Page 122 of DeLucas After Dark

“Oh, you will leave her alone and so will they. If I have to stalk each one of them down and give them the same fate you have today, they will not touch what is mine!” Marcello yelled. “I can guarantee you that.”

“You always let her come before business. She’s worth a billion dollars. Just sell the bitch to them,” Romeo growled as he lifted his gun and pointed it toward Marcello.

I dropped Romeo with a bullet to the back of his head. At the same time, Ishmael stepped away from Jack, and Marcello aimed, shot, and sent him on to glory.

Marcello went and stood over Jack and emptied out his clip before turning to Romeo.

“Thanks for taking out my trash for me, brother. I’ll make sure it never comes back,” he said, reaching for another gun in his thigh holster and pointing it at Romeo. “When we got the call that someone had told them we were on the way, I saw the deception in his eyes when he looked at me. I just didn’t have it in me to kill someone I had considered like a brother to me.” Marcello emptied out another clip into Romeo for good measure.

“Well, now you know the difference between real brothers,” I said, smiling at Ishmael and Marcello. We all stood in the red-covered snow with splatters of blood covering our clothes – Ishmael my brother by bond, Marcello my brother by blood.

Marcello offered me a genuine smile. "Yeah, there’s a huge difference when you can trust your brother. Let's get out of here," he urged.

We walked back toward our vehicle, finding Prosper, Casper, and Teddy approaching. They had been in a battle with the Grecozi men that accompanied Jack.

“I already called for clean up,” Prosper informed as the six of us walked away from the scene and got into our vehicles.

We were embattled but that came with the last name DeLuca, whether associated with a DeLuca by blood or bond. We didn’t go around starting wars, but we could damn sure put an end to one.

Hours later, I stood before the door of the safe house, my heart pounding in anticipation. The moment I'd been waiting for was finally here – reuniting with Nicole and our son. Stepping inside, the warmth of the room enveloped me like a comforting embrace.

Nicole was sleeping on the couch. She jumped at my touch and produced her tiny switchblade. "Vito!" she cried as she recognized me. Sheathing the blade and bounding into my arms, she pressed her lips against mine. Her eyes sparkled with relief and love, and I felt myself exhale for what seemed like the first time since this nightmare began. "You're alive...you came back."

"I promised you I would," I murmured, cradling her face in my hands.

Marcello encircled Safia into his arms as tears of joy slid down her cheeks. "You’re safe now,” he assured his high school sweetheart turned lifetime lover. They looked so relieved.

“You did it again, Vito. Wrecked some shit and protected your family," Nicole whispered.

"Where's our son?" I asked, eager to hold him.

"Right here," she said, moving back the oversized blanket she was lying under and picking up our son. She gently placed our baby in my arms. His tiny fingers curled around mine, and I felt an overwhelming wave of love and protectiveness wash over me.

"Look at him," I breathed, marveling at the miracle in my arms. "We have another chance to make the best of the rest of our lives, Nicole. A new beginning. And more babies." I smiled at my wife.

"We do," she agreed, resting her head on my shoulder as we stood together. “And our family has grown,” she added as she glanced at Safia who was determined to tend to Marcello’s wounds, no matter how many times he told her not to worry and that the doctor was on the way.

The safe house glowed with warmth and life. We had all made it back safe, minus Romeo – a rat whose final resting place would be amongst the Christmas trees on the side of the road. His deceptive actions landed him the main character in a clean-up job.

Nicole

What Christmas Means to Me

Istraightened out the garland draped across the counter. I glanced over at Vito, who was carefully arranging the plates and silverware on the dining table. I watched as he meticulously lined up each fork and knife, making sure they were all equidistant from one another. Seeing his domesticated side was such a contrast to when I first arrived at his home, and he relied on servants to do almost everything for him. Now, I could see that he took such care with everything he did, even the smallest details. His attention to detail was part of what made him so formidable in the business world, and yet, it was also what made him the loving husband and father that he'd become.

"Vito," I said softly, stepping towards him. "You know Marcello and Safia won't judge us by how well we set the table, right?"

His eyes were dark and stormy, betraying the tension coiled within him. "It's their first Christmas with us since I found out Marcello is my brother. I want it to be perfect."

"Love, it will be." I reached out and touched his arm gently. "We're together. That's all that matters."

"Mia bella," Vito murmured, pulling me into his arms. We stood there for a moment, wrapped in each other's embrace until he released me with a sigh. "You’d better be glad they'll be arriving soon. Otherwise, I would rip that clinging red dress right off your body and take you on this exquisitely decorated table."

I glanced at the table again. "That sounds tempting.”

Vito bit down on his lip and groaned. “Get back to work.”

Giggling, I returned to hanging the last few ornaments on the tree, making sure they were evenly spaced between the lights. Meanwhile, Vito placed the gleaming wine glasses around the table. Stepping back to admire our handiwork, I couldn't help but feel this would be a Christmas unlike any other we'd ever known.

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