Chapter 221

LUCAShe was quiet for a moment, searching my face. Then she nodded, tears welling in her eyes, but this time, they were good tears. “Yes.”I kissed her again, deeper this time, and she laughed against my lips. Leo came running over with grass stains on his knees, demanding juice, and Alina wiped her face quickly before scooping him into her lap. For a moment, everything felt easy.We sat together, sunlight burning my scalp while I watched the Leo and Maya run around the park. This was easy, I could do this. That was just before my phone rang. It was an unknown number and even before I answered, I could almost tell something was wrong. It was the prickle between my shoulders. It came and went, but it always came when there was danger. “Enjoying your day out, Luca?” a voice drawled on the other end.Every muscle in my body went rigid. “Who is this?”The man chuckled. “That’s a beautiful park, the boy and girl are cute. Shame if something happened to them.”My eyes shot to my men,

Chapter 222

LUCAI didn't hear the shot from Ethan. I wasn't even sure where exactly he was shooting from, but one minute, Riot was huddled together with his guards, and the next second, his head jerked back. For a moment, it seemed he had tripped over something and the guards reached out to steady him. Except he didn't stop, he kept falling, his body folded in on himself like someone had pumped the life of him. Riot hit the pavement, blood pouring from his head shot wound, and flowing out onto the asphalt under him. None of the guards moved fast enough, and that was always a bad idea. They stopped and stared at him, as though they couldn't process what their eyes was showing them. I shoved open the SUV door and stepped out. The air was cold, smelled like rain and exhaust, but all I was looking at were the rooftops. My Glock was already in my hand, pointed up, and ready to shoot. Alvez was right behind me, grinning like this was his idea of a good time.Vector slid out on my side, his r

Chapter 223

LUCA Leo was screaming, and no, he wasn't whining, or crying. He was screaming his lungs off, a sound so loud I couldn't stop the grimace on my face. His scream suggested someone had released a feral animal in the living room and he has stumbled on it. I stopped in the doorway, my keys still hanging from my fingers, and saw my son screaming "I'm a dragon!” over and over again. Maya came tearing past me a breath later, pigtails flying. "You're not a dragon! You're a lizard!" Leo whipped around like someone deeply wronged. "Dragons are not lizards!" Maya screamed back "They are!” "They are not!” I leaned against the doorframe and watched the whole disaster unfold, unable to stop the smile pulling at my lips. From the couch, Alina looked over her shoulder at me. The sun brushes her skin, lighting it beautifully. Her face was serene. "You're staring, aren't you going to stop them?” "I'm appreciating the fact that so much noise can come from such a small body.” I shook my hea

Chapter 224

ALINAI woke up to heat along my back. I kept my eyes closed and just breathed, arching my back against Luca. A month ago, mornings didn't look like this. A month ago, mornings smelled like gunpowder and tasted like fear. Now there was sunlight pressing against my eyelids.Luca’s arm was locked around my waist. Grinning, I shifted away, mostly to see what would happen. His arm tightened immediately. The corner of my lips pulled up against my will. "Luca."I tried to turn over, but he hauled me right back against his chest without even fully waking up."Not happening," he muttered, his voice still thick with sleep, the words half-buried in my hair."I haven't done anything yet.""You were about to leave me in bed.” He grunted. I laughed and finally managed to turn in his arms. His eyes were half-open, dark hair wrecked beyond repair, jaw soft with sleep. There were no calculations running behind his eyes. This was the version of him nobody got to see except me.I would never say tha

Chapter 225

ALINABy the time I pulled into the driveway, my eyes were still swollen from crying. I sat in the car for a moment, staring at the front door of the house.The same house that had felt so peaceful this morning. Now my chest felt tight again.I wiped my face quickly and stepped out of the car. The front door opened before I even reached the steps, and I saw Luca.He must have been watching through the window. The moment his eyes landed on me, the relaxed calm from earlier disappeared instantly.He crossed the porch in three long strides. “Alina.”I didn’t make it another step. The moment he reached me, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me tightly against his chest. And just like that, everything broke again. A sob ripped out of me before I could stop it.I buried my face in his shoulder, clutching the back of his shirt. “I almost lost her,” I cried.His arms tightened around me. “I know.”“She tried to kill herself,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Luca… she almost died.”His hand m

Chapter 226

ALINAThe next morning, I sat in the passenger seat while Pietro drove us through the city streets toward the club.The morning traffic crawled slowly, horns blaring somewhere in the distance while people hurried across sidewalks with coffee cups and phones glued to their ears.Normal life almost felt strange after everything that had happened. Pietro glanced at me in the mirror. “Did you sleep well, Al?” Did I sleep well? After I saw Luca and the kids, sleeping was a little bit easier. “A little.” Pietro chuckled to himself, then shot me a soft look. “I figured.”“But I can’t stay home forever when I have work to do.” He nodded. “True.”I stared out the window for a moment. “And I need something normal right now.”When the car finally pulled up in front of the club, I took a slow breath before stepping out. Ethan was standing near the entrance talking to one of the staff members. The moment he saw me, he straightened immediately. “Boss.”I smiled at him. “Good morning, Ethan.”“Ho