Chapter 15
Fifteen
Luca
Dante surprisingly gave me quite a bit of time off on the weekends after the mishap where I got my ass kicked.
In fact, I’ve had the entire summer when I’m not being forced to do as he commands.
We’ve agreed to have dinner with them twice a month while I’m recovering.
Thankfully, dinner was last weekend, which gave me this weekend to focus entirely on Harper and Zeke.
I love having summers off, not worrying about attending classes and studying for exams. It’s given Harper and me more time to find our footing in our new marriage.
It’s been good, better than I thought it would be, after all the drama we’ve endured the past few months.
Harper is sound asleep after yesterday’s festivities in the bedroom, which were spicier than even I imagined. Finding out your wife likes to roleplay and then making your fantasy come true, holy hell.
She makes one sexy little nurse.
I’m the luckiest man alive!
Zeke runs around the living room while I’m in the kitchen, cooking breakfast.
“Daddy, I eat bacon.”
“Yes, you can have some when it cools off.” I don’t want him to eat anything too hot and get burned. The guy has crocodile tears that make even me want to cry.
I’d do anything to protect Zeke—and that extends to Harper as well.
Protecting them isn’t easy.
Massimo DeLuca is a constant fear rattling through my head.
For a while, I was uncertain if he was still alive.
Turns out he is, and I want him dead.
But he’s been dark, their network quiet since the last encounter with Harper at the grocery store and park.
Dante believes we damaged their operation enough to slow it down. They’re still trafficking girls, but not out of our city.
But give it time.
They’ll return with a vengeance and a vendetta against me.
I have to take Massimo’s threats seriously. We have cameras outside the property, and the feed is transmitted to Dante’s men, who can watch over the house 24/7 and ensure that everyone is safe, especially my family.
But surveillance isn’t enough, and Dante’s men aren’t nearby. They’re an hour plus away. Which leaves Liam, Ashton, and me to handle any situation that may arise.
Dante’s given us weapons and ammo, which we keep locked away and out of Zeke’s reach. I hope never to use any of it in my home, but it’s a concern that weighs heavily on me.
It’s not something I talk to Harper about. She has her own worries. She doesn’t need to know about Massimo’s threat.
It would only worry and upset her, which is the last thing I want to do.
“Daddy, bacon!” Zeke stomps his feet, demanding that I pay attention to him.
I pull three slices of bacon from the pan and place them on a plate with a paper towel, trying to dry off the grease.
“Daddy!” Zeke doesn’t seem to have much patience. I really wish that were something Harper could teach him, because I’m not exactly a patient man, either.
“I know, Zeke, you just have to wait until it cools down.”
“I’m starving. I’m going to die!” Zeke exclaims.
The kid is all about theatrics.
I try not to roll my eyes. “You aren’t going to die. How about you go nicely wake up your mom, and breakfast will be ready when you both get back?”
Zeke tears out of the kitchen, nearly tripping over his little feet. He runs into the bedroom and I can imagine Harper trying to pull him under the covers for a little more shuteye.
“Mommy, no sleep! Bacon,” I hear his little voice over the stove with its sizzle from the bacon, and I kick the stove fan on to keep the house from getting too smoky.
The front door creaks open, and I glance at Liam, who is doing the walk of shame, except the man has no shame.
He is, however, wearing yesterday’s clothes.
“Finally decided to come home.” I can’t help but smirk at him, but he’s wearing a grave expression on his face.
“What is it?”
Liam sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Whoever is threatening Harper, it’s not over. I caught some guy snooping outside the house.”
“You what?” I step away from the stove and head for the door.
“It’s already taken care of. I left him with a black eye, and he’ll need to ice his family jewels.” Liam snickers. “I did manage to grab his wallet, memorize his address, and threaten that if he ever shows his face on campus, I’ll kill him and his family.”
“So, who is he?” It has to be someone on Massimo’s crew.
“Roberto Gianni. When I say I memorized his address, I took a photo of it. I’ll send it to you.”
“Please, do that.” I exhale heavily and head back to the stove.
“Was he carrying any weapons on him?”
I need as much information as I can get from Liam. His father is mafia, it’s not like he’s foreign to this sort of thing.
“He had a gun on him. I disarmed him before I made him hit the road.”
“He could come back.” I glance at Liam. The doors are locked, but I’m not convinced we’re safe here.
“If he does, it’ll be with a crew. The guy was barely capable of landing a swing to this pretty face.
” Liam points at his jawline. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m fast in a fight, but the guy seemed more like reconnaissance than anything else.
