Page 17 of Single Mom’s Mafia Daddies (The Forbidden Reverse Harem Collection #22)

LILA

T hey were so busy arguing about who got to die that neither saw the shadow of a man creeping up from the hallway we’d just left. I waved and pointed, a squeak of protest clawing at my throat.

Matteo and Alessio ignored me—or were too busy trying to out man each other to pay attention.

A rifle barrel appeared first, then a hand, an arm.

My breathe locked in my throat. The door behind me stood open, a welcoming relief to the dangers outside.

But if I went in there without warning them, they’d all die.

“Alessio,” I squeaked.

The rifle drew closer, the man coming into view.

Dressed all in black with a ski mask over his face, he reminded me of every cinematic villain I’d ever watched on TV.

I refused to be the kind of woman who screamed and fainted in the face of danger.

He barely glanced left or right, his attention concentrated on the other end of the hallway. Maybe he’d pass us by.

Wait. Renzo. My stomach dropped so fast my head spun.

I’d always thought time slowed when faced with danger. Bullshit. If anything, it sped up.

The pistol was in my hand before I even thought to grab it. Cool metal pressed into my palm, the grooved finger grips perfect for my hand. Dad’s voice ran through my head. Concentrate. Breathe. Point. Shoot. I lifted the gun and aimed down the sight.

A bulletproof vest covered the man’s chest, but a shot there might knock him back and give us all time to escape. One second turned into two. I ran out of time for thinking and raised the gun, aiming just above the vest, and squeezed the trigger. Blood spurted and sprayed in a wide arc.

Alessio dove to cover me and Leo, his arms braced on either side of our bodies. “Matteo.”

“He’s dead.” Matteo pushed at Alessio, urging him to move. “I’ll watch for more. Get inside.”

“This is ridiculous.” I elbowed Alessio. “We should all go inside.”

“Can’t leave Renzo.” Matteo heaved Alessio toward the door. “The panel is messed up. I left you the tablet, but the door’s going to close in five seconds.”

Alessio tried to fight back, but Matteo pinned one of Alessio’s arms behind his back and pushed him through. His gaze caught mine as I followed with Leo in my arms. “You remember what I said about him and small spaces?”

“Yes.”

He checked his weapons without looking at me. “Singing helps.” Then he was gone, cutting around the statue and taking up a position to watch Renzo’s back. The doors shut, leaving us in darkness.

Alessio cursed and stumbled past me, his shoulder knocking into mine and sending me sideways a step. “There’s a light switch.” His voice took on a hard edge. “Do you see Matteo’s tablet?”

“Right there.” Leo wiggled in my arms. “I see it.” He patted my shoulders, then my cheeks, and turned my head. “You see it?”

“Found the light.” Relief coursed through Alessio’s tone as light flooded the room.

I blinked at the sudden brightness and moved to retrieve Matteo’s tablet, lowering Leo to the ground. “I thought this was a panic room.”

I tried to take it all in, but it was too overwhelming.

A row of computers took up half a wall behind me.

To my left was a series of lockers, each one standing open to reveal clothing of varying styles and sizes.

Another door stood open to my right, and I saw a sink and metal shelves stacked with food, along with a coffee maker and portable stove.

“It was my father’s,” Alessio grunted, bending to scoop up the tablet. He tapped a few keys, looked at the door, and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head and dropped the tablet onto a nearby table. Everything in the room was either metal or some kind of heavy plastic. Cold air pumped in from a small vent.

I buffed my arms and helped Leo into one of the metal chairs near the computer system. Once I had him settled, I moved to stand in front of Alessio, close enough to see the worry in his eyes and the way his pulse shuddered in his chest.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I can’t open the door. Matteo overrode the system so I can’t get out to help them.”

The raw emotion shocked me as it tore throughout my body. “Can they survive?”

“I don’t know.”

I’d never seen such agony on his face, and it deepened my concern. We were safe here while they fought to protect us. It wasn’t right. We should all be together. The thought rocked me onto my heels.

I’d shot someone to protect Alessio and Matteo. And I’d do it again for any of them. I wanted nothing more than to have all three men in here with me so I’d know they were okay. A shudder rippled up my spine, followed by another. Soon, my entire body trembled.

“I shot him.”

“You saved us.” Alessio pulled me to his chest. “I’m sorry you were forced to do that. I should have been paying attention. We’re supposed to protect you.”

“I can protect you too. All of you.” I leaned into his touch and let him comfort me. “I’m not a damsel in distress, Alessio.”

“That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.” He guided me to a chair and eased me down onto the cold metal. “I’ll get some blankets.”

He backed toward the lockers and pulled several jackets down to reveal a deeper compartment stacked with bedding. A red quilt sat on top, and Alessio paused with his hand on top of the thick cover. His brows knitted together.

“This was my mother’s. It shouldn’t be here.” He pulled it down, and a piece of paper fluttered to the floor.

