Heels tip-tap across the floor as I shut the door to the penthouse behind me after a long day. I’ve only hung up my coat when Sloane appears, looking pretty as a picture in the pink and black minidress I chose for our date tonight. Kate helped me pick matching shoes and a clutch purse. “Oh my god, Cristian.” Throwing her arms around my neck, she envelops me in a cloud of spicy perfume as she peppers my face with kisses. “You are freaking insane, but I’m crazy about you.”
My arms band around her back as she peers up at me, her eyes brimming within smoky lids and thick black lashes. She can’t fully hide the pain she’s desperately trying to hide, but I don’t question her about it. She will talk to me when she’s ready. Until then, my job is to distract her and worship the ground she walks on. To make her feel safe, secure, and loved so she knows she isn’t alone. “I take it you liked the gifts?” I ask, flattening my palms over her shapely ass.
“You bought me an entire new closet, Cristian. It is far too much, and I don’t deserve it.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” It put a smile on her face, and she looks incredible. Whatever is troubling her, I plan to take her mind off it tonight.
“Before you get changed, I want to show you something.” Linking her fingers in mine, she guides me forward. Golden-blonde hair falls in straight sheets down her back, and she looks elegant and sexy in her new outfit. Predictably, my cock jolts to life, hardening the longer I stare at her long slim legs encased in black peep-toe shoes.
“Cristian, did you hear what I said?” Sloane stops at the door to the playroom, planting her hands on her hips. “You haven’t heard a word, have you?”
“Guilty.” I smirk. “I was too busy imagining a hundred different ways I can ravish you after I peel that sexy dress from your body.”
“Fuck.” She slumps a little against the doorway, fanning her face with her hand. “You can’t say things like that when we have plans.”
“I can when I’ll be making my fantasy a reality after we get home from our date.” I reel her into my arms and slam my lips against hers, uncaring she’s wearing lip gloss. Sloane doesn’t disappoint, sinking against my chest and kissing me back with the same intense need. “You’re too sexy for your own good,” I say when I break our lip-lock. “You make me want to toss all our plans and spend the night in bed.”
“I see nothing wrong with that plan.” She arches a brow.
“Tempting as it is, I’m taking you out and showing you off.” Standing back, I drag my gaze up and down her body. “You are so beautiful. I’ll be the envy of every man in New York tonight.”
Her features soften as she closes the gap between us, placing her palms on my chest. “I’m proud to be on your arm, but it’s me women will envy. You’re the hottest man on the planet, and I’m the luckiest woman alive.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “I made reservations, and we need to leave shortly. Show me now.”
“Close your eyes,” she instructs, giving me the stink-eye until I do as I’m told. “Keep them closed until I tell you.”
“Yes, boss.”
She pinches my ass. “Very funny.” Her fingers clasp mine as she pulls me through the door. “It’s not fully done yet, but open your eyes and tell me what you think.”
I blink my eyes open, and my mouth trails the ground. Sloane has transformed the playroom into a space-filled world my son is going to love.
Black coverings scattered with stars and hand-drawn planets drape the four walls. Overhead, the ceiling is hidden behind another black layer with string lights stretching across the length, their twinkling brightness illuminating several hanging planets and floating spaceships. A pile of plastic rocks in one corner hosts the flag of the United States. Beside it is a handmade rocket with a triangular tip sporting a NASA sign. The round table in the middle of the room contains maps, plans, and several different rocks and mock planets. Two separate areas, cordoned off on either side of the room, are constructed of movable screens covered in silver foil. Astronaut School hangs over the entrance to the one on the left. Inside is a desk and chair.
“I’ve got books, crayons, and tons of activity sheets to go in there,” she says. “And I’ve got some computer games and educational short movies to project in the Space Control section,” she adds, pointing at the other area that has warning signs pinned up on the outside.
“This is incredible, Sloane. I can’t believe you got all this done today.”
“It was a team effort. I roped John Angelo and Vincenzo into helping. I made most of the stuff while they assembled it and put up the lights.”
I snort-laugh. “What I wouldn’t give to have been a fly on the wall.”
She laughs. “They did lots of bitching and whining, but secretly, I think they loved it.”
“Elio is going to love it.” I hug her to me. “He’ll never let you take it down.”
“That’s A-okay with me.”
“Thank you.” Love pours from my eyes as I stare at her.
“Don’t do that.” She shucks out of my hold, stepping back and circling her arms around her waist. “You’re paying me to do a job, and I want to do it well.”
I don’t know what’s happened to alter her mood, but it’s as if a switch went off in her head. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, Cristian. Of course not.” Her voice cracks.
“I wish you’d tell me.”
“I want to,” she whispers.
Closing the space, I stand in front of her without touching her. “I’m right here, and you can tell me anything.” My pinkie locks around hers. “I know something is wrong. Let me help.”
Pain contorts her face, and my concern cranks up a few notches. But I don’t push her. Whatever it is, she’s got to tell me when she’s good and ready. I still think this is connected to that prick of an ex. If he has hurt her, threatened her, I will fucking end him without hesitation.
Tears cloud her eyes before they disappear as if I’ve imagined them. “I’m fine. It’s just grief. It hits at the weirdest moments.”
