I brush her nose with mine. “I love you more, and I will always rescue you, Sierra, though I hope you will never need saving again.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to apologize for getting her into this mess, but I hold back because I didn’t do this.
This was all on her father and Saskia, which brings us back to why I’ve insisted on this little heart to heart.
“Amen to that,” she says, taking my hand and dragging me toward the couch across from her mother. “How is Serena?”
“Sleeping,” Georgia says. “And that nice man Alessandro is watching over her.”
Sierra lifts a brow, posing a silent question. I shrug because I’ve no idea where Alessandro’s sudden interest has come from. He held Serena in his arms the entire journey from the city, gently tending to her wound and helping the doc once he got in the car. Now he seems reluctant to leave her side. Not that I’m complaining. I know Sierra will worry about her sister, and she trusts Alessandro, so she’ll be happy he’s guarding her.
“Doc removed the bullet, and he said she’ll be fine,” I explain. “Romeo and Elisa are under Barretta’s protection, and he’s going to personally travel with them to New York tomorrow. I will have Leo pick them up from the airport. We can go too, and bring Rowan, if you want.”
She nods. “I’d like that. They are probably scared, and familiar faces will help. Rowan is going to be so happy to see his cousins.”
I top off Georgia’s glass with red wine before pouring a glass for myself and Sierra. I don’t usually drink wine, except at dinner, but I’m afraid if I hit the bourbon tonight I won’t stop. I’d like to have this conversation and take my woman to bed. It’s been a long day, and we’re all shattered. Sierra especially because she’s been sleeping on a cold, hard floor for almost a week.
A pang of guilt slaps me in the face, and I make a silent vow to do everything in my power to make up for the six days of hell she’s been through.
A contented sigh slips from my lips when I sit down on the couch and Sierra snuggles into my side. I press a kiss to her temple, closing my eyes and relishing the feel of having her pressed up against me. We sip our wine, and I can literally feel a layer of stress rising from my knotted shoulders.
“I’m so happy you found love,” Georgia says, her eyes glistening with fresh unshed tears. “I still remember how amazing it felt though it’s been a long time for me.”
“Is it true, Mom? That he wasn’t really my father?” Sierra asks, beating me to the punchline.
Shock splays across her face. “He told you that?”
Sierra shakes her head. “Saskia did.”
Sadness creeps over Georgia’s face at the mention of her daughter’s name. I don’t know if she knows I’m the one who inflicted the fatal blow, but I won’t apologize. Saskia would have killed Sierra if I hadn’t pulled the trigger.
Going into tonight, I had planned to keep her alive. No matter how she treated Sierra, I know Firefly did not want her sister to die. Barretta was always going to kill Giuseppe, and that had to happen. Part of me considered handing Saskia to the cops, to let her take the fall for Felix’s death, but giving her to the authorities would have been too risky. She was cunning enough to try to make a deal, and she knew too much. Pity, because the thought of her rotting in a jail cell for the rest of her life held a certain appeal. No, my plan had been to incarcerate her in my dungeon until Sierra decided what she wanted to do with her.
Can’t say I’m unhappy with how it turned out.
I’m glad she’s dead. She was a crazy bitch, and the world is a safer place without her in it.
Still, it must be hard for Georgia. Shewasher mother. Georgia has lost her daughter and her husband tonight, and I’m not unsympathetic even if I believe she’s better off without them in her life. I always remember Saskia didn’t have much time for her mother—she was a Daddy’s girl, through and through.
“I’m not sorry he’s dead,” Georgia says as if she’s read my mind. “But I hate that Saskia died.” Tears spill down her cheeks. “I know she was cruel and vindictive and selfish. She had too much of Giuseppe in her, but she was still my daughter.”
“She tried to kill me, Mom,” Sierra softly says.
“I know, and I’m shocked she did. I’m glad she didn’t succeed because I would lose my mind without you.” Her tears dry up, and she smiles at her youngest daughter. “I failed her as a mother, and it’s one of my biggest regrets. Maybe in the next life, she will finally be at peace.”
I hope she’s rotting in the fiery pits of hell, but I keep those thoughts to myself.
“How many people know who Giuseppe was?” I ask, needing to understand if there is further risk. Barretta and I already discussed this, but I want to hear it from DeLuca’s wife.
“Our personal bodyguards, you two, Serena, and Barretta. Those are the only people who know.”
“Are you very sure? Please think carefully. It’s important.”
Sierra pins me with a perplexed look. “I’ll explain later,” I whisper, feathering kisses across her cheek.
“There is no one else. At least no one I’m aware of,” Georgia confirms after further contemplation.
“Okay. Good.” The coils in my stomach loosen a little.
Georgia takes a sip of her wine, staring into space. “We were very much in love when we first met, you know. It was a whirlwind romance, and we were married within six months of meeting. I only found out he was mafia after we were wed. He told me he was the heir to The Outfit, but I didn’t really comprehend what it meant.” She shakes her head. “I was so damn naïve.”
