Page 60 of Sicilian Savior

Piper and Marcus walked into the house, leaving the three of us standing outside. Knox tightened his squeeze around my shoulder.

“I told the little man that we had mac-n-cheese with hot dogs waiting for us. And as much as I love your authentic Italian cooking, I’m not gonna lie... I’ll always love me some mac-n-cheese.”

“It’s ready inside,” I said, and Luca’s head popped up.

“Did you cut the hot dogs up the way I like?”

“Yep.” I smiled.

“And no ends, right?” he wrinkled his nose.

“No ends. I cut them off. Just the good parts.”

His smile widened, and it almost melted my heart. I’d worried I’d never see him again, and I never wanted to stop staring at his face. Holding him. Touching him. Cherishing every second of our time together.

“I’m gonna go clean up,” Knox whispered, and for the first time, I noticed the blood on him.

My heart dropped, and I looked at him in a way that asked the silent question for me.

He shook his head and mouthed, “He got away.”

My heart dropped to my feet. I hadn’t enjoyed the thought of Victor’s death, but knowing he still walked the earth, his looming threat still hovering over us, made me cling tighter to my son.

“I’ll get him,” Knox whispered, kissing me on the head before he tousled Luca’s hair. “I’ll see you in a bit, buddy. Save me some mac-n-cheese and hotdogs, okay? And I’ll eat the ends you don’t want.”

“Okay,” Luca said, peeking up at Knox with a little smile.

Knox headed into the house, and I held Luca tight, hoping that whatever trauma he experienced today, and in the time since I last saw him, would fade away over time with the love I intended to wrap him in.

I glanced over my shoulder, looking for Victor as I took Luca into the house, wishing he was gone and I never had to look over my shoulder for him again.

Then I remembered Knox’s words...

I’ll get him.

And I knew he would.

***

I looked out the plane window at the mountains below.

Home.

We’d made it.

“Never thought I’d be happy to see B.F.E. again,” Knox whispered over Luca’s sleeping head. “At least it will be better since I found us that place to rent. Gonna be much better than the dumps we’re living in until I can get our new house built.”

“I can’t wait. It looks beautiful.”

Last night, Knox had shown me pictures of a rental listing he’d found just outside of town. Three bedrooms, a big, landscaped yard, and a kitchen I could cook up a storm in. He’d already sent the security deposit, and if things went as planned and we got approved, we’d move in by the end of the week. It was incredible, thinking just a few weeks ago I’d been terrified of the man standing in my bathroom. But now, I didn’t want to spend another minute away from him. It should have felt fast, but it didn’t. It was like we were a “just add water” family, and someone had dumped an entire bucket on us.

A family. The one I’d always dreamed of having.

I looked down at Luca resting. I envied his peace, wishing I could close my eyes and not see Victor’s haunting face. Worry crept up my spine as I imagined what he would do if he found out I had Luca again.

“Any word on ‘you know who?’” I whispered.

Knox shook his head. “Nothing yet. He’s underground. Wes will keep an eye out for him, and as soon as he pops up, we’ll finish this.”