Jude POV I held the hat out to her, and she took it with a sweet smile. “Quick reflexes are required to survive if you have as many enemies as I do. But I don’t know why I caught this thing. It’s ugly.” Isadora had once again chosen an outfit I decidedly hadn’t chosen for her. Cowboy boots, black shorts with suspenders, a bright pink sweater, and an oversized coat would have fit me as well. It was a fashion nightmare.Worry tightened her face, her hand frozen on the door. “How many attempts at your life have you survived?”I tried to remember. It was difficult to say. There had been so many.Only a couple had gotten close.Isadora shook her head. “Never mind; if you have to think about it this long, I probably don’t want to know. Just promise to be careful, okay?”I walked around the car and opened the back door, then lifted Simona out. Isadora and I had already fallen into a sort of routine where my children were concerned. She handled Daniele, and I handled Simona. It made our live
JUDE POVDespite the cold weather, we took a stroll along the beach the next day. Simona was strapped to Isabela’s front in the sling while Daniele and Cherry jogged along the edge of the water. The dog barked at the waves, trying to snap at the frothing water.What a stupid thing, but it made Daniele and Isadora smile, so it could stay for now. Seagulls soared over our heads. Isadora held out her hand, and I linked our fingers after a moment of hesitation, worried about Daniele’s reaction, but he didn’t seem to care. His attention was on the dog and the ocean.My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out to find a message from Felix.Call me ASAP.Frowning, I pushed the phone back into my pocket. The wind roared too loudly for a phone conversation.“What is it?” Isadora asked.“We need to head back to the house. I need to call Felix.”Her face fell, and for half a second, I considered ignoring Felix’s message, but I’d told him not to bother me unless it was important. “Oh, sure.”I
Isadora POVAfter Jude was gone, I grabbed my phone and sank down on the sofa. Simona was busy with a picture book that simulated animal noises, and Daniele sat on the blanket beside her, only half focused on his game while he kept throwing glances toward his sister’s book.Cherry curled up beside me, and I began stroking her soft fur at once, hoping it would calm me. Since Jude had told me about my uncles, my heart had been beating faster than usual. In the mob, falling from grace usually meant your death. I wasn’t sad about the death of my uncles. They had been bad men, even by our very twisted standards, but I was worried what it meant for Jude, for us, and I couldn’t stop thinking about my poor cousin, Kiara, who was now an orphan.I called Dad’s number. He didn’t pick up after the first few rings, which was unusual for him. He always made time for me. What if Luca had decided to get rid of him too? It wasn’t a secret that Dad wasn’t his favorite. Marrying me off to Jude was suppo
Isadora POVJude watched me almost curiously, no sign that someone had obviously used his forearm as a cutting board. I carefully unfastened his shirt, and Jude gave the slightest twitch but didn’t make a sound. “Not your first rodeo, hmm?” I needed to make light of the situation before my worry for my husband drove me into a panic attack. What if something happened to him? What would I do with two small children, a huge house, and a slightly twisted dog?“It’s only a shallow cut. I’ll survive.”I laughed but it sounded forced. Once the wound was freed from the confines of his shirt, Jude dropped the ruined garment on the floor. “I can handle this.” He took a first aid kit from a cupboard beneath the sink.“Won’t you tell me what happened?”He cleaned his wound but when I didn’t look away, he sighed. “I’m not sure you should know the details of my business.”“I’m part of your life, so let me be a part of it.”The hesitation remained in his eyes. He looked down to his wound and patched
ISADORA'S POV“Maybe you should let the past rest, Isadora.” The way he spoke, it was more of a warning than advice, and his worried expression only affirmed my suspicion.I set Simona down on the floor when her squirming got too much. She crawled off at once, heading for her blanket with her toys. “What do you know that you’re not telling me?”Christian’s mouth thinned. “I know that Jude doesn’t want people to rummage in his past, especially where Josephine is concerned, and I think you should respect his wish.”“To protect him or me?”Christian took a cookie and bit it, obviously biding his time. “Both… and those kids too.” He motioned at Simona, who squeezed a stuffed unicorn that laughed shrilly every time she did, causing her to giggle too. Her eyes flashed with joy as she gazed at me.“How can I help Daniele if I don’t know what happened?”“The boy will come around. He’s going to be Underboss one day. His mother’s death won’t be the last trauma he suffers.” My stomach tightened
ISADORA POVI threw him an indignant look but couldn’t really stay mad at him, seeing the grin that had accompanied my childhood. Once I was done with Simona, I put her in her crib. I could tell that she was tired. She had refused to go down for her nap at noon. She cried when I stepped back, so I bent over her and rocked the crib until her eyes drooped once more. But the moment I tried to go away, she started wailing again. This time, I didn’t go to her, hoping she’d settle down. Some people said you needed to let the kids soothe themselves and let them cry, but I found that impossibly hard to do.“She’s really demanding,” Christian commented, leaning in the doorway with crossed arms.I picked Simona up, trying to figure out what was wrong. She kept wailing, and then without warning, she spit up on me and herself.“Eww,” Christian said.With a sigh, I changed her clothes before I put her in the crib again. This time, she quieted after a couple of minutes. I motioned for Christian to
Isadora POVJude breathed harshly, his nostrils flaring as he watched the blood squeezing out between my fingers.Christian slowly backed away, not turning his back to Jude. “I’ll call you in thirty minutes.”I gave a small nod, stunned by what had happened and completely at a loss why Jude had reacted that way.Before my brother could slip out, Jude said in a low voice, “There’s nowhere you can hide if I find out you betrayed me, Christian. Even Baltimore won’t be your safe haven if I want you dead.”“If you hurt Isadora, I’ll find and kill you, Jude.”Jude slanted my brother a dark look. Christian disappeared.Suddenly I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to send him away. Jude had lost his mind minutes ago for no apparent reason. His wife had died… or been killed, and nobody knew anything about it.Our eyes met and the terrifying fury lessened. What remained was blatant distrust and a hint of guilt. He sheathed his knife then moved closer. I tensed, unsure what to expect after what
Isadora POVJude looked at my bandaged arm. His shirt was half unbuttoned, and he looked exhausted. “I need a drink. Will you join me?” He held out his hand.I hesitated, but seeing the tortured look on his face, I took his hand and followed him downstairs.Sybil lingered in the lobby, her expression worried. “I prepared minestrone. It’s in the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if you were going to have dinner…” She trailed off. She probably heard the fighting and saw Christian flee the house.“We’re not hungry. Go home,” Jude clipped.Sybil sought my eyes. I smiled. “Thank you for making us dinner. Have a lovely evening with your husband.”She hesitated then grabbed her purse and coat before slipping out. Jude squeezed my hand and pulled me into the living area. A fire burned in the hearth as it did every evening. Usually the sight warmed me from the inside, now it did nothing to dissipate the cold feeling of dread. He released me to head for the liquor cabinet. I sank down in one of the armcha