Dante's Angel (16 page)

Malcolm and
Dante were tight, and they had no secrets from one another.

“Hey, Pops?
There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“So, talk.”

“Not here.
Let’s go back into the office.” Dante paused, trying to figure out what to say.
“I…Dad, I need help with something.”

“Anything,”
Malcolm said without hesitation. “Tell me what you need.”

Chapter Ten

Dante finished
his third helping of the chicken chow mein dish Zoe had prepared for dinner. It
struck him as odd that he hadn’t known she was such a good cook, but then
again, they usually ate at the bar. Since she’d grown up with servants, he
hadn’t expected her to do something as mundane as cook, but when she’d told him
she had made friends with the chefs of the hotels she had repeatedly visited,
Dante had an overwhelming urge to ram his fist into her father’s face.

If he ever got
the chance, he’d damn well do it, too.

After Dante
had spoken to his father, he’d taken care of the paperwork to make GT the new
daytime manager of the bar. The lunch rush kept everyone busy, and Dante was
relieved when Brix had shown up earlier than expected. They closed early on
Sunday nights, and with GT and Brix looking after things, Dante left as soon as
he was notified that Zoe was at Fight Hard.

They’d had fun
climbing the new rock wall at the gym, then they’d gone their separate ways to
complete their workouts. He loved watching Zoe flow through her tai chi forms. Distracted
from his own workout, he’d spent most of his time glaring at the other men
watching her.

Hell, he
really was a caveman when it came to her, but who could blame him for
protecting what belonged to him?

Dante kept the
conversation light as he helped her clean up. There were things he had to
discuss with her, but he was reluctant to dampen her good mood just yet. They
settled on the couch together, and Dante found himself playing with strands of
her hair that were still wet from the shower they’d taken when they got back to
her apartment.

“Will you play
for me?”

“Of course. I’d
be happy to. Is there something in particular you’d like to hear?”

“Surprise me.”

She got up and
walked across the room. He was startled when she started pushing her TV stand
out of the way. “Wait…what are you doing?”

Still bent
over, she blew hair out of her face as she glanced over. “I’m getting my
violin.”

“From where,
behind the TV?” he asked as he got up and strode over to her.

“Nope. From
under it.”

Intrigued, he
lifted the TV stand for her. His eyebrows lifted as he watched her kneel down
to remove one of the panels of her hardwood floor. Leaning over, he saw that
she had hollowed out a hole in the floor that she’d fit her violin case into.

“That’s a
little extreme, isn’t it?”

She lifted the
case out and said, “Not really when you consider that this is a Stradivarius.”

Dante choked.
“You have a Stradivarius? Holy fucking shit, what the hell are you doing with
that thing in here? That should be in a museum or something!”

“This isn’t
one of the more expensive ones, although this is still a valuable piece. But
what is the point of having such a lovely instrument if you can’t enjoy it?”

He shook his
head, still not believing that she was holding one of the most rare and
extraordinary instruments in the world in her hands. Christ, he was going to
have to put new locks on all the damn doors and windows in this place just so
he could sleep at night now.

Better yet,
they should get a steel vault to put the damn thing in.

Zoe had come
from class. She’d lived a life of wealth and privilege, even if it had been in
a gilded cage. Dante knew that her father was rich and that she had a trust
fund, but he’d never thought about just how different their worlds really were.
He felt privileged that she had chosen him. Felt awed that she could love him
when he was just an ex-soldier who worked in a bar. Since he’d known her, she
had never once made him feel like he was less than she was, even though he knew
it was true.

When she
finished tuning her instrument, she began to play a song he instantly
recognized as one of hers. As Zoe moved her bow over the strings, he was
awestruck by the beautiful music she created. Dante sat there on the couch,
swept away by her sheer talent, forgetting the panic of knowing the value of
the instrument she was playing for the moment.

She was so
graceful in her movements, it was like watching living art.

Even though
her eyes closed as she lost herself in the melody, Dante felt that strange
connection he’d felt the first time he’d heard her play in the bar. The music
poured out of her, straight into him, tugging at his heartstrings.

Dante was
overwhelmed by the love he felt for her. She was it for him. Despite their
differences—or maybe because of them—he knew they were perfect together. He loved
her with everything in him, and wanted to spend the rest of his life making her
happy.

Zoe stopped as
both of their phones signaled multiple text notifications. Worry clouded her
eyes as she lowered her instrument. “The bar is closed now. Do you think
something’s wrong?”

“I don’t
know.” Dante picked up both of their phones and looked at the screens. He
smiled as he read the first message, then laughed as he read the others.

“What is it?”

“Everything is
fine at the bar,” he said as he stood up and walked over to the balcony door. He
unlocked it and slid the door open, allowing the cool night breeze to flow into
the room. “The first message was from Sam. She wanted to know if we could open
the balcony door so she could hear you better. Brix texted me the same
question. Oh, and Jimbo and Lisa want to know if they could come up and watch
you play sometime.”

Zoe’s eyes
widened and her cheeks flushed a bit. “Ah…I’ve only played here a few times. I
didn’t want to disturb anyone.”

“Angel, you
aren’t disturbing anyone,” Dante said as he sat back down. “You’re amazing. They
want to hear you. I don’t blame them. I could listen to you for hours.”

She lifted her
instrument, but put her arms back down again. “Okay, it’s weird now that I know
people are listening.”

“You used to
play for thousands of people,” Dante reminded her.

“Yes, but that
was a lifetime ago.” Zoe blew out a deep breath. It had been a long time since
she’d given a concert, and for a moment, she felt that familiar rush of panic
she always got before a performance. Relax, she told herself. These were her
friends.

There was no
expectation to be perfect.

This was just
for fun.

