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“Fucking spill it before I lose my goddamn shit already,” Alessio snaps.

Clover glares at him like he’s two seconds from throwing a punch. He doesn’t take well to being screamed at, especially when it comes to me. He’s always been protective, and even though he didn’t want me to leave, he couldn’t stop me when I told him I wanted to.

Alessandro exhales sharply, his gaze shifting to Clover. “Fifteen years is long enough to keep this secret. You want to tell it, or should I?”

Clover lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Well, then, should we all sit down?”

49

Alessandro Senior

When Alessio told me about his woman troubles earlier, I had a feeling, a suspicion I couldn’t shake. It couldn’t be the little girl I saved all those years ago. But the only way to be certain was to see her myself. I had to be sure before telling Alessio what to do with his new woman.

The second I leftDemoni’s, I called Phil. We keep in touch from time to time, and the last time we spoke, he mentioned Olivia was traveling, seeing what the world has to offer her.

He’s not her biological father, but in my eyes, he’s her dad, and the one responsible for her. So, I have my jet picking him up from his home in Vancouver and bringing him here to Philly.

Olivia’s older now, but the second I see her in the living room, I know she’s still the same little girl I sworeto protect. There’s no mistaking those green eyes and that fire-red hair.

The five of us walk into my office. Aside from the guards outside, only my daughters are home, but still, I’m wary of prying eyes and listening ears. There’s always someone looking for intel. And what I’m about to tell Olivia needs to stay in this room. Even Stella doesn’t know the whole story.

Alessio sits on the black leather couch, pulling Olivia down with him. The way he scoots her closer tells me everything. He cares about her more than he probably realizes. Phil sits on the opposite couch beside Stella, while I lean against my desk with my arms crossed.

“I don’t know how much you know—” I start, but Alessio cuts me off.

“Just start from the beginning.” Always the impatient one.

I glance at Liv. “About fifteen years ago, Phil was an FBI detective out of New Jersey, where you were born. The man was all about the job and nothing else. No wife, no kids, no life outside of work. His main goal was to take down the Commission, and he spent years trying. He worked on a task force for human trafficking.”

“Iranthe task force,” Phil interrupts.

“Whatever, he ran it. Happy now?”

Phil scoffs. “Want me to just tell it?”

“Be my guest, if you can remember that far back, old man,” I joke, knowing it’ll get under his skin.

“Sit down,Grandpa, and let me tell the story,” Phil fires back.

Before Phil can snap back, Olivia blurts out, “I’m not pregnant.”

I know Phil was joking with me; it’s something we do. He didn’t mean it literally. It's a habit from when we were both in the field, but I see the way she tenses up.

“You better not be,” Phil mutters under his breath.

“She’s a fucking adult, and that’s none of your damn business,” Alessio snaps back.

“Olivia is my business, dammit,” Phil fires, pushing up from his seat.

Alessio stands too, towering over him, but Phil doesn’t so much as flinch. The man may be older and smaller, but he has too much fight to back down. He loves Olivia like a daughter and gave up what little life he had to raise her, and he sure as hell isn’t about to let anyone forget it. This is why he has my respect. He’ll do whatever it takes toprotect the ones he loves.

Sure, I send him a little compensation from time to time, it’s my half of the child support for agreeing to help Leah.

Before things can escalate, Olivia steps between them, planting herself right in the middle. “Will you both knock it off? This isn’t about you or your stupid macho competition.”

I didn’t think the little spitfire had it in her. She glares at both of them, crossing her arms. “Now sit down and let him finish telling me why my childhood was taken.”

Alessio and Olivia sit down, and I exhale, shaking my head. “You think I took your childhood and stole your life? Fine. Hate me for it. But the alternative was letting Tito Morano keep you. And that?” I meet her eyes, “I’d put a bullet in my skull before I let that happen.”