"We're already in trouble," Dom counters. "My family's been targeted. Our members and women have been approached, some turned against us. And Rocco was taken. What are we waiting for? Another kidnapping? Another setup? You ready to risk that pretty baby of yours, Marco?"
Marco remains silent, but I can see the conflict in his eyes. He's weighing the risks, calculating outcomes like the strategic leader he's always been.
I nod, deciding Dom is right. “We can't just react anymore. We need to understand what Blackwood really wants and stop him."
"You're both letting emotion cloud judgment," Marco warns.
“Damn straight. I’m pissed off,” Dom spits out.
I place a hand on Dom's shoulder, feeling a newfound kinship with my former adversary.
“You’ll need Leo on this,” Roman says to Marco.
He’s right about that.
Something like this requires all of La Corona being in agreement and on the same page.
“Leo won’t be a problem,” Dom says. “If we’re in agreement, he’ll be on board.”
“Why does it look like there’s business going on here?” Gabriella appears, her brows narrowed on Marco.
"Gentlemen," Elena says, “it's Christmas. Whatever conspiracy you're unraveling can wait until tomorrow, don't you think?"
“The kids want you to play hide and seek,” Isabella says to Roman.
Roman’s face softens immediately at his wife's intervention. Even Marco, usually unmoved by sentiment, relaxes.
Dom clears his throat. "We were just?—"
"Plotting," Elena finishes for him, her eyebrow arched knowingly. "On Christmas."
"You're right," I concede, reaching for her hand. "This can wait."
The others nod in agreement, dispersing back toward the celebration. Roman follows Isabella to where Angelica and my kids are waiting to play hide and seek.
I don't let go of Elena's hand.
Instead, I pull her gently away from the crowd, toward a quiet corner of the room where a sprig of mistletoe hangs from an archway.
"Subtle," she murmurs, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"I've never been known for subtlety." I draw her closer until I can feel her heartbeat against my chest.
When I kiss her, the room around us fades away.
For this brief moment, there are no threats, no FBI agents, no painful history between us, just Elena, warm and real in my arms.
"I keep thinking I'll wake up," she whispers against my lips. "That this is all some beautiful dream."
I cradle her face in my hands, memorizing every detail. "If it's a dream," I tell her, "then I'm never waking up."
But I’m not sleeping. This is real. And while right now, our lives are peaceful, I know that danger still lurks.
Someone is still out to ruin La Corona, so I need to stay diligent to protect my family.
To protect this beautiful life I have. I'm ready for whatever comes next.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
