Page 41 of Lured By the Cartel

"Story time's over, piccoli," I announced, ignoring their immediate protests. "Time for bed."

"But Daddy-"

"No buts," Marco cut in, his tone gentle but firm. "Listen to your daddy. I'll come check on you once I'm done with work."

As I herded the twins toward their room, I caught snippets of Antonio's report—something about territory disputes and rival families. The usual drama that came with our life, but nothing that seemed immediately threatening. We'd learned to differentiate between routine business and genuine dangers.

Once the boys were tucked in, their room protected by state-of-the-art security systems and guards posted nearby, I made my way to Marco's office. He was deep in conversation with Antonio and Salvatore, but immediately held out his hand for me to join him.

"Everything okay?" I asked, settling into my usual spot beside him. Never thought that I would be doing something like this, joining them in preparations for something cartel-related.

"Just some upstarts thinking they can pressure our smaller operations," he replied, pulling me closer. "Nothing we can't handle."

I nodded, studying the reports spread across his desk. Years of living this life had taught me to read between the lines, to understand the complex web of alliances and threats that made up our world. "They're testing us again, aren't they? Seeing if we've gone soft since semi-retiring?"

Marco's proud smile warmed my heart. "Exactly. They see us spending more time with the boys and think we're not paying attention to business. They should've learned their lesson a long time ago."

"Then let's remind them why that's a dangerous assumption," I suggested, already formulating plans. The collegestudent who once thought he wasn't cut out for this life was long gone, replaced by someone who could hold his own.

Later that night, after the situation was handled (firmly but without bloodshed—we tried to save that for special occasions these days), we checked on the twins one last time. They slept like rocks, unaware of the complex balance their parents maintained between family life and criminal empire.

"They're getting so big," Marco murmured, his arm around my waist as we watched our sons sleep. "Sometimes I look at them and can't believe how much has changed."

I leaned into him, understanding exactly what he meant. "Remember when you thought having babies would make you weak?"

He chuckled softly. "I remember you proving me very wrong about that. Several times, quite dramatically."

"Someone had to knock some sense into you," I turned in his arms, pressing a kiss to his jaw. The silver in his hair had spread over the years, but it only made him more handsome in my eyes. "You were quite stubborn about it."

"I was stubborn about a lot of things," he admitted, leading me back to our bedroom. "Including falling in love with a much younger omega who turned my whole world upside down."

"Best decision you ever made though, right?" I teased, closing our door quietly.

"Second best," he corrected, pulling me close. "The best was asking you to be my mate."

I smiled, remembering that day, the ceremony that had followed, and everything that had led us to this moment. "Even with all the chaos it brought? The rival cartels, the territory wars, the midnight feedings?"

"Especially with all of that," he said seriously. "You gave me something I never thought I'd have - a real family. Someone to fight beside, not just fight for."

"We do make quite a team," I agreed, thinking of all the battles we'd faced together, both literal and metaphorical. "Although I have to say, I prefer our current semi-retired status. Less gunfights, more bedtime stories."

Marco laughed, the sound rich and warm. "You're the one who insisted on keeping enough business to 'stay interesting.'"

"Well, we couldn't go completely soft," I shrugged. "What kind of example would that set for the boys?"

"Speaking of examples," he grew serious, "have you thought more about Alessandro's questions about what we do?"

I had. Our oldest was getting increasingly curious about our "business," asking pointed questions about why we had so many guards, and why people treated his parents with such deference. "We'll tell them when they're older. Just enough to keep them safe and aware, but not so much that it overshadows their childhood."

"Like we discussed," Marco nodded approvingly. "Let them be kids first. There's time enough for everything else."

As we prepared for bed, I caught him watching me with that intense look I'd first fallen in love with at Nightshade. "What?"

"Just thinking about how lucky I am," he said softly. "That night in the forest... I went out to investigate reports of an intruder in our territory. Instead, I found my future."

"A future that included an omega who refused to be intimidated by you," I reminded him with a grin.

"Thank God for that," he pulled me into bed, his arms wrapping around me in that familiar, protective way. "We would have missed out on so much if you'd been easily intimidated."

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