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Chapter 1
Vander - 20 Years Ago
The squeal of tires announce my arrival as I squeeze the hand brakes and lay the bike flat into a skid. Anything to get there quicker. When the Don’s men come to you personally to help protect his daughter, you go with no questions asked.
Kneecap Frank catches sight of me and immediately makes his way toward me, an angry frown pulling at his bushy brows. “I don’t know why the fuck they don’t send you with the principessa whenever she leaves the house. She doesn’t listen to anyone else,“ he grumbles when he’s close enough.
They all call her Principessa, but she’s not a princess. Anyone with eyes can see that. No, she’s a queen, destined to rule over us all. I’ve known it from the very first time she was introduced to us, and it was made clear she was to always be protected. Since my father is the enforcer for the mob, that weight fell on him and his family more than anyone else.
On my very best days, I hate children. Even my siblings. I can’t stand the sticky little heathens who spend their days screaming. The one and only exception has been my Reginetta. She captured my attention from the start. Her icy blue eyes froze on my face, and her tiny little hands reached for me. As if in a trance, I held my arms out to take her from her father’s hold. The men all around me laughed, finding it amusing. But in that moment, she claimed me as her protector.
Now, she’s five. With an endless sense of adventure, and an inability to follow instructions from any form of authority. They might think she listens to me, but it’s a struggle even for me. Reginetta is a tiny ball of fire that can’t be contained. She lives free and wild, never letting anyone hold her back.
I search across the park looking for her, and finally catch her tangled black locks blowing in the wind through the branches of a tree. It’s a struggle to keep the smile off my face. No twelve-year-old worth his salt smiles when seeing the mob boss’s daughter. It’s just asking to never see your teens.
Growing up in the mob as the enforcer’s son isn’t even remotely close to experiencing a normal childhood. I may know that, but somehow I’ve never felt like I’ve been missing out on anything. I’ve already been training with my father, learning all the ins and outs of disposing a body, drawing out information, and effectively sending a message.
Reaching the tree, I find the one enigma in my life dangling from her legs which are wrapped over a branch. Her arms have joined the strands of hair swinging in the wind. “What are you doing up there, Reginetta?”
She lets out an excited squeal as her head tilts back so she can see me upside down. Her sweet giggles fill the air, and I can suddenly take in a full breath, happiness filling my soul simply being close to her. I don’t know what it is about her, but she’s mine, and I’m hers. Not in some weird grown-up way, but I know I don’t see her like a sister either. I’m not sure a twelve-year-old can be best friends with a five-year-old. But if they could, that’s what we are. She’s my favorite person to be around.
“Vanner!” she shouts, her arms waving frantically at me in her excitement. She still has trouble pronouncing my name correctly, but I secretly love her cute way of saying it.
She’s my Reginetta, and I’m her Vanner. The two of us against the world.
Suddenly, she’s falling through the air, and my heart stops, turning into a heavy weight that drops into my stomach. Instinctively I reach out, snatching her before she can hit the ground.
I flip her so she’s right side up and wrap my arms around her, my heart finally able to start beating again, although now it’s in double time. The sweet girl in my arms is giggling like it was the most fun she’s had all day. She doesn’t realize how close she came to falling head first onto the ground.
Fuck. I never want to know what it would feel like to go through life without having her in it.
Her hands cling to my shoulders, and she smacks a kiss to my cheek. “Are you here to play with me, Vanner? There are some shovels in the sandbox, or you can push me on the swing. I promise not to jump off and go flying at the top!”
She bounces in my hold, unable to control her excitement at the thought of spending time with me. I’m not sure what I ever did to deserve her devotion, but it’s a gift I’ll always cherish. When I’m with her my world is sunshine yellow instead of blood red.
“Sorry, sweetheart, not today. You need to let Frank take you home. Aren’t you hungry? It’s almost dinner time.” I can already feel her resounding no coming as her lip starts to pout in disappointment.
Her arms snake around my neck, and she nuzzles into me while her legs squeeze in a death grip. “Only if you come wif, Vanner.”
This time I can’t hide my smile, she’s too cute for her own good. “I wasn’t invited to dinner, Reginetta, but I’ll make sure to stop by to play soon,“ I promise her.
“You said that last time,” she mumbles into my neck, followed by a sniffle. The sound breaks my heart. She’s right, I did promise her last time. But that was literally yesterday, there hasn’t been time for me to get away since then. I don’t get much free time. Like Frank said, they have to call me whenever she doesn’t want to listen. I’m starting to wonder if she does it on purpose just to see me. I really wouldn’t put it past her.
Although, in the eyes of a five-year-old who wants to play, a single day is a lifetime. I glance at Frank and find him with his back to us, his phone up to his ear. “Okay, we can play on the swings for five minutes. But if you jump off, I won’t push you for a week.”
The scream of excitement threatens to blow out my eardrum, but in spite of the pain, my smile grows. Her grip becomes ever tighter, pushing against my Adam’s apple making me cough, as she gives me another kiss on the cheek. One more glance at Kneecap Frank shows he still isn’t paying us any attention, so I put her down and follow closely behind.
She struggles to jump onto the swing by herself, the poor thing is so much smaller than those her own age. It wouldn’t surprise me if people assume she’s younger than she is. Planting her butt on the rubber seat, her legs start pumping trying to get herself going. A strong gust of wind would push her more than her valiant efforts.
Hiding my laugh, I stand behind her. “Ready?”
“To the sky, Vanner!” she cheers.
Her giggles quickly fill the air as her body moves along with the motions of the swing. I have to fight off a mouthful of her hair as it smacks me in the face with each push. Totally worth it to put a smile on her face.
I’m so lost in everything that makes up the little spitfire, I don’t notice Frank coming up behind me. Suddenly I’m flying back into the sand making up the playground, barely able to catch my fall. Reginetta screams with outrage as she’s ripped from the swing and thrown over Frank’s shoulder.
“What the fuck, Frank!” I shout at his retreating back.
