Chapter 1
Two Years Before Zander Met Reyna
New York City
Dante Rossi ran a hand over his face as he stood in the elevator, waiting for it to reach the bottom floor of the building. He was so glad that the damn meeting was over with. It dragged on and on, and his patience had started to rapidly grow thin. He hated feeling that way, but he was pretty sure everyone in the room knew that the meeting could have been over with an hour ago.
It hadn’t helped that the personal assistant to Mr. Abbott had wanted to flirt with both him and Alessio nonstop. It had started the moment they’d stepped off the elevator. She’d done everything but offer to get under the table and give them both blow jobs while the meeting had been going on, though he figured if they’d given any indication that they’d wanted them, it probably would have happened. It might have made the meeting more interesting, but Dante had found her rather annoying, and he was pretty sure Alessio thought the same.
Big Apple Industries had rolled out the red carpet for them, and Carl Abbott had been great to work with. If it had just been him, it would have been better. But they couldn’t ask him not to include his own personal assistant. Dante wondered if the woman gave Mr. Abbott blow jobs on a regular basis. He smirked to himself.
Now, though, everything was completed, the deal was done, and Dante and his brother, Alessio, were about to head home before going out to celebrate tonight with dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in New York City, followed by a night out on the town.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” Alessio said in exasperation, a hint of annoyance in his voice, as he adjusted his dark tie.
“Me too,” Dante mumbled. “That took forever. Much longer than necessary.”
“Yeah, but Big Apple Industries has been a major goal of mine for years. And now we have a deal with them,” Alessio said. “They were in my top five companies to obtain a deal with.”
The deal was worth a substantial amount, and it would generate them a considerable amount of money. It would be lucrative and beneficial for both companies. Dante was glad Alessio had managed to work out the deal.
“Miss Christa was a bit much, though,” Alessio said, his eyes on the floor, counting down above the elevator door.
Dante snorted. “You think?”
Alessio smirked, then shook his head. “Too bad she works for Big Apple. I wouldn’t mind fucking her.”
“You would.” Dante shot a glare at his brother.
The elevator finally came to a stop, and the two men stepped off and headed across the bright lobby. Alessio opened the door for Dante, and he walked outside, breathing in the fresh air, which wasn’t at all fresh. He hated living in New York City. It made him feel restless. He and Alessio had discussed relocating more than once, as his brother wasn’t crazy about the big city either.
They’d originally come here thinking it would be the best place for them to expand their business, and they’d been right. They’d expanded quickly, and both of them were happy with how it was all working out for them.
Alessio had a financial goal he wanted them to meet before they left New York City. He was the finance guy, the Chief Financial Officer, and would know how close they were to that number. He’d told Dante that the deal with Big Apple would put them very close to their goal.
Dante had been looking for a place to move both of them and the company to now for the last few months. A new city would mean new staff, but he didn’t care. He absolutely hated New York City. Of course, they’d keep a small office here, and if anyone wanted to move with them, they’d pay for the move. The cost of living would no doubt be cheaper since he had no plans to relocate to a big city. They did enough for their employees that Dante knew quite a few of them would probably follow them to another city.
They also planned to take their parents with them as well. Dante’s parents didn’t care for New York City either and while they’d offered to put them up in a nice apartment, both of them had adamantly refused. Dante couldn’t blame them.
“Where’s the car?” Dante asked Alessio when they were both out of the building.
“Across the street,” Alessio said, pointing to it. “Not sure why.”
Dante nodded and headed that way. He glanced both ways, but the street was clear, with cars parked up and down each side. He stepped out and started to cross to their car.
“Dante!” his brother yelled after him.
Dante glanced back at him, but a few seconds later, he felt an impact as pain flooded his body, and he felt like he was free-falling before everything went dark.
***
Dante’s eyes fluttered open, and he glanced around. Where the hell was he?
The sound of beeping filled his ears, and he felt off, achy, and groggy. He took in the sight of machines nearby, and it clicked in his mind that he was in a hospital. The scent of antiseptic assaulted him. His gaze darted around and landed on a man he didn’t recognize in a white coat. Why was he in the hospital? What the hell had happened to him?
“Hi there,” the man said, smiling at him. “How are you feeling, Mr. Rossi?”
How was he feeling? Like shit. His throat felt raw, and he felt pretty miserable. He wondered if he was dreaming. “Like...” The words came out hoarsely, and the doctor immediately stepped forward and poured him some water from a small pitcher on a nearby table.
Dante watched him, suddenly realizing that his left arm was in a cast, resting on a pillow, and his right arm had an IV in it. He frowned at himself, trying to remember what the hell had happened to him, but he was drawing a complete blank.
The doctor stepped forward with the cup of water, putting the straw between his lips. Dante greedily sucked it down, realizing how raw his throat felt. His gaze darted back up to the doctor when he was done. “Like I was run over by a Mack truck.”
The doctor smiled. “No, it was just a car. A truck would have done a lot more damage.”
Dante blinked up at him. “I was hit by a car?” He hadn’t been serious about that. His voice was still hoarse, but that was suddenly the least of his concerns. He’d been hit by a car? He definitely didn’t remember that.
“Yes. Hit and run, and it was premeditated,” the doctor told him as he set the cup down and pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose.
Dante’s brows furrowed. “Why?” “Premeditated” sounded like someone had tried to kill him. But who? A competitor? Running him down with a car seemed a bit excessive, though. When had it happened? He was completely drawing a blank.
“No idea. Whoever did it was incredibly smart about it and didn’t get caught.” The doctor put his stethoscope to his ears and listened to Dante’s heart.
Dante remained quiet until he was done, though his mind was running at a million miles a minute. “How long?”
“It’s been three days. Honestly, you’re already healing up nicely. You have a broken leg and a broken arm. A few broken ribs. Head injury and a bit of brain swelling. But you’re doing quite well,” the doctor told him.
Three days? He couldn’t believe it. He was still hurting, too, but not horribly. Why would someone want to run him over? He didn’t have any enemies that he was aware of, though the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. He vaguely remembered Big Apple Industries. Alessio had been with him. “My brother?”
“He’s here. He knew we were going to wake you today and he’s waiting outside. I’ll get him for you,” the doctor said.
Dante nodded, glad that Alessio was nearby. Maybe he’d have some answers. “How long will I be here?”
The doctor shrugged. “Depends on you. You’re going to have to go through some rehab, too, but I know you don’t live alone, and that’s a good thing. Your brother is willing to take care of you, though he needs to recover more himself. He said something about an in-home nurse. We’ll keep you a few more days to make sure you’re good, then send you home. You’re in excellent physical shape, which is a plus. Let me get your brother.”
The doctor walked out, and Dante shut his eyes. He’d made it sound like Alessio had been injured, too. Had his brother been hit as well? What the hell had happened to them?
