And remembering how much blood I saw all over his man's shoulder only makes me worry more.
He told me they lost a man, and Luca was hurt.
If Dante gets injured…
"See the little bunny?" Sofia asks gleefully, and I smile and nod.
I know Dante increased security around the villa too—yesterday, there were six men, now I count at least ten.
Why would he do that here, of all places?
Gerard isn't going to attack our home, is he?
Not with a little child inside. No one is that heartless, are they?
"Mama." Sofia tugs my sleeve again. "You're doing it again."
"Sorry." I set the phone face-down on the table and turn my full attention to her. "Keep reading. You're doing great."
Marta glances over her shoulder, flour dusting her hands.
"You worry too much, Ms. Russo. Mr. Santonelli will be home soon."
Her soft smile doesn't reassure me at all.
I nod but don't respond.
Marta has worked for the Santonelli family for years.
She's seen wars before and she knows how to stay calm, but I don't have that skill yet.
Every time a door closes, every time a shadow moves past the window, my heart jumps into my throat.
Sofia finishes the page and looks up at me expectantly.
"Can we go outside? I want to see the fountain."
"Not today," I tell her, pointing at the pages.
How do you tell your child even her backyard isn't safe?
"Why not?"
"Because it's cold. And you need to stay inside where it's warm."
Her face falls.
"But you said we could go outside yesterday. And I could just wear my coat."
"Yesterday was different." I smooth her hair back from her face. "Today, we're staying in."
She doesn't argue, but I can see the disappointment in her eyes.
I hate disappointing her, but without hearing from Dante, I have no clue what's safe and what's not.
When I saw those extra guards outside, I knew he sent them.
And if he upped security, there was a reason for it.
