“Give me a few minutes to get ready.”
“Take all the time you need.Jimmy should be pulling up to your house shortly, and he’ll send me a message when he’s ready to leave your place.I’ll meet you both there with the troops.I’ve got Gino, Tristano and Renato camped out at the house so Barcelo can’t run.Don’t you dare go in without me, Massimo.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” I tell him, proud of the underboss he has become and happy he’s on my side and not the enemy’s because Leandro is a formidable opponent and that brain of his is never quiet.
“See you there.”
I don’t need to look at Sophia to know she’s awake and watching me.I fucking feel her eyes on me, and when our eyes connect there’s no doubt that she’s mine.I’m keeping her forever.Instead of losing her I’m going to annihilate the man who keeps her from being safe and anyone that comes after him.“Leandro may have found Barcelo.”
Sophia doesn’t say a word, just watches me.My little kitten is testing me, and I don’t mind at all.I give her a smile.“Would you like to go for a ride?”
Now I get the hint of a smile, and hope flares in her eyes.She knows this life as well as I do.Her father may be long gone without a trace and Barcelo may go to his grave with him because I’m not keeping him alive for long, but still, we need to go and find out.We both need closure.
I swear she reads my mind sometimes.“If we don’t find Papa with him, you’ll at least try to find out where he is, yes?”
There was never any doubt that she would ask and never any doubt that I would do anything within reason for my kitten.“I’ll try very hard to find out where your father is before I send Barcelo to hell.”
She pushes the sheet back and climbs out of bed, takes my face in her hands, and kisses me on the lips.“I love you, Massimo.It will take me all of three minutes and then we can go but I swear on everything holy, if you ever leave me again, I’ll shoot you in the dick.”
The minute we’re ready we race out of the house.“I’ll sit in the back,” she says as we reach the car, as though I would sit up front and not next to her where I can touch her every minute of that drive.I smirk, holding open the door for her.“Slide over.”
She grins.
Jimmy looks into the rearview mirror.“Morning, kids.”
“It may be fucking morning, but the sun isn’t even up.Everyone’s a fucking smart-ass today.”
He laughs and instead of driving texts a message.
“Is that to Leandro?”
“Yep.”
I sit back in my seat and put my arm around Sophia, drawing her close, just breathing her in.She tilts her head upward to look at me and I lean down, kissing her gently on the lips.“You are mine,” I whisper.
She winks at me.“Then you better keep me this time,” she whispers, taking my hand.Her way of letting me know we’re going to be okay.She makes me soft.Before her, I wouldn’t have even thought to tell someone this or explain my rationale for doing something.“I was trying to protect you, kitten.”
She leans into my chest.“From now on I’ll be by your side.You’ll protect me that way, okay?”
It’s more than fucking okay by me.I kiss the top of her head, ignoring Jimmy whose liable to lose a couple teeth if he keeps smirking at me like that from the front seat of this car.
I point to a clearing off the side of the road with brush in front of it.A perfect place for the car, but Jimmy’s already got the nose heading that way.“Let’s stay put until Leandro gets here or that guy will have my head,” Jimmy says.
I let him try to boss me around.Not much can faze me today, not after a night with my kitten, her by my side, and the gift of Barcelo.Everything is coming together.
Sophia shifts against my body and I glance at my watch.“They’ll be here shortly,” she says, running her fingers along my thigh.Now that’s a fucking distraction I can get behind.
Just when it’s getting good, Jimmy slows the car.“Leandro’s here.He’s got his men moving in, and they’ll make sure the perimeter is covered in case he opens the doors guns slinging.”
My jaw tightens with the thought of the fucker who kidnapped and hurt my mom.“Let Barcelo answer that door.I’ve got something for him.”I’ll gut the fucker the way he tried to do to my mother, but I’ll pull out his fucking heart and send it to what’s left of his family.
19
Sophia
My heart races with anxiety.This could be it.After six long weeks of searching, finally, we may have the fucker who hurt Massimo’s mom, my sister Anna, and who has my father, holding him prisoner somewhere and doing who knows what to him every day that passes.
And now we’re moments away, a stone’s throw distance from the warehouses Papa used to bring us to, and where that bastard is hiding.A quick glance at Massimo shows his jaw tense.I slide my hand in his and gently rub his palm, the same motion he used to calm me the first time we met.It seems like years ago but has only been a year.
