Page 88 of Daddies of the Underworld

I lowered her to the ground. “Yes, as long as someone is with you at all times.”

“Okay, Daddy.” She bolted for the stairs, Nina and Luca on her heels.

Every time she called me Daddy, the world stopped. It was the single most terrifying and thrilling word in any language. It had the power to destroy me and heal me. I would never, ever take that for granted.

Dante stopped beside me, his gaze on the second SUV. “Marco would like to talk to you. He says he has information.”

“Good.” I’d tried to be sensitive to his pain and not push, but now that we were home, it was time to take control. I crossed to the SUV and opened the door. Nina had invited him to ride with us, but he’d declined.

Marco’s hands shook when he gripped the door and climbed out. The doctor had given him a relatively clean bill of health. He’d been tortured by Viktor until his escape three years ago, but he’d left with a dislocated shoulder and several broken bones that had not healed well. Add in his constant need to run and hide, and life had whittled Marco down to a shell of a man.

But he lifted his chin when his feet touched the ground and sighed.

We made our way through the villa and into the library. Marco sat in the chair, his throat working. “You need to look for Sergie Vlasov. Viktor used him for border crossings and cash moves.” He went on to explain about several of Viktor’s safe houses.”

By the time he finished talking, the sun had dropped to the other side of the villa and he’d been through three cups of tea. I’d asked questions until his voice gave out, but he had answered everything without hesitation.

Nina joined me as Marco stood and shuffled away. They passed each other near the door, and Nina gave his shoulder a soft pat. She waited until the door closed to cross the room and perch on the corner of my desk. “Do you ever get tired?”

“Yes.” I sat back with a groan. My head was stuffed full of new information, but I took the time to talk to Nina anyway. This was what I was fighting to keep. “I grow tired of the cost. My entire life has been built around the idea that the worst that can happen to me is that I’m killed. That ceased being my biggest worry the moment I saw you. I have so much more to live for now, but I would give my life in an instant to save you and Sofia.” If I thought it would help, I’d sacrifice myself to Viktor to save them. “Men like me are supposed to make peace with the fact we will most likely die young. I regret that my actions caused such distance between us. But if I spend the rest of my life mourning what I missed, I will miss even more of it.”

My phone buzzed. I frowned as I pulled it from my pocket. Shock jolted through me, sending me forward when I recognized the number. How had he gotten mine? Grimacing because I knew Dante would be furious, I opened the message.

Surrender the child or prepare for war.

Nina read over my arm, her nails digging into my skin where she gripped me.

“Fuck no.” I didn’t bother hiding the message from her. It would not do any good.

Dante and Luca tore into the room, both with their phones to their ears. Dante carried Sofia, who he handed off to Nina even as he barked orders into the phone.

I waited, the looks on their faces enough to turn my blood to ice. My stomach churned, but I refused to allow anything to show on my face or in my actions. Like my father taught me, I remained completely still until both men ended the calls and faced me.

Dante spoke first. “The Naples warehouse took a hit. The Milan convoy is under attack from multiple shooters. They’re pinned down.”

“The Rotterdam office went dark seconds after their alarms went off. They’re bracing for a breach.” Luca tore a hand through his hair.

This was it, then. Viktor was going to come at us from every angle.

32

LUCA

Sofia clung to Nina’s neck, her stuffed rabbit crushed between them and her eyes too wide. We’d tried to shield her from the worst of the conversations on our phones, but it was obvious she’d heard enough to understand the threat.

Nina held her tight, one hand spread over the back of Sofia’s head. Her gaze kept jumping between Matteo, Dante, and the phones we held.

Matteo motioned at me, the flick of his fingers stilted as he tried to contain his anger. “Take them upstairs.”

“I can help.” Nina’s voice trembled, but she lifted her chin. It was such a Nina move and statement that my heart finally decided it could beat again.

I didn’t have the luxury of holding my breath, but my heart had well and truly tried to pause in reaction to the reality of what was coming for us.

“You will.” Matteo managed a pained smile that did nothing to ease the tension in the room. “She needs you. Stay with her.”

Nina looked ready to argue until Sofia tangled her hands in Nina’s hair and whimpered. That was all it took for every bit of the fight to drain out of her. She shifted Sofia in her arms and turned to me. “Will you show me her room?”

“Of course.” Like Dante and Matteo, I had studied the layout of the house. I’d walked it in the pitch black so I could get anywhere at any time regardless of the circumstances. I settled a hand at the small of her back, and she let me guide her from the library. Every step cost her, her head swiveling back twice before we reached the hall.