“He’s not getting sent away,” I growl. “He’s not getting tucked into a safe little box across the country. He’s not disappearing into some bullshit new life without me. That man ismine, Maverick.”
Maverick smirks…small, knowing, smug as hell.
“So,” he says lightly, “I’ll take that as a no on Ohio.”
“That’s afuck noon Ohio. Fuck Ohio.”
Maverick claps a hand on my shoulder.
“Good,” he says. “Because the only place Eli belongs right now… is exactly where you can reach him. Because if you couldn’t, we’d never get you to calm the fuck down.”
“Don,” Luca appears beside us. “The children are on their way here with their parents and theBambinaia…the nanny. Spikehas assigned them the last house in the row. I need permission to access funds to purchase them items.”
Grief flashes across Maverick’s face so fast most people would miss it.
But I see it. Hell, Ifeelit.
Then the mask drops back into place.
“Of course,” he says, pulling out his wallet. “Get them whatever they need. Clothes, toiletries… the basics. And extra groceries.” His jaw tightens, just a fraction. “Enough to feed the compound for a week. But don’t tell Spike that part. He’ll glare me to death if he finds out I bought his family food.”
Luca nods and takes the black card before turning to go.
“I’m sorry about your loved ones,” I tell Maverick. “I can tell they meant a lot to you.”
His eyes soften, and he lets his grief shine openly.
“Even if I had not known them personally,” he says, accent thickening with emotion, “I would have loved them deeply.La mia famigliais my life, Skip. Those precious children were meant to be safe. That is why we came here. This was home base for as normal a life as I could give those under my protection who wished for it.”
His voice cracks…barely….but it’s there. “These families wanted safety… and it was taken from them.”
I swallow hard.
“This world I live in?” he says. “It breaks men long before it kills them.”
“Enzo?” I ask quietly. “He was close to you?”
Maverick’s whole expression softens into something raw.
“He practically raised me,” he admits. “My father was too busy with… business. And my mother was killed in an ambush. Enzo…Enzo was like a father to me.”
There’s nothing I can say.
Nothing that won’t sound hollow after a loss like that.
So I don’t say shit.
We sit in silence for a long moment, just watching those around us. My eyes never leave my man.
“Brother,” Maverick nods at someone passing by.
I glance over to see who he’s talking to…and my fist is already flying.
Mike’s head snaps sideways with a satisfyingcrack, and he stumbles back holding his jaw.
“Dammit, Skip!” he groans. “Aren’t you over this by now?”
“Walk away,” Maverick says calmly. “Before he does more than bruise your ego.”
