Chapter 6
Dante’s head snapped up. His pale gray eyes locked onto Maya with a ferocity that made her instinctively pull back, though Sophia’s tight grip anchored her to the booth. The warm amber lighting of the restaurant suddenly felt hot and suffocating.
"Where?" Dante demanded, his voice a low, lethal rumble. "Where have you seen this logo?"
Maya swallowed nervously, her heart hammering against her ribs. She looked at the crude circle with crossed lines drawn in purple crayon. "It’s a luxury transport service. Apex Executive. They use purple detailing on their black SUVs. I know this because they pick up some of the wealthier clients from this restaurant. They always wait in the alley out back."
Dante stared at the drawing, the muscles in his jaw ticking as he processed the information. The police had found Elena’s personal car, but Sophia’s drawing suggested she had seen something else entirely. Another vehicle. A purple and black SUV that had been at the scene.
"Marco!" Dante barked, not breaking eye contact with Maya.
Across the room, the manager practically tripped over his own feet rushing to the table. "Yes, Mr. Russo?"
"I need the security footage from the alley behind this restaurant for the last week. Now," Dante ordered.
"Of course, I’ll get it right away," Marco stammered, turning and sprinting toward the back office.
Dante turned his attention back to Maya. The coldness in his demeanor had shifted into something far more intense and focused. He saw the way his daughter was clinging to this waitress, burying her face in the simple white blouse, finding a sanctuary that he, as her father, could not provide.
"You’re observant, Maya Bennett," Dante said slowly, leaning back against the velvet cushion. "And my daughter trusts you. That makes you incredibly valuable to me."
"I was just trying to help her," Maya said defensively, wanting nothing more than to retreat to the safety of the kitchen. "I’m glad I could. But I really need to get back to work."
"You don't work here anymore," Dante stated plainly, reaching inside his charcoal suit and pulling out a sleek, black checkbook.
Maya’s eyes widened. "Excuse me? Yes, I do. I have bills to pay. I’m saving up for a bakery, I can’t just quit—"
"I am hiring you," Dante interrupted smoothly, unscrewing a silver pen. "Sophia needs someone she feels safe with. Someone who isn't surrounded by my... associates. She needs normalcy. She needs you."
"Mr. Russo, I’m a waitress, not a nanny," Maya protested, panic rising in her chest. The idea of entering the orbit of a mafia boss was terrifying. "I have another job in the mornings. I can’t."
Dante quickly scribbled a number on a check and slid it across the polished dark wood table. Maya glanced down. The number written there was astronomical. It was more money than she would make in ten years of double shifts. It was enough to buy her bakery outright, ten times over.
"That is your signing bonus," Dante said, his voice devoid of emotion, though his eyes revealed a desperate paternal plea. "You will live at my estate. You will care for Sophia. You will help me figure out what she saw the day my wife was taken."
Maya stared at the check, her mind spinning. "I... I can't. Your world is dangerous. I don't want any part of it."
May you like
Dante leaned forward, his pale gray eyes narrowing. "My wife is missing, Maya. The people who took her are out there. If they know Sophia saw their vehicle, my daughter is in danger. You are the only person she has spoken to. I am not asking you. I am buying your time, your silence, and your loyalty. Do we have an understanding?"
Maya looked down at Sophia, who looked up at her with large, tear-filled brown eyes. The little girl’s grip on Maya’s hand tightened. Maya realized, with a sinking heart, that she had no choice at all.
