"Who told you I shot people?" I ask carefully.
He shrugs. "I heard Uncle Alessandro talking. He said you're good at making problems go away." He purses his lips. “I know that means…” He takes his finger and makes a slicing motion across his neck, the universal gesture for killing.
There’s something about a child so young knowing so much about violence and death that breaks my heart for him.
"Some conversations aren't for little ears," I tell him, flipping a pancake.
"I'm not little." The indignation in his voice makes me smile.
"My mistake."
Watching him demolish his stack of pancakes, syrup dripping down his chin, I feel something shift inside me.
This is what matters.
Not Chicago, not power plays, not even the Dante legacy.
Definitely not the Bratva.
Enzo and Katerina are what matter.
And I'm never missing another moment of their lives.
Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.
While cleaning up our breakfast mess, Enzo tugs my sleeve. “Want to see my school project?”
“I sure do.”
He disappears and I’m left again wondering what happened to Katerina. I don’t have time to find her before Enzo returns with a shoebox that’s been turned into a diorama.
"It's supposed to show something important about your family," he explains. "I made our house."
He shows me his version of the cottage, from cut out windows to the painted walls.
"This is you," he says, holding up a plastic figure he's drawn clothes on with a marker. "And this is Mommy." He shows me another figure with red-brown hair.
"What about you?" I ask.
He grins, producing a smaller figure. "I'm in the middle."
He places all three figures together in the center of the diorama, and my heart swells until I don’t know how it’s staying contained in my chest. "Perfect.”
There’s a knock on the door. I check the window and see that it's Sofia, one of the house staff who often is charged with caring for Enzo.
I open the door. “I’m here to take Enzo to school.”
“I don’t wanna go.” Enzo pouts.
“You have to go, buddy. Get your backpack and give your mom a kiss goodbye.” Where the hell is Katerina?
A few minutes later, he returns wearing his backpack and Katerina by his side. Her eyes are puffy, a sure sign she’s been crying. Fuck. I don’t know what to do for her.
“Is Mario going with you?” Katerina asks, and now I see fear.
“Yes, ma’am. And Danny is still at the school.”
Security for Enzo had been beefed up after Pyotr kidnapped him, but Katerina asking about it now suggests there’s new danger lurking.
