Page 34 of The Taker

Lionheart: I can’t believe you promised her another cupcake and chocolate milk this late. I have to deal with this dumpster fire and a sugared-up hyperactive ten year old!

Me: No you don’t. I have men for that. As soon as you’re done eating, start packing. All three of you will stay at my place.

Leo’s face falls, as if the rug was being swiped out from under him. He looks up from his phone with a conflicted expression on his face.

Lionheart: The fuck we are! Move us somewhere else, or better yet, we can stay here.

“Lucy, Leo and I are going to step into another room real quick. How about you get a second cupcake?”

“And more milk?!” she asks excitedly, bouncing up from her seat.

“Of course!” I reply over my shoulder as I lead Leo into his room with my hand on the small of his back.

As soon as I shut the door, he rounds on me, stopping inches from my face.

“We are not moving into your apartment. I don’t want the girls knowing about our arrangement,” he snaps.

“I burned down Ronan’s drug den about an hour ago—which means this attack was planned beforehand, not in retaliation. Something bigger is coming down the pike. You’re my toy,” I remind him by wrapping my hand around his throat. “And part of being mine is obeying me, especially when it comes to you and your sisters’ safety. Do you understand me?”

Leo glowers at me, as if his very gaze could put me six feet under. I tighten my grip, and walk him back to his bed, until his thighs touch the back. My chest presses into his, and he’s forced to crane his neck to hold his death-glare.

“Ronan is gunning for me, and you by extension. The minute you put yourself between his bullet and my heart, you put yourself ontwopsychopath’s radars,” I explain to him. “Pack a bag for today, and tomorrow the three of you can direct the movers on what to pack.”

I don’t wait for a response, but let him go so he can get to work. He pulls a black duffel bag out of his closet and carefully folds in a few outfits.

“Lucy is going to be traumatized from this.” His voice is hollow.

“And think of how much worse it could have been. That’s why you’re staying with me.Indefinitely.” I leave no room for argument, because I know if I give this brat an inch of wiggle room, he’ll run a mile away from me.

“For now,” he tries to correct me, but there’s no bite in his words. “You better keep us safe, Rocco, or else I’ll end you.”

Usually, I’d slit someone’s throat for threatening me, but hearing his version of a menacing voice is a strike of lust straight to my warped, fucked up heart. I come up behind him, pulling his back into my chest. His bite mark is showing over the neck of the clean sweatshirt he changed into.

“I promise, toy. You’re all safe with me.”

11

LEO

“What the fuck?!” Julia shouts at me. “We have to move,again?!”

I understand she had to leave her sleepover early, came home to a torn apart apartment with blood on the carpet, and is caught off guard by the abrupt news, but her outburst has me at my wit's end. She rages at me everyday, and I’m sick and tired of it. This isn’t even a conversation anymore–she keeps screaming over me, and won’t let me get a word in edgewise.

“Jules, I can explain everything to you when you’re calmer, but you need to pack an overnight bag with a few days of clothes and the essentials. End of discussion.”

“Why are we moving?! Did you get fired from your new job? I swear, you’re just like Mom. We’re going to end up moving a million times because you can’t pay the rent.”

Her words are a verbal slap. I don’t even know how to respond to such a ridiculous, hurtful thing. Before I can, Rocco steps into the doorway, looking cool and unbothered. Except for the furious glint in his eyes.

“Do you know who I am?” Rocco asks Julia.

She shakes her head no, but her silence means she can feel the dangerous vibe he puts out.

“Rocco Vettore.” Her mouth drops. She looks back and forth between Rocco and I, trying to put the pieces together. “Yes, one of those Vettores,” he smiles at her. “Your brother didn’t get fired. He and I are dating, and you’re all moving into my place for your own safety.”

“S-s-safety?” she stutters.

“There are dangerous people after your brother and I, because he saved me from a bullet. It’s my job to protect him–and by extension you and your sister. Because he loves you and cares about you. So I never want to hear you compare him to your mother, or talk to him in that tone of voice again. Show him some respect,” Rocco calmly states, using his gravatas to control the situation.

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