“A threat?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of threat?”
“The kind Maverick is taking very seriously.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No,” he agrees. “But it’s the only one I can give you right now.”
I look down the hall toward the kitchen. Through the doorway, I can see Livy and Sabrina still eating lunch, still laughing.
“Maverick asked me to keep Livy home from school. Sabrina and the others, too.”
“He did.”
“And all the children were moved into the main house.”
“They were.”
“And there are more guards everywhere.”
“There are.”
I look back at him. “So why hasn’t he told me?”
Stefano’s expression turns sad.
“Because he wants to keep you away from the bad side of this life for as long as possible.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“I know.”
“Does he?”
He doesn’t answer.
“He hates being away from you,” he says finally. “I know it may not feel that way right now, but he does. He’s working tirelessly to get to the bottom of this, and every hour he spends away from you makes him colder. But he thinks if he can stand between you and the danger, he can keep it from touching you.”
“Because of what happened to his wife and daughter?” I ask softly.
I already know pieces of the story.
Not because Maverick told me everything.
Because people in the estate talk when they think I’m not listening.
Stefano’s eyes darken with old pain.
“Yeah,” he says, giving me a sad smile. “I can’t say that isn’t his main drive right now.”
My chest aches.
“He’s scared.”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Stefano says softly. “He’s very scared right now.
