Chapter 576: You Really Believe That

Val laughed. "God, you really believe that."

"I know it. I am not bragging. Vee told me that herself. Imagine how humiliating that is for you, considering you have spent months trying to turn me into the villain in your little rescue fantasy."

"Shut up. Shut up!"

"Your sister is the best thing you have going on in your life right now," Luca said. "The one person foolish enough to keep loving you. She carries a delicate pregnancy, she is trying to keep herself together after one hell after another, and you choose this time of her life to stab her behind the back."

She sucked in a shaking breath. "Then just kill me,"

"No," he said calmly. "You are going to hand me Vito first. And then you can beg me to kill you."

"What?"

"Your father," Luca said. "The drunken little parasite who started this entire rot. You are going to hand him to me. You are going to watch me kill him. Either that or I tell your sister every single treacherous thing you have done."

"She will forgive me."

Luca tilted his head. "Then why don’t you tell her already?"

"Because I have to get rid of you first," Val said.

Luca nodded slowly, almost bored. "Yeah, yeah, not going to happen. You have three days...Bring me Vito. You will hand Voss’s little witness to me on a silver platter. By yourself."

Val’s eyes filled again.

"Or," Luca said, "I will have your sister sign your death warrant myself." He rose from the sofa.

Val’s body locked. He got up and walked toward her, aiming the gun at her head. "You will not hurt me," Her voice shook, but she forced the words out anyway. "Vee would kill you."

"Really?"

Before Val could move, he swung the edge of the gun and struck her hard against the side of the head.

Her eyes rolled, her body went loose, and she dropped to the pillow like a light had been switched off inside her.

He sighed. "Women in this family never listen," he muttered, sliding the gun back into his rear waistband. He left her there and moved down the hallway towards Matteo’s room.

The moment he opened the nursery door, the violence in his face faded. Matteo slept peacefully in his crib.

Luca stood at the door for a second. Children still made him uncomfortable in the strangest way. He distrusted how breakable they looked. Babies, especially, seemed like an outrageous design flaw. "Hey, big guy," he cooed softly.

Matteo stirred but did not cry.

"Mama is taking a little nap." He walked closer, moving with care. "Wanna come with Uncle Luca?" he whispered. "I promise to close your eyes if I have to shoot someone, uhn."

Matteo made a soft sound.

"I know," Luca murmured. "But that’s mostly because your aunt will cut off my balls."

Carefully, he slipped his hands under the baby and lifted him from the crib. Even though Matteo had gotten bigger, Luca still held him with cautious terror.

He adjusted Matteo against his shoulder, supporting his back with one hand and his head with the other. "There we go," he whispered. "You are heavier now."

Matteo settled against him. Then he walked out of the house with the baby on his shoulder.

******

Massimo was having breakfast in the dining room with Vee when Luca walked in with Matteo in his arms.

The room was bright with morning light, too peaceful for the sort of night Luca had dragged behind him. The table was set neatly. Coffee steamed in cups. Enough food to feed a small militia sat between Vee and Massimo.

Massimo looked up first. His brows lifted. Vee turned next.

"Oh, there is my favourite nephew." She pushed her chair back and got to her feet so quickly Massimo reached out as if to remind her she was pregnant.

Luca met her halfway and carefully handed Matteo over. Matteo who was now awake pressed his cheek to her shoulder, clearly accepting the change in management.

"How are you doing?" Vee asked him, stroking his back. Vee kissed Matteo’s head, then looked up at Luca. "Are Val and Marco here?" she asked.

"No."

Vee gave him a dry look. "Then how do you have Matteo?"

"Marco had an urgent thing to attend to," Luca said. "The babysitter was not around, and Val had been up all night. So, the responsibility of being designated babysitter fell to me." He did not believe he said that with a straight face.

A remarkable performance, really.

"Designated babysitter?"

"Yes."

"You?"

"Yes."

"Luca."

"What?" Luca moved towards the table and picked up a piece of toast. He would have loved to have Valentina panic and show her hand but he had sent her a message that he had Matteo for when she came to.

If Valentina still panicked after that, it was her problem, not his.

"Awww," Vee cooed. "Look at you learning to be a daddy." Vee suddenly paused. "But we have that thing today, remember?"

"Yeah," he said. "We can go with him, can’t we?"

Vee looked down at Matteo, doubtful. "I don’t know."

"Why not?"

"Because it is a medical appointment, Luca." Vee shook her head, still stroking Matteo’s curls. "I don’t even know if they’ll allow it."

"Okay," Massimo chimed in, setting down his cup with sudden importance. "Okay. I will do it."

Luca turned to him with immediate suspicion. "You will do what?"

"Watch the baby."

Luca gave his father an odd look. "You will look after a baby?"

Massimo lifted a brow. "How hard can it be?"

"This is a child," Luca said. "Not a shipment."

Luca looked to Vee for help in this situation, because surely his wife, the sensible pregnant woman would understand that leaving Matteo with Massimo was a decision that belonged somewhere between irresponsible and historic.

Vee only shrugged.

"You are serious?"

"Besides," Massimo added, "it will earn me points when I video call your mother later."

"Of course," Luca drawled.

The true motive. Volunteering for babysitting because he wanted to look good on video call.