by Reilly, Cora
I told him where I was heading, and we agreed on a meeting place eighty miles from where I was.
“He’s badly injured,” I said quietly.
“Remo is too strong to die,” Nino said.
Tears stung in my eyes. “I’m driving as quickly as I can.”
“Serafina,” Nino began. “He thought you’d come back. He wanted you to come back on your own free will.”
I swallowed. This wasn’t about Remo and me. This was about my children, and yet my chest ached with emotions as I regarded the man beside me. His dark hair sticking to his bloody forehead. “I need to drive,” I said and hung up.
About one hour later I steered the car toward a deserted parking lot where a helicopter was already waiting. Nino and Savio stood beside it. I’d hoped Fabiano would be there. I trusted him more than these two.
I came to a stop. They had their guns out, not trusting me. And I didn’t trust them either, but Remo was barely breathing. I gripped my gun and pushed out of the car. Nino approached, as usual a blank expression on his face. I had my gun pointed at him like he had his pointed at me. Of course, with his skills I’d be dead before my finger as much as twitched on the trigger.
I lowered my gun and walked toward the passenger door, opening it. Nino still regarded me cautiously. Savio came up behind him, his gun at his side, not pointed at me. “Will you help me? Or do you want Remo to die?”
Nino moved forward and the second he saw his brother, he shoved the gun into his holster and rushed to my side. He quickly checked Remo then gripped him under the arms. Remo groaned. Savio took his legs and they were about to lift him out when Greta woke and let out an earsplitting cry upon seeing two men she didn’t know. Nino and Savio both jerked their heads back then froze. Nevio had also awoken and his dark eyes stared back at them. My small Remo.
“Holy fuck,” Savio gasped. His brown eyes flew up to me. “They are Remo’s.”
It wasn’t a question because one look at Nevio and they knew he was their brother’s. “They are and he passed out before he could see them.” My throat constricted.
Nino held my gaze for a moment and I knew then that I wouldn’t regret my decision because already now I could see that my kids would be Falcones.
“Quick,” Nino muttered, and he and Savio carried Remo over to the helicopter.
My heart thundering in my chest, I walked to the back door and opened it to unbuckle Nevio and Greta. “Shh,” I soothed my daughter. Nevio looked merely curious and a little sleepy.
“Do you need help?” Savio asked close behind me, surprising me.
I looked over my shoulder, hesitating, my protectiveness rearing its head.
“Don’t give me that look. Your kids are safe. They will always be safe, and not just because Remo would kill me if something happened to them.”
I nodded. “Can you take Nevio? Greta doesn’t like to be held by anyone but me.”
Savio moved to the other door, opened it, and bent over Nevio, who regarded him with big dark eyes. “I’ve never held a baby,” Savio said reluctantly.
“Speak to him soothingly and lift him against your chest. He can support his head by himself.”
“Hey, Nevio,” Savio said as he slid his hands under Nevio’s armpits and carefully lifted him. It looked as if was holding a bomb about to detonate, but I was glad he was being careful. I hadn’t thought Savio could be like that.
I turned to Greta and quickly lifted her as well then straightened to keep an eye on Savio. He held Nevio against his chest, and my son seemed content to be held by the unknown man. Savio’s eyes were curious and fascinated as he looked down at my boy. No resentment, no associated shame.
Together we walked toward the helicopter. Greta pressed herself against me from the noise of the rotor blades. Nino was bent over Remo inside the helicopter. Remo was already getting a blood transfusion and another IV with a clear liquid while Nino felt his body.
A man I didn’t know was in the cockpit.
Nino turned to us when Savio held Nevio out to him. He grabbed my boy immediately, a strange look on his face as he regarded him. Savio climbed in and held out his hand for me. I awkwardly got in with Greta still clinging to me for dear life.
I sank down on the bench, and Savio helped me buckle up. Nino handed Nevio back to him and Savio sat beside me. Nino’s eyes kept darting between Nevio and Greta, as if he couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. The moment the helicopter lifted off, Nino returned to Remo’s side.
