6. A Place to Call Home

SIX

A Place to Call Home

JULIAN

I wait for Milana to leave before going over to speak with my father. "What the fuck was that all about?" I grumble, jerking my head toward Angelo Corso, the underboss who was taking his sweet-ass time moving Milana's induction along.

"He's an old man who liked it better when women were seen and not heard. He comes from the old school, and he was very close to Alessio's father. We need to tread carefully. Alessio has his eyes open. Niccolo assures me of such, and he would never let anything happen to our capo," Dad tells me. "Still, he will be invited to the wedding, and we will treat him as a respected member of the family. No matter what he does, we do what we need to do."

"Maybe he'll have a heart attack and bless us with his death," I say snidely.

"Then first rights go to his son, and from what I hear, he's not ready to be an underboss. He would rather be out of the family altogether," Dad says.

"Doesn't he know there's no way out?"

"He knows. He's nothing like his father. He's a good man with a shitty role model. He doesn't want to become his father."

"Has he had his first kill?" I've never spent much time with Tommaso, but he always seemed like a good guy but quiet and reserved.

"Yeah, he was out with his father, and his car was attacked. They were forced off the road. His father was pinned, hence he walks with a limp. If it weren't for his son taking his father's gun and holding the enemy off until help arrived, they'd both be dead." Dad gives a shrug. "It was a tough lesson for a kid. That may be the reason for his apprehension."

"He needs someone like you to guide him," I say.

Dad grins. "Let's join the others."

The rest of the evening is all business. The Russians have hit three of our warehouses, and we've lost four men because of it. They never got to the shipment, mainly because we reacted so quickly. Alessio is livid.

"This is our territory, and we're being bested. It's an embarrassment. We need to find out how they're getting their information. How is it that they always know which containers are holding our merchandise?" Alessio paces the room as he speaks, seething with anger.

He then defers to his consigliere, who divulges the plan to get the problem under control. What comes to light is that these attacks are happening in Angelo's area, which only infuriates the old man further. When it comes to business, Alessio doesn't back down.

"This is not the blame game. This is about ensuring that our men stay alive. I have to go to their families and tell them we let them down," Alessio snaps.

"We take care of the families," Angelo bites back.

"That doesn't bring back a father, husband, or son," Alessio growls. "What if it were your son?" Alessio doesn't wait for a response, but turns to Niccolo. "I want more men in the area, and we need more ears on the streets. Someone is targeting us, and I want to know who. This stops now!"

I wait for the meeting to end before I approach Alessio privately. "I'll be on duty tomorrow to look after your family," I tell him. If he's doing the rounds and giving his respects to the families of our lost soldiers, then he'll need me. I'll defer my plans.

"You need to be fighting fit. I'll take no risks with Josephine and Nico."

"I'm ready."

"Your father tells me you're house hunting tomorrow. Niccolo will accompany me, then. Davide will look after my family. You come the day after. And you'll need to find a man to watch Milana. I suggest you speak to your father and find someone appropriate," Alessio says.

I look at him with confusion. My mother has always been watched, and it stands to reason that Milana will need a bodyguard as well, but why is there a rush? "There's something you're not saying."

"When the time is right, you'll begin training as a proper underboss. Your time will be limited, and that will leave Milana alone for long periods. She's already a target if they find out she handed us the location of Boris and his men. The Bratva will want to retaliate, and she'll be the prime target." Alessio shrugs. "It could be nothing, but after the last few hits, I refuse to leave things to chance."

I can feel my muscles tense. "Right. I'll take care of it."

"Good. Now go home. Tomorrow is another day," he replies.

* * *

I didn't sleep well that night and sent word to Luciano to see if he could check in on Barry. If the Bratva was on to Milana, they'd go to her apartment first. He said he'd get back to me. I omitted that we believe danger is on the horizon. That's for Alessio to divulge when he's ready to share with the rest of the capos.

The kitchen smells heavenly, the air filled with the aroma of cinnamon pancakes. I watch from the door as Milana takes painstaking care to flip the pancakes, keeping them perfectly round. The tip of her tongue sticks out the side of her mouth, then she sighs a breath of relief when she gets it just right. It's damn cute.

I don't usually go for cute. Cute is innocent, and I've never had time for that. I discovered girls early and never had a hard time attracting them. I know I'm better than average looking, although I don't think that's what does it. It's the allure of being around a dangerous man. It's no secret that I belong to my Mafia family. All the men in Il Destino wear our insignia proudly on our shoulders. We also own more than half the city and therefore are very visible in the community. We're feared by most, and others simply don't engage, so they're a nonissue.

The women I've been with want a fling. Fast, hot sex. It'll last a day, a week, at most, maybe two, but then we're done. I liked it that way. No muss, no fuss. Yet, I reflect on the innocent kiss I had yesterday with Milana, and it's by far made me feel more than I ever have. I want more, and I'll have more. In two short weeks, she'll be my wife.

Milana turns and sees me standing there. "You're here!" she exclaims with excitement. "I can't wait for you to tell me what you think." She claps her hands happily, then arranges several of the pancakes onto the plate and practically drags me over to the kitchen table. She slathers the stack with syrup. "Your mom says you like lots of syrup. I cut up strawberries if you like."

I cut into the pancake and fork up a bite.

"Good morning, miele mia," I tease, delaying the tasting. "Where's my good-morning kiss?"

