Chapter Nine
The rest of the week passed by quickly with the holiday rush, and Dante couldn’t believe it was already December twenty-third. It was peak season for Muccino’s, and every single night was booked solid, including their two private dining rooms for Christmas parties and gatherings.
Dante was glad for the distraction. He drove himself to exhaustion every single day, if only so his wolf would quiet down. It was not happy, gnawing and clawing at him each time his mind drifted to Holly. The ache in his middle wouldn’t leave. Somedays it seemed like an empty pang that would never be filled. What am I supposed to do, he snapped back at the animal one day when it was getting too unruly. She doesn’t want us. He wanted her, but that didn’t mean a damn thing. He knew the best course of action was to just forget about her, but it was damn near impossible.
“Goodnight, Chef,” Jorge greeted as strode toward the door. “I’m done in the back. See you tomorrow.”
“‘Night, Jorge,” he said.
“Don’t stay here too long,” the other man said with a chuckle. “You gotta get some rest, too.”
“I won’t,” he said as he gave Jorge a final wave goodbye. The other man left, the heavy door slamming behind him. Finally. It was just him in the kitchen. Enzo was still in the office, checking on the receipts and the next day’s reservations. They’d be open for lunch tomorrow, and then they were off until dinner on the 26th. This year, Frankie and Grant would be going to Paris for Christmas, while Grant’s sister Alynna and her husband would be off to Chicago to his parent’s. That meant instead of their usual get-together at Muccino’s, they’d all celebrate with a late lunch in Jersey before everyone left. Dante hadn’t made any plans for Christmas day. He’d figure something out. Christmas wasn’t his thing anyway, and he didn’t want to impose on his relatives and horn in on their celebration.
Dante put his knives away, sent Enzo a text that he was leaving, and then put on his coat. He walked to the back where he was parked, got into his Jaguar, and maneuvered the vehicle out of his parking spot. As he drove out of the alley, he couldn’t help but glance across the street, just like he did every time Petite Louve came into view.
Usually, he’d turn away and drive off, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the other restaurant. But tonight, something was different. The hairs on his arms prickled and his wolf raised it hackles. Alarm bells rang in his head and he knew something was wrong.
He slammed on the brakes, not caring if his car was in the middle of the street. After pushing the door open, he sprinted across the street to the back alley and, as soon as he got there, he could smell it. Smoke.
Dantesprinted to the rear door, and his blood ran cold when he saw a crowbar jammed across the handles. He touched the door, but pulled back. The door was hot, which meant there was a fire inside. He didn’t know why he felt it, but he was positive Holly was in there.
There was no time to lose. He tossed the crowbar away and grabbed the handles, ignoring the pain as his skin burned. Smoke billowed out as soon as he opened the door, and the heat made him stagger back.
“Fuck!” He fished his cellphone out of his pants and dialed 911. He didn’t even wait for the dispatcher to talk. “I’d like to report a fire. It’s a restaurant, Petite Louve, downtown on Bradley Street across from Muccino’s Italian Restaurant. Send the fire department.”
It would probably take some time for them to arrive. His heart pounded in his chest, and he knew what he had to do. The back door was still too hot, but from what he could guess about the layout of the restaurant, he should be able to get in through the front door and access the rest of the place.
He didn’t bother taking his clothes off; instead, he let his wolf have his body.
***
As her eyelids fluttered open, Holly felt pain growing in the back of her head. What happened? She searched her scrambled mind, trying to figure it out.
A few seconds passed before she gathered her thoughts. She thought she had been alone, but she heard someone come in through the back. Then she suddenly felt pain in the back of her head and everything went dark.
Her eyes flew open. Her vision was blurry at first and everything was skewed on its side. Then, she realized she was lying on the floor of her office. How did she get all the way here from the kitchen?
It was late and everyone else had gone home. She had stayed behind to lock up. Hannah was asleep in her office and …
Hannah!
Slowly, she got to her knees, as her stomach churned. She staggered forward, but had to grab onto a chair to steady herself.