Nevio stared down at his father, then at me, and I swallowed the emotion. What if Remo died before he could see his kids? What if my children never met their father?
I’d never expected Remo to want his children, but now that I knew he did, guilt washed over me. I thought I protected them by keeping them from him, by staying in the Outfit, but I had been wrong. Las Vegas was their home because it was Remo’s home.
CHAPTER 28
SERAFINA
After we landed in Las Vegas, Nino immediately rushed Remo off to a hospital the Camorra worked with, and Savio stayed with me. I was exhausted and emotionally drained. “What happens with us now?” I asked tiredly.
Savio gave me a surprised look. “I will take you to the mansion. Remo will want to have you and his kids around when he returns.”
“You think he will survive?”
Savio nodded. “Remo won’t die.”
I followed Savio to a car and sank down on the backseat with my children.
When I jerked awake, we had arrived and Fabiano was staring through the window as if he was seeing a ghost. He opened the door. “What the fuck?”
“Remo’s got kids,” Savio explained.
“I see that,” Fabiano said.
Savio took Nevio again, and I got out with Greta, who had her face buried in my neck. Fabiano couldn’t stop staring at Nevio, then finally he met my gaze. “You saved Remo?”
I nodded. Fabiano searched my eyes, and I wasn’t sure what he was looking for. “It’s too cold for Nevio and Greta to stay outside. Can you get my bag from the trunk?”
Fabiano nodded and walked to the back of the car. I followed Savio inside the house, a strange sense of familiarity washing over me. This place didn’t feel like home. I’d only experienced it as a captive, and I wondered how things would be now that I had come here freely.
Could this become a home for me and my children?
Savio had said Remo would want me to live here with them, but I wasn’t sure. It felt surreal being here, but there was no going back now.
The realization sank in slowly, and for a moment I felt immobilized by the weight of it. Holding Greta seemed to ground me. “You can give Nevio to me,” I managed, offering my free arm.
Savio’s brows drew together, but he gave me my son without hesitation, and I hugged him to me. Savio and Fabiano watched me for a moment, as if they weren’t sure what to do with me.
“How is he?” Kiara asked, hurrying into the entrance hall. She jerked to a stop when she spotted me with the kids. Her eyes widened.
“Nino took him to hospital,” Savio said.
Kiara only stared at me. Her eyes darted down to Nevio and Greta, and she shook her head in disbelief. A girl with freckles and brown hair followed Kiara and also stopped in her tracks.
Kiara was the first to move. She came toward me, her eyes alight with warmth. “How did Remo react?”
Tears sprang into my eyes, and her smile fell.
“He passed out before he saw them,” I whispered.
“Nothing kills Remo,” Fabiano said firmly.
I nodded.
Greta began crying, and Nevio, too, was becoming increasingly cranky. “I need to feed them and change their diapers. Then they need a place to sleep.”
Savio glanced at Fabiano, who shrugged.
Kiara rolled her eyes. “Would it be okay if I took you to the bedroom you were in ... last time? I don’t want to open the other rooms in Remo’s wing. Or would you prefer to stay in my and Nino’s w
ing?”
I choked out a laugh. “I’ll stay in Remo’s wing.”
The other girl smiled hesitantly.
“I’m Serafina. And this is Nevio and Greta.”
“Leona,” she said. “Nice to meet you.” Fabiano stepped up to her and put his hand on her waist in a possessive gesture. So she was his girl.
Kiara took my bag from Fabiano and led me upstairs into Remo’s wing. I knew the way by heart, but her company felt good. When we stepped into my old room, my breath caught in my throat at the rush of memories that overwhelmed me, but another loud wail from Greta snapped me out of it. I moved over to the bed and carefully lowered them down on it.
Kiara kept throwing glances at my twins, longing in her gaze. “How can I help you?”
I opened the bag and held out the baby formula. In the evening, they always needed the bottle to calm down. “Could you prepare two bottles?”
Kiara returned fifteen minutes later with the bottles and settled beside me on the bed. “Why don’t you feed Nevio while I take care of Greta,” I suggested.
Her eyes lit up. “Thank you.”
I laughed. “You’re helping me. I should thank you.”
