Page 37 of Savage Empire

“I mean…” I trail off, not knowing what else to say. “Er, here, you can come in and sit. I don’t really have any toys Leo could play with, but we could put on a cartoon?”

Leo’s head perks right up at the sound of the wordcartoon.

“Bluey?” he asks, slurring the word so it sounds more likeBw-uey.

“If you don’t mind, thank you,” Leon agrees. “I like to reward him when he recognizes an English word. Bluey in Italian is his favorite.”

“Shoot, I should have asked about screen time before I uttered the word cartoon.” I wince, waving the two further into the apartment. “Sorry if I overstepped.”

“You’re fine,” Leon says, brushing it off. “Cartoons at this age are good for development. Especially when he’s been doing so well learning English. We speak both with him at home, of course, but he deserves a little time where he can just enjoy his language and doesn’t have to think about much else. It’s a good break.”

“Bluey it is, then.”

It takes me a minute to get the cartoon cued up in Italian, but once it starts playing, Leo is completely enraptured, smiling big as he snuggles himself into the couch, watching the television with wide eyes.

“Can I get either of you something to drink? There’s an absurd number of options in my fridge.”

Leon chuckles. “Not right now, thank you.”

I nod, dropping down a few feet on the couch from the father and son. “So, what brings you two by? Not that I’m complaining…”

“We really were in the area,” Leon admits. “Leo had a check up with our family doctor, so we stayed the night at Dad’s. Bastian was home sick after all the travel so he went home with Cleo, we’ll be heading back in a couple hours when traffic isn’t so shit.”

“You guys live farther from the main house right? Yordan said you’re an underboss with more of your own territory?”

“Yes, well, sort of,” he replies. “It’s all my father’s territory, but I manage the furthest bits of it. I live a few hours south of here, and our control extends a couple hours further than that.It’s just strategic. No one is ever too far. Like Emilio and Melani live closer to New York.”

“Makes sense.”

An uncomfortable silence follows, only the sound of the TV filling the room. How long has it been since I had to share a polite adult conversation with someone about anything other than my brother? Have I forgotten how to act?Say. Something.

“Um, I have your clothes,” I blurt out suddenly. “I can go upstairs and get them if you want them back. Well, all except one shirt. Apollo has that.”

Giving me a sideways glance, Leon chuckles. “He does, does he?”

“Oh!” I startle, understanding the implication. “Not like that, he’s just, it’s stupid. He gave me one of his that night. He said something about not wanting to upset your wife?—”

The amusement in Leon’s expression vanishes. “Trust me, she wouldn’t have cared about the shirt. I did want to apologize for Cleo’s coldness toward you on the flight, though. It’s part of why I stopped in. She isn’t welcoming toward new people, her and Melani only just became sort of friendly, and they’ve known each other for years now.”

“Oh.” I swallow, shaking my head. “It’s fine. She didn’t even say anything.”

“No, but she looked at you like you kicked her puppy the entire time,” Leon says with a grimace. “Not exactly a pleasant thing to do, nor a way to make you feel safe while surrounded by our family.”

“It’s really okay,” I insist, though I’m kind of happy he’s offered the apology either way. “I wasn’t nice to Apollo either. I yelled at him. Several times. Threw your shirt at him, too.”

A grin grows on his lips. “Yes, well, Apollo is a P R I C K.”

He spells out the word rather than uttering it, likely not wanting Leo to pick up on the naughty vocabulary.

I can’t help but grin in return. “You said it, not me.”

My phone chimes, and I look down, groaning at the screen.

“Speak of the devil.”

Apollo

You still haven’t ordered clothing.