Page 13 of Little Dove

“Worried that I’ll have to deal with your smart mouth sooner rather than later,” he quips back. I can hear movement in the background, and when he murmurs to someone, a grin pulls at my lips.

“Oh, did I interrupt something?” I croon. “Will our new madre be upset?”

“Fuck off,” Papa huffs, but there’s no heat behind his words.

He’s been seeing a new woman for a while now, and this time, he’s kept it carefully under wraps. None of us, or even the Carusos, know who she is. Yet. We’ve been a bit distracted, but the moment things calm down, we’ll be finding out who has seemingly thawed our father’s heart.

After our mother’s death, our father grieved for years. He never so much as looked at another woman. We were old enough to understand, and we didn’t want him to live the rest of his life alone. I remember having a conversation with him when I was sixteen, telling him that we would welcome him starting to date again. He refused, of course, out of concern for Sofia, our baby sister. He didn’t want to confuse her or make her think he was replacing our mother, who was the love of his life.

Still, it wasn’t long before we realized that he may not have been interested in another long-term love, but he was certainly seeing women casually.

This new romance has lasted a few months, so it’s definitely serious. If I were the type to be easily offended, I’d probablybe pissed that he hasn’t introduced us yet, but considering my feelings for Amara right now, I’m starting to understand. How can a man want a woman so quickly? It’s a visceral reaction.

Instead of pressing further, I tell him the situation and our coordinates.

“We’re safe in a bunker that they don’t know exists,” I explain. “We have water, so we’re good on that front until someone can get here. We’re hoping we can find some food, but that’s probably a no-go considering how long ago this place was abandoned.”

“Good. And how is Ms. Stanley?” he asks as I hear him typing furiously away.

“She’s fine.”

It feels different hearing my father say her name. I don’t feel the urge to growl at him like I did Alessio.

God, this woman is already under my skin after only a day. I’m starting to understand how Nico and Alessio are so obsessed with their women.

The typing on the other end ceases. “Problem?”

Such a simple question, but there is so much behind it.

“Nope.”

Yeah, definitely not going to tell my father what’s going on in my head or anything more about Amara. She and I have some time to figure shit out, because there is no way I’m leaving this bunker without her.

Besides, I already have a much better handle on this than Alessio did with Sienna.

Because down here, there is nowhere for her to run.

“Hmmm.” He doesn’t sound the least bit convinced, but he lets it drop. “We’re on our way to New York within the hour. Shit’s about to hit the fan, and we need all hands. The sooner we get you back, the better.”

“I haven’t heard yet what’s happening. The hit crew didn’t head toward the house back home?”

“No. We lost all traces of them, but there is a very good chance that they’re heading to New York. My guys are working on it. The biggest development is that Giovanni went to the Russians.”

“The Russians? What the fuck?”

“I’ve already got people trying to figure out what the hell is going on there. But we also found more information on the missing girls. It appears Gia and Sienna have another sister. A twin to the deceased brother, Matteo.”

Damn, I’m missing all the important shit.

“Any leads?”

“No, but Leonardo knows about her, so we’re kicking into high gear to try and find her. My guy is still looking for the fourth girl—the one we think is Amara’s sister. No information has surfaced about her, and it doesn’t look like Marco, Leonardo, or Giovanni have found her. I want to keep it that way.”

“So Leonardo has three daughters, including Gia, and Giovanni has two, including Amara?”

“It appears so, yes. And with the situation in New York getting worse, getting to them before those other bastards is paramount. So the sooner you get here, the better.”

“Alessio said someone will be on their way within a few hours, but with a six-hour flight, then a two-hour drive, it’s going to be at least two days before we get back. Maybe a day and a half if we really push it.”

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