“You should start praying,” I said quietly. “Because right now?” My smile sharpened. “I’m the only man standing between you and agony.”
Then I stepped away from him. Ventura collapsed to his knees behind us with a broken sound while Sergio opened the study doors. We left him there sweating, shaking, and curled against the floor in terror.
I was halfway toward the front doors when something small slammed directly into my legs. Tiny arms wrapped around my waist.
“Well,” a small voice announced dramatically, “you’re very hard to catch.”
I looked down. Sienna Ventura stared up at me in a pink dress with crooked braids and huge dark eyes. For one stunned second, I genuinely had no idea what to do.
Sergio lost his mind behind me. A choking sound escaped him before he turned away coughing into his fist to hide laughter. Traitor.
Sienna squeezed me tighter. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“You found me,” I said carefully.
“Yes.” She tilted her head back farther. “You’re really tall. Did you grow more since the wedding?”
“I don’t think so,” I chuckled.
“I think you have!” she said fervently.
Sergio outright barked a laugh behind me. I ignored him.
Sienna leaned back enough to study my face seriously. “Where’s Chiara?”
“At home,” I said carefully.
“Is she still sad?” she asked, eyes wide. The question hit harder than it should have.
“A little,” I admitted.
Sienna frowned. “That’s bad.”
“Yes.” I was starting to sweat now, too.
“You should fix it.” Sienna’s eyes lit up. “You should take her to the zoo!”
Interesting how six-year-olds viewed the world. Simple. Brutally honest. I crouched slightly so she didn’t have to crane her neck so hard.
“She slept peacefully last night,” I said quietly. “That’s a start.”
Sienna considered this very seriously. Then she nodded once like we’d concluded an important business meeting. “Good job.”
Before I could respond, she grabbed my hand. “Do you want to play?”
Sergio nearly inhaled his own tongue.
“You,” he choked out behind me, “playing?”
I shot him a flat look. Sienna tugged my hand harder. “Come on.”
“I’m a little busy,piccolina,” I managed.
“You’re always busy,” she informed me sternly. I blinked once.
“She sounds exactly like Chiara,” Sergio muttered.
Unfortunately? He wasn’t wrong. Sienna kept holding my hand anyway, completely unafraid of me. Nobody touched me casually. Not anymore. Men feared me too much. Women wanted something. But this little girl only looked annoyed I wasn’t agreeing to whatever game she had planned. Strange feeling.
