Elijah put Lizzy down for a nap in her room once he and Gwen arrived. He was the only one able to calm her. I believe she’s in shock. I don’t know how this will affect her.
Ny sits on the sofa wrapped in Jace’s arms, small hiccup sobs releasing ever so often. Beth would be proud of the kids. They did well, that last guy came out of nowhere. Not even Beth saw him.
“We’re going to add one more body to the count. I died here too,” Gwen says.
“What?” I lift my head to stare at one of my last friends and counselor.
“Riccardo is out to pull us all from you. I’m next, trust me. Let’s make him think he’s succeeded. He can’t touch Lucas. He’s not stupid enough to do that, but I’m expendable.”
“She has a point, Ma.”
I look at my son. Sometimes I wish I could slow all of this down so he can be a boy. I want to cover all my boys from this thing of ours and allow them to be children for a while, but I can’t.
I have to get my son ready to be more ruthless than any Di Lorenzo has ever been. This is his world and he’s already a pawn in this game we play. Like my father, I refuse to be a loser in this, and my son will never know this type of loss or any other.
I nod. “Make that four bodies.”
“What?” Gio says and frowns.
“If I’m gone, Riccardo will feel safe.”
“Until it’s my time,” Gio thinks aloud. “He’ll play his hand.”
See, my boy is a quick thinker. I can see in his eyes he knows where this is going. He glances at Ny and determination fills his gaze.
“But I still don’t think Jace and I will be safe here. We’ll come with you.”
I can tell from his tone; we’ll doesn’t include Nyla. Reminding me I need to figure out arrangements for my best friend’s two girls. I know I can’t take them or the boys with me.
“Your father would never allow anything to happen to you.”
“Ma, he allows his father to talk to me like shit. I’m better off with you.”
“She means your real father,” Jace says.
“Not this shit again,” Gio grumbles at Jace. “Just because he has hazel eyes like ours doesn’t make him our father.”
“He’s right,” I breathe. “Lucas is your father and we’re going to need his help for this.”
Gio’s mouth falls open. “But you told me I was wrong. I asked you years ago.”
“You didn’t need to know then. Now you do.”
Gio’s cheeks turn red. I know he’s angry. This was what was best. At that very moment, Lucas enters the house looking as if he’s ready to commit a murder.
“He would dare to do this? Ava, I don’t think I can ignore this. You’re a made woman, a Don. They were here for you. This slaughter was meant for you,” he bites out.
“Dad?” Gio says as if testing the word out.
Lucas turns to his son with a surprised expression on his face. His eyes soften and he cups the back of Gio’s head and tugs him into his embrace. Gio wraps his arms around him and clings to his father’s shoulders.
Lucas whispers something in Gio’s ear and he nods. This moment is more heartbreaking than I ever thought it could or would be. My heart aches because I wish Beth and Emil were here for this. We had planned to tell my boys the truth together when they were old enough and safe.
My heart breaks for the decisions I’ve made. I still don’t know how my father will react to all I have to reveal. I’ve always known I wouldn’t be allowed to be the Don of this family in peace. Remarks have been made, I’ve been excluded from deals, my envelopes have been forgotten until I used force to establish who I am.
I understood early on that I needed to survive until I could hand the family over to Gio. There was no other way. However, Riccardo has placed a question mark on my son’s back and now is too soon.
Gio isn’t yet a man. He hasn’t earned his first promotion. There’s no way the books will be opened for him now. We need more time. I need to buy myself more time.
My father’s health has gone back and forth. In truth, I think he’s been suffering from a broken heart all my life. My boys have brought light back to his eyes.
Once I tell him of the things going on here and the whole truth, I’m hoping it will change his heart and he will help me for my son’s sake. It’s no secret he has had plans for Riccardo. Now so do I.
“Lucas. Gwen and I died here tonight. No one outside this house is to know any different.”