chest, I
have to know she’s willing to meet me halfway. I can’t give her everything
without getting anything in return.”

“You ain’t a
coward, Fox.”

Dante snorted.
“Remember that when you fall in love with a woman who runs you around in
circles.” Sighing again, he turned back to Brix. “Listen, can you close up without
me tonight?”

“Sure. We’ve
got it covered. You heading over to Fight Hard?”

“No, I think
I’m gonna head home. I need a long, hot shower after that shit with Tammy.” Dante
took a few steps toward the parking lot, then stopped. “When you get back to
your apartment, can you text me? Just…let me know if she got home okay?”

“Will do.”

Brix reached
for his pack of cigarettes as he watched his friend leave. He lit one, and a
few seconds later, the roar of Dante’s Harley filled the night. He blew out a
stream of smoke while he watched as the lights of the bike faded. “Hear what
you needed to?”

Inside, Zoe
froze mid-step.

She knew it
was wrong to eavesdrop. After Tammy and the two other women had left, Zoe had
started to head back to her friends, but when she’d heard the conversation
between Dante and Brix, she hadn’t been able to move. She knew she had no right
to listen to what Dante was telling his friend in confidence, but every word
had made her heart sing.

When she’d
heard Dante leave, she’d started to leave the hallway. Shock filled her that
Brix had known she was there, but then again, it was almost impossible to sneak
up on any of the men that worked at The Fox Hole.
 

I’m not a coward, either.

Repeating that
to herself over and over again, Zoe stepped through the doorway and walked
outside to face Noah Brixton. At first, he didn’t look at her, but when he
finally turned, his blue eyes stared at her in accusation. All she could ask
was, “Why?”

Not needing an
explanation, Brix said, “Because you needed to hear it. Now the ball is in your
court, sugar. Either put that man out of his misery, or walk away. You’re
hurting him by dragging this out.”

“I—” Zoe
wanted to defend herself, but she couldn’t. She was hurting Dante. She’d heard
it in his voice. And she hated herself for it. So far, all she’d been focused
on was protecting herself, but that was going to stop now. It was time for her
to come clean with Dante.

Zoe drew in a
deep breath. “I came with Francesca and Sam. Can you tell them I’ve left?”

Brix nodded,
then his eyes narrowed. “How much did you have to drink?”

She smiled,
even though she felt ill about what she was about to do. Despite his irritation
with her, Brix still couldn’t help watching out for her. “One sip since we got
here.”

Zoe headed
toward the front of the building where she and Sam had found street parking.
She paused when Brix said her name.

“Do you love
him?”

Her first
thought was that she had to tell Dante first, but Brix had done her a solid.
He’d given her the push she’d needed to go to Dante, so she felt that she owed
him an answer.

“More than
anything.”

“Right, then.
Go. Get out of here.”

The affection
she felt for Brix flooded her. Since meeting him, she’d thought of him as the
big brother she’d always wanted. Walking back over to him, she rose up onto her
toes and pulled him down until she could press a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you,
Noah.”

She left him
grumbling to himself as she walked away, and found herself laughing at the
tinge of color that had flooded his face. It was incredibly sweet that such a
big, strong man could be embarrassed by anything.

Zoe walked to
her bike and took her time strapping her helmet on before starting it up. The
sound caught the attention of a few people lingering outside the front of the
bar. Jimbo raised his hand in farewell as he saw her from where he was guarding
the front entrance.

She waved
back, then took off…and headed toward the man she loved.

* * * *

Hair still wet
from his shower, Dante stepped out of his front door wearing dark-gray
sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Carrying his beer bottle over to the porch
swing, he sat down. He had a thing about not drinking the hard stuff when he
was at home alone. Alcohol could become an emotional crutch. Owning a bar, he’d
seen the damage it could do to lives.

He might not
have all his shit together, but he didn’t want that for himself.

As much as he
loved the noise and excitement at the bar, he also loved sitting out on the
large wraparound veranda of his house. Dante had never thought he’d be
domesticated. He’d lived in an apartment in the center of town for the first
few years after he’d gotten back, but after awhile, he’d needed a little
distance from the town. Buying the house set back in the woods that was
adjacent to his father’s property had been the right decision for him.

He’d found his
place.

Now, looking around
his sanctuary, he knew that something was still missing. Pushing that thought
aside, he took a long pull from his bottle of beer. Thinking about that would
only piss him off again…not that he could help it. The confrontation had
irritated the hell out of him, but not being able to claim Zoe publically made
him crazy. He couldn’t stand people insulting her, and he wanted…no, he needed
everyone to know she was under his protection.

