Page 38 of Days Of Valentino

“Oh, you got my baby.” Katy sets her cup of coffee on the counter and walks over to me with her arms wide open. She used to do that because she wanted to hug me. Now it’s purely to snatch Sebastian out of my hands.

“Nope, we’re having agrandson and Glampsmorning,” I reply, holding Sebastian just out of her reach.

“Luca, I love you. But seriously, Glamps is not sticking. Now give me my grandchild,” she says in a firm tone.

I relent and pass over my grandson, who immediately snuggles into my wife’s arms. “Traitor,” I whisper to him. “And Glamps is sticking, babe.” I kiss Katy before moving towards the pantry. “Mama says no more chocolate for breakfast. Looks like banana custard it is, little guy.”

Movement on the CCTV screen behind Katy catches my eye, and I watch as my brother storms into my house, clutching his side. “Katy, tell Orlando to use the back entrance today,” I call out before rushing towards the foyer, where Theo is bleeding all over my damn floor. “What the fuck happened to you?” I ask, ducking under his arm to support his weight.

“Drive-by,” he grunts.

“Who?” I’m already coming up with a list of ways to kill the motherfucker who thought they could shoot my brother.

“No fucking idea. Get the doc here. I can’t go home with a bullet in my side. Maddie will kill me.” The fucker smiles.

“I might just kill you if you keep dragging blood through my house, Theo,” Katy says, and I turn to see my wife with Sebastian on her hip.

“Hey, little man, you doing your job and keeping the old man up all night?” Theo asks Sebastian.

“That baby is pure perfection,” I tell my brother. “Come on, let’s get your ass into the office.” “Have someone clean this up for me.” I gesture to one of my soldiers, who is looking at Theo with worry etched on his face. I lay Theo down on the sofa—a sofa that will now need replacing—and pull his hand aside. “Let me look.”

“Why? You suddenly a doctor?” he asks.

“No, fucker, but I have been shot once or twice.” I laugh.

“Boss, the doc is on his way,” Theo’s driver calls into the room.

“Thanks, Logan,” Theo answers. “Any other hits?”

“You think this wasn’t a one-off?” I chime in.

“None, boss. Everyone’s accounted for,” Logan replies.

“Good.” Theo waits for Logan to walk away. “Have Romeo pull up street cam footage from outside The Plaza.”

“What were you doing at The Plaza?” I ask with a raised brow. “I know you’re not cheating on your wife, so what were you doing at a hotel at this hour of the morning?”

“Looking for the little shit who can’t seem to keep his dick away from my daughter,” Theo growls.

“Travis?” I ask. I’m pretty sure Travis and Lil are in Canada right now.

“No, dipshit, Dante.”

“Why would Dante be at The Plaza?”

“He bought a fucking apartment,” Theo grunts as he tries to pull himself upright.

“Lay your ass down. And explain how our seventeen-year-old nephew purchased an apartment worth millions?” The heirs, as we like to refer to them, don’t get access to their trust funds until they’re twenty-one. I walk over to the wet bar and pour a healthy serving of whiskey into a glass.

“It’s Dante. The kid can make money by looking at it.” Theo swipes the glass out of my hand before I can offer it to him. “He’s been playing around with the stock market.”

“Huh, maybe I need to get him to invest for me.” I’ll have to remember to talk to him about it.

“Not the point. He bought a fucking apartment and has taken my daughter there.Unsupervised.” My brother says the last word like it physically ails him.

“They’re seventeen, Theo. You’re overreacting.” I laugh at his obvious discomfort.

“Yeah, keep laughing. Who the fuck’s a nonno here? That’d be you, Luc, ya old fart.”

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