door. Dante was seconds away from pulling the trigger when he recognized who walked into the room.
“Whoa! It’s just me!” Natalie cried, throwing up both her hands and falling back against the bedroom door, staring wide-eyed at Dante.
“You should announce yourself when you walk into a room,” Dante told her as he lowered his gun.
“How did you know I was there?” she asked as she lowered her hands and relaxed.
“I heard the front door when it opened,” Dante answered. “What are you doing here?’
“You don’t sound happy to see me, Dante?” Natalie asked him, with a fake pouting look on her face.
Shaking his head as he slid his hammer back into his holster, he turned back to the closet and asked, “What do you want, Natalie?”
“Actually, I wanted to see you. I’m also supposed to show you what’s outside for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
With a big smile, Natalie walked over to Dante and took his hand, leading him from the closet toward the bedroom door and said, “Just come with me. You’ll like what I’ve got to show you.”
Chapter 7
Dante allowed Dominic’s daughter to drag him back through the mansion, passing a smiling Carmen, who was walking out of one of the many rooms on the first floor. Dante found himself being pulled out the front door and then down the walkway around to the far side of the mansion where a metallic-gray Benz was parked in front of a five-car garage.
“What do you think?” Natalie asked, turning and smiling back at Dante.
“What?” Dante asked confused, looking straight at Natalie.
“The car, Dante!” Natalie answered with a giggle. She turned Dante around to the driver’s side of the Mercedes. “This is your new car, Dante.”
“What?” Dante exclaimed in both disbelief and confusion.
“What my daughter is telling you, Dante,” Carmen began, as she and two security guards walked over from the front of the house, “is that this is a gift from both Dominic and me.”
“I picked it out,” Natalie told him, still smiling at Dante.
Looking back to Carmen from Natalie, Dante met the older woman’s eyes and said, “What’s this all about? I could have bought my own ride.”
“We’re well aware of that, Mr. Blackwell,” Carmen replied smiling at him. “My husband did a background check on you and we are fully aware of what you are able to do. This is our way of saying that we want you to feel welcome and at home here with us.”
“Dante, come on! Let’s go for a ride!” Natalie screamed, rushing around to the passenger side of the Benz.
“The key is already attached to the ring I handed to you earlier, Dante,” Carmen told him, as she turned and walked away. She turned back around and said, “Enjoy yourself!”
“Dante! Come on!” Natalie cried out, waving to get Dante’s attention.
Dante looked at Carmen as she was walking away and then focused back on Natalie. He looked down at the Mercedes Benz S-class coupe that was just given to him. Then he dug out the keys from inside his pocket and hit the remote that was also a key. Both he and Natalie climbed inside onto creamy, brown-leather seats.
He checked out the new smart phone-style console, touch-pad perches over a command-system control knob that operated numerous vehicle functions. Dante looked around the car, nodding in approval at what he was seeing.
“Are you just going to sit there or are we going for a ride, Dante?” Natalie spoke up, smiling over at him.
Shifting his eyes over to Natalie, Dante shook his head. He smiled as he pushed the button that started the Mercedes engine. He glanced back over at Natalie as he reversed the Benz from in front of the garage.
* * *
Carmen watched from the front door as both Dante and her daughter drove away inside the new Mercedes. She smiled and stepped back inside the house, closing and locking the door behind her. She turned and started towards the side hallway leading to her husband’s office.
She
“Whoa! It’s just me!” Natalie cried, throwing up both her hands and falling back against the bedroom door, staring wide-eyed at Dante.
“You should announce yourself when you walk into a room,” Dante told her as he lowered his gun.
“How did you know I was there?” she asked as she lowered her hands and relaxed.
“I heard the front door when it opened,” Dante answered. “What are you doing here?’
“You don’t sound happy to see me, Dante?” Natalie asked him, with a fake pouting look on her face.
Shaking his head as he slid his hammer back into his holster, he turned back to the closet and asked, “What do you want, Natalie?”
“Actually, I wanted to see you. I’m also supposed to show you what’s outside for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
With a big smile, Natalie walked over to Dante and took his hand, leading him from the closet toward the bedroom door and said, “Just come with me. You’ll like what I’ve got to show you.”
Chapter 7
Dante allowed Dominic’s daughter to drag him back through the mansion, passing a smiling Carmen, who was walking out of one of the many rooms on the first floor. Dante found himself being pulled out the front door and then down the walkway around to the far side of the mansion where a metallic-gray Benz was parked in front of a five-car garage.
“What do you think?” Natalie asked, turning and smiling back at Dante.
“What?” Dante asked confused, looking straight at Natalie.
“The car, Dante!” Natalie answered with a giggle. She turned Dante around to the driver’s side of the Mercedes. “This is your new car, Dante.”
“What?” Dante exclaimed in both disbelief and confusion.
“What my daughter is telling you, Dante,” Carmen began, as she and two security guards walked over from the front of the house, “is that this is a gift from both Dominic and me.”
“I picked it out,” Natalie told him, still smiling at Dante.
Looking back to Carmen from Natalie, Dante met the older woman’s eyes and said, “What’s this all about? I could have bought my own ride.”
“We’re well aware of that, Mr. Blackwell,” Carmen replied smiling at him. “My husband did a background check on you and we are fully aware of what you are able to do. This is our way of saying that we want you to feel welcome and at home here with us.”
“Dante, come on! Let’s go for a ride!” Natalie screamed, rushing around to the passenger side of the Benz.
“The key is already attached to the ring I handed to you earlier, Dante,” Carmen told him, as she turned and walked away. She turned back around and said, “Enjoy yourself!”
“Dante! Come on!” Natalie cried out, waving to get Dante’s attention.
Dante looked at Carmen as she was walking away and then focused back on Natalie. He looked down at the Mercedes Benz S-class coupe that was just given to him. Then he dug out the keys from inside his pocket and hit the remote that was also a key. Both he and Natalie climbed inside onto creamy, brown-leather seats.
He checked out the new smart phone-style console, touch-pad perches over a command-system control knob that operated numerous vehicle functions. Dante looked around the car, nodding in approval at what he was seeing.
“Are you just going to sit there or are we going for a ride, Dante?” Natalie spoke up, smiling over at him.
Shifting his eyes over to Natalie, Dante shook his head. He smiled as he pushed the button that started the Mercedes engine. He glanced back over at Natalie as he reversed the Benz from in front of the garage.
* * *
Carmen watched from the front door as both Dante and her daughter drove away inside the new Mercedes. She smiled and stepped back inside the house, closing and locking the door behind her. She turned and started towards the side hallway leading to her husband’s office.
She
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