Classified ☑

[ chapter 35 ]

I picked up a rock and threw it as far as I could into the dark sky. That was my fifth throw and it seemed with every one my anger was building instead of going away.

The screen door squeaked open and I turned around to see who it was. The faint moonlight highlighted Dante's features as he walked down the steps. He looked causal with his hands in his jean's pockets and loose t-shirt.

If only things were as simple as they seemed.

I picked up another rock and chucked it as far as a could. Dante grabbed my hand to stop me from picking up another one. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't get why Joseph can't just believe me?" He'd been acting weird all night and I didn't like it. I wasn't used to seeing that side of him. "All of the evidence is pointing to Lucille and Angel working together all this time, along with your dad. I don't understand," I explained. "I'm his sister. He should just believe me."

"You should give him some slack," Dante said, surprising me.

"He punched you in the jaw," I shot back, pulling my hand away from his.

"With good reason." The bruising on his face looked darker because of the shadows from the moonlight. He looked exhausted, just as I felt. "Nina, you had your dad growing up. Joseph only knew Lucille to be his only living family. For all he knew, your dad abandoned him and took you."

His words hit me like a punch in the gut. I hadn't thought about how leaving him behind had made him feel.

"He knows his life has been a lie and he's trying to figure out why. Then the one person who raised him ends up being a traitor?" Dante gave me a look that said I should have known better. "I think Joseph's handling it really well, considering everything else."

I crossed my arms over my chest and kicked at a rock. "You're right," I mumbled. Dante dipped his head and turned to go back inside, but I didn't want him to leave just yet. I'd grown to appreciate his company. "Dante," I called out.

He stopped short and turned his head to look at me. "Yes?"

"What did you and Thomas talk about?" I needed to know.

Dante let out such a quiet laugh I wasn't sure I heard it. "You're dad left another note for your Uncle, but it was hidden. Thomas didn't find it until after you left. It explained how the chain and numbers linked to me." He gave me a small smile before he winked. "But you figured that out anyways."

The fact that there was another clue or note, or whatever you want to call it, didn't surprise me. But it would explain why my Uncle seemed more calm around Dante's presence than the night Joseph and Thomas talked about him. The night I left, I remembered Thomas being furious with Dante. Maybe the note explained why we could trust Dante after all. "Where was the note?"

"In the clock."

It's about time you replaced a few parts.

That line from my dad's letter we'd found popped into my head.

"I think my dad was a subtle genius," I blurted out without thinking.

Dante actually laughed this time and the sound made me smile. Through all the chaos that was going on for both of us, at least he could still laugh.

"What did it say? If you don't mind me asking," I added on quickly. The last thing I wanted was him to think that I was trying to invade his privacy.

He sighed and walked closer to me. "The note basically explained everything you figured out. The chain represented me. The numbers were for the code. Even explained why he picked me to have the necklace. He knew I'd eventually help you and Thomas. In the note he said that he knew I'd change my mind about TIA once I realized what it really was. "