Page 127 of Unruly

Cross understood the point Dante was trying to drive home with him. The other points in the triangle of the Three Families were supposed to have his back, like he had theirs. Still, Cross had his own way of handling things, and this was one of those.

He didn’t need help.

He needed time and information.

Cece’s sleepy eyes blinked awake, and the first person she looked for was her father. A little smile lit up her face. She’d had a horrible day. From the shooting, to the nurse at the hospital demanding to take her pretty jacket and ski-pants because they had blood on them.

Evidence, the woman said.

Apparently, anyway. That was before Cross had even gotten to the hospital, and he had already given the order for Cece to be taken to her grandparents the very second someone could do that.

Catherine had been dangerously close to killing someone herself at that point. Not that Cross particularly blamed her.

“Hi, Daddy,” Cece said in her sleepy, childish voice. Then, she noticed her grandfather was the one holding her and added, “Hi, Grandpapa Dante.”

The two men smiled at her.

Cross stroked her hair again. “Hey, bambina. You’re going to go on a big plane ride with your grandpapa and grandmamma. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Okays.”

“Okay,” he echoed.

“I see Aunt Kats again?”

Dante shot Cross a curious look, but he figured his next words would explain it well enough.

“Aunt Katya will be with Uncle Zeke when you get home, and you can see her all you want then. How about that?”

“Okays,” she said, slightly cheerier than before. “I gottsa pee.”

“Cat!”

Cross chuckled at Dante’s instant holler.

Dante put Cece down on her feet as Catrina and Catherine came back down the hallway. Cece danced on the spot while her mother said goodbye to her, and then darted for her grandmother’s outstretched hand as soon as the bathroom was suggested.

“She’ll be fine,” Dante assured Catherine.

She pressed her lips together, looking entirely unhappy about the turn of events. “Mmm.”

“She will, Catherine.”

“She knows,” Cross said for his wife, “but it’s been a difficult day for everyone, I think.”

“Exactly that,” Catherine agreed with a sigh. “All right, Daddy. Call us when you get to Florida?”

“I will. By the way, Cross, what about your mother and father?”

“Headed out of state tonight, actually. As soon as I picked up Cece, they were already on their way. They were going to Chicago for a week a bit later in the month, but they decided to speed that up.”

Dante nodded. “Still a little close, isn’t it?”

“A little for comfort, yeah.”

“Calisto does what he wants, hmm?”

Cross laughed. “I get it from somewhere, don’t I?”