“Understood.”
Alessio headed straight to the playroom to say goodbye to them, while Elle turned to me with a smile. “What he means isgrazie, Enzo. Thank you.”
“No problem. I hope Sani and Raya are okay,” I said, hugging her. “Keep me updated, yeah? You know I love those two.”
“Of course.” She nodded, knowing I was close to her family.
I’d watched those two grow over the years and knew them better than most. Soraya was the sweetest thing, yet still painfully shy around me; sometimes she smiled or exchanged a few words. Santino was my buddy. He was a good kid. A bit of a loose cannon but a good kid. I cared about both of them.
As soon as Elle disappeared down the corridor towards the playroom, I was left alone with Finn. I couldn’t read the expression on his face.
“You sure about this?” he asked, holding my gaze.
“You’ll all be back tomorrow. Three kids, one night? We’ll survive.”
Worry flickered in his eyes. “I know you’ll look after them. But Alessio will kill you if anything happens to his children.”
“You worried about me, Finn?” I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest. His eyes narrowed, but he smiled just a little. “Nothing will happen to them. As Elle said, they’re safest here. It’s you I’m worried about.”
He looked as if he wanted to say something else for a moment, but something stopped him. He stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Don’t let them eat anything sugary after six. Bedtime is at eight. I’d feel better if you and Neri slept in the twins’ room tonight.”
“Got it. No sweets, lights out at eight. Hourly updates.”
“Grazie,Enzo.I appreciate you doing this.” He turned and headed towards the stairs.
“Finn,” I called. He stopped, his hand gripping the bannister, and glanced over his shoulder. “If you get a chance, go to my place. My men will let you in. I have something there for you.”
“For me? What is it?”
“It’s not something easily explained, but when you see it, you’ll know.” I didn’t give him any further explanation. Instead, I left him standing on the stairs and headed to the playroom to begin the most important job of my life.
Babysitting the children of Italy’s most powerful men. God help me.
Chapter eleven
Present Day
“Where are they? Raya! Sani!” Elenora hurtled through the Buccini mansion like a woman on a mission. Giovanni emerged from the double doors that led into the sitting room, his expression dark and his body taut with tension.
“Elle. They’re okay. They’re being treated by the doctors upstairs. They’re withMammaand Marco. Come in here,” he ordered, nodding at Alessio and me as we followed.
“Doctors? Are they hurt? You said they were okay!” Elle screeched. “What the hell happened, Gio?”
I took a seat on the sofa next to Olivia, who had her eight-year-old daughter beside her and her three-year-old son on her lap. She greeted me with a kiss on the cheek while Alessio tried to get Elle to stop pacing and calm down enough to listen to whatGio had to say. I pulled out my tablet, ready to record every detail, because that’s what I was there for. Everyone else was too emotional, too close to this to think clearly, so I had to be the calm, logical one in these heightened situations. That was my role.
“Where did it happen, Gio? How? Were they outside the estate? Why the hell would you let them go outside?” Elle yelled, jabbing a finger at her older brother’s face. In all the years I worked for this family, only three people in the world could scream in that man’s face without facing his wrath: his mother, his sister, and his wife.
Gio nodded at Olivia, and she immediately stood, guiding their children out of the room because it was clear this wasn’t a discussion for their ears. Once they had gone, Gio placed his hands on his hips and looked at Elle.
“You know what day it is today, Elle?”
Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded, and all the fight seemed to leave her. She collapsed onto the sofa with Alessio’s arms wrapped around her waist.
“The anniversary ofPapi’sdeath. They went to his grave?”
“I forbade it. For the first time ever, I told them we wouldn’t be going this year because it wasn’t safe to be out in the city right now. But—”
“Sani happened,” she breathed, shaking her head. We all knew how stubborn and impulsive that boy could be, and how devoted he was to his family, both the dead and the living.