"You're kidding, right?" Her eyes grow wide.

"A good meal starts with a happy good morning," I continue.

She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. "Morning!" She beams a bright smile at me. I clasp my hand on the back of her head and pull her close, then let my lips explore hers. Slow, teasingly, and languorously delicious. She tastes like sweet candy. When I finally let her go, she clutches my arm. When she sees that she's still holding on, she releases me immediately, her fingers covering her swollen lips.

I take my first forkful and moan. "These are fantastic."

She grins. "Really?"

"Don't tell my mother, but these are as good as hers," I whisper. She giggles, and it's the most amazing sound. "Where's yours?"

"I was waiting for you."

"Get yourself some. We have a busy day ahead. We have a lot to get done. Tomorrow, I'm back to work. That means all the wedding stuff is up to you and Mom. We're checking out some houses in the area and I'm going to be introducing you to your bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?"

"You need one. Mom has one, and he can't continue to look out for the both of you," I say. I don't want to alarm her if there isn't a reason to. I'd rather get news from Luciano and speak to Alessio before jumping the gun.

"Okay," she acquiesces.

"Eat up, baby," I command.

Milana insists on cleaning the kitchen, stating that she doesn't want my mother to come down and have to deal with her mess. I give her that. It's good that she wants to make a good impression on my parents. I think having my parents' influence in her life will also give her the support she needs while finding her place in the family.

"I'm ready," she says when she's done.

We're ready to leave and walk out when Mom appears at the top of the stairs. "Are you going house hunting?" I should have known that Mom would want to come along. I was hoping to have Milana give her opinion, and with Mom coming along, I think she'll hold off on telling me what she really thinks.

"This time, it's just me and Milana, Mom," I tell her.

She looks hurt, but gives me a curt nod. I climb the steps and whisper in her ear, "We're picking the top two. Then you'll meet us there and tell us what you think. Sounds good?"

"Of course, sweetie," she replies. She's not okay, but I can't help that for the moment. Maybe I can get Dad to talk with her later.

We have five houses to look at. All are close to my parents', but there's one that sits close to Niccolo and Valentina's house. When we get to the gates of the main house that I've had my eye on, I see Milana's eyes light up. It's totally different from the other places we've looked at so far. This house is much smaller, but it has character. It's got a long driveway, and the house is gray and black brick, with huge trees surrounding the property.

The entrance isn't as imposing as the others, but it has dark beam ceilings and cream walls with a skylight. The rest of the rooms follow suit, with fireplaces in the den, living room, and master bedroom.

"There's only four bedrooms," I tell her, "and it's a ranch-style design. No upper floor."

"It's beautiful. It feels like home," she says breathlessly. I smile as she looks around in awe. This is the place I wanted, but I didn't want to influence her one way or the other. After all, Milana will be home more than I will.

"This it, then?" I urge.

"We promised your mom we would let her see it," she reminds me.

"I'll call her. She'll like that it's only twenty-five minutes away from her place," I say to ease her mind. "Ma, yeah. You got time to come by?" I give her the address, and she's off the phone faster than a bolt of lightning.

Mom must have had them break the speed limit all the way to get here in under eighteen minutes.

"This place is adorable, but not very big," Mom says as we give her the tour. "The master is a good size. The other bedrooms too, but you need a guest room."

"Ma, there are three other empty bedrooms," I point out.

"You'll have children, then where would I and your father stay?" she asks. I want to remind her that she's a short drive away, but I think that would only upset her.

"We'll build on. There's plenty of property for that. The kitchen has been newly renovated, and Milana can practice all the dishes you've been teaching her to make," I suggest.

Mom turns to Milana. "What do you think, cara? Do you like this place?"

"I love it. It's simply…perfect," she replies, her hands clutched to her chest.

"Then you should have it." Mom clasps her hands together. "You'll have to call your father and get the security upgraded. We'll have to go shopping for furniture." Mom guides Milana through each room again, taking note of all we'll need to make this place our own.

In the meantime, I make a few calls. I call Dad first to let him know which house we chose. He's always preferred the bigger homes, but he doesn't care one way or another as long as I'm happy. The next call is to the real estate agent to close the deal.

"You've got twenty-four hours to make this happen, or I'll go with another place," I tell him. He gets on it immediately. He wants this sale; his commission is hefty, and no way is he going to give that up.

I'm about to make my third call, this one to Alessio, when my phone rings. It's Luciano.

"Your hunch was correct. I had some men drop by her place. It was trashed, and Barry was beaten up pretty badly. I think they didn't finish him off because they thought he was a vagrant squatting. It was his saving grace. He's been seen by our doctor. He keeps asking for Linny," Luciano says.

"That's what he calls Milana." I sigh. "Tell him she's safe, and as soon as he's healthy, I'll send someone for him. We need to get him out of town. They may not have put two and two together yet, but they will," I tell Luciano. "I'm calling Alessio next."

I'm about to call Alessio when I hear Milana and Mom coming toward me, but I don't want to upset them.

"We have a place to call home," Milana says.

"Yeah, we do." I manage a grin. "I'm sending you back with Mom. I have an urgent matter I have to see to. I'll be by when I'm done."

Thank God, Milana is oblivious to what's going on. I'll have to tell her about Barry at some point, but I'm going to let her revel in her joy for now.