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I shook my head.
She frowned. “Shouldn’t we ask her?”
“I did. He doesn’t have any.”
She shot a dark look at the house. “Is that girl going to sleep all morning?”
I glanced in that direction, shrugging. “She’s catching up on her rest.”
Mom tutted. “In my day, we were up with the sun. No excuses.”
“She’s worn out.” Violet’s relentless dedication to Jack wasn’t lost on me. “She needs the break more than you know.”
The damn understatement of the year. Every night, Violet closed her eyes only after making sure Jack’s world was perfect. Raising a toddler was constant work. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. After the third day of watching Violet run herself into the ground taking care of my son, I put my foot down. I told her to sleep in. My mom would babysit him for us. She’d agreed out of sheer exhaustion.
Mom pursed her lips. “Now that she has in-laws, she has no reason to be a parent.”
“She’d never abandon Jack. He’s like a son to her.”
Mom sneered. “She might say that, but it’s not the same as your flesh and blood.”
My mouth tightened. “She’s been through hell for Jack, working herself to the bone. That’s more than most would do, and it counts for something in my book.”
“I don’t trust that girl, Achille. She’s an outsider.”
“That’s enough, Ma.”
She pressed on, hissing. “How can you be so blind? She’ll turn you in the first chance she gets.”
I chuckled, thinking of our bargain. “We’ve reached an understanding. She’s under my protection.”
“You’re too trusting, mio figlio. You barely know her.”
“Believe me. She’s not as innocent as she looks.”
Violet’s demand to be part of her sister’s vengeance surprised me. It could break her, or worse, twist her into someone like me. But she wanted this. Craved it, even. That made me want to rip her clothes off and devour her pussy. It could unravel everything, but I admired her willingness to get her hands dirty. Hell, we weren’t so different after all.
It sparked a light inside me. I studied the situation from another angle. Maybe I wasn’t bad for the kid…perhaps slitting throats for a day job had prepared me for fatherhood. Violet seemed to think it was an asset. It made sense. A normal man couldn’t protect her. Couldn’t kill for her. Only I could give her what she needed, and that felt good.
“She’s great for Jack.” I grinned as he sprinted past, chasing a giant soap bubble. “She keeps him grounded. Happy.”
Mom’s eyes searched mine, filled with that old-world worry. “Are you happy?”
“It’s not about me.”
Violet and I would never be in love, and that was fine. We had something better—mutually assured destruction. With so much at stake, neither of us would betray the other.
I patted Jack’s head. “I’m going to work.”
He looked up at me. “To clean?”
I nodded, smiling. “That’s right. Nonna will look after you. I might not be home when you go to bed, but I’ll cook you breakfast. How’s that sound?”
“Can I have gelato?”
“Later, if you’re a good boy.”
He frowned. “But I want it now.”
