Carter can kill a man with his bare hands, but he is smart as a whip too. Everything that comes out of his mouth is always 100% accurate. Where Sebastian and I are in our thirties, Carter is still in his mid-twenties, and although he is with us today, his gym business in Philly is growing and requiring him there more and more. I know that his move to Philly is near, especially since we could use an insider in that location anyway.

I survey the room, my eyes roaming over all our men. They are focused, determined and eager. Just the way I like them.

“So we have nothing new, then?” I grit out, unhappy that we didn’t manage to get our money back and created a war in the process. “Well, the heat is on us now, so we need to find the money and get proof that Dominic and Frederico are slimy bastards, who no longer deserve a seat at the table. Otherwise, the rest of the families will not be looking at us favorably. Let’s get to work.”

After spending the day looking through paperwork, video footage, and talking to our contacts, we are still no closer to finding what we need. Leaving ten new fresh-eyed men to go through it all again overnight, as well as a team monitoring Allure and any known associates of the Russo brothers, I bid farewell to Carter and head back to my place.

The lights are low as I enter, so I know Maria has retired to her room. I go upstairs to my private wing to check on Leo. Peeking in, I see Leo curled up asleep, gripping onto a new Lego Darth Vader that he made today. I slowly peel it from his hands and place it on his bedside table to join the many others, before lifting his blanket and kissing his head. Out of all the pain and trouble of the past decade, he is worth it all.

Turning off his lamp, I decide to check on Little Red as well. Putting my ear to the door, I can’t hear the TV or any other noise, so I slowly open the door and am surprised to see her sleeping. The curtains are still wide open, her small body hardly wrapped in my covers, wearing my shirt that I left for her. I walk into the room, stopping at the end of the bed, and I stand there watching her sleep. Looking at the small rise and fall of her chest, I take her in once again.

Her vibrant, long red hair is sprawled out around her head, like flames licking up my pillow. She’s on her side, cuddling my other pillow close, her legs bare, showing me her porcelain skin as it glows in the moonlight. Tiny puffs of air leave her pouty lips as she sleeps soundly.