Chapter 34
Alcee watched the interaction, her chest squeezing a bit at the sight of the two men in her life exchanged glances and the Torq winked at Antero.
“Your tia, is right though. Piano wire would be good to leam. You’re going to grow into a big
gman. It would be a valuable assel
“Torquato, hush your mouth!” Alcee pointed at him as he laughed while taking his toast from the toaster and biting it.
“Ew. You’re not going to put butter on it?”
“Butter is greasy on boast.”
“Tell me he’s Antero’s father without actually saying he’s Antero’s father,” Susana quipped from the phone.
Alcee shook her head. “They ate a dozen cookies between them last night and they both picked off the chocolate chips which were too dark from touching the bottom of the pan.”
“How lucky for you!” Susans mocked her. “You’ll have two of them to deal with.”
“One was plenty.” She kissed the top of Antero’s head. “I will happily enjoy my son’s quirks but the oversized man child who got up at two in the morning because he was starving and wanted to eat an entire bag of potato chips in the bed, not so much.”
“Did you let him?” Amal suddenly popped over Susana’s shoulders. “I don’t know if I’d deny him anything.”
“She did not let me, Amal. Sadly she made me eat in the kitchen,”
“I am not sleeping in crumbs”
“I’m not even allowed popcorn in bed when we watch movies on her laptop.” Antero griped. “You definitely can’t eat chips.”
“I think we all have quicks and traits we will need to adjust ourselves around,” Torq laughed. A knock on the door. “Ah, that must be Tito and
Bastiano
“They’re coming in our house?” Antero glared at the door
“Yes. I want them to meet you. They will be critical to your security team, Antero. The best way to keep your mother safe is to make sure she is not in a situation where you are at risk because she will do whatever it takes to protect you. If you are safe, it eliminates half the threat to her.”
He huffed and lowered his chin to the countertop while Alcee made wide eyes at the twins in the camera. Torq moved to let his team into the condo.
Susana spoke up, “hey, Art, it’ll be okay. You weren’t sure you’d like your Dad and it seeths like you’re getting along.”
“Tito talked to me yesterday like I was a baby.”
“Because he didn’t know you.” Alere rubbed his back softly. “Once he gets to know you, it’ll be better.”
“He can’t touch me.”
“Nobody will ever touch you without your express permission.” Torq commented quietly as he came back from opening the door. He took a seat next to Antero, boxing the child between him and his mother. “Susana, Amal, we will call you back shortly.” He reached out and hung up the phone Ignoring the irritated hiss of Alcee.
Tito and Bastiano both stood on the other side of the counter and Tito made a face at the state of it. “Damn it Torq, there’s crumbs everywhere” He rifled through some drawers to find a dishcloth and dampened it before cleaning up the crumbs left from Torq’s toast. “I know this was you. It’s like you were raised in a barn like an animal. No plates. No cutlery. Can’t be bothered with condiments. He eats like a starving pup over the
counter.”
“It takes a lot of calories to fuel this body and I don’t have time for sit down meals most days.”
“I swear sometimes we throw food at him from a distance to avoid being sucked into the abyss of his maw.” Bastiano shook his head in disgust.
Their comments made Antero giggle from where he regarded them safely perched between his parents.
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Chapter 34
Tito looked at Antero, “I hope your mother is teaching you better manners than his mother did.”
“My mother is a saint. Torq commented with a glare.
“One would have to be to have you as a son.” Bastiano quipped back.
Antero was silent as he observed the bickering back and forth.
ay you’ll
I treat us to dinner?”
“Alcee, Torq said you made him and Ant cacio e pepe last night and it was the best he ever had. Do you think someday Tito asked with a grin
“It’s not a hard dish to make.”
“He said you made the noodles.”
“There’s leftovers in the fridge.”
Torg was on his feet and blocking the fridge from Tito who was moving towards it. “Antero and I already agreed we’re sharing it for an after school snack. Don’t touch it. I will shoot you and bury you in a shallow grave where the animals will forage off your remnants.”
“Good lord, it’s only noodles.” Alcee shook her head in surprise.
“Says you! I never get a home cooked meal.”
“You need a home for one of those Torq.” Tito shrugged. “Until yesterday you didn’t have one.”
“You don’t have a home?” Alcee asked Torg seriously.
y.“Where do you stay?”
“Hotels,” Bastiano complained. “Hotels all the freaking time. It’s exhausting.”
“You don’t own condos or estates or the like?” she swiveled in her seat.
“What for? I’m rarely in the same place for more than a week before I’m on the move. My mother and her husband live in a tiny little house in a village in Sicily which is well guarded by the town but there is no threat to them there. There is also no mom for me in their home. My grandfather’s estate is technically mine but my father lives in it with his current wife. There is a high probability I’ll shoot him in the leg again if I’m in the same room as him. It’s filled with the men who are angry I took his tale.”
“You shot your father?” Antero asked.
“He stole my money.” Torq shrugged.
gave a matching shrug. “I would shoot him too.”
“On this note, it’s time to take Ant to school.”
Alcee wondered if any of this would ever feel normal.
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