Deliverance (#2) | ✓

thirty-one: cupcakes

"What's the plan?" Angel questions as he plops down on his seat across from me. Adriano's head is propped up on his hand as he tries not to fall asleep. I doubt he got any sleep last night.

Apparently stuff has been happening in his own life that he doesn't feel like sharing. On him, I guess.

Nico turns his head to me, a single brow arched as he plays with the switchblade in his grasp.

I sigh, "We lure him out of hiding."

"What do you have in mind?" Nico questions.

"Me." I deadpan, Adriano's head raising at my words, "First we'll destroy all his safe houses so he has nowhere to run. Take out his suppliers, buy them out if we have to. We set up a meeting with the ruse that I'm willing to trade with him — weapons, drugs, everything he's desperate for, in return for Remi and Jori, then we raid the place."

Angel scoffs, "With you sitting in front of the man that hurt la tua donna (your woman)?"

"I'll be fine."

"That's not what I'm worried about, Luca." Angel huffs, "You'll kill the man as soon as you see him." My brows shoot up — would that be so bad? Angel seems to read my mind because he chuckles, "You don't want to be a little cruel? Take him captive? Tie him up in the dungeon, make him wish he never touched Remi in the first place?" He looks around the table, "Am I the only sane one here?"

A smile rises on my face at his words. "You don't have to worry about that part."

Angel rolls his eyes and drops his head back dramatically, "That's my favorite part, frattello."

"We know, pazzo di merda (you crazy dick)." Adriano's tired voice enters the conversation.

Nico chuckles and leans forward, pulling up the map of New York on the touch screen table circling us, "Alright, where do we start?"

•••

As promised, once the meeting ends, I go to find Remi and Jori though I don't have to look very far. They, along with Farrah and Antonio, another security guard — Nico's favorite one, are in the kitchen, baking what I assume to be trays of cupcakes.

I smell some in the oven and the ones that are out are being iced by Antonio and Jori, a goofy smile on Tonio's face as he helps the young boy hold the icing bag.

A smile grows on my face as I watch them, Remi and Farrah laughing as they whisk more batter, the flavor looking to be chocolate while the others are vanilla. Another tray waiting to be iced on the other counter holds strawberry.

"Luca!" Jori exclaims when he sees me, causing Remi to look up and meet my eye. She grins widely and goes back to whisking. "We're making cupcakes."

My eyes widen in fake shock, "You're making cupcakes, piccolo?" Stepping toward the island where he's seated, I watch as he tries to ice one of them, tongue sticking out of his head in concentration. When he pulls away, displaying a messy piece of art, but art nonetheless, I chuckle and take it up with pride, "Good job, bambino." I kiss the tips of my fingers dramatically in the form of a chef's kiss.

Antonio high-fives him, "See, you're getting better."

"Thank you, Luca and Antonio!" Pushing the cupcake toward my mouth, Jori giggles, "Try it." With his eagerness, the tip of the iced cupcake smashes against my nose and I can feel it sticking on my skin. His eyes widen and he pulls back, "I'm sorry."

I shake my head, "It's okay, Jori." Taking a bite and making a big show of it, I hum in approval, "This is really good."

"I made it with mommy." He exclaims in excitement.

My smile widens as I look up at Remi who's already looking at me, trying to hide her laugh behind her hand.

An idea comes to me and without a second thought, I round the island and approach Remi who's shaking her head in anticipation.

"No, don't you dare." She puts her finger up, trying to hold me back but that doesn't stop me. "Luca, don't you —" She's interrupted as I kiss her lips, rubbing the icing on my nose off on hers. She rolls her eyes and leans into the kiss, "You're annoying."

I wipe it from her nose and lick it from my thumb when Farrah lets out an audible and drawn out, "Awwwwwwww." She pouts, staring at us, "Y'all are so cute."

Rolling my eyes at her, I turn back to Remi who kisses me again. "What's all this for?"

"Your brother's and sister-in-law's anniversary party tomorrow." She says but I furrow my brows in confusion.

"Didn't you guys get married like nine months ago?"

Farrah arches a brow, "And what about it? Don't hate us 'cause you ain't us."

I twist my mouth but don't argue knowing it wouldn't get anywhere. I suck in a breath instead, "Okay. Do I want to ask why you're making them and not paying someone to do it?"

Farrah stares at me for a second, face blank before she looks down at the bowl of cake mix in her grasp, "Because Jori wanted to bake them with me ...?" She says unconvincingly.

Jori's brows furrow, "What? No, I —"

"Eat your cupcake, sweetheart." Farrah cuts him off before he can correct her. "Okay, I might have forgotten that I could do that."

guess who started writing adriano's book and is gonna publish it hopefully this weekenddddd