Chapter 18 Katerina
KATERINA
I wear a path in the carpet, glancing out the window every few seconds for a glimpse of Luca returning from the main house.
My stomach twists with each passing minute.
My thoughts race through worst-case scenarios.
What if the Dantes decide to hand Luca over to the Bratva?
What if Alessandro forces him back into exile?
Would he take us with him?
Do I even want that? And would the Dantes and Morozovas allow it?
God, what a mess.
All because he saved our son.
Enzo sits quietly playing with his cars spread across the coffee table.
Considering all he’s been through, he’s doing well.
I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing by trying to distract him.
But he's had enough trauma for a lifetime.
Why force him to relive it?
I jump at the sound of footsteps on the porch. I rush to the door, yanking it open.
Luca's face is unreadable. I prepare myself for the worst.
"What happened?"
Luca runs a hand through his hair, exhaling heavily. "They voted to keep me."
I blink, certain I've misheard. "What?"
"I'm staying. At least for now." His expression relaxes some, as if he’s only just understanding what’s happened. "Valentina convinced them I'm more valuable alive than dead. They're making me temporarily part of the family again to handle the Bratva situation."
"They're not sending you away? Or handing you over?" Relief floods through me.
"No." He steps closer, his hands finding my waist. "Alessandro wasn't happy, but he knows I can help, and if I fuck it up, he has a scapegoat."
I close my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "I guess that’s good.”
He laughs. “It’s better than the other alternatives.” He draws me close, one hand cupping the back of my neck as his lips find mine in a fierce kiss that steals my breath.
The sensation is so familiar yet so new.
This giddy, overwhelming rush of emotion that makes me feel like the twenty-year-old girl who first fell for him.
Back then, I'd believed in forever.
Now I'm terrified to hope, but I'm helpless to stop it.
Despite everything that's happened, despite the rational part of my brain screaming caution, I lean into him, craving more.
The world outside these walls is dangerous and uncertain, but here, with Luca's arms around me, I feel safe.
I feel like I've come home.
His hands slide down my back, pressing me closer until there's no space between us.
"Mommy?" Enzo's voice from the living room breaks through the fog of desire.
Luca pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against mine. "We’ll finish this later," he promises, his voice rough with need.
I nod. "Coming, sweetie," I call back.
Luca catches my arm as I turn to attend to Enzo. "There's something else. Alessandro's tasked me with finding the mole."
"You think there's still someone leaking information?"
"It seems unlikely your brother would have been working alone." His expression darkens. "I need to talk to Enzo about what happened when Pyotr had him. He might have seen or heard something."
My protective instincts flare instantly. "He's just a child, Luca. He's been through enough."
"I know." Luca's hand slides down to mine, squeezing gently. "I'll be careful. But if there’s someone around who’s betraying us, he’s still in danger. If he noticed something or heard something, it could help stop whoever's behind this."
I don’t like this one bit, but I know he’s right. If danger still lurks and Enzo knows something, it’s better that he share it with Luca than remain a target.
"Okay," I concede. "But I'll be there the whole time."
"Of course."
We approach Enzo together, and I sit on the floor beside him. "Sweetie, Luca would like to ask you a few questions about… what happened with Uncle Pyotr."
Enzo's hands freeze mid-play, his little shoulders tensing. He looks up at Luca with wary eyes.
Luca drops down to sit cross-legged on the floor, making himself smaller, less intimidating. "I don’t remember seeing some of these cars," he says, nodding at Enzo's toys. "Mind if I see?"
The tension in Enzo's face eases slightly as he hands Luca a red car. "This one's the fastest."
"Ferrari," Luca says, examining it with exaggerated seriousness. "You’ve got good taste in cars."
It sometimes surprises me how gentle Luca is, especially knowing how ruthless he can be.
I see a few cars tossed on the floor. “What about those?”
Enzo’s face contorts. “I don’t want them anymore.” He turns and buries his head in my shoulder.
It takes me a moment, but then I realize Pyotr gave him those cars. “We’ll get rid of them.”
Luca looks confused but doesn’t press. Instead, he grabs the cars and puts them in his pocket. “I’ll deal with them.”
“I don’t like Uncle Pyotr.”
I rub Enzo’s back. “He scared you.”
Enzo’s face turns toward Luca. “You killed him.”
Luca’s eyes are clear and steady as he nods. “I did. Do you know why?”
“Because he was going to hurt me.” Enzo’s lower lip quivers, but I can see how he’s struggling not to cry.
“That’s right. And now you’re safe with your mom and me. And I want to make sure you stay safe. But I need your help. Do you think you can help me?”
Enzo shrugs. "I guess."
"Did you notice anything strange? People coming to talk to him, maybe?"
“There were guards.”
“Did Pyotr report to anyone? Or anyone to him?” Luca asks.
“I don’t know.”
“What did Uncle Pyotr tell you?” I ask.
“He said you asked him to get me at school but he had errands to run before bringing me home. It was fun at first, but then I wanted to go home. He wouldn’t bring me home. Why was he so mean?”
Enzo breaks, tears filling his eyes. I pull him close. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”
I look over at Luca, hoping he sees my wish for him to stop his questioning.
“You were very brave,” Luca says, his large hand rubbing Enzo’s back. “How about we play cars?”
Enzo sniffles. “Okay.” He turns back to the coffee table.
I watch as he and Luca play with the cars.
Soon, Enzo is in his lap and laughing as Luca’s car flies off the table.
My heart fills with so much love. In this moment, I have everything I’d always wanted.
I'm falling for him again. I didn’t want to. I’m still not sure it’s wise. But it’s not something I can stop.
Each kiss, each touch, each moment watching him with our son has chipped away at the walls I built to keep him out.
