Page 134 of Luca
“Prima la famiglia,”he said softly over the line. “Family first and foremost.”
I let out a shuddering breath. Nonno was family. He’d been family from the moment I met him.
My chest ached with emotions as I regarded the man beside me. My husband. His dark hair stuck to his bloody forehead. His body was covered in blood too.
“Tell me where to meet you,” I said. I couldn’t discuss the past now. I just wanted to get us out of here. I needed to see my daughter and husband to safety.
He gave me an address outside the city. I pulled over and keyed it into the GPS, then continued driving.
About one hour later, I steered the car toward a deserted parking lot where a helicopter was already waiting. So was Nonno with his guards. I came to a stop. Cassio and his friends immediately jumped out of the car. He rushed to the front seat to check Luca’s vitals then gripped him under the arms.
Luca groaned and woke up Penelope who let out a wail seeing an unfamiliar surroundings and the faces of Luciano and Sasha who she didn’t know.
“You took her with you to go get him,” Nonno rasped, eyeing me like I had lost my mind.
“My brothers met me there,” I explained, not that I owed him an explanation. “Besides, you said he wanted both of us. So we were both there.”
Cassio opened his mouth but Luciano put his palm on Cassio’s shoulder.
“She kept her safe for three years on her own,” he reasoned with his best friend, taking my side. “They are here. She saved him. Let’s get them back to Sicily.”
“You’re right,” Cassio said. “Help me carry him.” His dark eyes came to me and Penelope. “You need help with my niece?”
I shook my head. “I got her.” My heart thundering in my chest, I walked to the back door and opened it to unbuckle my daughter. “Shh,” I soothed her. “Everything is okay.”
I quickly lifted her then straightened and all together we walked toward the helicopter. Penelope pressed herself against me but her hand reached out to her father’s and she took it into hers. Her eyes locked on Luca, refusing to let him out of her sight.
“Mine,” she said as the helicopter lifted into the air.
She certainly got that possessive trait from her father.
ChapterFifty-Two
LUCA
My body ached like a motherfucker.
It didn’t compare to the pain behind my eyelids, and I suspected it had nothing to do with the light pouring through the windows and everything from spending the last three days under Marchetti’s torture.
The secrets were out. My wife and child were no longer hidden. Fuck, my wife came for me. She saved my life. Why? She knew it was me who shot her beloved father and yet, she still came for me.
The scent of citrus, olives, and land drifted through the breeze. I didn’t need to open my eyelids to know. I could smell it in the air. I was back in Sicily.
Peeling my eyes open, I found Cassio sitting in the chair next to my bed, staring at me.
“Finally. I thought you’d nap the day away,” he grumbled.
“You’re not that lucky,” I gritted out. I shifted and sat up, the throbbing in my body refusing to cease. “You look like you need a bath and nap, big brother.” He just flipped me the bird. “Where are my wife and daughter?”
Maybe they disappeared again. I didn’t think I could survive another three years without them. Heck, I didn’t think I could last another day without them. I needed them back.
“They are with Nonno,” he said slowly. “Penelope talks to us like she’s always known us.” My throat squeezed. “Of course, she likes Nonno the best, although she’s been asking about you.”
“About me?” I repeated, trying to understand why she would ask about me. She didn’t even know me. The bitterness slithered through my veins like poison. My daughter didn’t know me. I missed out on so much.
“Yes, about you.” Cassio touched my shoulder, holding my gaze. “Want me to go get them?”
I nodded.
