Fractured Freedom(47)

I sighed and typed out a thank you to Dante before my shift started.

The man knew how to make me feel safe, that was for sure.

He knew how to make me feel a lot of things. My heart was already starting a war with itself over whether I could take things further with him, even though I knew it wasn’t an option.

At work, we had an emergency C-section, a broken leg from a car accident, a man having a heart attack whom we lost, and another heart attack victim whom we saved.

By nine, my mind couldn’t focus on much. I’d been speaking a second language at work all day and, although I’d majored in Spanish in college, it was still difficult to speak it fluently during emergencies. Thinking of my relationship with Dante, or lack thereof, should have been the furthest thing from my mind.

He was mob. I was a nurse. He was my older brother’s best friend. I was the kid sister. He was my heart, while our lost baby was my heartbreak.

I pulled my black dress on and sighed at how simple it looked. Simple like this date with Allan would be.

Simple like Allan in his jeans and gray button-down standing at the doors of the locker room, offering me his arm.

Simple like my steady heartbeat not jumping out of rhythm to sync with his as it did with Dante.

“You look great, Delilah,” Allan whispered to me as we made our way to his car. “I’m excited for this little restaurant we’re going to. I hear the mojitos are great.”

I nodded as he opened his Honda’s black door for me. “Have you been there before?”

“No. The guys at work were talking about it, and I figured before we’re back home, we have to go.”

I nodded. Allan and I were both from the Midwest, and he’d come to do his residency here. I guess we’d bonded over the fact that we weren’t locals, that we could explore Puerto Rico together rather than by ourselves.

Except now I had Dante.

I shook my head and stared out the window at the colorful buildings we passed. A man played the guitar on the corner of a cobblestone street, and a few families stood around listening. I murmured, “San Juan has so many things I want to see.”

“It’s heaven, right?” He smiled and his straight white teeth that were most likely bleached showed a little too much.

I nodded but didn’t comment, because heaven had set off something in me that I didn’t need my body remembering right then. Dante and I shared that place, shared our own paradise away from the world. I hated how he’d done that to me, how I’d never share that place with anyone else.

We had to walk through a store to get to the restaurant. The figurines displayed on the counter had jewels molded into them. Just like the ones Dante would bring me from overseas.

I sighed, and Allan asked me if everything was okay as we sat down.

“Of course. Of course. I just had a long shift.”

“Right. I heard about the emergency C-section. Good work saving the mom and the baby.”

I chewed on my lip before the waiter came over to offer us drinks. “I’ll take a shot and a mojito.”

Allan’s eyes widened. “A shot? Wow, make that two.”

When the waiter left, I shrugged and said, “We have to enjoy the nights we’re given, right?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded vigorously like he couldn’t agree more.

When our drinks came, we ordered food, and gradually, Allan’s easygoing personality loosened me up. Allan was always nice to look at with his dark hair and dark eyes. He had a great face and was a bit taller than me too. I’d been attracted to him before Dante showed up.

Now, with a little alcohol to relax me, I found myself enjoying his face just fine. Plus, he wasn’t my brother’s best friend, he didn’t work with my sister, and we had no history together. I laughed at one of his jokes, and then Allan excused himself to go to the bathroom. As soon as he did, my phone dinged with a text.

Dante: You didn’t take your ride.

Me: Wow. Leonardo really updates you about everything. Anyway, telling my date that I need to be chauffeured around would probably be a red flag.

Dante: You’re making things difficult again.

Me: Not difficult. I’m on a date. Please stop texting me.

Dante: Your date’s in the bathroom sniffing coke. So the sooner you end the date the better.





His text had me jerking my gaze up and whipping it around the room. The restaurant was so small that I would have seen Dante if he were there.

Me: Are you watching me?!

Dante: So what if I am?

Me: That’s a complete invasion of privacy. How am I supposed to be casual and free to do what I want here with you doing this?!

Dante: I told you you’re free as long as you're safe.

Me: Stop watching me.

Dante. Fine. Stop drinking.

Me: Are you kidding me right now? I’ll do whatever I want.

Dante: Don’t make more trouble, Lilah.

Me: Don’t tell me what to do.

Dante: Why not? You listened so well last night.





I looked around for security cameras and saw a red light blinking in the upper dark corner of the restaurant. He probably wasn’t watching live but I still flipped it off in anger. I threw my phone into my purse when I saw Allan coming back to the table.

He looked completely normal, except that his finger tapped the table very fast and suddenly he wanted another drink and then to leave.