Chapter 19
The midnight air at the Brooklyn waterfront was crisp and cold, smelling of salt water and old iron.
Beatrice stepped out of her private town car, wearing a thick wool coat against the autumn breeze.
The warehouse loomed before her, the same location where Dante had secured Victoria days earlier.
Dim golden light shone through the frosted glass windows of the upper floor.
She walked inside, her boots echoing against the wooden floorboards of the historic pier.
Dante was standing near the edge of the dock inside the open warehouse doors, looking out at the East River.
He wore a dark coat, the collar turned up against the wind, looking as solitary and dangerous as ever.
“You came,” Dante said without turning around as she approached.
“You had my father’s watch,” Beatrice said softly, stopping a few feet behind him.
Dante turned around, his dark eyes searching her face in the moonlight.
“My father was a monster, Beatrice,” Dante said quietly, his voice carrying the heavy weight of truth.
“He didn't just short-sell your father’s stock. He used black-market threats to force your father out.”
Beatrice swallowed hard. “And your father?”
“My father died ten years ago because someone he betrayed shot him in a parking garage in Queens,” Dante revealed.
“I took over his empire when I was twenty-two, surrounded by blood and corruption.”
“I spent the last decade bleeding out the filth, turning Moretti Holdings into a legitimate enterprise.”
He stepped closer to her, the ocean wind rustling his dark hair.
“When I saw your name on the audit report, I knew who you were.”
“I wanted to see if Arthur Gallagher’s daughter had survived the fire my father created.”
“And what did you find?” she asked, her heart hammering against her ribs.
May you like
“I found a woman far stronger than anyone in this city gave her credit for,” Dante answered softly.
“I didn't step into that ballroom to manipulate you, Beatrice. I did it because I couldn't stand seeing them hurt you.”
