Alessandro DeLuca

The moment she moves, he snatches her by her collar, and she screams.

“Bastard!” I say, standing.

“Don’t any of you make a move!”

“If you’re going to kill them, at least let them say their goodbyes,” Alessandro objects.

“Why the fuck do I care?” Colombo laughs.

“The property is no longer in their name. It doesn’t belong to them, so killing them won’t give you the chance to buy it.”

“This is no longer about the property. This is about honor! This is about avenging my name!” he roars.

They argue some more, and I make eye contact with Bianca and give her the ASL sign of the possum that Mr. Denim taught her. When I give her the sign now, she falls to the floor in a faint.

That’s all I need to pull the little Luger from my waistband and pop one between his eyes.

“Muori cagna!” I shout.

Surprise takes over his features, and the crazy-assed man starts to laugh before falling to the floor beside my baby with a loud thud.

I rush to her side and lift her into my arms while Alessandro checks to ensure Colombo’s dead.

My baby places her hands on either side of my face, and tears flood my eyes.

Alessandro’s making calls, but I don’t care.

“You sound like my Mommy, but you don’t look like her.”

“Honey, I know. Do you know how you had to hide to stay alive? Well, I had to do the same. I was burned very badly in the explosion, and I had to have surgery.”

“But why?”

“There’s so much I want to tell you…but guess what? We have all the time in the world now.”

A smile brightens her features, and I see she’s missing her two top front teeth. Her face crumples as she throws herself into my arms. I hold her close, squeezing her and inhaling my daughter's tangerine scent.

Warm tears flow down my face, and my heart clenches tightly in my chest. I wish Paola and the others were here to celebrate this moment with me.

“Zo-Zo,” I sob as she cries in my arms.

My daughter pulls back and stares at me before pressing her face against mine. Our tears intermingle, and I can’t decipher between mine and hers, and I don’t care to.

“I love you so much, Zoe. God, how I’ve missed you!” I exclaim.

“Mommy, I thought…I thought…” she cries again.

“It’s okay, honey. It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and I’m never leaving you again.”

“Do you promise?” she asks between sobs.

“Death couldn’t keep me away from you, my love,” I promise.

She kisses me all over my face, causing Alessandro and me to laugh.

***

His hand rubs down the curve of my hip. A soft kiss is placed on my shoulder before he nuzzles my neck, sending a shiver up my spine.