She grinned as she took Nevio and settled him on her lap.
“I should warn you. He’s a bit of a wrestler.”
Kiara brought the bottle to Nevio’s mouth, and as expected his little hands reached for the bottle, trying to snatch it out of her hand. She laughed.
I blinked back tears as I focused on Greta, who was happily drinking, her big dark eyes peering up at me sleepily. Emotions painfully tightened in my chest.
Remo had to survive. I couldn’t believe fate would be so cruel to rip him from me before he could see his children. Maybe Remo deserved death, but I didn’t care. He needed to live for Greta and Nevio.
“He’ll love and protect them,” Kiara murmured.
Remo would protect them. Was he capable of love? I wasn’t sure.
After Kiara left, I lay down beside my babies, who were already asleep after their feeding. I didn’t have beds for them or anything else except for the few things I’d stuffed into the backpack.
I closed my eyes. The image of Remo in his blood flashed into my mind, and I shuddered.
I must have fallen asleep because Greta’s wail woke me shortly after. It was the first night without the help of Samuel or my mother, and a heavy weight settled in the pit of my stomach thinking about my family. I wasn’t sure how my future nights would be. Would I handle everything on my own?
I was up early the next morning and blinked against the soft light streaming in through the window. I had barely slept, and not just because of my twin’s erratic schedule. Worry for Remo had haunted my sleep. I got myself and my babies ready before I headed downstairs, carrying them on my hips.
Following the scent of coffee and bacon, I made my way into the kitchen but stopped in the doorway. Adamo, Savio, and Nino were sitting around the kitchen table while Kiara was stirring something in a big pot. All eyes turned to me, and I swayed on my feet. I’d always been the enemy, the captive, and now I was what? A guest? An intruder?
“Good morning,” I said then turned to Nino, fear clogging my throat. “How is he?”
“Stable. A few broken bones, bruises, rupture of the spleen. He’s upstairs, knocked out with pain meds.”
“He won’t like that one bit,” Savio said grinning. “You know he prefers pain to being helpless.”
I still hadn’t moved from the doorway.
“I’m preparing a pumpkin puree for the babies. I hope that’s okay?” Kiara chimed in.
I nodded. Nino grabbed a chair and pulled it back for me. With a small smile, I approached the table and sank down. Nevio knocked Nino’s glass over, spilling water over him.
“Sorry,” I said, leaning back so Nevio’s sneaky arms wouldn’t get into more trouble. He still made grabby motions.
Nino regarded him intently as he dried himself with a dishtowel that Kiara had handed him.
Adamo shook his head. His arm was bandaged and his face was swollen. “I can’t believe Remo’s got kids.”
“I bet the Outfit hated seeing them. I mean, there’s no way they couldn’t be Falcones,” Savio said with a grin.
I stiffened, pain slicing through me. I looked away, swallowing.
“Is that why you’re here?” Nino asked mildly. “To give them a chance?”
“I want them to be proud of who they are,” I said. I didn’t want to explain everything.
“They will be. They are Falcones,” Nino said.
I looked into his emotionless gray eyes. “Just like that? My family tortured Adamo and nearly killed Remo and I’m technically the enemy.”
“Just like that. You are Remo’s and they are his too. You are family.”
I frowned. “I’m not Remo’s.”
Nino gave me a twisted smile. “You are.”
Kiara put a plate piled with eggs and bacon and toast in front of me.
“Do you have a blanket?”
She hurried off and returned with one a few minutes later, spreading it on the ground. I put Greta and Nevio down on their backs so I could eat. I smiled when Nevio rolled onto his stomach and raised his head curiously.
“This is too weird,” Adamo said. I gave him a smile.
Savio shook his head. “I’m not going to change diapers. I don’t give a fuck if Remo gives the order or not. I’m not going anywhere near someone else’s shit, baby or not.”
I huffed. “I’m pretty sure you come into contact with more disgusting things on a daily basis.”
Adamo laughed. “He’s full of shit anyway.”
Savio punched Adamo’s unharmed arm.
Some of the weight I’d felt since yesterday lifted from my shoulders.
