Dangerous Melodies - Chapter 70: Chapter 70

DANTE
I watched from the hallway camera feed as Carlos’s car pulled up outside. Watched him play the part. Gentleman. Smooth. Predictable.
She let him walk her to the door. Let him in.
I knew what was coming before it happened. The body language, the invitation, the tension thick between them. I had seen this dance before, just never from this angle.
The feed flickered as they crossed the threshold, his hand at her waist, hers steady on the door. My chest tightened. I forced myself to keep watching. Professional. Detached. That was the lie I told myself.
I saw the moment his hand moved to her waist again, the lean of his body, the invitation in his touch. I saw her answer it.
My wife. Still my wife, even if she didn’t remember. Even if she thought she belonged to him tonight.
The kiss hit me harder than it should have. Slow, then hungrier. His hands on her. Her fingers in his hair. My gut twisted.
Turn off the monitors.
I didn’t. I kept watching like some sick voyeur, breath sharp and uneven, jealousy clawing beneath my skin.
His hands pressed her back against the wall. Her mouth opened beneath his like it belonged there.
Turn them off.
I hovered over the panel. I told myself this wasn’t about me. This wasn’t about jealousy. Security. Her safety. That’s all this was supposed to be.
My hand moved before I could stop it. I hit the button.
The alarm screamed through the house, shattering the moment with its high, sharp whine.
I watched them break apart, watched confusion ripple across her face. Watched her pull herself together because that’s who she was. Poised, even when the ground shook.
I stepped into the hallway, calm locked onto my face like armor.
“False alarm. Everything’s fine.”
Her eyes cut to me, sharp and searching. She knew.
Nina appeared with Luzie, and Marisol’s priorities shifted in an instant. I watched her crouch, soothe her daughter, wrap herself in calm for Luzie’s sake.
Not what I meant to happen.
I hadn’t meant for that part. I hadn’t meant to wake Luzie.
Carlos asked about the kid, and my gut twisted again. He didn’t know. Of course he didn’t. He didn’t know shit about her life.
I heard him say he had a son. Watched her soften because of it. Watched her smile, watched him touch her face.
I wanted to rip his hand away.
Instead, I cleared my throat, a warning more than anything else.
She knew what I’d done. The look she gave me said it all.
She kissed him anyway. Slow. Intentional.
A message.
I’m not yours. But she was. She was my wife.
I didn’t flinch. Didn’t show a damn thing. Let her have her game.
She said her goodbyes. He walked out, oblivious to the war she’d just waged in my living room.
I stayed in the shadows, jaw locked, fists curled at my sides.
Let him think he’d won.
For now.
My wife. And I couldn’t do a damn thing but watch.
And now?
Now I can’t even walk in without drawing my weapon.
MARISOL
The moment the door clicked shut behind Carlos, something inside me snapped. Fury surged through me as I stalked down the hallway, my pulse pounding in my ears as I closed in on Dante.
“What the hell was that?” I hissed, my voice low but sharp with anger.
Dante didn’t so much as flinch. His face stayed infuriatingly blank.
“There must have been a glitch in the system,” he said, his tone cool.
I narrowed my eyes. “Is there a problem I’m not aware of, Dante?” The suspicion bled into my words, impossible to hide now.
He paused, like he had to think about it.
“Um… no. No problems on my end,” he said at last, his voice flippant. Dismissive.
Something inside me broke free at that. The heat, the humiliation, the blatant lie sitting between us like a loaded gun. My hands curled into fists before I forced them to relax. I took a step closer, my glare daring him to say something else smug. When he didn’t, I spun on my heel and stormed into the kitchen.
I yanked open the fridge, grabbed the first cold bottle of water I saw, and hurled it straight at him. He caught it without effort, one hand, like this was just another day on the job. That same unreadable look on his face.
I met his gaze, letting every ounce of venom lace my words.
“You seem to need to clear your throat a lot lately. Have some water. Maybe you’ll choke on it.”
I didn’t wait for a reaction. I didn’t care if he had one.
But the farther I got down the hallway, the more it burned.
He didn’t just embarrass me tonight. He didn’t just interrupt a moment I’d chosen for myself.
He exposed Luzie.
I wasn’t ready for that. I’d been careful for years, going to lengths no one understood to keep her out of this world. Out of reach. Out of sight.
And now Carlos knew. Not because I trusted him enough to tell him, not because I’d decided it was time. Because Dante couldn’t control himself.
I stopped and turned back to him, not because I wanted to, but because I needed him to hear this. I needed him to understand there would be no next time.
“You fucked up tonight.” My voice came out low, steady. The kind of calm that meant I wasn’t calm at all.
“Not just with me. With Luzie.”
His face didn’t move. Typical.
“I protect my daughter at all costs. You don’t get to make that decision for me.” I stepped in closer, making sure he felt every word.
“You’re here to keep her safe. Not blow her cover because you couldn’t handle your jealousy.”
The words tasted bitter, but I didn’t stop.
“You ever pull something like that again, and you’re fired. I don’t care how good you are, how much your reputation costs. You’re done.”
He didn’t speak. Just stood there holding that stupid water bottle, watching me with that unreadable expression like he was memorizing every word.
I didn’t flinch. Didn’t back down.
“You don’t get a second strike, Dante.”
Then I turned and walked away. For good this time.