Dante hadn’t
been kidding when he’d told Brix he needed a shower after Tammy had touched
him. His past was his past, and he owned it. He’d never cared what other people
thought of him or his actions, but he never wanted Zoe to be embarrassed by
being with him.

He wanted to
be a better man for her.

Self
preservation made his temper spark. She should want to be with him regardless
of what he’d done before he’d met her. Damn it, she shouldn’t judge him or—

Taking a
calming breath, he told himself to ease back. He was pushing his own worries on
her, and that wouldn’t do either of them any good. His mood still foul, he
settled back to drink and brood. If he didn’t snap out of it after a few beers,
he could always go for a run.

The sound of
the engine reached him before he saw the headlight coming down his driveway. He
frowned as he watched it draw closer, then his pulse increased when he realized
who it was. Damn, it was as if he’d conjured her up just by thinking about her.

It was dark
out and storm clouds were moving in, but the moon was still bright and his eyes
had adjusted enough for him to see her clearly. Frowning, he looked over her
attire of black jeans and matching shirt that had sleeves that came down to her
elbows. It had been warm out today, but he didn’t like thinking about her
driving to Houston and back without more protection on.

Kevlar, he
thought. Maybe he could get a jacket made for her out of Kevlar. Mentally
rolling his eyes at himself, he watched as Zoe turned off her bike and removed
her helmet. He lazily pushed himself back and forth on the large porch swing as
she slowly walked up the front steps.

Seeing her
standing there bathed in moonlight, he wanted her with a passion that astounded
him. It would have been so simple to go to her. To pull her to him and take
what he wanted. She’d melt for him. He had the skills to make sure she would,
but he forced himself to remain still, curious as to what brought her to him
this time of night.

“Good to see
you made it back from Houston in one piece.”

“We got back a
little while ago.” Zoe paused, glancing away before she cleared her throat and
looked back at him. “I was at the bar tonight. I heard you talking to that
woman outside.”

Dante paused
with the beer bottle halfway to his lips, then lifted the bottle to ease his
dry throat. “So, you came out here for what? I’m not in the mood for a pity
fuck. Why don’t you—”

Hands braced
on her hips, Zoe glared at him. “Dante Fox, don’t you start that shit with me.”

Embarrassment
warred with anger, making him feel out of control. Dante’s foot slapped down
hard, stopping the porch swing from moving. Temper too close to the surface, he
had to get her out of there before he said something he knew he’d regret. “I’m
not in the mood for this now. You should head back to town before the storm
breaks.”

“Just shut up
and listen for a minute,” Zoe shouted. “I’m not going anywhere until—”

“Damn it, Zoe—”

“That’s not
even my real name!”

Chapter Seven

“I know,
sweetheart.”

Dante felt all
his anger drain away as he watched her eyes widen in shock. Zoe had slapped her
hand over her mouth as soon as she’d spoken the words, and he knew she hadn’t
meant to blurt out her confession like that.

But he was
damn glad she had.

Feeling calmer
than he thought he would, he stood up. “I think I need another beer. Do you
want something?”

“I…”

“Why don’t you
sit down. I’ll be right back after I get us something to drink.” Dante didn’t
give her a chance to argue. He went to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her
back toward the porch swing. She didn’t fight him as he pushed on her shoulders
until she sat down, then he turned and headed back into the house.

Zoe popped to
her feet as soon as the screen door slammed shut, the sound startling her out
of her shock. Hurrying after him through the dark house, she followed the light
from the open refrigerator to the kitchen. “Wait, what do you mean you know?”

Dante turned
back to look at her. “Do you want a beer or would you rather have a glass of
wine? I have a bottle of that Cakebread Chardonnay that you like.”

“Dante—”

“We’ll do wine
instead,” he said, pulling the bottle out of the wine fridge.

Zoe wanted to
yank at her hair in frustration. “Argh! What is wrong with you?”

He set the
bottle down on the island in the center of the room. Moving to a cabinet, he
took down two wine glasses and fought the urge to smile. “It was the Breakers’
Bad Boys thing.”

“W-what?”

Opening a
drawer, he took out a bottle opener and went to work on the cork. “When Nyght
got the idea to help Shane and we formed the group, we had all the members
fingerprinted to make sure anyone the organization helped would be assured that
we were all safe and didn’t have records. You didn’t join.”

Zoe blinked at
him. “I…I was going to.”

“But you
haven’t, and I know you love what the group is doing. I know you don’t have a
record. I did a background check on you when I hired you, but I knew it had to
be something,” Dante informed her as he held out one of the wine glasses toward
her. When he saw her hands were shaking, he decided to carry both glasses.
“Come on, angel. Let’s go sit down.”