REMO
I felt like shit, cotton mouth and a full-body ache. Peeling my eyes open, I found Nino staring at me. “You asshole. You gave me pain meds and some kind of fucking sedative.”
“Your body needed it.”
I tried to sit up but my body was very averse to the idea. I struggled and shot Nino a death glare when he tried to help me. Eventually, I managed to sit against the headboard, every fucking inch of my body throbbing fiercely. Most of my upper body and arms were covered with bandages.
Nino sat on the edge of my bed. “You looked like shit when Serafina brought you to us.”
Serafina had saved my life. The woman I’d kidnapped, she’d saved my fucking life. “For a second I thought I dreamed up the whole shit, but the way my body screams with agony tells me it’s true,” I got out.
“They almost killed you, and they would have if Serafina hadn’t gotten you out.”
“Where is she?” I asked, ignoring the way my chest hollowed at the thought that she wasn’t in Las Vegas after all.
“Downstairs,” Nino said slowly, his eyes searching mine. “With your children.”
“My children,” I repeated, trying to make sense of the words, trying to fucking understand that I was a father. Greta and Nevio. “Fuck,” I breathed.
“It’s like looking at a baby version of you,” Nino said with a disbelieving look.
“Make sure they have everything they need. No matter what Serafina says she needs, you get it for her.”
Nino nodded. “She’s here to protect her children because the Outfit didn’t accept them. Not because of you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t care why she’s here. All that matters is that she is. I told you before, I don’t have a fucking heart that can be broken, or have you forgotten?”
Nino touched my shoulder lightly. “I know you better than anyone else, Remo. Or have you forgotten?”
“That’s why you’re so good at pissing me off.”
“Do you want me to get her?”
I nodded. I didn’t think I’d ever wanted anything more. I would have gone through days of torture, through weeks of it, to see Serafina. That she saved me? Fuck, I’d never considered i
t an option.
After she’d told me she wouldn’t give me her forgiveness, I’d resigned myself to the fact that she wanted me dead, that she wanted to see me suffer. I deserved it. There was no fucking question about it. I knew what I was.
There wasn’t anything white about me, very little gray, and a ton of black. And yet she was here.
She was here with our children.
I tried to imagine them, but I couldn’t. I’d never wanted kids, because I was certain I’d never find a woman who wouldn’t prove to be the same fucking failure my mother had been. I’d been certain that I’d break any woman, but Serafina was strong. She’d proven me wrong, had twisted my game until I felt like the loser, like the one who’d been checkmated.
SERAFINA
Nino walked into the living room where Kiara and I were sitting on a blanket with Nevio and Greta. Kiara was a natural with kids, and it was obvious how much she loved them. She held Nevio in her lap as she showed him a picture book. Greta sat in my lap, her tiny hand wrapped around my thumb and looking down at the book in my free hand.
I looked up at Nino but his eyes were on Kiara, who was smiling down at my son, practically glowing with happiness.
Slowly, he dragged his gaze up. “Remo just woke up.”
Without thinking, I got up with Greta clinging to me. I didn’t want my kids there when I first talked to Remo after he’d woken. I felt like we needed a moment before I could allow that.
I untangled Greta gently and laid her down on the blanket, then hesitated. Kiara looked up with a smile. “Nino and I can watch them while you talk to Remo.”
Nino moved closer but I stayed where I was. I couldn’t help it. This would be the first time I let them out of sight since our arrival. “Each of us would lay our life down for these kids,” Nino said. “You brought them here. They are Falcones. They are Remo’s kids. He burned for us. We will burn for them.”
I gave a small nod and took a step back. Greta’s eyes followed me. “Kiara, can you take Greta. She’s very shy around people she doesn’t know, especially men.”
Nino lowered himself beside Kiara and took Nevio from her. I tensed when Kiara reached for my daughter, expecting a crying fit, but Greta’s face scrunched up only briefly then smoothed when Kiara sang softly. I took another step back. Kiara beamed at Nino as he put Nevio down on his lap and pointed at the picture book. Nino oozed calmness, which was perfect for my kids.
