Page 40 of The Sicilian Brotherhood I

No smart-ass remark I wanted to make would have been justified. He’d saved my life again.

“Santo and Pietro are behind me. They will come for him. We have questions.”

He turned his attention towards Skye again.

“You,” he said, “I have questions for you.”

She glared.

“I won’t be answering them.”

He chuckled, “Yes, you will be.”

Skye eyed the man on the ground, then me, then Giacomo, weighing the cost of resistance carefully.

“Skye,” I said, breaking my silence to think of the one person no one else had thought of during all this, “Where’s Millie?”

“Hiding,” she replied, “In the basement.”

“Get her out,” Giacomo replied, “You’re all coming with me.”

“I’m not giving you my daughter!”

Giac reached for his gun.

“Don’t make me pull this out.”

I nodded at Skye.

“Please, Skye.”

She was uncomfortable and I knew what she was thinking. Giacomo would probably kill her right? Or touch her. Or something. I couldn’t blame her for thinking so, but she had the wrong idea about him. The man on the floor might have made her believe otherwise.

“What are you going to do to me?” Skye huffed, “And my daughter?”

“This home is not safe.”

Now I had to wonder what Giacomo was playing at. Had he dropped his suspicions of Skye or was this a ruse to keep her close?

“This is my home,” she said, “I’m not leaving.”

“Fine,” Giac growled, “It’s late anyway. We’re staying then.”

This time, it wasn’t a question. Skye nodded.

“Of course. Dahlia’s my best friend. I would do anything for her.”

My heart softened. How could I have thought Skye of all people would betray me? Iago had probably threatened her and Franco too. I couldn’t blame her for that. She had a child to protect. I’d make the same decision too if I were in her shoes most likely.

“We’ll head to the basement. You, come,” Giacomo growled.

I followed him and Skye rolled her eyes. She couldn’t understand why I was following him, why I continued to long after he’d stopped pointing a gun to my head and threatening me. I could have run away in Sicily. I could have run away that night.

But despite every terrifying aspect of Giacomo from his intimidating height, his brute strength and his ruthlessness, that sense of safety I got with him provided an unbeatable high.

We thudded down to the basement, where Millie hid in the closet, cowering in fear. Skye got her daughter out and hugged her, bringing her upstairs. Millie walked past both of us in silence, fear visible all over her little face. Skye closed us into the basement and Giac breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down.

“You could have been killed,” he growled.

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