“I want to look like you!” Anna said.
I bit my lip. Anna loved to wear matching outfits. Many people in the Outfit thought it strange, but I tried to ignore their negative voices. “Okay. Let’s see what we can do.”
I picked a plaid dress for Anna with cute black boots and chose a plaid costume for myself. That way our outfits were similar but didn’t scream twins from afar. Then I braided Anna’s hair. I wasn’t as good at the French braids as Mamma but I tried my best. I let my own down and put on some makeup, then we headed to Leonas’ room.
To my surprise, Dante had managed to dress Leonas in Chino pants and a cute button-down shirt as well as sneakers. He was talking quietly to him. Dante seldom raised his voice at our children and even then he never screamed. Anna had always been an obedient child, so we’d never had reason for strictness, but Leonas was already testing our patience on a daily basis. I wondered how long Dante’s calm approach would work with our son.
I leaned in the doorway, smiling as I held Anna’s hand.
Dante caught me watching then scanned Anna and me appreciatively. “We’re heading to dinner with two beautiful ladies, Leonas, we need to be on our best behavior.” Leonas didn’t pay attention, too distracted by the task of fumbling with Dante’s cuffs.
Our favorite restaurant was an elegant but cozy place with the best steak in town. We got our usual table in a nook where we were shielded from attention.
Leonas and Anna were on their best behavior, as they were most of the time when we were outside. Even Leonas’ tantrums usually happened in the safety of our home.
I could tell that Dante enjoyed our family dinner despite the lingering tension in his expression.
Later that night when we lay in each other’s arms after sex, I asked, “What happened today? You seemed shaken.”
Dante let out a deep sigh that let his chest vibrate under my cheek. “It’s Fabiano. He’s gone.”
I lifted my head to look at Dante’s face in the dim glow of the bedside lamp. “Gone?”
“He’s run off. That’s what Rocco said at least.”
“That’s ridiculous. Fabiano wanted nothing more than to become a Made Man. Why would he run away from that?”
“Rocco thinks he might have followed in his sisters’ footsteps and fled to New York to join the Famiglia.”
I shook my head slowly, but part of me thought maybe Rocco was right. Fabiano loved his sisters, even if their relationship had broken off due to the war. His feelings toward his father, on the other hand, were probably less fond. The man had been treating him even worse since Rocco Jr. had been born. “What do you think?”
Dante ran his fingers through my hair then down my arm and waist. “I fear Rocco might be right. Luca would take Fabiano in if Aria asked him to do it.”
Dante’s lips pinched like they always did when he talked about them. Despite the photos, Luca and Aria still seemed to be going strong. For a while I’d been worried Luca had hurt Aria because she’d completely disappeared from the public, but then we’d found out that she’d given birth to a daughter and had gone into hiding for protection.
I propped myself up on Dante’s chest. “He’s only fourteen, Dante. Have you sent people to look for him?”
“Rocco did. He’s his son.”
“And what happens if they catch him?”
Dante let his head fall back against the cushion and stared up at the ceiling. “By our standards, he’s an initiate, Val. He’s not a child anymore.”
I closed my eyes. Since I had a son, the rules of our world worried me often. Leonas was a little rebel and I honestly hoped he would choose his battles wisely once he was older. “It’s strange though, that Fabiano chooses now to run away. Why didn’t he follow his sisters when they took Liliana in? He could have gone with them. But he tried to stop them.”
“Maybe he didn’t. Maybe it was all staged. You know how I’ve been suspecting we have a mole in the Outfit?”
My eyes opened wide. “You think Fabiano was the mole? But he isn’t even a Made Man yet. His knowledge is limited.”
“His direct knowledge, yes. But he might have overheard many things in the Scuderi mansion.”
“You really think Luca would have used a boy as a spy?”
“If you think Luca would have qualms to put a teenage boy in danger, then I can assure you he doesn’t. And in regard to Fabiano’s worth, I assume his information was better than nothing.”
“But how can we know for sure? What if something happened to the boy?”
“Rocco’s got a few loose contacts to local motorcycle gangs in Luca’s territory. We hope they might pick up something and share information with us in return for goods.”
“Don’t you think it’s horrible how Rocco drove all of his children away? The thought of losing Anna and Leonas like that? It tears my heart out.”
Dante cupped my head, his eyes conveying absolute certainty. “We won’t lose either Anna or Leonas. We’re trying to give them everything they need. I know they’ll always be bound by certain rules and be limited by certain restrictions but I’ll make sure they can have as much freedom as our lifestyle allows. And your love will give them the roots they need.”
“Your love too. Leonas and Anna are always so happy when they get to spend time with you. They love you so much.”
Tenderness flickered in Dante’s eyes. “I’m trying to be a better father than my own. I don’t know if I’m always succeeding.”
“You are,” I said firmly. “How can you even consider comparing yourself to your father. He and you are nothing alike.”
Dante chuckled darkly, his eyes taking in my face almost reverently. “Trust me, Val, I have plenty of my father. But it’s a side of me that you and our children will never get to see.”
I dipped my head forward, nicking his lower lip playfully. “You are everything I want.”
He rolled us over, pressing me into the bed. I slung my leg over his hip. “Can’t let me be on top, can you?” I teased. Dante ground his growing erection against me in response and bit my shoulder lightly. “Don’t play coy, Val. You get wet the moment I force you to surrender.”
God, he was right. I’d tried to ride him a few times out of curiosity but it wasn’t for me. I loved Dante’s dominant side in bed, how he took absolute control. I always got my reward after all.
* * *
The next day, the weather was beautiful and warm, the first hint of spring after a too-long winter. Anna and I sat on our bench, dressed in our coats and with a blanket draped over our legs because it was still cold despite the sunshine. Leonas obviously didn’t feel the cold. He ripped his coat off again and threw himself into the sandbox.
Anna giggled, looking up at me. She’d never been this daring and wild. She preferred to watch and consider her actions thoroughly. She snuggled closer to me and hummed the new song she’d learned in her last lesson. My phone vibrated in my coat pocket and seeing Orazio’s name, I took the video call. I wondered if it was an accident because we’d never done a video chat before and even his calls were few and far in between.
I smiled into the lens. “Hi Orazio.”