Page 192 of Safe Word

My heart skipped.

‘Who the fuck is Cain?’

I sucked in a breath when it hit me – that was the first time I’d said his name to any of my brothers.

Silence yawned. Not even Leo’s usual background chaos.

And Cain was a long story I had neither the time nor energy to explain. ‘Someone I’m seeing.’

Another pause.

Apparently, Cain battering Travis bought him a few grace points, because Leo didn’t curse right away. ‘I want his name, date and place of birth.’

‘Fuck off.’

‘I’ll get it the hard way.’

‘Leo…’

‘You’re not known for good choices, Birdie.’

I winced.

It wasn’t wrong. Just badly timed.

When I didn’t respond, he clicked his tongue, like always when he was losing a battle. ‘Matt’s already landed in Rome. Zio’s picking him up.’

I nearly dropped my phone.

‘What?’ My stomach twisted. Matteo meant business – and I was his business now. He was like a pitbull when he bit down on something.

‘You’re lucky it’s him and not Ma. She’s cleaning her Glock in the kitchen—what?’ A muffled voice in the background. ‘No, she’s fine. Just stupid, as usual.’

‘Oh fuck you, Leo.’

‘This is not the time for kind wishes,’ he muttered. And then I heard a crunch. He was eating.

Of course he was eating.

Then softer, ‘Thank you, Ma. That’s delicious.’

My heart pinched. ‘Tell her I love her.’

There was a hard swallow – probably from stuffing in way too much food, like always. I could practically see it – Ma’ reaching over, scolding him with a dishtowel. She’d pried stuff out of his mouth more times than I could count when we were little.

‘She says she loves you but not enough to come home.’

‘Leo… I swear to fucking—’

‘Yeah, yeah. Find Matt before he finds you. He isn’t happy.’

And just like that, he hung up on me.

Exhaling into silence, I slipped the phone back into my purse.

The terrace felt too still, too wide, its shadows long and heavy in the dying light. My hands braced against the railing as I stared over the dusky outline of the city below, welcoming the cooling air.

Then I felt it.