“You bet.” I followed Matteo through the room, into the small kitchen, and over to the refrigerator.
Matteo tapped out a series of commands on the tablet and wheels screeched, pulling the refrigerator away from the wall to reveal a wide hallway covered in dark paneling. “This way.”
“You made secret tunnels in my house that were attached to my father’s panic room and didn’t tell me?” Alessio sounded affronted, but he smiled when he passed me. “I remember now why I hired you.”
Matteo scoffed. “You hired me because you had no choice after I hacked your system and broke all your firewalls.” He made his way deeper into the tunnels and the door behind us closed. Lights came on, the motion activated sensors making sure we didn’t trip over the uneven ground. “And we’ve been friends since we were born. Kind of hard to tell me no after all that.”
“True enough.” Alessio motioned for Lila and Leo to go ahead of him. He looked me over. “How bad?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Once I stopped having to worry about Lila, the death and destruction were easier. “Cleanup crew is already at work.” I dropped my voice to keep my next words away from Lila. “Both Verduccis escaped.”
“Of course they did. Slithered away into the night like cockroaches.” Alessio ground his teeth. “We’ll strategize tomorrow. We need rest.”
As though to prove his point, Leo yawned and removed the mask. “Will you carry me?” He stopped in front of Alessio and held up his arms.
Pressure built in my chest as Alessio picked him up and tucked him against his chest. We’d barely walked a dozen steps when Leo’s soft snores began. I remembered holding my son as he slept, felt the weight of him in my arms. Then…nothing. I jammed my thumb into the bullet hole in my leg for the physical pain that gave me a chance to breathe when my emotions demanded I lie down and die.
Lila fell back to walk beside me. “You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing.” The wound throbbed with every heartbeat. I relished the pain it brought and concentrated on each step. “You and Leo need rest.”
“So you do.” She slid in front of me and placed a hand on my chest.
I couldn’t feel it through the vest, but the sight seared straight through to my heart. “I’m fine.”
Her chin jutted out in that familiar stubborn tilt I was coming to love. “Prove it.”
“Damn it, Lila.” I yanked her to my chest, pulling her off her feet with an arm around her waist, and kissed her hard and fast. My head swam with the heady taste of her lips, and when she opened for me, I thought I’d die on the spot. I wrenched my lips free but held her close, refusing to let go. Alessio would have tobash me in the back of the head, but to do that, he’d have to drop Leo. He’d rather die. “Is that proof enough?”
“Getting there.” She slid her hands over my close-cropped hair and down my shoulders.
“What are you doing, Lila?” Alessio kept walking but had turned to watch us.
She kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’m making a decision.”
“About what?” Matteo opened the door at the other end of the tunnel, his own voice thick with lust.
Lila framed my face in her hands and stared hard into my eyes. “About how I want all three of you.”
Fucking hell in a handbasket. This woman was going to be the death of all that I thought I knew.
“I’m up for that.” Matteo’s laugh drifted back to us. “Would be easier in the bedroom.”
“Is this what you want?” Alessio rocked Leo side to side. The boy was dead asleep, his mouth open and the snores rising in volume.
Lila took her time answering as we walked, and I appreciated that she thought it through. I loosened my grip, preparing to let her go, but her “yes” stopped me.
My grip tightened around her once more, and I picked up the pace, carrying her along with me. “Why?”
“I need a reason?” Her eyebrows winged upward, and she laughed—a bright, sharp sound—that set my pulse hammering. “You all protected me. I’m attracted to all three of you. As long as none of you mind, I don’t see a problem with a little sexual activity.”
“Near-death experiences will do that to you,” Matteo said as fact, almost like he was trying to convince himself that Lila’s need for us was nothing more than a one-time thing after the heat of battle.
I understood his desire to stay aloof. I wasn’t sure I had that ability anymore where Lila was concerned.
“Is there somewhere Leo can sleep?” She wiggled from my grasp and followed Matteo when he pointed to the left, the ghost of her still warming my fingertips.
Alessio led her into one of the four rooms Matteo had built down here. We followed more slowly, giving her time to settle Leo but also for us to give a final check of our surroundings. Satisfied, I removed my weapons while Matteo closed and locked the doors. We were safe down here, and he’d made sure the design mimicked the house above to help keep Alessio’s mind at ease.
