Page 71 of Single Mom's Mafia Daddies

“Lila, Leo’s home.” Alessio tapped his watch.

I had no choice but to leave and go down to greet Leo. He’d want to tell me about his day and ask a million questions. It was my job to make sure he didn’t feel the threats closing in on us.

Matteo re-entered the room as I was closing the office door behind me. His voice carried through, and I stopped to listen. “My contacts are reporting unusual activity near the neutral zones between syndicate territories. It’s suggestive of the Verduccis gathering their forces. Even the Russo syndicate is making moves.”

The sound of his family name stopped me in my tracks. I’d done my best to piece together a rough family history. All three of these men had such tragedies in their lives it was a wonder they remained sane.

“Can you get through to your family?” Alessio asked.

“They’re not my family,” Matteo growled back. “This is my family.” He inhaled sharply. “I’ll see what I can do. My younger brother might talk to me.”

All the anxiety I’d felt up until this point felt inconsequential as I realized the true depth of the danger waiting for us. The Verduccis were psychopaths. From what I’d gathered, they wouldn’t stop, no matter what it cost them.

I released the door handle and retreated to Leo’s room.

Bruce nodded at me when I rounded the corner. The older man stood guard outside Leo’s door with the same precision I’d come to appreciate in Renzo.

“Any changes?” I asked.

“None. Nothing out of the ordinary.” His voice was kind, his eyes sharp, and Leo adored him. That was enough to help temper the worry that assaulted me every morning when Leo left for school. I walked on pins and needles until he came home every day, and even then my heart couldn’t quite rest knowing we had madmen closing in from all sides. Now they were even coming at us from the sky.

“Thank you.” I entered Leo’s room and composed my face into a smile. “How was school?”

Leo looked up from the tower he’d been building with colored blocks. “Awesome. We got to spend a whole hour outside on the playground.” He knocked the tower down and started over again, this time with a design that resembled the estate.

His room was everything Leo liked all rolled together. His racecar bed was tucked into the corner with bookshelves overflowing with books running down the wall near the head ofhis bed. A giant toy box overflowed with blocks, army men, and trains. Even the colors were his favorites: blue and purple.

What mattered more than the room was his comfort, and he remained blissfully unaware of the danger brewing around us. I picked up some of his dirty clothes and tossed them into the hamper. The fresh paint smell had dissipated a few days ago, and now it smelled like woods and little boy.

Leo filled me in on all that had happened at school, his excitement helping beat down the fear clawing through me. I sat on the floor and helped him build with the blocks until he yawned and climbed into bed for a nap. He picked at the blanket as I tucked it beneath his chin and stared up at me with fear shining in his eyes. “Are the bad guys coming for us again?”

“No, honey.” I hated the lie, and I fought to keep my voice from trembling. “Everything will be okay.” We would all do our best to make it so. I worried enough for Leo and myself, he didn’t need the extra strain that came with fearing for his life. I kissed his forehead and tweaked his nose. “Matteo’s cooking again tonight. Get some rest so you’ll feel like helping him.”

“Okay.” He snuggled in and tucked his hands beneath his chin. “Love you.”

“I love you, baby.” So, so much.

With Leo sleeping and Bruce guarding his door, I crept downstairs, making my way to the study where Alessio’s voice drew me in, the savageness of his tone spiking through me. “If we split our resources between here and here, we have a better chance of success.”

“You’re talking about defending the estate and setting a counter-ambush to cripple the Verduccis before they reach the property.” Renzo’s gruff voice joined in.

“You wanted to take the offensive,” Matteo added.

I put my ear to the door to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

“We can use the estate’s extensive defenses to our advantage.” Renzo’s familiar steps moved closer to the door. “The perimeter is a deterrent, but it won’t stop them forever. Put enough men at the walls and cut off all access through the tunnels.”

“Take the fight outside,” Matteo insisted. “We have a deadline. We know they’re coming for us tomorrow. Either we scramble and let them bring the fight here, or we take the fight to them. If our entire force came together, we’d wipe them out.”

“And what about Lila and Leo?” Alessio asked. “We can’t put them in the middle of another fight. Their best chance of survival is right here.” A thud followed, which sounded like Alessio punching the desk. He had a bad habit of that.

Enough of this shit. I shoved the door open. “I’m sick of staying on the sidelines. This is my fight too.” All the fear and anger congealed into a bolt of righteous anger I aimed at Alessio. “You promised us safety, yet you continue to keep me in the dark. And you’re not protecting Leo. He knows something is coming, and he’s scared to death.” My voice cracked on the last word.

“We all are.” Renzo spoke quietly, his sincerity a beacon of hope.

Alessio’s jaw tightened in that familiar way. “I promised to protect you, and I will.” He remained firm but kind, pointing at the map on the desk where red, blue, and yellow lines criss-crossed each other. “This is the cost of my world.”

“A whole new world,” Matteo flung his arms out to his sides and spun in a circle. “A brand new place.”