Enzo
I took the steps two at a time. Angelo and Donovan flew past me, making me move faster than I thought I could.
They hit Serena’s floor and ran through her open door. I followed a few feet behind, gun out but down, ready to shoot on sight.
Angelo had one man face down on the ground, holding the fucker's hands together. Donovan was fighting one of the other men. He tackled him, knocking him into a table. Everything on it was scattered to the ground as Donovan wrestled the faceless robber.
I went past them, trusting that they would handle those guys.
My girls needed me. They had to be scared out of their minds.
The door was broken, held up by one remaining hinge, a black footprint in the center. Someone was here, skulking into their personal space, as if invading Serena’s studio wasn’t enough. Their lives were forfeit already, and this solidified it.
Slowly, I entered the first room. The small kitchen had an overhead light on, wet dishes drying on a rack. A couch pushed up against the wall near the windows, a tiny coffee table, and a TV on the wall.
Nothing was out of order from what I could tell.
The next door was closed. I twisted the nob and pushed it open.
No one was in there.
There was another crash behind me. I turned and found a man sprinting out of the small living room and back into the studio.
Donovan and Angelo could handle him.
I closed the door behind me and began searching for Harper and Serena. I checked the bed, then under it. Opened a door to find a closet with shelves and clothes.
Turning on my heels, I looked for other areas where they could hide. Serena was smart.
On the other side of the room was another door. I walked over to it and turned the knob. It didn’t budge.
I smiled, panic easing as I knocked.
“Serena. Open up,” I called out and crouched. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing Serena.
Her face was pale. Her hair had fallen out of the braid she had it in. She was gripping a hair tool so hard her knuckles were white. And she was breathing. Hard. Like no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t take in enough air.
“Serena, look at me.” Her glassy eyes flitted up to my face. “I’m here. You are safe. Harper is safe.”
Serena swallowed, her breathing steadying. She glanced over her shoulder at the tub. When she faced me again, a single tear ran down her cheek.
“I’m going to take you and Harper home, okay?” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Serena opened her mouth, then shut it and nodded.
I put my gun in the back of my waistband as I helped Serena stand. Once she was on her feet, I went around her to Harper, who had slept through all the chaos. I picked her up, tucked the blanket around her, and adjusted my hold so she was using my shoulder as a pillow.
“Come. Let’s get out of here.” I wrapped my other arm around Serena and guided her out of the room, stopping only to tell her to put her slippers on.
We walked through the studio. I did my best to block the mess of tables and fabric from Serena’s view, not that we could see much in the darkness.
Donovan and Angelo weren’t there, but they knew what to do if something like this ever happened, so I wasn’t concerned.
Step by step, we went down the stairs to the car on the sidewalk, which was still running. Serena climbed into the backseat, and I laid Harper down beside her the girl’s head resting in her mother’s lap.
I put the car in drive and took us home.
The car ride was silent, which helped me contain my rage. Serena petted Harper’s head with her eyes closed as tears fell, gutting me with each one.
For each drop, I’d make them suffer. They would beg, cry, and plead before they died, feeling as scared as Serena had.
I missed the turn. It took an extra ten minutes to turn around and get back on track.
By the time I got us home, there were five cars parked along the curb. I drove into the garage, turned off the car, and got out. Opening Serena’s door, I guided her out of the car and cradled Harper against my chest.
The door that led into the house opened. One of my men gave me a nod, holding the door as we passed. Serena stared ahead, not acknowledging anyone. With an arm around her, I nudged her up the stairs and into my bedroom, tucking both of them in.
I crouched next to Serena, smoothing her hair. She let out a shuddering breath and turned her gaze to me.
“Sleep. You’re safe,” I whispered. She blinked at me. I wanted to climb into bed and hold them.
We weren’t there yet, but we would be soon.
For now, I needed everyone to know that they were untouchable.
What if I decided not to drive by? What if I were late? What if...
The questions circled in my head as I twisted Serena’s hair around my finger.
Serena pressed her forehead against my finger, closing her eyes.
“Promise?” she whispered.
“I will always keep you safe, mio tesoro. Anyone who thinks of bothering you won’t live for long after,” I whispered back.
“That’s dark.”
“It’s the truth.”
Harper whimpered, the noise burrowing into my soul. Serena turned from me, wrapping her arms around her daughter.
I tiptoed out of my room, leaving the door open but turning all the lights off.
I stayed in the doorway, watching them. They were finally in my house, where I could take care of them. I knew Serena was going to fight me on it, but I was ready for anything she could come up with.
For now, they were here, safe, and close.
I went downstairs, where the men I’d rallied stood in the kitchen. All it took was one message, and they showed up without question, ready to take orders.
