"I know." He kisses my forehead. "But I've got you. I promise. I need to make some calls, figure out our next move. We'll talk to Vito this afternoon."
I nod. As he turns to leave, I grab his hand.
"Marco?"
"Yeah?"
"Last night... this morning... us. What does it mean?"
He's quiet for a moment. Then he leans down and kisses me softly. "It means you're mine to protect. And I don't walk away from what's mine."
It's not exactly a declaration of love, but it's enough. For now.
CHAPTER 27
Marco
I closeElena's bedroom door behind me and stand there, running my hands down my face. This is so fucked. Elena has been carrying all of this weight on her shoulders, and it's not even hers to bear. I understand she was trying to protect her dad—from both the Costellos and the Rossos. If Vito found out Elena was helping Elio, he might see it as betrayal and banish her the same way he did her father.
My loyalty is to Vito—always has been, always will be. He needs to know that Elio is causing this trouble and that it's now on our doorstep. The Costellos have threatened his family. That cannot be allowed.
But I finally have Elena's trust. And I don't want to break it.
I walk to the kitchen and grab my phone. Call Vito.
"What is it?" he answers.
"Can you meet me at Elena's? Now."
There's a pause. Vito knows I wouldn't ask unless it was necessary. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."
He hangs up without another word.
Twenty minutes later, I'm sitting in his Rolls Royce parked outside Elena's building. I've given him the rundown—carefullyframing it so he understands Elena is a victim in this, not a conspirator.
"That fucking weasel." Vito's voice is cold. Controlled. The voice of a man calculating exactly how he's going to destroy someone. "I should've killed Elio when he betrayed us."
"But you didn't because of Bianca," I say quietly.
He nods. "I promised her I would protect Elena. Killing Elio would have hurt Elena, so I let him walk." His jaw tightens. "But this? Using his own daughter as a shield? Putting her in danger to save his own skin?"
"It's worse than we thought. The Costellos have been threatening her for months. Following her. That man who grabbed her in the alley—" I pause, weighing my next words carefully. "He gave her something."
I pull out my phone and show him the photo I took of the ultrasound. "This."
Vito stares at the screen. His entire body goes still. I watch the color drain from his face as he reads Rina's name at the top.
"They have access to Rina's medical records," I say quietly. "They know about the pregnancy. They're using it to threaten Elena."
For a long moment, Vito doesn't move. Doesn't speak. When he finally does, his voice is deadly quiet. "How long have you known about this?"
"Elena just showed it to me today. She's been carrying this for weeks. Since that man grabbed her in the alley."
"And she didn't tell anyone." It's not a question.
"She was trying to protect Rina. Thought if she could handle it alone, they'd leave your family out of it."
Vito's hands clench. "Security on Rina doubles. Today. I want someone on her at all times. No one gets near her without going through our people first."
