Page 40 of Lured By the Cartel

I couldn't help but laugh. "Retirement? You?"

"Well, semi-retirement," he amended with a grin. "Keep enough business to stay interesting, but maybe fewer midnight gunfights?"

"Whatever you want, amore," I promised, knowing I'd give him the world if he asked for it. "Although I have to admit, you've become quite good at the midnight gunfights."

"Had to," he shrugged. "Someone needs to watch your back, old man."

Before I could respond, Salvatore approached me with news about the cleanup operation. As I listened to his report, I keptone arm around Lucas, marveling at how much had changed since that first night at Nightshade.

That wide-eyed art student who'd stumbled into cartel territory had evolved into something deadly—an omega who could orchestrate territory deals as smoothly as he could cradle our twins. Together, we'd built more than a family; we'd created a new kind of power that made old pack hierarchies look like children's stories.

"Boss," Antonio's voice came through our comms. "The twins are asking for their papà."

Lucas smiled up at me. "Duty calls. Ready to go home?"

"With you?" I pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Always."

We stepped over bullet casings and broken bodies, leaving our cleanup crew to erase the evidence of what happens when you target a cartel alpha's family. My omega—barely old enough to drink—moved with the fluid grace of someone twice his age, gun still warm at his hip. All those years I'd spent building my reputation for ruthlessness, and he'd surpassed it in mere months. Not because he craved power like I once had, but because he'd found something worth becoming a monster for—two tiny heartbeats that called him Papa.

And in Lucas, in our sons, in the family we'd built together, I'd found something worth everything.

The war was over. We'd won. And now, we had a lifetime ahead of us to enjoy our victory.

Lucas' Epilogue

A few years later…

"Papa, tell us again how you and Daddy met!" Alessandro demanded, bouncing on our king-sized bed while his brother nodded enthusiastically beside him. At five years old, they were bundles of endless energy, especially during bedtime stories. This particular tale had become their favorite, though Marco and I heavily edited certain parts for obvious reasons.

I exchanged an amused glance with my mate, who was pretending to read reports at his desk but was actually listening intently. He always did when this story came up, probably to ensure I didn't reveal too many details about our actual first meeting. Only a handful of people knew, of course.

"Well," I began, pulling both boys onto my lap, "I was working at a very special club called Nightshade-"

"Where Papa was very responsible and only served water," Marco interjected with a smirk, finally abandoning any pretense of work to join us on the bed.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yes, lots and lots of water. And then one night, this very old man walked in-"

"I wasn't old," Marco protested, making the twins giggle. "I was distinguished."

"Distinguished?" I teased. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

Matteo, always the more observant of our sons, looked between us with those intelligent eyes he'd inherited from Marco. "But Daddy, you did think Papa was old, didn't you?"

"I did," I admitted, running my fingers through Matteo's dark curls. "I thought he was ancient."

"And now?" Marco raised an eyebrow, pulling Alessandro onto his lap.

"Now I know better," I smiled. "He's absolutely ancient."

The boys erupted in laughter as Marco launched a playful attack, tickling both them and me until we were all breathless and disheveled on the bed. These moments, so far removed from the violence and danger that still occasionally touched our lives, were precious beyond measure.

"But you fell in love anyway," Alessandro stated confidently, snuggling between us.

"We did," Marco confirmed, his eyes meeting mine over our sons' heads. After all these years, that look still made my heart skip a beat. "Because sometimes the best things in life come when you least expect them."

A knock at the door interrupted our family moment. Antonio stood in the doorway, his expression apologetic. "Boss, there's a situation that needs your attention."

Five years ago, such an interruption would have filled me with anxiety and tension. Now, I merely nodded, already moving to get the twins ready for bed. We'd developed a smooth routine for handling these situations, one that kept our family life as normal as possible despite the occasional intrusion of cartel business.

---