Kristen flinches. Lily's arms tighten around her neck.
Fuck.
I force myself to take a breath. Soften my expression. It feels like cracking stone.
"Please," I add. The word scrapes my throat.
Kristen hesitates for a heartbeat. Then she moves past me, carrying Lily into the foyer.
Vittoria descends the last few steps, her dark eyes darting between me and Kristen. "What is going on?"
"I'll tell you later." I don't look at my sister. My attention stays fixed on Kristen, on the way she's holding Lily like the kid might evaporate if she loosens her grip even slightly. "You can take the room next to mine for tonight. We'll figure out the rest tomorrow."
Kristen's grey-blue eyes meet mine.
"I'll come find you," she says finally. "When Lily falls asleep."
She doesn't wait for my response. Just walks past me.
Then she's gone, climbing the stairs with Lily still wrapped around her like a barnacle.
I watch them disappear down the second-floor hallway. Count her footsteps. Wait until I hear the guest room door click shut.
"Nico." Vittoria's voice cuts through the silence. "What. Happened."
I turn to face my sister. She's got her arms crossed, chin lifted, that stubborn set to her mouth that means she's not letting this go.
"Jack Walker," I say. The name tastes like ash. "Lily's father. He showed up at the playground. Grabbed Kristen's arm when she tried to leave."
Vittoria's expression shifts. Her crossed arms drop. "He grabbed her? In front of Lily?"
"Dante handled it."
"Dante handled—" She stops. Takes a breath. When she speaks again, her voice is careful. Measured. "Okay. So you brought them here. That's... that's good. Smart. But Nico..."
I know what's coming. Can see it in the way she's tilting her head, studying me like I'm a puzzle she can't quite solve.
"What?" I ask.
"Maybe controlling her life right now isn't what she needs."
I blink. "I'm not controlling?—"
"You brought her to the compound." Vittoria ticks off points on her fingers. "You put her in the room next to yours. You're already talking about figuring out 'the rest' like you're the one making decisions for her." She pauses. "That's control, Nico. Even if you don't mean it that way."
My jaw tightens. I don't have a response for that.
Vittoria steps closer. Her voice softens. "I'm happy you're helping them. A woman and a kid in a bad situation—of course we should help. That's what our family does." She hesitates. "But this isn't something you'd normally care about personally. You handle construction. Logistics. Numbers. You don't..."
Get involved, she doesn't say. Feel things, she doesn't say.
"I don't what?" My voice comes out flat.
"You don't do this." She gestures vaguely at the space Kristen occupied moments ago. "The protective hovering. The intensestaring." Her head tilts further. "Why does she matter so much to you?"
The question hangs in the air between us.
I should have an answer. Something logical. Something that makes sense within the framework of how I operate, how I've always operated. Kristen saved our mother's life. She's an employee. She's under our protection now because of the debt situation with the Bratva.
