Standing at the back of the church, I sighed. It was honestly a better day than I could have hoped for. And in the end, not having a million guests to entertain was just what the doctor ordered. Momma shone in her duties as Matron and she was having a freaking blast. But it was my mate and baby girl standing at the altar that held my attention. He was dressed in a fine navy suit because the man couldn't be bothered to wear boring black' if his life depended on it. He looked scrumptious. And the fact that he was holding our daughter in his arms as he waited for me at the altar in front of our friends and family?Heaven. A part of my heart broke at not having my sister in the church with me today. But I knew that she was where she needed to be right now. Hopefully, at some point in the future, we would be able to spend long days and weeks together. Right now, every single person I loved and cherished was standing in the small church waiting for me to walk down the aisle. P
Holding Amara in my arms, I watched one of the nicest and most compassionate women I'd ever met walk down the middle of the church to the man who was holding a squirming baby in his arms with a huge smile on his face. This family was unconventional. To say the very least. But they were the family goals I held close to my heart. We all shifted and turned as Jessa walked by, Papa's arm helping guide her. As we took our seats, Massi grabbed my hand. My heart fluttered in my chest at the outward sign. He didn't care that his family knew about me. Heck, he was busy flinging me at them every chance he got as he worked with the rest of his family on helping Interpol get the facility and network shut down. Two months in and it was still going strong. My heart broke for all those families. If anyone tried to steal Amara or hurt baby Carys, I would cut them into tiny pieces. And I was very handy with a knife. Amara started getting fussy. Accustomed to being free and able to run and j
Bouncing Amara in the back of the church took my mind off all the issues that awaited me outside the doors of the holy place. South Point had not only landed in Italy, but they were disrupting our local territories. The host of guards and security detail we had surrounding this building and the three block radius springing out from it had been a fucking nightmare to plan. But seeing the joy on Nico's and Jessa's faces made it all worth it. So did Eden. I looked at the small, quiet woman. Knew there was a strength inside her that few would ever guess at. She might be soft spoken and easily intimidated in personal matters, but she was ice cold and fiery hot when it came to business. And my woman did business well. She was such a dichotomy. Everything I found out about her just made me want to learn more. A mystery. One I intended to solve. "Zone three, clear," Striker called in my ear over the comm line. I tapped the mic at my wrist twice. "Zone five, clear," Roger adde
Standing in the dark, I watched her sleep. Pure. Innocent. I would do everything in my power to keep her that way. To keep her from the darker sides of the life I called mine. Ours.Turning, I looked at the woman sleeping in the chair next to the crib. She carried darkness within her as well. But it was a different kind. A different hue. Amara, the daughter I'd recovered from human traffickers not even three months ago, made a noise in her sleep. A soft cooing that lifted the shadows from my heart for a brief moment.As I watched her, the past washed over me in waves. Through long practice, I let them come. Let them take me over. It was no use trying to fight them. To put them to the side. They were part of me. I took a deep breath and plunged myself beneath the surface.Warm blood coated my fingers as I pulled the knife from his belly. I fought back the urge to empty my stomach at the sucking noise his guts made under his harsh inhale. In that moment, I knew I would car
Blinking against the shaft of light that snuck through the crack in the curtains, I blew out a breath. Another day alive. I said a quick prayer of thanks. We weren't guaranteed any days on this earth, and I was so thankful for every single one that I was gifted. I knew before turning that Massi wouldn't be behind me. But it didn't stop me from reaching out a hand to feel for his heat. The last two months had been nothing short of a dream. His attention. His declaration in front of his friends and family. His more ready smiles and willingness to allow me into his personal space. Whatever the girls had said to him, he had taken it to heart. With a long stretch, I sat up. Rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I prayed today would be the day my crippling social anxiety would let me have a normal conversation. Pushing up from the bed, I walked through the room and into the attached bathroom. The Amatucci house was actually a small compound of smaller homes that all branched off a main
I waited for Eden to make it to the kitchen before I turned back to my little brother. Saw the rage that ate at him from the inside. "You thought to strike her with a blade?" I asked softly. He flinched, seemed to wilt in front of me. "Answer him, Raphael," Papa barked. Rafe jolted, swallowed. "She pissed me off."My lip curled up at his petulant answer. "And that makes it okay? A woman under my protection. My woman. In our family home, and you thought it was a good idea?" My voice felt like nothing more than gravel in my throat as I forced myself not to kill him where he stood. I felt the faint heat of power surge through my system. The urge to break him into pieces and light them on fire. As if everyone that had gathered in the hallway sucked in their collective breaths, I waited for his answer. Like a kicked puppy, he couldn't look at me. He nodded without meeting my gaze. I turned to look at Papa, raised a single brow in question. Papa shook his head. "No, I
After breakfast, Massi and I took Amara for a little walk around the property. I'd been to Sicily before, but never during the day. She had a different kind of vibrance washed under the sun. A slower, lazy rhythm that seemed to speak to my soul. Amara dashed and darted everywhere her chubby little legs would take her. And the girl could climb like she was a monkey. Up rocks in the garden. Over the edge of the fencing. It felt like every five minutes, Massi was rushing towards her as he attempted to rescue her from one height or another. Her little fingers were scrabbling at the edge of the boulder she'd fearlessly attacked. I squeezed Massi's hand, silently telling him to let me handle it.Walking over, I stood behind her so she wouldn't fall. "Up here, Monkey." I tapped a low spot with my fingers. "Put your foot here. You can do it. You're big and strong and brave."Amara's brows lowered in concentration as she attempted to lift her leg up. I helped place it when I saw it wa
We stood at our posts. Silent in the aftermath of the explosion. With sign language, I was able to check in with each of my team. Thankful once again that my brothers all ranged out into different groups. If this kind of shit kept happening, I was going to force every single one of them to learn sign language.No one had any idea of what was actually happening. We were still waiting on word from the tech chief. Namely Nik, since she was in-house. That woman ran technology better than a plant synthesized sunlight. One of the guys on my team handed me the inner ear comms device. Shoving it in my ear, I tried to listen in as the various teams registered the all clear in their zones. Nothing from Nik. I turned to Striker, my preferred tech guy. Nik says what? I asked through sign language. He shook his head. Held up his hand in an O shape, shook it slightly. Nothing. Drawing a question mark in the air, I told him to ask her. "Grasshopper, this is Striker. Wraith wants inte