She’s lying. A heavy sigh spills from my lips. I can’t force her to tell me, but it’s disappointing she doesn’t feel she can confide in me. I remind myself she’s young and her pain is still raw. “Okay.” I press a kiss into her hair, inhaling lavender and vanilla from whatever shampoo she uses. “Let me shower and change, and then we’ll leave.”
The next few days are some of the best of my life. Our Valentine’s date night was incredible and a lot of fun, and when we returned home, I spent hours making love to Sloane as I promised. I left the office early on Friday so we could travel to Glencoe for the weekend. Between checking in regularly with Elio and my parents, I teach Sloane the basics of shooting at the private range on the Mazzone estate and demonstrate how to clean, handle, and store the small handgun I bought for her.
“You two look all loved up,” Joshua says on Saturday night as we fix drinks for everyone now that Chiara and Niccolo are asleep and in bed. “I’m happy for you.”
I haven’t felt the need to hide from my best friends this weekend. Which is just as well because I can’t keep my hands off Sloane. “I can’t remember ever being this happy in any previous relationship.”
“It’s amazing how when you meet the right person, past loves become completely insignificant and you realize you had it all so wrong,” he says, passing the beers to me while he puts three glasses and a bottle of chilled white wine on a tray.
I know exactly what he means. “Truth.”
“She looks at you like you hung the stars in the sky,” he says as we walk toward the living area where the women and Caleb are gathered.
“It’s scary how quickly she’s become my everything, but it feels right.”
“That’s how you know. I hope it all works out,” he adds as we join the others.
Sloane nestles against my side with my arm thrown casually over her shoulders as we chat with our friends. I love how easily she has slotted into my life. Gia, Elisa, and Sloane get on famously, and it makes me happy to see her making friends. Hopefully, in time, she will realize she has more than just Elio and me. There have been moments where she’s slipped away from me, lost in her troubled mind, but I’ve been keeping her busy and distracting her.
Gia gets up when her cell rings, leaving for a few minutes to take a call. Concern is transparent upon her face when she returns. “What is it, love?” Joshua asks, instantly pulling her onto his lap. His fingers smooth the creases in her brow.
“I have an update on those European women.” Gia stares at me before her eyes flicker to Sloane. “Do you want to talk in private?”
“We can talk here.” I didn’t say anything to Sloane the other night because she’s got enough on her plate, but I won’t disrespect her by leaving the room as if I don’t trust her enough to hear this.
“It’s not good news, I’m afraid.” Gia drags her hands through her hair.
I sit up straighter. “Don’t say they are missing too.”
She nods. “They’re all missing, Cristian. Someone is targeting them.”
“Who could know?” Caleb frowns, shaking his head as he plays with Elisa’s hair. “We only know because Cruz told Valentina. It’s not like he was broadcasting his plans.”
“I’ll need to update Fiero. Valentina will want to check on Leandro.” Her son with Cruz was adopted in Sicily. After finding him safe and well cared for, she chose not to come forward and upset his life. But Fiero hired a couple of local guys to watch over the family in secret for this very reason.
Joshua nods, swallowing a mouthful of beer before speaking. “We can’t know for sure Cruz wasn’t broadcasting his plans. Think about it,” he adds after a few beats. “Cruz was a narcissist through and through. Of course, he’d brag about it. He couldn’t do it within Cosa Nostra for obvious reasons, but he could totally boast about it to outsiders. It’s not impossible that somehow someone who shouldn’t know knows.”
An awful thought pops into my head, and my stomach twists into knots. “What if it’s the cartel?”
“What if what’s the cartel?” Sloane asks, lifting her head from my shoulder. “What are you talking about?” She nibbles on her lip and knots her hands in her lap.
Putting my beer down, I haul her into my lap and wrap protective arms around her. This is all new to her, and it’s no surprise she looks frightened. Talk of mafia and cartel would be scary to anyone not brought up in our world. “We found out after my brother died that he had purposely knocked up different women as part of a plan to infiltrate La Cosa Nostra with his offspring.”
Her eyes blink successively, and fear gives way to shock. “What the fuck?” A strangled laugh bursts from her chest. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I wish I were.”
Horror washes over her face. “It’s like this documentary I saw on Netflix last year. This sperm donor deliberately impregnated hundreds of women all around the world. All these kids have siblings everywhere, and it could have serious implications.”
“It’s why we’re trying to find these women and children,” Gia says.
“How many are there?” Sloane grips a tight fistful of my shirt.
“We don’t know,” I explain. “Gia has only started investigating. We recently found three women who had children with DNA that matched mine.”
“We were planning on talking to them,” Gia continues. “But they’ve all gone missing.”
“Oh God.” Sloane is shaking and pale. “That is awful. What—” She breaks off, looking sick to her stomach.
Maybe I should’ve spoken to Gia in private. As shocking as this is, it’s not the worst thing we’ve all dealt with. Perhaps we’ve become immune to the horrors taking place in the world today because we’re confronted by so much of it. To an innocent like Sloane, this would be a massive shock. It’s no wonder she looks ready to pass out.
She clears her throat before speaking, looking directly at me. “What do you think has happened to them?”
“We don’t know.” I hug her tighter, resting my chin on her head when she presses her face into my neck.
“It’s nothing good,” Gia says, and I shoot her a warning look. “But don’t worry, Sloane. We intend to find out, and if anyone has hurt them, trust that we will make them pay.”