“Hannah!” she called out. “Hannah!”
She heard movement from behind her desk, and she nearly wept with relief when Hannah crawled out from underneath.
“Hannah!” Despite her unsteady gait, she grabbed her niece and bent down, then hugged her tight. “Oh sweetie, are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Good. Don’t worry, we’ll get out of here.” She picked up Hannah in her arms and strode to the door. However, she stopped suddenly when the smell of acrid smoke filled her nostrils. Her heart thudded in her chest, and a dread filled the pit of her stomach as she gently laid her hand on the door. The heat was unmistakable, as was the gray smoke slowly seeping from under the door.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” she soothed as she backed away from the door. “We’ll call for help.”
Her cellphone wasn’t in her pocket, but she still had the office phone. She put Hannah down and grabbed the receiver, but soon that pit in her stomach grew even bigger when she only heard dead air. The phone line had been cut.
She couldn’t panic. Not when Hannah was counting on her.
As she tried to think, she heard a loud crash outside. Oh please, let that be the fire department! Maybe they were coming in here, breaking down the doors, and they would rescue her.
Hannah looked up at her, her blue eyes wide with fear and tears streaming down her cheeks. Holly picked her up again and held her tight. “It’s okay, sweetie. They’re coming. They’re coming to get us.”
A loud thud sounded against the door. They were trying to get in!
“We’re in here!” she called. “Please help us!”
The thumping and thudding continued, getting stronger and louder each time. When Holly heard the wood break, she turned away and braced herself. Slowly, she turned her head, expecting a group of firemen in their special suits. She let out a loud gasp at what she saw.
It was an enormous … dog? No. It was a wolf, though not like any she’d seen in pictures. This creature was huge, with dark, thick fur. The head alone was probably as big as Hannah, and its jaws could probably crush her in one snap. She quickly grabbed Hannah’s head and pressed it to her chest.
“Don’t move,” she said to Hannah “And close your eyes. Don’t open then until I tell you to.” Dear Lord, what was happening? Did the blow to the back of her head make her hallucinate?
The creature began to stalk toward her. “Stay away!” she cried out and grabbed the first thing she could from her desk—a stapler—and hurled it at the wolf. She missed it, and the animal continued to advance.
“What are you?” she cried as she scrambled to find something to defend herself with. As it got closer, she gasped when she saw its eyes. One was green and the other was blue.
A shiver ran through her, and an icy chill blasted across her arms, raising gooseflesh on her skin. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
The dark fur began to shorten and recede into skin as the wolf’s head became smaller. Limbs shortened, and before she knew it, there was a naked human figure kneeling down in front of her. When he lifted his head, mismatched eyes crashed into hers.
“Holly!” Dante said as he walked toward them.
“What … how …” Oh God, she was going crazy. Dante Muccino was a werewolf?
Hannah struggled when she heard Dante’s voice, but Holly kept her close to her chest and her face away from him. She didn’t know how to explain it to herself, let alone Hannah.
“I don’t have time to explain,” he said. “We have to get out of here. The fire’s mostly contained in the kitchen. I crashed through your window and cleared a path out to the dining room.”
Her feet were stuck to where she was standing, and her limbs were frozen. Blood roared in her ears, and pressure was building behind her eyes. Dante. Werewolf.
“Please, Holly, snap out of it! I’ll explain later, but we need to move. Now.”
Holly blinked and then nodded. “Yes. Okay, let’s go.” She held onto Hannah tightly.
Dante nodded, then looked around. He grabbed her coat and held it out to her. “Here, put this over your heads. When I give you the signal, take a deep breath and hold it as long as you can, okay? Do you understand, Hannah?”
Hannah’s face was still pressed to Holly’s chest and her eyes remained close, but she nodded.
“What about you?” Holly asked.
“I’ll be fine. I can see in the dark, and I can hold my breath for much longer than you can. It’ll take me less than fifteen seconds to carry you guys out of here.” He pulled the coat over their heads.
