Chapter 19 #2
“I freaked out over the journal, but we need to keep pushing forward,” Gia states firmly.
Her eyes land on Nico, determination clear.
“And you need to stop babying me too. I have to be strong. I’ll fall apart later, and then you can put me back together.
No more getting pissed at each other. No more threatening people.
No more being an asshole.” She turns her head and looks at Pietro.
“Whether we like it or not, we’re all family now—either through blood, marriage, or choice.
I didn’t have a family growing up. Because the De Lucas are not my family.
They are the people who hurt me and blamed me for things outside of my control.
Now, we need to be the ones to fuck that all up, and put this city back to rights.
Shut down the other families operations if we have to.
We have to find our final sister and cousin.
Then we figure out what our new normal is. ”
Pietro smiles at her. “You are right, cara mia. You are very right.” His eyes move over all the women, including Lucy and Kida. “We are lucky men to have such strong women on our side. So it’s time that we do what you say. We make a new plan, and we end this once and for all.”
“I need something to write on,” Amara declares. She looks up at Lazaro. “Any whiteboards around here?”
“Oh, she’s gonna put that big brain of hers to use,” Alessio teases lightly, grinning at her. He looks at Nico expectantly.
Nico gives him an exasperated stare. “Do I look like I know if we have that shit? Someone ask Sofia, she’ll know.”
“We don’t need to waste time,” Amara huffs.
“Pen? Paper? And Nico, I need your desk, so you need to move. Go snuggle up with your wife and apologize.” Lucy chokes on a laugh at Nico’s face when Amara rounds the desk and shoos him away with a wave of her hand, and starts moving things around.
Nico, wisely, doesn’t say a word, and instead moves to grab Gia and hauls her deeper into the room.
“I love her,” Lucy murmurs.
I’m not sure if she meant that for me or Kida, but I answer anyway. “We all do, cerbiatta.”
“I’m just impressed that she was able to do that without crying,” Kida murmurs back. “I might be courageous, but I don’t know that I’m enough to mess with the Don’s desk.”
I chuckle. She has a point. Especially now that Amara has taken it over.
“Alright, everyone, start talking and tell me what we know. I’m going to make a sheet for each of them,” Amara orders.
Everyone starts talking, and I take the time to turn to Lucy. “Are you alright, Lucy? I know that was a lot.”
“I’m mostly just confused about what’s going on, but maybe Amara’s way will help me understand how she’s setting this up.” She looks up at me. “But I also don’t feel like I really want to know. I want to run the other way and bury my head in the sand.”
I chuckle. “A natural reaction. I’ll explain more after we’re done, I promise.”
“Is it always like this?”
“Like what?”
“So many people coming after you at once for something? Being upset at each other and distrusting each other?”
“No, this is definitely abnormal. This is the first time we’ve come to this side of the world to ally with someone.
Despite all being part of the same organization, in Europe things run very differently from Western countries.
We have our problems back home, but the majority of them are solved quickly. ”
“And all of this is because Nico kidnapped Gia?”
“That was the catalyst to start everything, but this probably would have eventually happened. The temporary truce the four families struck years ago was never going to last forever.”
She shakes her head. “It’s just so hard to wrap my head around.”
“It will grow easier to understand. You’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours, dolcezza. Plus, the hours they kept you.”
“What would you have done if they hadn’t taken me? Would you have still come to bring me here? Even if I didn’t want to?”
How to answer that and not sound like an asshole? Instead, I fall back on what I know works. I give her a charming smile. “I’m sure I could have persuaded you, cerbiatta. You’d have come willingly, so that you could spend more time with me.”
She gives me a wry smile. “You’re that confident, are you? Just so used to having women falling at your feet?”
“It can be a bit of a trial sometimes. Have to watch my step a lot.”
A small snort escapes her, and even Kida looks at me with exasperated amusement. “I’m surprised you can see straight with your ego holding your head so far up in the clouds,” Lucy returns. “And I’ll let you think you can persuade me, but I’m smarter than I look.”
I can’t help myself. She’s pressing just the right buttons. I lean down and murmur in her ear, “Then it’s a good thing I like smart, beautiful women, isn’t it, dolcezza? I’d have enjoyed you making me work to convince you. I love a challenge. It makes the win so much sweeter.”
She shivers, and I see the heat in her cheeks as she refuses to look at me again. I might be pushing my luck, but she’s not running away screaming, so I’ll count that as a win.
I want to see what else I can get away with telling her, but I keep my mouth shut. Instead, I enjoy watching her, seeing her trying to ignore me and failing. I feel a low simmer of desire start to thrum.
There’s something there. A chemistry that I don’t know that I want to ignore, but the logical part of me is screaming not to dive into it. It’s too soon. She’s been through too much, and she’s still recovering from birth.
Except that the same feeling I felt in the walk-in closet hits me again as she looks at her son to make sure he’s still doing alright.
That softness on her face. That unconditional love.
The beauty of her smile. It’s captivating, and I want to see her smile that way at me.
I want to see it when I’ve made her happy, and I want to see it when her head is on the pillow after I’ve made her come a few times, filling her so deep and full that she’ll never question how much I desire. How much I need her.
The thoughts are startling. Terrifying. I’m not looking for something permanent. Am I?
The door suddenly opens, and Dante stalks back inside. “I have another possible complication,” he announces when we all turn to look at him. “My contact gave me two possible names.” He looks at us grimly. “The names are Conti and Bianchi.”
Well, fuck. That wasn’t what I was expecting.