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“Is this going to be a problem, Toni?” he asks.
“Not for me,” she replies coolly.
“And for Dante and Lorenzo?”
“You know I’ve never lived my life by their rules. They won’t be overly happy if it gets out,” she admits. “Lorenzo won’t be a problem because he still hates me, but Dante might try and do the whole protective big brother thing.”
“And if he does?”
“I assure you it will be the man, or woman, behind the camera who will incur his wrath. Besides, I would never allow anyone to hurt Lucia or your family. You know that.”
“Hmm,” he rubs a hand over his jaw. “You know I needed to make sure that was still the case.”
“I understand, and it is. I owe Alana my life. I’ll never forget that.”
I look between her and my father. This is a new development I had no idea about.
“You have my assurances Jax and me will do everything in our power to destroy those videos and whoever took them,” he says.
I smile at him. Something about the way he talks about him and Jax as though they’re still a team gives me hope. An unexpected sob gets stuck in my throat as I think about my husband. Alone in Dallas, thinking that everyone he loves is against him. What a huge cluster fuck this has all turned into.
“Please, can I drive home?” I ask my father as we reach his Bugatti Veyron.
“Nope. Nobody drives the Bugatti.”
“Mom does,” I remind him.
“Very occasionally, and only when she…” he grins wickedly and shakes his head. “Well, you don’t need to know that, mija.”
“Eurgh.” I pull a face, feigning my disgust. “Fine. I won’t ask again.”
I climb into the passenger seat and try not to think about why he allows my mom to drove his pride and joy sometimes. “So, Toni and mom?” I ask instead, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah?” he replies with a frown.
“Toni said that mom saved her life.”
“Hmm,” he says with a nod.
“Are you going to tell me how?”
“It’s not my story to tell, mija, or your mama’s. You should ask Toni.”
“Well, now you have me even more intrigued. Come on, Papi, how did the sweetest woman I know save Toni Moretti’s life?”
He turns in his seat and frowns at me. “Your mom might be sweet, Lucia, but she is the strongest person you will ever meet.”
“I know that too. It’s just, Toni is so…” I shake my head.
“Strong?” he offers.
“Yeah. Super strong. Like she’s invincible.”
“Nobody is invincible, mija,” he says with a sigh. “And even the strongest of us need someone who will be there to pick us up when we fall. Your mom is the kind of person who sees things that other people don’t. And when she knows that somebody is in trouble, she will do whatever it takes to help them. As much as that irritates the hell out of me, it’s also who she is, and why I love her.”
I can’t help but smile at him. My parents are so very different in lots of ways. My father is ruthless, stubborn, tough and impulsive. He acts first and asks questions later. My mom is kind, compassionate, always willing to see the best in people, she is tough in a different way to him. But they are always a team. Together – they are invincible.
I thought that was Jax and me too. I wonder what he’s doing right now.
