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“I will protect you both. Do you understand me, Quin?”
The fierceness with which he spoke made it difficult to speak around the lump forming in my throat. I swallowed roughly and nodded. Tension coiled through every muscle while I waited with bated breath for the words I somehow knew would be far more devastating than the damage laid out before me.
“It said…” He squeezed me tighter. “‘Let it all burn.’”
The reality of the situation hit me with such force, my knees buckled.
This was only the beginning.
“I’ve got you, baby.” He scooped me up into his strong, steady arms before I hit the ground. “They won’t touch you…any of you.”
As he carried me across the waterlogged lawn toward the house, I closed my eyes and breathed him in. The scent of his body wash—sandalwood with a splash of citrus—calmed the storm building inside. At first, overwhelming sadness had consumed my thoughts, but those had faded until the only thing left was anger…and hatred. So much hatred it was palpable.
How dare they! How fucking dare they!
It was bad enough they’d held us hostage financially for so many years, but I never would have thought them capable of committing such a heinous act of violence. Obviously, I’d been mistaken. Their addiction was in complete control and they bled desperation. While they’d been busy clawing their way through life, searching for their next fix, they’d lost their conscience somewhere in the muck. I almost felt sorry for them. Almost. But my desire to choke the life out of them won out over empathy.
He set me on my feet as we reached the top of the steps. “Use it.” With his forehead against mine, he whispered, “Use every ounce of rage simmering under the surface to hold it together until we’re alone. Then, you can fall apart, Firefly.”
“I love you, Alec.”
Leaning back, he swiped a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Love isn’t a strong enough word for how I feel about you. You’re the air I breathe, baby.”
His soft lips pressed against mine and the horror of the day melted into the background. It was the same every time he touched me, like nothing else existed beyond the two of us. He made me feel invincible, even when life threw endless curveballs. I’d survive—we’d survive—together.
CHAPTER 10
Allesandro
THE FIRST THING I noticed when we stepped inside the farmhouse was how seamlessly our families fit together. Ma and the girls were in the kitchen with Millie, attempting to distract her by preparing food for our large group, while Pop spoke quietly with Charlie in the living room. Rico and Luc stood on opposite sides of the room, their eyes sweeping back and forth, bodies on full alert as they guarded our family against an invisible enemy.
Out of everyone, it was Charlie I was most concerned with. From what Quin had told me, crowds often exacerbated his confusion. He didn’t know us, and because of his disease the likelihood he would remember meeting any of us was slim. At the moment he seemed to be doing well, however I’d keep an eye out for any change in his behavior.
I texted Gabe, who’d remained at Quattro earlier to finish dealing with our little FBI friend, after I spoke with the arson investigator and brought him up to speed on the current situation. Waverly, either due to a sense of guilt or possibly as part of his reprimand, offered Clarke’s assistance should we need it. Since the bastard had a penchant for stalking, I knew precisely how he could help. He may not appreciate being loaned out to Quattro, but the fucker owed me after what he’d done, so he’d have to deal.
“Go to your mom, baby, while I talk to my brothers.” I nudged her in the direction of the kitchen. Catching their gaze, I jerked my head toward the door, then without waiting to see if they would follow, I stepped back out into the smoke-scented night.
Moments ago, I’d told Quin to use her rage, yet as I peered across the lawn to the burnt-out shell of the old barn, I was finding it difficult to follow my own advice. There was a good two hundred yards between the two structures, meaning there was enough distance that the odds of the fire spreading to the house was small. It didn’t matter though. I could still feel the heat of the flames against my skin from when we’d first arrived, even though they’d been doused a while ago, and I would never forget the look of utter devastation on Quin’s face. Someone would pay for extinguishing her light.
“What type of accelerant was used?” Luc questioned after I rehashed everything Quin had told me about the blackmail.
“Gasoline,” I answered. “Fuckers didn’t bother hiding it. They put the can on top of the note next to Quin’s old car.”
“Jesus.” He ran his hand down his face.
“What’s the plan, Fratello?”
“They are never alone. Ever.”
Rico and Luc nodded in agreement.
“There’s no way Quin will agree to stay with me, not with her parents in danger, so I’ll be moving in here for the time being.”
“That should go over like a lead balloon,” Rico snickered.
“You might want to think about asking, Alec. Your girl will have your balls in a sling if you waltz in there and start spouting off demands.”