He wasn’t expecting to get caught. Next time, we’ll be ready. ” Liam folds his arms across his chest.
I don’t like knowing that Massimo’s men are coming after my family. “Next time?” I don’t want there to be a next time. I went them all dead.
“I’m not worried,” Liam mumbles. Yawning, he rubs his eyes. “You shouldn’t be either.”
How can I not be concerned? This isn’t the first incident, and it’s clearly not a coincidence if they’re showing up on campus and at our house.
“They’re coming after my family,” I grunt. “I can’t just ignore this mess. They need to be stopped.”
“We’ll keep an eye on Harper and Zeke, like we’ve been doing. They’ll be safe.” Liam’s words do little to reassure me.
I should call Dante, keep him informed.
But things will inevitably get more heated when I do reach out to him.
What other choice do I have?
There’s no winning this war, not without getting my hands dirty.
I focus on the bacon, making sure it doesn’t burn as I flip the next batch on the stove.
It’s not Liam’s problem to worry about, he doesn’t even work for Dante.
I glance up from the stove at Liam. “Didn’t get much sleep last night?” It’s an easy guess, seeing as how he’s rolling in at this hour in yesterday’s clothes.
“Spent the night in the emergency room.”
“Is everything okay?” He doesn’t look sick or injured, but for all I know, some girl could have broken his dick.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I went there in support of a … friend.” He grimaces on the last word.
Weird.
I ignore it.
“Okay, well, I’m making bacon, and I’m going to put some eggs on in a few minutes. You’re welcome to join us, there will be plenty of food.”
“I think I’m going to climb into bed and take a nap. Is it all right if I catch up with you later?”
“By all means. Hopefully, we don’t keep you up.”
The bedroom door from down the hallway squeaks open, but it’s not coming from Liam’s room, which I can see from the kitchen.
Ashton and Nova are awake.
Can’t say I’m thrilled that they’re sharing the same room. I’m not an idiot. I’m well aware that they’re sleeping together, but still, it’s a little uncomfortable for me.
Pretty much everyone in the house other than Zeke has told me to get over it.
They’re happy.
I should be happy for both of them.
I’m really trying to be happy for them.
I’m no longer angry with Ashton for hiding the fact that he was dating my little sister. That anger dissipated the moment he saved my life back in the spring.
He could have left me to die in that basement.
Maybe he should have, because I’d been an ass to him, repeatedly.
Instead, he saved my life.
Thankfully, he’d brought a gun to the surveillance mission. Ashton was better prepared than I was.
“Morning,” Ashton says, and his arm is around Nova’s hip. He presses a kiss to her lips before she sneaks off into the bathroom, alone.
I’m assuming the “morning” comment was to me, but with those two, you never know. “Good morning. I’ve got bacon cooking, and I was going to put on some eggs after. Do you want to start on the eggs?”
Zeke comes running out of my bedroom with Harper right behind him.
“Eww, no eggs, Daddy.” Zeke overhears us and comes barreling into the kitchen. “Pancakes, please.”
Sighing, I wasn’t planning on making any pancakes, but it’s hard to say no to Zeke. I know he’s not keen on eggs, but I’ve been trying to make them different ways. I’m confident he’ll eventually like them. I’ve just got to figure out what way to make them for him.
Harper comes into the kitchen, the space tight with three adults plus Zeke. “I’ll make him pancakes. We have some in the freezer I can heat up.”
Zeke claps and then climbs into his booster seat at the table. The food isn’t quite ready yet, but he’s got quite an appetite. He’s also grown a lot over the past few months. I can’t believe how much he’s changed. He’s gone from baby to little boy so fast.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I grab it, glancing at the screen and grumbling under my breath.
It’s Dante.
He probably saw the surveillance footage outside the house. If Liam knocked around one of Massimo’s men on the property, then it’s on camera.
I answer the phone with one hand, and with the other, I’m diligently working on cooking bacon.
“Busy morning.” Dante doesn’t even offer a hello.
I exhale and nod, forgetting for a moment he can’t see me.
“Yeah, we had an unexpected visitor.”
“I noticed.” Dante’s voice is tense. “Luca, I need you and Ashton to return to the house this afternoon.”
I bite down on my tongue. I knew he would call us again and want us to return to working for him, I was just hoping he’d push it back a little longer. Like next semester, or maybe the following one.
But the appearance of Roberto Gianni showing up also tells me that trouble is brewing, and I don’t like trouble showing up at my front door.
“What time?” I glance at Ashton and mouth “Dante” to him.