Each of them was younger, under twenty-five, but I trusted them. When Marcello, Rafael, and I first came to this country, we knew we had to influence and focus on the younger generation to create what we’d dreamed of.
The older generation held sway, but only because there were no other leaders at the time. Marcello’s father was a joke, and we were fractured.
For a moment, I wished I could take a picture and send it to show them what we’d accomplished.
At the drop of a text, I had men lined up to take an order, men we had trained and could trust. Men who were eager to do what needed to be done. His father never had this, and I wished he were still around so we could rub it in his face.
I strolled in and braced my hands against the countertop.
“Not long ago, two men tried to harm someone I care deeply about. I don’t know why, yet, but I will find out. Donovan,” I nodded in his direction, “caught one of the men, but the other is still on the loose.”
All the men turned to Donovan, nodding their heads at him. Donovan gave a half smile and tried hard to blend into the wall.
Serena’s studio had been destroyed. Mannequins sliced apart, clothes strewn everywhere, her half-finished work torn beyond saving.
They came to scare and harm her and Harper, and that was not something I would accept.
Tomorrow, I’d tell her about the damage. Then, I’d be there to help her deal with the pain and fear of being violated. For now, I had orders to give.
I took a minute to compose myself and tamp down that rage threatening to consume me before I said what needed to be said.
“No one hurts the family and gets away with it,” I said. “I want you all to go to the streets and find him. Find him and bring him to me.”
All the men straightened up, eager to do what was needed to curry my favor, but also because they were doing exactly what we preached to them. This was a brotherhood, a family, and at our core, we protected each other. Damn the rest to hell.
I nodded, and the twenty men who filled my kitchen turned and filed out. Donovan and Angelo stayed, hovering in the back while they waited for everyone to leave.
They had something to say; otherwise, they would have left with everyone else.
I nodded to them, my signal for them to speak freely.
“Are they okay?” Angelo asked from where he leaned against the fridge.
“I don’t think Harper knew what was happening. Serena’s asleep, but I think that’s mostly due to the adrenaline crash,” I said.
“Okay. I took the guy I caught to the ice room at the warehouse. I knocked him out, so he’s good there for a while, I think.” Donovan looked at me as he spoke, not used to making suggestions like this.
“Good.”
“He had a bag with rope and duct tape in it,” Donovan said, his voice barely above a whisper. He was angrier than I’d ever seen him.
I replayed his words, reality slamming into me. This could have been worse than I’d ever dreamed. It was as if my biggest fear came true. It was hard to breathe through the anger that filled my chest.
I leaned against the countertop, needing assistance to steady myself. I looked up, trying to keep a sane mind and remember that whatever the plans were, we had stopped it.
Serena and Harper were upstairs and unharmed. Well, unharmed physically, at least.
I had something to focus on that held me together, reminding me what was at stake.
“We’ll take care of this problem,” I said. “No one gets to come after us and get away with it.”
“In the morning, the stronzo will tell us what we need to know,” I assured him. Donovan clenched his jaw and nodded. “For now, let him stew in his fear.”
“We’ll go back to their place and get them clothes and whatever else they need,” Angelo said as he pushed off the wall and stood next to Donovan, his face as serious as I’d ever seen it. I didn't miss the fire in his eyes as he looked to me for approval before leaving with Donovan.
The two of them were scrawny kids looking for places to belong, raised by single moms with fathers who had bailed. Somehow, they fell into Marcello’s lap first, then mine.
I made a note to dig deeper into their lives. They were dedicated, reminding me of Marcello, Rafael, and me when we were young and dreaming of all the things we’d change when we took over.
That dedication was something worth cultivating, especially since they had potential. Hell, they took everything I said as gospel, even when I told them to hit the gym, eat more, and put some meat on their bones.
They were in their early twenties, but they were proof that we were succeeding at what we took over from the Cosa Nostra.
I went to the front door, opened it to check on the men in their cars guarding the front, then locked it. From there I went to the backyard, where it was easier to breach since the house butted up against the ocean and had a dock for boats.
It was a security risk, but also a means of escape should we ever need it. There were men on the patio, playing cards, their guns out on the table.
We were as protected as could be from intruders, but I was still on edge.
Going upstairs and to my room, where Serena and Harper slept, I checked on them one more time.
A massive snore erupted from Harper, who snuggled closer to her mom. They were comically tiny in my California King bed.
They were about to be attacked, and if it wasn’t for my need to see them every night before I slept, they might have been hurt.
Or worse.
Heaven help that man. By the time I was done, he’d be begging for death.
Maybe I’d give Donovan a moment with the guy, since he did all the work apprehending him.
Smiling as I left them to sleep, I headed to the guest bedroom.
Despite the fear, my girls were exactly where they belonged; I just had to convince them of it.