Silently, she
followed him out of the room. His house was ranch style, and his kitchen had a
breakfast bar that opened into the large living room area. The ceiling was
high, with thick wooden beams that formed a steeple over the dark-brown leather
furniture. He liked the open feel of the structure and the natural wood accents
that made it seem more like a cabin than just a regular house. Dante set the
glasses down on the coffee table before reaching for the lamp.

“Wait!” Zoe
cried out. “Umm…this might be easier for me if we left the lights off.”

Dante didn’t
want to argue with her, but he wanted to see her.

He needed to
be able to look at her.

The moon had
retreated behind the storm clouds now, and thunder rumbled darkly in the
distance, like an angry beast waiting to be set free. It was too warm to light
a fire in the stone fireplace, so he pulled out some matches and lit the candle
on the center of the coffee table and the three that were on the fireplace
mantel instead.

The flames
flickered to life, giving off just enough light so he could see her. Zoe had
been the one to talk him into putting candles out after she’d come over to his
house and complained about his lack of decoration. The sultry scent of vanilla
drifted into the air. Vanilla and spice.

The scent was
the same as Zoe’s skin, and it drove him crazy.

“Is that
okay?” Dante asked softly, wanting to put her at ease.

“It’s fine.” She
picked up the wine glass and drank deeply.

He glanced out
the window as another round of thunder rolled ominously. Holding out his hand
he said, “Give me your key. I’ll put your bike in the garage. It’s gonna start
raining soon. Sit down. I’ll be right back.”

Hesitantly, Zoe
handed her key over to him, as if she were giving away her lifeline. Using the
time away from her to center himself, Dante took care of her bike, storing it
in the garage right as the first raindrops fell. He’d been trying to act calm,
but his mind was reeling and his muscles were tense. He needed to remain composed,
to let her tell her story without reacting. It felt like he’d been waiting for
this moment for forever, and he wouldn’t fuck it up by pushing her.

When he came
back into the house, he saw that she’d drained her wine glass. He went into the
kitchen and grabbed the bottle, bringing it back with him. Forcing himself to
relax, he refilled her glass as he sat down next to her on one of the couches.
Leaning back against one of the decorative pillows she’d talked him into
getting, he said, “Okay, honey. Tell me.”

“I…I don’t
know where to begin.” She gave a little laugh. “This is so not going the way I
planned it.”

That made him
smile. “You expected me to be angry?”

“Well, yes. I
guess I did.”

“Let’s save
that for whether or not I think you had a good reason for lying to me.”

“I didn’t mean
to lie. Okay, I did,” she amended. “But I didn’t want to. Not after I got to
know you. Dante, you have to know that. This has been difficult for me. Oh, God…”

“Why don’t we
start with you telling me who you really are.”

He would wait
her out. He was good at that, damn him. It was time. She couldn’t stall any
longer. “My real name is Angelica Tao.”

Dante’s breath
caught. “I know that name.”

“I am…or I was
a classical violinist.”

“Fuck.” He
stilled. “You’re famous.”

A small smile
graced her lips. “Not really. In some circles I was. I used to travel a lot,
and performed all over the world, but it’s been years.”

Dante shook
his head. “I have four of your CDs. Jesus, Zoe.”

Her smiled
wobbled a bit. “I was making a fifth when I had to leave…”

“Your covers
never had your picture on it, but I’ve seen photos online.” Studying her, he
saw it now. “Your hair was much shorter.”

Zoe reached up
and smoothed a hand over her long hair. During her years of playing, she’d
always had a sleek little bob with short bangs. “They made me keep it short
when I was younger. Said it was more professional for when I was playing. I
guess that’s why I grew it out.”

“I like it
long.”

“I do, too. I
was a child prodigy,” she began, making herself say the words. She’d grown up
as the only child of a cellist with the New York Philharmonic and a wealthy
businessman. Her mother had been good, but her talent was nothing compared to
Zoe’s capabilities. They’d discovered that she was exceptionally gifted at a
young age. She’d been able to play just by mimicking what she’d seen, and her
mother rejoiced at having a musical genius for a daughter.

 
As she grew up, she’d been learned how to play
the piano, the cello, but the violin had always been her first love. She’d
started composing her own music when she was around ten, and her mother had seen
it as an opportunity to achieve the fame and distinction she’d never been able
to reach on her own.

Zoe had been
invited to perform all over the world, and her mother had traveled with her,
along with a tutor and a bodyguard. “We were in Paris for my fifteenth
birthday. My mother had left the hotel to get me a birthday cake from a bakery
we both loved, because I was angry that I had to perform that night. She was
killed in a car accident on her way back.”

