Lissy Romano

25| Piggy bank.

Santino Romano

"Vincenzo, I don't like this," I said, walking toward the table where the guns were laid out.

"Do you think I like leaving her there?" Vincenzo responded, sounding annoyed and on edge.

I grabbed one of the guns and checked for bullets. Guns, knives, anything lethal—it's my responsibility to ensure they're handled properly before use.

"I don't know. You decided to leave her there with the twins and Giovanni. Now Giovanni's even gone," I said, clenching my jaw.

It's not that I don't trust the twins... I just think Lissy would be safer with me nearby.

"Yes, I decided to leave her there, with her brothers," Vincenzo muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Did you want us to bring her to Spain to kill some men?" Dante sneered, his face twisted in that typical mocking expression of his.

"Stronzo," I muttered under my breath. (Asshole.)

"Lissy, come join your killer brothers, let's go make some enemies disappear, okay?" Dante mocked.

"It looks like you want to die today," I shot back, locking eyes with him.

"Alright, guys," Domenico interrupted, trying to keep it all in check. "I don't want to save one of you like I did last time, so be careful and put on your bulletproof vests."

"Okay, mom," Davide chuckled.

"Last time, you stopped laughing when you got shot. If I remember correctly, you were begging to not die and see the light," Domenico teased, unable to hold back his laugh.

"Not funny, bringing my business up like that, Domenico," Davide muttered, embarrassed.

"Jokes aside," Vincenzo cut in, "the guy who followed Lissy into the bathroom? He's in ICU."

"He's still alive?" Dante asked, his tone suddenly more aggressive. I hadn't seen him this worked up before.

"Not for long, right, Vincenzo?" I added, looking at him.

"Emilio's on the job," Domenico said, glancing toward Vincenzo.

"Emilio? Then he's probably already dead," I said, picking up a knife and twirling it between my fingers.

Vincenzo's phone rang, and we all exchanged curious glances.

"It's Emilio," Vincenzo said as he answered, his voice tight.

He spoke for a minute, then hung up and turned to us. "The stronzo is long gone now. Emilio said he didn't stand a chance. Enzo did a good job."

"How about the camera footage?" Davide asked, his concern evident.

"With enough money, you can buy anything—even camera footage," Vincenzo said, flashing a grin.

"Lissy, she didn't understand anything, right?" Dante asked, a softer side emerging.

"No, but when she came out of the restroom, she saw that man on the floor. She asked Enzo about it, but he didn't tell her anything," Vincenzo replied as he took a gun from the table.

"But she's smart. She probably saw Enzo's bruised knuckles and figured it out," I said, staring down at the table, trying to push the thought away.

"She saw, but Enzo denied it," Vincenzo added, sitting back on the couch.

"He denied?" Davide asked.

"Of course he did," Dante replied, taking a seat next to Vincenzo.

"So, he lied to her?" I asked, my eyes moving between my brothers.

"Yes. Did you want her to be afraid of her own brother? Enzo said that when she saw that man, she changed. She even wanted to help him..." Vincenzo said, a slight edge to his voice.

"Help him? Why?" Dante asked, clearly confused.

"Because no one helped her when she was hurt," I said, my voice trailing off. I couldn't talk about it anymore, so I stood up and slammed the door behind me as I left the house.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to hold Lissy and tell her everything would be okay. Tomorrow was her first day at a new school, and I wouldn't be there with her. What if she needs me? What if something happens? What if...

I couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought Vincenzo was too open to the idea of Lissy going to school. I understood the need for her to integrate, to make friends—just girls, of course—but she'd only been home for a few days, and now she was leaving again?

I'll get my men to keep an eye on her while she's at school. I'll check on her every five minutes. Okay, maybe not every five, but definitely every ten.

Enzo would give her the new phone today, so at least I'd be able to reach her. And of course, there'd be a tracker on it, just in case something goes wrong.

I should stay here, but tomorrow, I'm flying back to Italy. In the morning, I'll meet with the school principal and take care of some important matters.

Later, after walking through the city to clear my head, I returned to the house. I was still thinking about Lissy and today's events. But there were bigger issues at hand. Gonzalez thought he could steal from us and get away with it. He was wrong.

He knows we'll end him. But we never touch family. That's a rule we've always followed.

We never hurt women or children. Our father taught us that from a young age. He raised us to be men, and men protect not just themselves but also women and children.

Since our parents died, Vincenzo's been leading our family's business. And not a single woman or child has been harmed in all these years. Vincenzo made that rule crystal clear. Anyone who crosses it gets a one-way ticket to death.

"We thought you'd disappear for good," Dante said, watching me as I took the bulletproof vest and slid it on.

"No. I'm here. I'll take care of Gonzalez, then I'll head back to Italy. I need to talk to the school about Lissy," I replied.

"Good idea," Davide said as he put a knife in his pocket.

"I know. Just a couple of hours, then I'll be back," I said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Boss, everything's ready," a man said, walking into the room.

"Alright. Wait for us outside," Vincenzo ordered as he stood up.

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