I bent to grab it, stopping when I saw Alessio’s name in a thick scrawl. “That’s not your writing.”

He wrapped the blanket tight around my shoulders and plucked the paper up between his thumb and forefinger. “It’s my father’s.”

“Your papa?” Leo jumped up from his chair and ran over to Alessio, scrambling up into his lap. “Like you’re my papa?”

Tears blurred my vision when Alessio tucked Leo close and settled his chin on Leo’s head. He questioned me with a look, and when I nodded, he hugged Leo tight. “Yes, Son. Like I’m your papa.” He said it with such love and reverence that my entire body went soft.

I’d taken this away from him by denying Leo his father. I’d ignored the looks of adoration Leo gave Alessio and the way he always asked Alessio’s opinion when they played together. He was a miniature of Alessio in many ways, ways that were more evident by the minute.

“What’s it say?” Leo tapped the paper, drawing our attention back.

Alessio unfolded the stiff sheet and held it up. His lips caressed the words in silence, a growing tension knotting his shoulders. His arm around Leo tightened slightly until he lowered the paper, creased it into a palm-sized square, and shoved it into his pocket. “He had the artifact all along.”

“What’s an artifact?” Leo asked.

Alessio blinked slowly, his focus returning at Leo’s question. “Something I’ve been looking for.” A mockery of a laugh rattled from him. “And it’s been here all along.”

“You said this was his panic room.” I took in the space with that knowledge in the forefront of my mind. It made more sense now. The utilitarian room was so unlike Alessio. His father must have been a military man, someone who preferred the sparseness of clean lines and no wasted space.

Like Renzo.

Alessio rubbed his hand over his forehead then swiped it across his thigh. The damp ring of sweat trickling down his temples reminded me of Matteo’s warning.

“How bad is it?” The question meant so much more. Would we see Matteo and Renzo again? Was Alessio going to be okay here? The room wasn’t cramped, but it felt that way with the narrow walls and stacks of equipment.

Alessio ruffled Leo’s hair, and his tight jaw relaxed a fraction. “We’ll be okay. There’s food and water, places to sleep. Matteo will come get us when things calm down.” He stopped there, a cautionary tilt to his chin as he looked at Leo. “We’re going to be fine.”

“What about you?” I hesitated to call him out directly, but maybe it was time. “Matteo was worried you’d struggle with the small space?—”

“Let’s not talk about that.” Standing, he set Leo on his chair. “Let’s have a treasure hunt instead.” He tapped his pocket. “The letter says he hid the artifact but doesn’t say where. He mentions it’s safe from the vultures. He must mean the Verduccis. Their symbol is the vulture.”

“What’s yours?” I suspected he had one. Just as I suspected I knew exactly what he tried to hide from me, the real meaning of tonight’s raid. Those men had called out for blood, demanding Alessio and my son come to them.

“I like treasure hunts. I’m real good at them.” Leo hopped down from the chair and ran over to the lockers. “I’ll look here.” He stopped and tapped his index finger against his chin, exactly like Alessio. “What’s it look like?”

“Like a coin.” Alessio held his hands out, his fingers making a circle. “About this big. It’ll be gold with a red gem in the center.”

“Okay.” Leo dove into the search, his excited chatter swirling around us.

I stood, keeping the blanket tight around my shoulders. “Does he need to be quiet?”

“No. It’s soundproof.” A wry smile twisted his mouth to the side. “If no one saw us come in here, they’ll never know where we are.”

“And getting out?” That was the question that haunted me. What if Matteo died and no one came to open the door? “They have to live, Alessio.”

“They will.” He riffled through a stack of papers sitting on the edge of a desk. “You…really like them.”

Did I dare tell him the truth? I’d never shied away from it, except when it involved him as Leo’s father. “They’re incredible men. You all are.”

“But not incredible enough.” He pushed the papers into a drawer and slammed it shut. “No matter what I do, I put you in danger. My one chance to protect you, and you were forced to kill someone because I couldn’t pull it together and think beyond my ego.”

“I protect what I love.” It was a simple statement that meant so much more than words. I’d protect all of them. Anytime. Any place.

“Look what I found.” Leo’s excitement sent my heart into a frenzy.

I whirled, gasping.

My boy had tugged an old gas mask over his face. It covered his entire head, the giant respirator apparatus sticking out from the sides and giving him a bug-like appearance.

“It’s so cool.” His words came out muffled. “I checked everywhere. No artifact. Sorry, Papa.”

Alessio dropped to a knee and hugged Leo with one arm. The other snaked around my waist, and he pressed his face into my stomach. “Thank you.”

I worked my fingers through his hair and down the edges of his jaw, tipping his face up. “We’re going to be okay.” The words were heavy with emotion, and I hoped with everything I had that they were true.

A noise sounded from the doors.

Alessio leaped to his feet, pushing me and Leo behind him and palming a gun in the same breath. I snatched a spare pistol from his belt and guided Leo around to my left side so my right was free to raise the gun and aim it at the door.