Page 27 of Savage Hearts

Beckett glanced down at where we were joined and raised a brow in question. Shrugging my shoulder, I smiled.

“Baby steps.”

“Baby steps.” His grin nearly did me in.

It was dark by the time we’d emerged from our room, and I wasn’t surprised to find Vincenzo sitting at the table alone. Even though he was a family man now, he was still a loner. With everything going on, I imagined he was struggling to keep his demons at bay. He was nursing a glass of amber liquor, as though he was waiting for us to arrive.

“I wondered when you’d finally come downstairs. Where’s Becks?”

I groaned at their pet name for Emilia.

“Asleep. I brought this.” Setting down the monitor, I let go of Beckett’s hand and went to the fridge. “How about a sandwich?”

“That’ll work. So, Vincenzo…” He slid into a chair opposite my brother. “What intel do you have on Manuel’s whereabouts?”

Vin leaned back in his chair and appraised Beckett. “You going to go off half-cocked on your own again?”

I peered over my shoulder in time to see his gaze move toward me. “No.”

“Good. Then be ready to sit down tomorrow and work out a plan. There will be some others joining us.”

“Others?” I spun on my heel and pinned my brother with a glare. “What others?”

“Father for one. Now that mother is safe in Sicily, he’ll be joining us on the hunt for Carmela and Manuel.”

My mother had not taken the news of Carmela’s disappearance well. Once I’d been cleared to come home with Emilia, my father whisked her back to Italy with my grandmother. Now, under the guard of his most trusted men, I presumed, my father would be returning. “Does he know Beckett’s here?”

“Yep.” The slight smirk on my brother's face told me my father wasn’t going to be easy on Beckett.

“You said others… who else?”

Vincenzo stood and put his glass into the sink.

“People who stand to lose just as much if Manuel stretches his drug ring beyond what he has already.”

Beckett glanced at my brother, then back at me.

“What time will they be here?”

“Tomorrow morning around ten.” Vincenzo pushed off the counter and sauntered out of the room.

“That was weird.” Beckett stared into the empty room. “Your brother is kinda scary.”

Biting my lip, I attempted to stifle my laugh and failed.

“Why are you laughing at me?”

“Do you not know who my brother is?” He tilted his head in confusion. “Vincenzo isn’t just a chef, Beckett. He’s one of the deadliest men on the planet. And though he retired from that side of the family business… he has no problem bringing La Lama out to play.”

Beckett choked on the bite he’d just taken, then cleared his throat.

“Your brother istheLa Lama? Fuck, how did I not know this? It’s a miracle I got you out of the bar that night.”

I tried to hide the way his words stabbed at my heart, but Beckett saw the way it affected me.

“Shit. I’m sorry, baby.”

“Its fine.” I bit into my food and tried to push down the pain churning in my gut.

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