The memory of those first weeks after he disappeared return as a warning.
The heartache of losing him.
The terrified moments huddled over the toilet with morning sickness.
Crying myself to sleep every night.
Staring at my phone, willing it to ring.
The emptiness that settled into my soul when I finally accepted he wasn't coming back.
Luca glances up, catching me watching them.
His smile, sweet and warm, makes my breath catch.
Does he have any idea of the power he holds over me?
His phone buzzes, breaking the moment. He checks the screen, his expression shifting subtly.
"Valentina," he explains, rising to his feet to take the call.
I can hear her voice, pitched high with insistence, even from across the room. When he returns, his face is a mixture of amusement and resignation.
"We've been summoned," he says. "Family dinner tonight. Valentina insists everyone needs to be there, including you and Enzo."
The thought of sitting around a table with Alessandro watching our every move makes me nervous. "I’m not sure Enzo is up to that.” I’m not sure I am.
Luca crouches beside me, his voice low. "It’s a family dinner. We’re family.”
I nod, trying to ignore the flutter in my chest at his referring to us as family. “Alright.” I look away before I do something foolish like beg him to stay forever.
I've been to a few Dante meals, but it’s been awhile.
I forgot how boisterous it could be.
That is until Alessandro enters and everyone falls silent.
Luca stands with me and Enzo, uncertainty flickering across his face. I realize it’s been even longer since he’s been at a family meal than for me.
I grip Enzo's hand tighter as we follow Luca into the room.
Victorio raises his glass in greeting from across the table, smiling easily as he always does.
He's been one constant in this house of shifting loyalties.
He was always polite to me even after Luca left.
I remember asking him if he’d heard from Luca.
He’s the one who informed me that Luca was in Chicago building his own business.
I think that day is what finally broke me. Knowing he was living his life, carefree, without a thought of me.
Alessandro takes his seat at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
I feel exposed under his scrutiny, wondering if he resents me for Luca's return to the fold. I guide Enzo to our seats, next to Luca.
“It’s good to see you, Enzo,” Alessandro says from the head of the table.
Enzo’s eyes widen and he looks at me as if he’s unsure what to do. He’s young, but he understands the hierarchy of this household.
If it were Don Lorenzo, it would have been different.
He and Enzo were more like grandfather and grandson… a truth neither knew at the time. But Alessandro isn’t as familial to us.
I nod to Enzo, encouraging him to respond.
“Thank you… it’s good to see you too, Don Dante.”
Alessandro looks at me. “I’d say I’m sorry for your loss—”
“Don’t be a jerk,” Valentina quips.
He arches a brow at her. She stares him down.
I feel like I should apologize for Pyotr’s betrayal, but the conversation moves on. Luca’s hand finds mine in my lap, giving it a squeeze. I’m grateful for his support.
Glasses clink and conversation flows.
Valentina tells a story that makes Enzo giggle, and Alessandro's usual scowl softens when Adriano teases him about something I can't hear.
Down next to Alessandro, Luca’s uncle Matty makes a strange gurgling sound.
At first, I think he's laughing too hard at something Adriano said, but then his glass slips from his fingers, dropping to the floor.
"Uncle Matty?" Valentina's voice rises in alarm.
My eyes dart to Alessandro, whose expression shifts from confusion to horror as Uncle Matty’s face turns an alarming shade of purple, eyes bulging as if he’s struggling for air.
"He's choking!" Victorio shouts.
“Mommy?”
"Enzo, look at me," I command, turning my son's face away from the horrific scene unfolding. "Just look at Mommy, okay?"
Alessandro lunges toward Uncle Matty, catching him as he slides from his chair.
The old man's body convulses violently, foam bubbling at the corners of his mouth.
It seems clear that he’s not choking. He’s been poisoned.
"Get a doctor!" Alessandro roars, but we all know it's too late.
Chaos erupts around the table. Chairs scrape against the floor as people leap to their feet.
The capos reach inside their jackets, hands hovering over concealed weapons as they scan the room for threats.
Luca's arm wraps protectively around Enzo and me, shielding us as he pulls us away from the table.
"His wine," Adriano shouts, lifting Uncle Matty's abandoned glass. "Someone check his wine!"
My stomach drops as realization dawns.
Someone poisoned a member of the Dante inner circle right under our noses.
"Everyone stay where you are!" Alessandro commands, his voice cutting through the panic. His eyes, cold and calculating, sweep across each face in the room. "Nobody leaves this house."
Uncle Matty's body has gone still, his eyes fixed and staring at nothing. I press Enzo's face against my hip, whispering reassurances that feel like lies.
My mind races.
If someone could poison Uncle Matty, Alessandro's consiglieri, then none of us are safe.
The traitor isn't just feeding information to the Bratva.
They're eliminating the Dante leadership from within.
“I need to get Enzo out of here,” I whisper urgently to Luca. "Now."
Luca's eyes meet mine, understanding instantly. He lifts our son into his arms, but before they can move toward the door, Alessandro's voice rings out again.
"I said nobody leaves!"
“He’s just a boy and not a part of this.” Luca challenges his brother. “Let Katerina take him to the cottage."
“Her brother was a traitor. She stays.”
Valentina leans toward Alessandro and whispers something.
Alessandro doesn’t like it but he nods. “You can take him to the cottage. But don’t try to leave the compound.”
Where would I go? I take Enzo from Luca and without a word, leave the dining room.
“Is Uncle Matty sick?” Enzo asks as I hurry down the corridor and out the back toward the cottage.
“Yes.” I don’t know what to tell him.
As we near the cottage, I see my car, and I have an overwhelming desire to toss Enzo in it and drive away, even as I have no idea where we could go.
But death and violence are coming too close to my son. It’s my job to protect him and so far, I’m failing.