Page 101 of Inked in Devotion

Strangers who especially looked like me.

“I am.”

“I’m Sam. Can I hold him?”

“He’s heavy. You might drop him.” She was skinny. She reminded me of Aralina, who had been all arms and legs when she was the same age as this girl. “How old are you?”

“Eight.”

“I figured. Didn’t your parents teach you not to talk to strangers?”

Her brows furrowed. “But you’re Sebastian’s dad.”

“You didn’t know that when you approached me.”

“You can’t do anything to me. My dad is going to beat you up.”

I chuckled. This little girl was amusing. I wondered if Chloe and I would produce the same sassy offspring. But from our file on the De Luccis, Elizabeth De Lucci was the most congenial member of the family. Soft-spoken and gentle. Then there was the fiery McGrath side, and I’d had my own heated exchanges with Lucy, so I could pick one or the other.

“I don’t want to hurt your dad, little one.”

She scowled at me. “You won’t be able to. I have uncles too.”

“Is that so?” I taunted. “I don’t see them around and the boxing gym was empty.”

Her forehead creased and her eyes squinted some more before she squared her shoulders and crossed her arms. “We have guards around. You’re surrounded.”

Sebastian took that moment to reach for Sam.

“Ew, your hands are dirty, Sebastian,” she said.

I reached into the baby bag and handed the girl a bib. “Why don’t you wipe his hands?”

Sam accepted the towel from me and started wiping Sebastian’s grubby fingers and dabbing his mouth for crumbs and saliva. “You’re not a very good dad.”

“I’m learning,” I deadpanned.

“My dad is a great dad.” She finished cleaning up Sebastian and left the dirty bib on the table. “He helps Mommy all the time.”

“You must be a handful.”

“Am not.”

I was about to rib her some more, but then I realized I was arguing with an eight-year-old.

“Samantha De Lucci, are you bugging Mr. Petrov?” Her mother walked in from the side door, which was the throughway in the building. She called out to her husband. “Renz! Your daughter is harassing a customer.”

“Am not,” Sam protested. “And he’s not a customer.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why are you not eating or drinking?”

Besides chancing getting poisoned? Although it was a long shot, one couldn’t be too careful.

“I’m not hungry.”

She frowned again. “Don’t you have enough money? Mommy said children are expensive.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Petrov. Sam can be outspoken.”

“No problem. She’s entertaining.” And I wondered if I was going to regret saying that. She did distract me from plotting Daniel Wu’s demise. So, that was a plus, especially since I should be watching Sebastian, and all this negative and murderous energy couldn’t be good around a kid.