Page 23 of Of Lies and Shadows

I come home and find laughter in the kitchen and shrieks of hide and seek in the halls. I find her smile, soft, without expectation, without calculation, and it catches me off guard every damn time.

People don’t smile at me like that. Not without wanting something. But she does. And the worst part? I find myself wanting to see that smile more and more.

I watch the way she is with the twins. The patience. The gentleness. No matter what she says, this goes beyond a job.

She cares for them deeply. And I’d wager part of her… already loves them.

And strangely enough, I don’t mind her being around either. She brings a kind of levity I didn’t realize I missed. A quiet kindness that softens the sharp edges of this house, of me, in a way Maria never could.

She doesn’t ask for space in my life. She just… slips into it, like she’s always been there.

Which is probably why, despite the chaos and the constant threats, I’ve been trying to get home before bedtime.

Trying to join them for dinner. Even if it means retreating to my office right after and working until sunrise.

But not tonight. Tonight, I’m not in the kitchen. I’m in the basement of one of our buildings with Vito, a pair of blood-soaked pliers, and a man strapped to a chair who won’t stop screaming.

He’s one of Salvatore’s men, embedded in our operation for a year. And he swears he didn’t know about Gordo.

I don’t believe him.

Vito looks at me, wiping blood off his gloves. “Boss, we just cut off two of his fingers. He’s still screaming the same thing. Maybe it’s not him.”

I don’t answer right away. I just twirl the pliers in my hand and stare at the sobbing mess of a man in front of me.

The part of me that’s tired wants to be done. The part of me that smells blood wants to keep going.

One of them will win.

“You’re telling me you’re not a traitor?”

“Yes,” he chokes out, sobbing. “I am— I’m working for Salvatore, I admit it—but I don’t know anything about a company to buy, I swear. I’m just here to tell Salvatore if you get close to him. Nothing more.”

I sigh and glance over at Vito, who shrugs likeWhat do you want me to say?

And I get it. The guy’s given us so much already, names of Salvatore’s associates we hadn’t even clocked yet.

If he knew about the Gordo move, he would’ve said something.

“Okay. Fine.” I pull out my gun and shoot him. Two to the chest, one to the head.

The Mozambique drill. My signature. Clean. Precise. Unmistakable.

I glance at my watch.

A month ago, I’d have thought:It’s only seven thirty. I’ve got time to help Vito with cleanup.

But now? Now my first thought is:Shit. I missed dinner with the kids. Maybe I can still make it home before they fall asleep.

Because I know that if I walk in and the house is dark, if the twins are already in bed, and if the rooms are quiet and the kitchen is clean… I won’t see her either.

And as pathetic as that is, because God knows I’m aware of it, I want to see her.

Even if all we talk about is the children. Even if it’s justa passing smile across the hallway. Even if it’s her voice murmuring something about Lucia’s dream or Alessio’s new pirate phase.

I wantthat. Her.

And I don’t know what the hell to do with that truth.

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