She mentally
prepared herself, then lifted her violin, tucking it under her chin. Wanting to
please her audience, she chose to play Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” for its various
movements and to showcase her talent. Closing her eyes, she focused on the
music inside of her, allowing it to flow through her hands.

As she began, Zoe
felt the vibrancy of every note. She started with the uplifting movements of
Spring, flowing into the sweeping, almost frantic strains of Summer. When she
transitioned into the joyful refrains of Autumn, a rush of exuberance hit her
that she hadn’t felt in longer than she could remember.

She’d missed
the thrill, the pure bliss she felt when she lost herself in a piece of music.
Feeding that pleasure into the melody, she allowed her body to sway as she
continued to play. And when she arrived at the dramatic overtures of Winter,
she gave herself wholly to the music she created.

Time meant
very little to her while she played, and it was only when she finally finished
that she felt the fatigue in her arms. Zoe opened her eyes to find Dante
staring at her with the most intense expression she’d ever seen from him.
Smiling, she began to clean her violin. “So, did I horrify you into silence or
did you enjoy it?”

“Marry me.”

It was a good
thing she’d just put the violin down or she would have dropped it. She spun
around and gaped at him. “W-what?”

“Shit. I didn’t
mean to do it like this.” Dante stood up and began to pace. He’d seen the
instant shock on her face. Christ, he was fucking this up. What the hell kind
of proposal was that? Did he think just blurting it out like that was going to
make her fall at his feet? Zoe was a classy woman who deserved better…far better.

But the damage
was done now, and he’d see it through.

“I had this
all planned out. We were going to talk about things…get your past sorted out,
then I was going to ask you. I was going to be romantic, damn it. But now all
that is blown to hell. It doesn’t matter, though. It’s done now.”

Amusement
warred with panic, and Zoe let out a hysterical laugh. “It’s done now? What the
hell do you mean by that?”

He stopped and
spun around, pointing a finger at her. “You damn well know what I mean.”

“What I know is
that you’re crazy. Dante, you know we can’t get married. I’m using a fake
identity and I—”

Dante stalked
over to her, gripping her shoulders hard. “Do you think I give a shit about
that? I don’t give a flying fuck what you call yourself—”

“You should,”
she argued. “How can we get married if it wouldn’t be legal?”

That made him
pause for a moment, but it didn’t sway him. If anything, it made him more
determined with his course of action. “Fine, then. That gives us more reason to
get this shit with the Wei family settled. But none of that really matters to
me, not when it comes to you and me, and our future together.”

Her eyes
filled. “You can’t do this to me. Don’t make me hope for something I can’t
have.”

Dante pushed
back his impatience when he saw the quiet grief in her eyes. Then a new thought
occurred to him. “You don’t think you’re going to survive this. You think Paul
Wei is going to get to you, don’t you?” he asked slowly, feeling the fury begin
to smolder at the mere thought of that sick motherfucker putting his filthy
hands on her. Pride had him snapping, “Do you really think I’ll let that sorry
son of Satan touch you? I’ll break every goddamn bone in his body before I let
that happen.”

“Dante,
nothing is guaranteed. And it’s not just me I’m worried about. I put you in
danger when I told you everything. I should have thought about that. I should
have—”

“Zoe, I can
take care of myself, but more than that, I can take care of you. I’ll protect
you,” he promised. Normally, he would have been insulted, but he knew what
she’d been through when her friend had been taken from her. He could see the
panic she couldn’t hide from him, and it made him want to gather her into his
arms and hold her close.

“I love you,
Dante,” Zoe said in a shaky voice. “So much more than I ever thought was
possible. I’m terrified that something will happen to you. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t.” Lifting
a hand to stroke her cheek, he used his other hand to lift one of hers and he
placed it on his chest, right over his heart. “I’m not going anywhere, angel.
I’ll be here for you. We’ll figure out the legalities, but I want you to give
me an answer now. I love you. Belong to me, Zoe. Share my name, my life, and
marry me. Let me love you for the rest of our lives.”

Zoe felt her
heart burst with love. He was offering her everything she’d ever wanted, but
thought she could never have. She had become Zoe Lang to honor her friend, but
she would take his name and become Zoe Fox for herself…and for him.

“Yes,” she
whispered. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

“Yeah?” he
said, grinning at her. “Well, hot damn!”

She laughed as
he jerked her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her face up
for his kiss, and felt a curl of lust unfurl in her belly. Zoe wanted to lose
herself in the passion that flared between them, but he pulled away before she
could take the kiss deeper.

“Now that we
have that settled, there is something else we need to discuss.”

“We do?” Zoe
was confused. Usually, she barely had to breathe and he wanted to jump her, but
now that she’d just agreed to marry him, he still wanted to talk?

What the hell
was going on?

Dante pulled
her over to the couch so they were both sitting down. “I talked to my father
today. I—shit! Wait here.” He jumped to his feet again and hurried into the bedroom,
over to the dresser where he’d hidden the small jewelry box his father had
given him earlier.

When he walked
back into the living room, he saw Zoe replacing the floorboard over the hiding
place where she stored her violin. It made his teeth clench, and he promised
that he’d be calling a security company tomorrow to lock her apartment down
like Fort Knox. As he passed by her, he gripped her hand in his and forced her
to follow him back over to the couch.

“Here,” he
said, shoving the box toward her.

Zoe eyes
widened as she looked down at the box in her hand. Slowly, she lifted the lid
and her breath caught at the sight of the beautiful diamond ring nestled
inside. It was a unique setting, with a round diamond in the center. Smaller
diamonds formed several intricate leaflet designs around the center stone,
making it look like a glittering flower, and the shank was hand engraved into a
series of elegant leaves and scrolls.