“Carry us—hey!” Holly felt her feet lift off from the ground as Dante picked her and Hannah up.
“Hang on to Hannah,” he instructed.
Dear God, he was strong. He carried them both like they weighed nothing.
“I’m by the door. Ready? Okay, go!”
“Hold your breath, sweetie,” Holly whispered to Hannah, then she took a last gasp of air and held her breath as Dante had instructed. His feet pounded on the floor, and she could feel the heat of the fire. Even from under the coat, her eyes stung from the smoke. Holding Hannah tighter, she prayed they would make it.
It seemed like the longest fifteen seconds of her life, but she soon felt the rush of cold air. The coat was whipped off her head, and she took a big gulp of the fresh oxygen. In the distance, she could hear sirens. They were safe.
“Are you alright?” Dante asked. He didn’t put them down, but instead, continued to walk.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere safe. And I need to … get some clothes on before the cops get here.”
Oh God, he was naked. Of course, he was. He did transform from a giant wolf.
Dante stopped and set her down. She realized they were behind Muccino’s. He opened the door and led her inside the kitchen.
“Enzo!” he shouted. “Enzo! Come out here now!”
A door slammed from the other side. “What the fuck is going on out here? Are you—” Enzo’s eyes widened when he saw Dante. “Did you shift? In front of them?”
“Yeah, I had to. There’s a fire across the street, and they were trapped inside.” Dante walked toward his brother and slapped him on the shoulder. “The fire trucks are on their way. I gotta go get dressed, and then I need to call Grant. Take care of them for a bit, will ya?”
“Of course,” Enzo said with a nod.
Holly watched as Dante disappeared down the hallway. She didn’t even notice how her legs were like jelly until Enzo rushed forward to grab her and Hannah.
“Easy there,” he said, as he steadied her. “You okay? C’mon, take a seat.” He led her to one of the chairs in the corner. Hannah slid from her arms, but adjusted herself so she sat on Holly’s lap.
“I don’t … understand … what’s happening.”
“Jeeze, you’re shaking. It’s okay, I know how it is. It must have scared the shit out of you, seeing Dante’s wolf.”
“You know?”
“Yeah, I am his brother. And no,” he shook his head, “I’m not one of them.”
“Wait … what are they? What’s going on … I mean … I’m not seeing things … am I?”
“You’re goin’ into shock,” Enzo said. “I’ll make you some tea; it should calm you down. Dante will be back soon and he’ll explain everything.”
Dante strolled back into the kitchen, fully dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, though he remained barefoot. “I called Frankie,” he said to Enzo. “Grant’s not coming back from California until tomorrow. But she’s coming with Nick and Cady. They’ll smooth everything over with the authorities.” He walked toward Holly. “I know you have a lot of questions.”
“You think?” she hissed.
Dante let out a sigh, then bent down. “Hannah, honey, are you all right?”
Hannah looked at him warily, but nodded her head.
“Good. I hope I didn’t frighten you. My wolf can be scary, but he would never hurt you okay? In fact, he wanted to save you so bad that he broke through the glass windows just to get to you and your aunt.”
She looked at him, slack-jawed, absorbing what he was saying. After a heartbeat, she scrambled off Holly’s lap and launched herself into his arms. Dante held her, squeezing her tight, and pressed his lips to her head. “It’s okay,” he soothed, rubbing his palms down her back. “But I need your help now, okay? You can’t tell anyone about this. No one at all, okay? If anyone finds out, I might get in trouble. I need you to keep me safe, can you do that, Hannah?”
Hannah pulled away from him and nodded her head.
Dante smiled. “Good girl.” He then turned to Holly. “I’ll try my best to explain later, but for now, we have to deal with the authorities. We have our people who take care of these things, but don’t talk to any cops or reporters until we’ve had a chance to brief you, okay?”
Holly was still stunned. Hannah, on the other hand, resilient child that she was, seemed to take it better than her. “F-f-fine,” Holly said. What else could she do? Werewolves were real and, apparently, Dante Muccino was one of them.