“You won’t,” he insisted, voice firm and sure. “People in Lucky are too busy working to worry about newcomers, rich or not. This place is filled with farms and ranches, as well as a few small businesses.”
“Texas,” I repeated, my tone absent of all emotion.
“Yep.” Luca watched me carefully as if he could anticipate my next objection. “Texas. You’ll be safe and you can be armed legally.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose as reality settled around me, not at all comforting, just…real. “Of all the places in the world, you had to pick a one-horse town?”
Luca shrugged. “To be fair, there might be more horses than people.”
I rolled my eyes. “I assume you have a plan?” Luca didn’t brush his teeth without a plan of attack.
He nodded. “Most of it’s been handled. The superhero is letting us use his jet just to be careful.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the hated nickname. “Gabe hates it when you call him that.” Though, it wasn’t far off since he’d played a well-known superhero in almost as many Hollywood blockbusters over the past decade.
“He’ll get over it.” Luca pulled out his phone, dark brows dipped in concentration. “We’re not flying together, but I’ll meet you in Lucky. If the Russians are watching, they won’t know which target to hit.”
“They could just hit both targets,” I answered grimly.
Luca grinned. “They’re not smart enough for that. Plus, everyone knows Sergei is a cheap fuck when it comes to anything but vodka and women.”
I nodded even though the idea of uprooting Matteo’s life twisted something inside me. But his safety mattered more. Later, I’d deal with any long-term effects of moving so abruptly, no matter how temporary. “Yeah, okay.” I walked to the window and watched the estate grounds that stretched before me. Gardens and gates, tall trees and armed guards. I paid enough for safety, but this was the only truly safe place for Matteo.Too fucking bad I couldn’t keep him here forever.
Safety was an illusion. No matter how many precautions one took, life was just a heartbeat away from our last. I learned that the day Sofia died. Four years later, and I still remembered it as if it was yesterday, the sight of the blackened car and mangledmetal. She never got to say goodbye to Matteo, to kiss him one last time. Her body was so messed up we couldn’t even have an open-casket service. Yeah, safety was an illusion, but I had to make it a reality for the sake of my son.
“Enzo,” Luca said gently, even though he was going in for the hard sell. “They got photos of him at school today. Close photos. That’s more than a threat. That’s bold.”
“It’s a fucking death wish,” I growled and turned to face him. “I know you’re right, and I’m on board. I just don’t fucking like it.”
“Didn’t think you would,” he nodded, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
“Thanks, Luca. I’ll talk to the housekeepers to start packing while I…” A long exhale escaped. “Prepare to go into hiding.”
“To keep Mattie safe,” he corrected. “This isn’t forever, and without the stress of worrying, I’m sure you’ll come up with some way to end the Russian threat permanently.”
“At the front of my fucking mind,” I assured him.
“I’ll find you in a bit,” he said, leaving me with my thoughts in the office. I spent twenty minutes focusing on my files and the day-to-day business of all the DeRossi holdings, making sure I had what I needed to run a billion-dollar empire from bumfuck Texas.
Then it was time for the hard part.
Breaking the news to Matteo.
His room was a little boy’s dream with bunk beds, rocket ship lamps, and astronauts painted on the walls. He was crazy about space, and the room reflected it. I found him sitting cross-legged in the middle of his bed, brown hair sticking up in all directions, with his favorite stuffed lion tucked under one arm and his tablet in the other.
“Hey, buddy, what are you doing?”
He looked up with a smile that quickly faded. “I’m reading, Papa. What’s wrong?” He was too young to be so observant.
I sat on his bed and pulled him onto my lap, even though he swore he was too old for it. “We’re going away for a little while.” I waited, breath held for fear to strike.
Instead, his eyes widened in surprise. “Is it because of the man?” he whispered.
My heart stopped for a few seconds. “What man?” My voice came out sharper and harsher than I intended.
My son blinked as if he was trying to remember. “At school. He said he was a friend of the family, but he didn’t seem friendly. And he talked funny, but not like Great-Grandma Frannie funny.”
An accent. My stomach twisted, knowing just how close those fuckers had been to my kid. Rage surged, hot and boiling. I’d kill them all, starting with Sergei. I steadied my breathing and found a smile to keep Matteo calm. “Thanks for telling me,” I said softly. “You did the right thing staying away.”
