Page 167 of Merciless Daddy

Chapter 13

Salvatore

Yelena woke before the alarms, curled against my chest with one hand trapped beneath my shirt as if she had put it there in her sleep to make certain I wouldn’t go anywhere.

The lake light had not fully reached the room. It lay thin and grey across the floorboards. Her dark honey hair covered half her face. Gianni-the-wolf had fallen sideways near the pillows, one crooked ear bent beneath him.

I shifted carefully.

Her fingers tightened against my ribs.

“No,” she murmured.

“I’m not leaving.”

“You were thinking about it.”

“I was thinking about coffee.”

“That is leaving.”

I smiled into her hair.

She lifted her face. Sleep had softened the sharpness from it. Her pale eyes were barely open.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, little one?”

“Stay five more minutes before the terrible world starts.”

I didn’t think for a moment.

“I’ll stay,” I said.

Her eyes closed again.

“Exactly five.”

“I’ll set a timer.”

“No timer. Don’t like it.”

“Then how will you know I didn’t give you six?”

She thought about that with grave seriousness.

“I trust you.”

The words landed low in my chest.

I put my hand over hers beneath my shirt. For five minutes, I listened to her breathe. I let the guards outside be someone else’s concern. I let the phones remain silent on the nightstand.

Then the world began anyway.

Angela’s secure call came through during breakfast.

Yelena sat beside me at the long kitchen table in one of my sweaters, sleeves pulled over her hands. Kiryl was still asleep. Pietro stood by the window with coffee. Tonio had left before dawn to handle the restaurant staff and assess the damage personally.