When Heroes Fall (Anti-Heroes in Love 1)

“I didn’t say I judged them,” I argued, crossing my arms over my chest as I turned to face him, settling in for the argument I could feel coming.

“The eye roll says differently,” he countered. “Now, I must demand you attend. When was the last time you conferred with your fellow Italians? America is a lonely place for an immigrant without community.”

“I have a community,” I said even though I wondered if my single close friendship with Beau counted toward that.

Dante just cocked an arrogant brow.

I bristled, trying not to let him tempt me into acting like my worse self. I’d been going to therapy once a week for the past year, and usually, I found myself capable of harnessing the dark heart of my temper and pride, but something about Dante lured my worst self out from hiding.

“Besides, you may be my client, but you aren’t the boss of me,” I informed him. “In fact, any relationship or interactions we might have outside of our professional relationship are incredibly inappropriate.”

“The best things often are,” he agreed solemnly, only his glittering obsidian eyes giving away his humor.

“I could lose my license.”

He pursed his lips then waved a hand dismissively. “Only if someone reported you.”

“A transgression is still that even if there is no one there to witness it,” I snapped, my mind immediately fixating on Giselle and Daniel.

No one knew about their affair at first, but that didn’t mean what they had done was anything short of abominable.

Dante’s voice softened, his eyes too observant. “It is those in power who decide the rules, Elena. I don’t feel I have to remind you of this, but I will. In this case, I am the one with the power…” He pushed off the counter and strode toward me on a strong, rippling gait that made my throat dry.

I backed up slightly only to bump into the desk, suddenly trapped by his large body as he bore down on me. My heart raced, leaping and bounding over the hurdles of fear, anxiety, and something like desire that cropped up in my chest.

When he raised his hand to collar my throat again, I flinched, baring my teeth at him, and flung off his grip.

His eyes went dark, all black, no definition between his pupil and iris, just twin black holes trying to suck me up. With deliberate slowness, he raised that meaty palm and gripped my neck again, squeezing tight for just long enough to feel my pulse flare against his thumb.

He leaned close, his voice a whispered hiss. “I am the one with the power here, Elena, not you. And I say, you will come to the party tonight.”

“Perché?” I croaked to my horror, my voice tight and rough. In my panic at his proximity, my thoughts turned Italian, reverting to the identity I’d tried so long to stifle. One I associated with fear and weakness.

“Because,” he said, his tone rife with dark humor as he bent down to say the words an inch from my open, panting mouth. For a moment, I thought I could taste them, olive bright on my tongue. “I said so, and what the capo says goes.”

“This isn’t some psychopathic game of Simone dice,” I seethed, leaning into his grip so I could sneer into his face. “I’m not one of your pliant Italian women who will do whatever a man wishes.”

“No,” he agreed, abruptly releasing his grip on my neck so that I stumbled forward on my high heels and fell into the hard expanse of his chest. Once there, he pinned me briefly with a hand on the small of my back, fingers spanning nearly from hip to hip. “But you will obey me, nonetheless. Not because you respect my authority, but because you won’t do anything to risk your position. One call to Yara and she’d order you to do anything I asked.”

No. He was right.

But why was he treating me like this?

I felt like taffy in his strong hands, constantly pulled and stretched as he tried to reform me into something I was not, something I would never be because it was something I abhorred.

“If it makes you feel any better, Yara will be here,” Dante mentioned, turning away to walk back to the kitchen where he continued to prepare his gnocchi. “You might even recognize a few politicians and celebrities in attendance. You could use it as an excuse to rub elbows with some of the more powerful figures in the city.”

When I only glared at him, wishing I had the power to kill someone with a single gaze, he sighed gustily as though I was some unruly child who wouldn’t eat her dinner. “Despite what you may think, Elena, I truly want you to come to the party to have some fun. I know life has not been so easy for you. In my experience, we must make the most of opportunities we have to enjoy ourselves between the drama and the chaos.”