Theirs to Protect (Mafia Menage Trilogy 3)

Chapter Ten

Marco

“I want to take Ashlyn out of Boston for a while. How do you feel about going on vacation?” I asked Joseph between long gulps of coffee. I’d stayed up all night researching Ciro Amato and his family. If he’d found Ashlyn at the wine bar, that meant he could find her here. He could find our home. Maybe he already knew where we lived.

We couldn’t stay here. As long as Ciro was breathing, Ashlyn wasn’t safe.

Joseph peered at me around the open refrigerator, which he was currently raiding for an early breakfast. Ashlyn was still asleep upstairs.

“When and where are you thinking?” he asked.

“Ashlyn was talking about visiting Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. I thought we could go there. As to when, how do you feel about leaving in eight hours?”

The refrigerator door closed, and Joseph turned his full attention on me. “You want to fly to Italy eight hours from now?” His voice was too calm and bland for me to discern his mood. It was eerily similar to the emotionless void he’d entered yesterday when he’d questioned Rafael. I resisted the urge to shift back in my chair.

“Yes,” I replied, my tone equally calm. “I want us to fly out this evening. Ashlyn can sleep on the plane, and when we arrive in Naples, it’ll be morning. She can see her museum before we catch the ferry to Sorrento.”

His brows rose to his sleep-mussed black curls. “It’s seven A.M. When did you plan this full itinerary?”

I shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep. Until we figure out what to do about Ciro, I won’t be able to sleep. I don’t like having Ashlyn in Boston right now.”

I’d started to work up a plan to deal with Ciro, but getting Ashlyn out of the line of fire was my top priority. Taking her to Italy would help meet both of those objectives.

“I’ll have to skip class.” Joseph scrubbed a hand through his hair and stretched, as though waking himself up. “But of course I’ll skip class. You’re right. I don’t like having Ashlyn in Boston, either. And I’m not ready to call my dad yet. Until we have a plan, leaving the city is a good idea. Ashlyn’s on spring break now, so that gives us a little time to vacation.”

“We won’t have to call Dominic,” I promised. “We’ll figure this out.”

“Okay, let’s do it. The Amalfi Coast sounds perfect.”

“Good, because I just bought the tickets. When Ashlyn starts worrying about you skipping class, make sure to tell her that they’re first class nonrefundable.”

Joseph grinned. “You’re evil.”

I chuckled. “She just needs something to push her past her initial anxiety over taking a last-minute trip. Sticker shock should do the trick. She’ll be thrilled once we land in Naples.”

While Joseph went back to preparing his breakfast, I returned my attention to my laptop. I’d spent my sleepless night doing far more than planning a vacation. I’d been tracking down Elio Amato, Ciro’s brother.

Because the most important thing that I’d learned from Rafael’s confession was that Elio hated Ciro. He’d exiled his brother to America for attacking his son, Max. If I could get Elio on my side, maybe the tide would turn in Boston. There had to be others here in the States who didn’t like that Ciro was aggressively making a name for himself. Too much unnecessary violence was bad for business, and money was more important than one man’s personal crusade to “toughen up” his associates.

I needed allies, and the best ally would be Ciro’s greatest enemy. I’d get a meeting with Elio Amato, no matter what it took.

I felt the pull to Ashlyn and Joseph like a tug on my heart, urging me to return to them. They were busy exploring the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Ashlyn had practically been bouncing with excitement when I’d revealed the extent of our plans for the day.

Well, the plans I’d made for her and Joseph. As far as they knew, I was making arrangements for our travel to Sorrento later this afternoon. I’d already booked everything online, but I kept that fact to myself.

No matter what Joseph said about helping me with the darker aspects of our lives, I wouldn’t pull him into this. He’d been hollowed out while he questioned Rafael yesterday, an emotionless void wearing my best friend’s face. If Rafael hadn’t been fucked up on pills and alcohol, I wasn’t sure what Joseph would’ve done to extract information from our enemy.

I couldn’t lose him again. I would never leave my family, but I could keep them safe and happy by hiding the disturbing truth. Joseph had abandoned me once before, and it had shredded me. Even worse, I’d allowed him to think he was the one at fault. I’d kept my darkest sin buried deep inside, too much of a coward to admit that I was the murderer, not him.