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“Let’s get to work,” I say gruffly, changing the subject, and Carter laughs, shaking his head, knowing he won this battle. He and Nico sit down, and we get busy, strategizing about how to get Dominic and put an end to this shitshow of a situation.
Later that day, I am in my office, going through the list of new soldiers that are coming to New York. Tension is high because we need men, and we are very selective on who we take. But given the trouble we are having at the moment with trying to find Dominic, and needing manpower now more than ever, I have to broaden our scope and take in men who I am not confident are ready for the challenge.
I am tired, stressed, and keep thinking about Little Red on my lap this morning and how much I want a repeat. I haven’t seen her today. After the boys and I worked out a new plan, Nico and Carter went out with the team to put the wheels in motion, and Sebastian needed to go and help Goldie at her gallery.
I came back to a quiet house earlier this afternoon, and went to the bedroom to check on her, finding her still in bed, asleep. She sleeps a lot, and while I know our nighttime activities have increased, I am still not sure that is the sole reason for why she is so tired. I sat and watched her for a moment, to see if she woke from her nap, but her sleep was so deep, she didn’t even toss or turn, so I left her and have now been in my office for hours.
I need to get things moving because everything feels too slow at the moment. Dominic laying low has really put us out of our ordinary flow. We like to get things done quickly. He is smart, though. He knows how we operate, so by going into hiding and not being available to us, he is slowing us right down, and it is irritating us all. Just when we think we have found him, things change at the last minute. He is sly like that, and I know that wherever he is, he is enjoying toying with us. I look forward to catching him and showing him exactly what I think of him.
I flick through page after page of resumes for soldiers, some from the US, some from Sicily, some have skills, others go straight into the trash. As the pile in the trash gets bigger, I grow more and more frustrated. Standing up, I throw the papers across the room.
“Fuck!” I yell to myself, my temper shorter than normal.
As I pace the office, trying to calm myself, I hear the TV from the movie room. It’s soundproof, so whoever is in there must have kept the door open. Now that I hear music and talking, I can no longer concentrate. Already in a terrible mood, I stalk out of my office, ready to yell at someone.
But as I walk through the movie room door, I stop short.
“What the hell is going on in here?”
27
Annie
I ventured into the theater room later this afternoon after waking from my nap, and although I know next to zero about tech, I managed to get the system to work. Scrolling through the movies, I finally land on the one I want. I get some throw rugs and cushions and make a cute little picnic area.
While Leo is still quietly playing in his room and Dante is working down the hall in his office, I head to the kitchen and make some popcorn—a request I put onto the grocery list I made for Maria a few days ago. I grab the soda from the refrigerator, along with some glasses, and go back to the movie room to finish setting up my special picnic surprise.
Happy with the set-up, I walk down to Leo’s room.
“Leo! I have a surprise for you!” I singsong to him, and he looks at me with a wide smile. “You need to close your eyes and take my hand, okay?” He doesn’t hesitate, grabbing my hand in his, and I can see the joy and excitement on his face.
Holding hands, I lead him out of his room and back down the hall, and take him into the movie room.
“Ta-da! Open your eyes!” I announce, his eyes opening wide at the sight before him. He takes in the room, the rugs and cushions, and the popcorn and sodas. He then spots the Lego movie on the screen, and his smile grows to take up his whole face.
“I thought we could have a movie afternoon!” I say joyfully, knowing that although Dante and Maria love him, they would never have done something like this.
“Come on, let's get comfy.” We make our way to the cushion floor mound I have made with the blankets, which are a staple for me right now as I am always cold. We submerge ourselves in the billowy softness, and I press play as we begin to watch the movie and eat our snacks.
As the movie begins, Leo stretches and grabs the remote to turn it up, wanting the full movie experience. We devour the popcorn and Leo drinks his soda in record time. I am not looking forward to the sugar rush later.
“What the hell is going on?” I hear Dante ask from behind us, and we sit up quickly. He is not angry but certainly surprised, amused almost, looking around the room like he hasn’t seen it before. I follow his gaze; it is like a magical kingdom and not his sleek theatre room it was mere hours ago. Dante struts over to the remote and pauses the film. Obviously, it was too loud and he could hear in in his office
“Daaaad!” Leo says in complaint, and we all stop.
Leo just spoke.
My eyes widen, and I gasp as I gape at Leo. The three of us are still, not quite believing what just happened. I force myself to breathe and a small smile graces my lips as my eyes begin to water.
Leo is still, his eyes wide, a mirror image of his dad.
“Leo?” Dante says quietly, coming closer to Leo, bending down on one knee on the floor in front of him so they are eye to eye. Dante reaches for Leo’s hand, the two of them looking at each other, Dante in awe, Leo a little startled, both in total shock.
“Can you talk again, son?” Dante asks, almost pleading, as he can’t quite believe what just happened. He grabs Leo’s shoulder, and Dante’s eyes begin to water as well.
Leo looks at me, and I smile wide and nod to him, trying not to let the tears fall, not wanting to ruin the moment and giving him the reassurance he is asking for.
“Dad?” he says timidly, his voice a little croaky from lack of use, but otherwise, all normal. It’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.
