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bsp; She paused, looking up to me and then Ethan. There it was—her pushing her boundaries.
“She’s fine here,” Ethan spoke to me coldly, as he should have; however, with his current coddling of her, I was annoyed. He brought the juice closer to her, which caused her to do what children do—take advantage.
“Yeah, Mommy, I’m fine here.” Gigi grinned, taking the cup and drinking slowly.
Gripping the knife in my hand, I watched the last two come in, Sedric and Darcy, both of them looking as sick as Wyatt did, sitting in their chairs and lean back. But before the doors could close, I heard barking. They dashed in as blurs of white and gray fur.
“Priscus! Verus!” Gigi laughed as they came up the sides of the table. “Sorry, are you hungry?”
They barked louder, trying to stand up next to her.
“Sit!” I snapped, and immediately, both dogs froze beside her, now silent and sitting. Speaking firmly, my gaze narrowed. “Gigi, go get them their food.”
“Later, Mommy—”
“Giovanna, get down this second and go get them their food like I told you this morning. Then sit down in your chair like the big girl I know you are and eat your breakfast. Now!” I hollered at her, and her lips quivered as she slid down Ethan’s leg, walking toward the double doors.
I glanced at O’Phelan, nodding for him to help her. Priscus and Verus sat, waiting, their tiny tales wagging as they looked back at where Gigi had gone then back at me.
“Follow,” I ordered them, and they bolted toward the doors she went through. When they had gone, I broke a piece of my bread, looking to Evelyn as calmly I asked, “Will you pass the butter, please?”
She did.
“Thank you,” I said, taking my knife and spreading it, knowing full well they were watching me. Might as well use this to my advantage and push our lie, was what I planned to do when all of sudden, Ethan’s phone went off.
Not just his, but mine did too.
But I didn’t bother checking. Rising from my chair when he did, we both moved for Gigi as we heard the gunshots echo through the air, exploding against the bulletproof windows. Gigi held on to me, confused. Seconds later, Greyson rushed into the room.
“Boss. The Rocha.”
So much for my damn welcome breakfast, fuck me for fucking trying.
4
“Sometimes I am God, if I say a man dies,
he dies that same day.”
~ Pablo Escobar
ETHAN
“There were two cars—”
“Stop talking,” I ordered, not looking at Greyson, who foolishly thought that now, in the middle of the dining room with my daughter present, would be best time to discuss this. Instead, I looked at my daughter, who was in Calliope’s arms, and I could not read her face. Her mother’s face…that was a different story.
“Are you scared?” I asked, cupping the side of Gigi’s face.
“No papa,” she beamed cheerfully. “Mommy has fireworks too.”
“Fireworks, really?” I chuckled and she nodded excitedly as I reached over, taking her from her mother’s arms. I took her out of the dining room to my room, walking us down the hall until we got to the blank space in the wall right beside an old oil painting of ancient Rome.
She talked the whole time and didn’t even notice as the wall began to open.
“This one time, Mommy threw fireworks and they went bang bang bang and then there were all these pretty colors, Papa. Priscus and Verus went crazy. They were the ones scared. Not me. Mommy says I never have to be scared ‘cause she’s always there.”
“I’m here too,” I whispered, frowning as I set her down on the couch, kneeling in front of her. She looked around the room, pouting when she saw no toys or anything that seemed to interest her. It was just any other bedroom to her.
