Page 87 of Daddies of the Underworld

Nina’s stomach grumbled, and she put a hand over it with a chuckle. “He’s right, Sofia.” She took a step back, toward me. The move kept her in Sofia’s sight but moved her far enough away she couldn’t hear. “Fear is making choices for us again.”

“Danger forces this choice. At least this time we are all making the choice together.” I kissed the tip of her upturned nose. “It pains me that the villa will once again be a cage, but it will not be forever.”

She stared at me, her face puffy from the tears she’d shed last night when I shared the news. Some of the anger drained away, leaving behind the exhaustion she’d been fighting to hide. “I hate this.”

“So do I.” There was nothing else to say while men waited and Sofia leaned closer to try and overhear us.

With a series of slamming doors and last minute orders, we left the safe house behind and headed for my private plane. At this point, it didn’t matter if Viktor knew we were coming back to Italy.

Sofia fell asleep against Nina before we left American airspace. Luca sat across from them and pulled a loose thread on his jacket until Dante reached over and cut it with his knife.

Luca harrumphed. “That was my entertainment.”

“What were you going to do? Spend the entire flight tying it into knots?” Dante held out the string. “Go ahead.”

Nina made a sound that almost became a laugh. Her eyes had closed not long after Sofia’s but she wasn’t asleep. Processing, probably.

Everyone settled after that, the quiet working through me. I used the time to plot and plan as much as possible, my thoughts running through endless scenarios and how I might combat or avoid them. Viktor was a loose cannon. I didn’t dare think for a second that I could predict his next move.

We arrived at the Italian safe house close to noon. It was not Villa Belladonna but better in ways that mattered. It sat tucked into a hillside, stone walls surrounding the property. It had belonged to a duke once, and I bought it when his grandson needed money. Under Dante’s scrutiny, we’d added reinforced gates, bullet-proof glass, security tunnels, and enough surveillance equipment to make Dante moderately happy.

Sofia pressed her face to the tinted window as we passed the first gate. “Wow. It really is a castle.”

“Which means you really are Princess Unicorn.” Luca leaned forward from the back seat and rested his chin next to Sofia’s head.

She bounced in her seat. “I want to run.”

“There’s a courtyard.” Dante pointed it out as we rounded the drive and parked in front of the main entrance. “Wait here.” He didn’t wait for anyone’s agreement before he slipped out of the SUV and crossed to the nearest guard.

Sofia kicked her heels back and forth against the seat. “What’s a courtyard?”

“It’s a place for a princess.” Luca kept her focused on the fairytale of it all, even though we were far, far away from that being true.

What I wouldn’t give to make it true.

Dante motioned with two fingers, indicating the all clear.

I opened my door and stepped out, breathing in the countryside and filling my lungs with the scent of home. It wasn’t enough to take away the stress, but it helped.

Sofia hopped out of the car and ran to me, grabbing my hand. “Daddy, tell him.”

“Tell who what?” I’d gotten lost in the moment, cataloguing what needed to be done as we prepared for the night.

“Tell Daddy that princesses have ponies. I want seven. One for every day of the week.” She swung my hand back and forth. “And he has to teach me how to ride.”

I grinned at Luca. “Do you know how to ride?”

His nose wrinkled the same way Sofia’s did when she found something irritating or disgusting. “Of course.”

“Then she’s right. You teach her how to ride.” I knelt and scooped Sofia up, settling her in the crook of my arm. “Let’s start with one pony.”

She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but a single look from Nina snapped it shut. “One pony is fine.” Her smile reappeared in a flash, and she gripped my neck with one arm. She’d dressed herself this morning, insisting princesses on their way to a magical land needed to dress themselves for the occasion. The result was a pink tutu over pink and yellow striped tights, a pink sweater, and fairy wings. Her crown and scepter were still in the car, but she’d taken enormous pleasure in bopping me in the back of the head with the scepter for half the drive.

I hugged Sofia tight. I should have been on the phone with my contact in Milan. I should have been reviewing the latest information Marco had given us. But I needed this. I’d never had anyone love me the way Sofia did. Just because.

Nina loved me too. That love was different. It was also just because, and I loved her more than I had words to express.

Sofia wiggled and giggled. “Can I explore?”