She felt
slightly detached as she told him about her mother’s death and the aftermath
that followed. It had been so long ago, that it almost felt as if she were
talking about someone else. In the shadows of the candlelight, it was easy to
talk about how scared she’d been waiting for her father to fly out to meet her.
He’d taken her mother’s body back to New York with him, but he’d insisted that
Zoe finish her tour instead of going home with him.

“That was
fucking cold.” Dante felt the rage well up inside him for the scared young girl
that had lost her mother and also been abandoned by her father.

Zoe sighed.
“He’d promised to join us for my birthday, but he’d been stuck in another
country doing business. A part of me understood that my father couldn’t look at
me without seeing her. He didn’t want to be around me after that. I think he
loved her so much, that the guilt ate at him because he hadn’t been there.”

“Did she look
like you?”

Startled, she
nodded. “She did.”

Dante could
see why her father had fallen so hard for her mother. He’d had the same reaction
the instant he’d seen Zoe. That still didn’t justify her sorry excuse of a
father. Both of her parents were to blame. They’d kept her isolated and alone
for so long, that it wasn’t difficult to see why Zoe had continued touring.
She’d thought her only value came from playing music, and she’d simply kept
doing what she knew.

Zoe continued
on with her story, explaining how she had started getting anxious before
performances, and how that anxiety had transitioned to panic attacks after
that. “When I turned eighteen, I decided I was done and I moved back to New
York.”

“Eighteen,”
Dante whispered. “They stole your childhood.”

She smiled
sadly. “My life had never been normal, so I never knew I was missing out on
anything. Not really. But when I turned eighteen I wanted to go to college. I
got into Columbia University, and for the first time in my life, I realized
what life was really supposed to be like.”

Dante’s eyes
widened. “Columbia? That’s a damn good school.”

“I had good
tutors,” she explained. Not to mention she wasn’t only gifted when it came to
music. Her mother had come from a wealthy family, and when her parents died,
they’d left her a lot of money. That money had been put in trust, and had
become Zoe’s when she’d turned eighteen. “When I told my father I was going to
school, at first he was furious. He wanted me to continue the plan my mother
had set for me. He said I was wasting my talent. But I was old enough and had
money of my own. He couldn’t stop me.”

“Did you like
school?”

“I loved it,”
she said with a smile. “It might sound strange, but I loved the classes, the
learning. Still, I was awkward around people my age, and I didn’t know how fit
in. I basically went to class, then went back to my apartment. I continued to
play, to practice, and with my homework, I still had no life. But then, a few
months into my second year, I met Ashley Briars.”

She smiled as
she remembered meeting her friend. In a way, they’d been very similar. Ashley
had come from a wealthy family, and was sort of an oddity because she wanted to
go to school even though she didn’t have to. Ashley’s parents and two brothers
made spending money and doing nothing of value an art form.

Zoe and Ashley
had met on campus during one of their breaks, and they’d discovered they only
lived a few blocks away from one another. Ashley had been studying to become an
accountant. Even though they’d had different majors, they had quickly become
the best of friends. During those college years, Ashley had taught Zoe how to
shop and have fun. She’d also been the only person Zoe could talk to about all
the things she’d kept inside herself for so long.

Being friends
with Ashley had given her the confidence to break free.

“You graduated
from an Ivy League school. That’s a huge accomplishment. I’m damn proud of you,
angel.” Aw, hell. Dante realized why she’d flinched when he’d started using
that endearment. Since her real name was Angelica, it was a reminder of who she
once was.

Unaware of his
self-recrimination, Zoe couldn’t help but flush with pleasure at his
compliment. “Thank you. The night I graduated, my life changed. I was happy
when my father had come back to New York to attend. He’d thrown a big, elaborate
party for me. But everything changed when he announced my engagement to the man
he’d chosen for me to marry.”

“What?” The
word exploded out of Dante on a roar.

She quickly
explained when she was young and her father had been away, her parents’
friends, Shen and Meili Wei, had watched out for her. The wealthy Chinese
family had a large estate in upstate New York. When she was young, her parents
had socialized with the Wei family often. As she’d grown older, their son, Paul,
had been her escort to several events, but there had never been any real
feelings between them.

“I told my
father in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t marry a man I didn’t love. I think
he wanted me to get married so he wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore.”

The son of a
bitch. Dante wanted to kill her father. His throat felt raw when he asked, “Did
you marry him?”

“What? No! I told
Paul I wasn’t going to marry him. He’d said he was as surprised as I was by the
announcement. We were at a gala a week later when a reporter asked about our
upcoming marriage. Before I could say anything, Paul confirmed it.”