Page 17 of Captive Vow (Mafia Marriages 2)

Nova is seated at the edge of my bed, her legs kicking wildly into the air. She’s humming a lullaby and stops abruptly when she glances up at me.

Caught.

It’s the first sound I’ve heard her make.

Was it a song her mother used to sing to her or a previous nanny?

I doubt Moreno ever sang Nova any lullabies. He doesn’t seem the type.

“Are you ready to go downstairs?” I ask.

She climbs down from the bed, the only indication of her answer. Nova doesn’t smile. There’s not even a slight nod of understanding. But I know she comprehends every word I say.

Maybe introducing her to sign language would be beneficial for her to communicate. Although I don’t know very many words, we could learn together.

But the fact she was just humming a lullaby, I can’t help the nagging feeling there’s more than Moreno is telling me.

I turn the handle of the bedroom door, and it squeaks open. Leone is standing guard outside my room.

“Can I help you?” he asks.

“I’m taking Nova downstairs for breakfast,” I say. I’m not asking his permission. This is her house, and she should be allowed to roam freely inside. Besides, her playroom is downstairs, and I can’t imagine we’ll be forced to have every meal upstairs in the bedroom.

I assume last night was a warning from Moreno for trying to take Nova off the property without permission.

He was right. As much as it kills me to admit it, I’d been with her only a few hours and shouldn’t have planned to whisk her away to the park without speaking to her father.

“Very well, I’ll show you to the kitchen,” Leone says. He heads for the stairs.

Nova and I follow a few steps back. She slips her hand into mine as we descend the stairs together.

I casually glance at her and catch a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Good. At least we’re getting along pretty well.

If only the same could be said about her father and me.

Leone leads me past the foyer and down to the kitchen on the opposite side of the house. The log cabin is vast.

“How long have you worked for Moreno?” I ask Leone, trying to make small talk.

He glances over his shoulder at me as he enters the kitchen and flips on the light. There’s a high-top table in dark rich wood with four chairs. The kitchen wasn’t made for kids, but I’m confident Nova can sit there if I help her climb up on the chair.

“You mean Dante,” Leone corrects me. “And it’s been a minute.”

Cryptic, as ever.

“Dante has a chef on staff. He’ll be here in half an hour to prepare a lavish breakfast, but I’m guessing someone can’t wait to eat?” Leone asks, glancing down at Nova.

She sneaks behind my legs.

“It’s fine. I’m hungry too,” I say. “I don’t mind cooking for the two of us.”

“Have at it, just don’t make too big of a mess,” Leone says as he heads out of the kitchen and guards the entrance of the kitchen beside the open entryway.

Is Moreno that concerned that I’m going to sneak off with his daughter that he’s put a guard on me?

“Do you like pancakes?” I ask Nova and spin around to face the little girl.

She opens her mouth, eyes wide like she’s about to speak, and then quickly shuts her lips. The pink lines of her lips are snapped closed and firm. Nova gives a slight glance toward the door and then a quick nod to respond.

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