Page 28 of Single Mom's Mafia Daddies
“Yes.” For now. I crouched beside her and wrapped my hands around the knife. “You can let me have that.”
The vulnerability cut out my heart and left me exposed. Her lips trembled, slow tears running down her face and dripping from her chin.
“It’s okay. I promise it’s going to be okay.” I’d die before I let something happen to either of them. Then I’d come back, bringing hell and her minions with me to finish whoever dared lay a hand on this woman and her child.
She released the knife and scrubbed her hands over her face as though to eliminate any hint of weakness shown by her tears. “Thank you.”
I tried to answer, but no words came. Instead, my lips touched hers in a featherlight kiss of promise that turned inferno hot when she leaned into me and accepted a second, harder kiss.
“Are the bad men going to hurt me?” Leo popped up from beneath the covers. He brought them with him, scooping them around his face and neck.
“No, baby.” Lila crawled into the bed beside him and pulled him into her lap. “No one is going to hurt you. Renzo will make sure of that.”
Damn it. I didn’t want him to know. He was too young for the fear, the absolute heart-stopping terror, that came with our lifestyle.
“She’s right. And even if I wasn’t here, your mother would protect you.” If we were going down this road, he needed to understand it was okay to rely on Lila. She might not have my physical strength, but her motherly instincts wouldn’t fail her. She’d proven that already with the knife. I moved into the chair Lila vacated, twisting it so I could see both the bed and the door. “You can go back to sleep, Leo. I’ll stay right here with your mother and watch over you.”
“Okay.” He yawned and closed his eyes. The absolute faith and trust he showed staggered me. Would my son have felt the same way if he’d lived? I shook off the thought before it destroyed me. I couldn’t afford the distraction, even if my heart never stopped bleeding from the loss.
Lila rocked Leo and hummed lightly under her breath. I recognized the lullaby and added my voice to hers. She watched me from beneath her lashes, one hand lifting to trace her lips. Leo scooted from her lap and dug a burrow beneath the covers.
I stood and moved backward when Lila left the bed and walked toward me. A tiny smile raised one side of her mouth. “Are you afraid of me, Renzo?”
Yes. I tasted the word and the truth behind it. Having feelings for Lila were a threat that the Verduccis would exploit. I palmed the grips of my pistols and shifted the weight of my belt to a more comfortable position. “You’re a distraction.”
She stopped at the foot of the bed and draped an arm around the tall bedpost. “And you don’t like distractions?” Her focus shifted from me to the sparse room around us that held nothing more than the bed and a single, half-empty dresser. Everything I needed, I carried on my person. Other essentials were hidden in go bags I’d scattered around the house, in the tunnels, and other secret locations so I never had to worry about getting caught with my pants down.
“Distractions get people killed.” I allowed myself to take a single step. One second of heat. That would be enough. I used the tip of my finger to lift her head and brushed another kiss over her lips. “But you’re damn sure worth dying for.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.” I forced my hand down as the door beeped–—two long trills that meant Alessio had unlocked it–—and both Alessio and Matteo stormed inside.
“They’re inside the house.” Alessio’s steps and the threat his words announced grounded me.
I turned so Lila stood behind me, safe and protected. “How?”
“The tunnels.” Matteo held up a tablet. Three red dots sped across a blue screen. “Three of them. High heat signatures. Metal detectors show one rocket launcher, rifles, pistols, and knives.”
I used the toe of my boot to flip the knife into the air and tucked it into my waistband alongside my hunting knife. “Lila, we need to wake Leo. We can’t risk trying to carry him out asleep. If he wakes and cries out, it’s game over.” I turned to face her. “Will you let me talk to him?”
She hesitated just long enough for worry to wiggle through me before she nodded and stepped aside.
I set one knee on the edge of the bed and peeled the covers back from Leo’s face. “Hey, bud. I need your help with something.”
Leo cracked one eye open, then the other. “You want me to help? How?”
“We’re going to play a game. A soldier game.” I made it up as I removed the blanket and helped him into the solid black shoes I’d bought for him. He liked the kind that lit up, but they posed too much of a risk. “We’re going to sneak out of here. And I need you to stay right beside your mom. You two have to watch my back.”
“Really? Both of us?” He rolled onto his knees and stood in the middle of the bed. “Do I get a weapon?”
“Not this time.” I bit back the urge to return the knife to Lila. She’d held it all wrong, her grip more likely to get her stabbed than to hurt anyone else. I couldn’t afford the risk. “I’ll go in front. You and your mom in the middle. Then Alessio. Matteo in the rear.”
“I’ll watch your back.” He snapped off a salute.
I held out my hand, taking his small one in mine. “Good boy. Help your mama with her shoes.” I moved between Alessio and Matteo. “I’ll clear the way. Keep him from seeing, if you can, but the most important thing is to make sure they’re safe. If I go down, leave me. No dead weight.”
Matteo dragged a hand over his jaw. “I can’t promise to leave you behind.”