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I trail my fingers along the wall. It’s cool but not nearly as dirty as I imagined a hallway within a wall would be. “Like a panic room?”
I feel his shoulder lift in a half shrug. “Sort of. More like a way for someone to get out of the house if it fell under attack. There are a couple other entry points from different rooms all over the estate, and they all kind of converge a couple different ways, too.”
My head tilts to the side as we shuffle forward. “So there are several exits then?”
“Feel like exploring, baby?” There’s a hitch to his voice, a thread of excitement pushing his words out quicker.
I flash him a grin over my shoulder. “Always, Leo.”
He laces our fingers together and gently tugs me forward with a matching grin.
Light shines from underneath a door to the right of the secret passageway. Excitement bubbles up inside my chest like Pop Rocks on my tongue. The thrill of adventure thrums in tune with the beat of my heart.
I pitch my voice low and mock-yell. “Hey, you guys.”
Leo’s shoulders brush against mine in a silent chuckle. “Okay, Chester Copperpot.”
My lips twist to the side in a smirk and I straighten my spine. I’m quietly preening that he picked up on my Goonies reference right away. It’s a classic kids action movie—a comfort movie, really.
“Come on, you can’t tell me this doesn’t remind you a little bit of the Goonies? We slipped into the walls instead of the underground, and the Fratellis are the rest of the five families.”
Leo laughs, his laughter puffing against my hair. He slides his palm up my spine and settles it at the nape of my neck. He gently massages my tight muscles while his amusement floats around like the dust mites in the air.
“So, on a scale of one to terrified, how worried should I be that Matteo is inviting everyone over to your dad’s house?”
He skims his lips along the top of my hair. “You think I’d let you be here if I thought you’d be in danger—both of you?” He reaches over and slides his big, warm palm against my lower belly. There isn’t a bump or anything outward to show for the life growing inside of me yet, but I know it’s there. And the ultrasound photo tucked into my purse is a welcome reminder.
And it’s not like any of them forgot either. I caught all of them passing around baby books over breakfast a few days ago. The four of them stood around the island, drinking espresso and coffee with one hand and turning the pages of What to Expect When You’re Expecting with the other was almost too much for me to handle. It may or may not have brought a tear to my eye. I can’t even blame the surging hormones for that one.
It was such a sweet juxtaposition to see my very alpha, very masculine men devour these pastel pink and purple texts about babies. Just another sword to the patriarchy bullshit that permeates our society like crazy.
His fingertips dance along my shirt, eliciting goosebumps through the soft cotton.
“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about Matteo. What are the other families going to do when he implements all his changes? People don’t like change, Leo. Especially if it means they might take a hit to their bottom line.”
He clicks his tongue. “Aye, but Matteo’s smart. He’s been planning this shit for years—him and Dante. And you know Rafe’s been playing his own angles for years too. Trust them.”
3
MADDIE
I stop and turn, his hand dislodging from my neck as we face one another. Trust is a complicated emotion and one I’m not all that adept at offering. But like with so many other things, with them, it seems easy. I smooth my hands up his chest, taking my time to feel his muscles that twitch under my touch. “I trust all of you. It’s just the other people I don’t trust.”
He nods, his expression drawn and serious as he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. His gaze bounces around my face before settling. “I understand, baby. But they’ve already laid the groundwork for a lot of things. This isn’t an ambush, and shit won’t change overnight. But it’s a good start—for all of us. It’s time we bring the Rossis into the black, yeah?”
My head tilts to the side as I try to decipher what he means. “Like profit?”
“Above board profit. We’ve been underground for a long time, and it’s time to make some strides to change that—legally. Not everything, for obvious reasons. But we know for a fact that Dad was trying to sell skin for years—and he was doing a lot of shady shit out of the port that the Brotherhood controls.” He pauses and bites the inside of his cheek. “There are rumors that he started trafficking, too. But none of that bullshit flies under Matteo. He’ll clean up the five families.”
I nibble the corner of my lip, my thoughts straying to the women that were lost all because of the greed of men. “What about those people then? What happens when the Brotherhood or whoever finds them now?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s not our territory, but the Brotherhood has a strict no-skin policy, so I’m sure they’re on top of it. Rush is a decent guy from what I know. He’ll make sure they’re taken care of.”
I blow out a breath, the air puffing my cheeks out. “Okay. Okay. Remind me of the plan again?”
He smooths his palms up my neck and settles them in my hair, grounding me. “Matteo called a meeting here, the remaining members of the five families will join him and Dante with their seconds only. They’re in one of the dining rooms, the one with the huge table. Rafe is slinking around here providing backup, should they need it—not that anyone thinks they will. The biggest opposition to Matteo being boss was taken out while we were in Vegas.”
“And you’re watching me.”
