Page 30 of They Found Us

“Thank you for having us, Vanna. But like Leo said, the boys have had a lovely but busy day, so I think we better get them home.” Not speaking to Leo, I also gather more of their things and put Zander in the pram.

“I’ll take the pram and get them into the car.” Leo says, then disappears into the house with the boys and Alex, leaving me with Vanna.

She looks at me sympathetically. “Is everything okay?”

“I think you know as well as I do, Vanna, that something is going on, and until I know what it is, everything is not okay.”

Vanna nods and gives me a hug. “Everything will be just fine. You’ll see.”

But her words worry me even more.

After saying goodbye, we leave. We don’t say a word to each other on the way home or after we go into the house. We just fall into the routine of getting the boys settled for bed, making their milk, reading them a bedtime story, then a trip to the bathroom for Mark and a change for Zander.

It’s not until they are both asleep and we go downstairs that I finally look at Leo. His face is angry. He stands tall in the kitchen and looks down at me wide-eyed.

“What was that?” he demands.

“What was what?”

Leo bangs his fists on the kitchen worktop. “You know very well. Disrespecting me in front of Vanna and my brother.”

“It’s hardly disrespect when it is the truth, Leo.” I’m mad. I’m furious at the way he is speaking to me. How dare he. “What is going on with you?” Emotion fills my voice now, and I see a flash of regret in his eyes.

His shoulders relax slightly, and he takes a seat at the island. “Sit down, Kat-er-een.” He pulls out the stool beside him. “I am sorry.”

His words hit me in the gut. I’m not going to like what comes next.

“My actions have put you and our boys in danger.”

He isn’t looking at me when he speaks, so I take hold of his hand because although his words scare me, I trust him.“What has happened? Tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out. I need to understand.”

Leo begins by explaining the turmoil the Guerra has been through. He tells me about Mia’s disappearance and Marco falling apart. Listening intently, I don’t speak, just give his hand a little squeeze every now and then to encourage him to continue, which he does.

“When you weren’t answering the phone, I didn’t think rationally. I needed to get back to you immediately. I didn’t cover my tracks. I may have led the Martelé right to us.” Leo hangs his head in shame.

My heart is racing, and my mind is in overdrive at the thought of our babies in danger. “Okay. What now, then, Leo Guerra?” I ask firmly and expectantly.

Leo’s eyes instantly meet mine, searching for my anger and annoyance, which is there, but I’m hiding it. Honestly, when my boys are safe, I will let my anger out at Leo for going back to Italy in the first place. But for now, I need him to think logically, to protect our children.

“We go back to Italy.”

Chapter Eleven

Leo

We take five boat journeys to different islands within the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean to ensure Nuova Vita Island’s location is kept a secret. We then board a private plane in Jamaica that takes us to Cuba. The journey so far has taken twenty-four hours, so we lay low in a villa in an emerald forest. It’s a hidden paradise home to lush greenery, so the only thing that will see us here is the wildlife.

While Katie settles the boys into their beds, I watch her intently. She’s hardly spoken to me since yesterday when I told her that we needed to go back to Italy. Once I explained that returning was our only option to ensure our safety, she insisted on leaving straight away. I’m still waiting for her to lose her temper or get upset. Her reaction wasn’t what I expected. She’s so calm. Too calm. I worry about her health, her heart. It wasn’t long ago that I nearly lost her. My chest pounds with guilt.

The sound of my phone ringing distracts me from my wife. When I take the device out of my pocket, I see Alex’s name lighting the screen.

“Sshh!” Katie waves me out of the room, the noise disturbing Mark.

I go out onto the balcony and close the door quietly before I answer. “Alex.”

“Have you arrived?”

“Yes. Katie’s is settling the boys in bed.”

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