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“He’s in his sixties,” I stated, mentally calculating my father’s age.“Sixty-one.He’s about six foot three, thinning blond hair, and blue eyes.No scars or tattoos that I know of.”
With a nod, Vito relayed the information with firm resolve.The thank you that rolled off his tongue was forced at best before he ended the call.Appalled that I’d put him in an uncomfortable position with his brother, I sucked in a deep breath.
“Thank you, Vito, and I’m sorry you had to—”
“It’s not you, Leagh.My brother…well, he made his choices.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Tony offered with a sullen expression.
“Now, we wait,” Vito said, sending us a ghost of a smile meant to reassure.
“I need to get back to the station,” James stated, rising from the couch.“Call me if you need anything.I’ll keep you guys updated if anything new happens.”
After we said goodbye to James, Alisa appeared with a tray of coffee.“Oh, I guess I’m too late.”
“It’s okay.James had to get back to work,” Tony explained.
“Oh, well, I’ll take this outside and see if the boys would like some,” she nodded.
Vito held the door for her and followed his wife onto the front porch.
“Who are all those guys outside?”I asked, looking up at Tony.
“Three of them are my brothers, the rest are cousins.I’ll introduce you.”
“And they stayed out there all night?”
“No, they camped out in the den in the basement.When I called Dad yesterday, he rallied the troops.They’ll be here until the threat against you is over, sweetheart.”
“Don’t they have jobs?Families?”
“Yeah, they work for my dad,” Tony replied with a cryptic edge.
“So, what does your dad do?He’s not in the mafia.I know that.”
“He owns a produce company,” Tony growled.Leaning in, he nipped my earlobe.“What do you want to do today, angel?”
“Well, I don’t want to watch anymore television,” I replied with a dour frown.
Tony helped me into the kitchen where I sat at the table and chatted with his mom as she combined ingredients for two apple pies.The woman was a machine when it came to cooking.I suspected baking helped her cope with the drama I’d brought to her doorstep, but as the brawny men from outside trailed in and out of the kitchen, snagging pastries and sandwiches, I realized she was simply trying to keep them fed.
Alisa introduced me to Tony’s brothers and cousins as they filed in, one at a time, while I helped measure ingredients for a batch of chocolate chip cookies.As the woman began rolling out dough for another pan of cinnamon rolls, Tony reappeared in the kitchen.
“Want to come with me and check out some of the books my dad has in his office?”Tony invited with a wink.
I could tell it was a ruse to get me out of the kitchen while keeping Alisa in the dark about the call Vito made on my behalf.It bothered me that the two men shielded her from what was going on around her.As Tony helped me waddle down the hallway, I issued him a sideways glance.
“Please, don’t ever do to me what you do to your mom, okay?”
“What are you talking about?”Tony asked, his brow wrinkling.
“Hide things from me like you do Alisa.”
“My dad is a dominant man, Leagh, but he’s not a Dom.While he would never outright lie to my mom, he keeps things from her as a way to protect her.I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying this is how their marriage works.I won’t keep a damn thing from you, sweetheart.That’s not the kind of relationship I want with you.”
“Good.Because it’d be a deal breaker, Tony.Just so you know.”
He shot me a probing gaze.“That goes both ways, angel.”
