Vittori ✔️

TWENTY-SEVEN

"I'm putting some protection on Danny. And you already dealt with the guy who stole his file." Dad said.

The Lombardis for a long time have been a thorn in our side. They own small pockets of places in New York. It used to be worse but got better when my dad forced their hand into a peace treaty. We sort of just keep out of each other's ways.

"Will this possibly affect my plans?" I asked.

"You're safe, Lucien. Keep up with your plans. But keep in mind that Danny is in a far dangerous position now. He can't just walk anywhere and hang out with anyone. Keep a closer eye on him." Dad said.

Nonna walked up to me. "Danny is handsome boy. You protect him like treasure." She said in a thick Italian accent.

"Sì, signora." I replied. She stared into my eyes and kissed me on the cheek. My mom proceeded to gently grab her by the arm and slowly began walking nonna back inside.

"Were you able to track down those guys?" Dad asked Lorenzo.

"We got one of them and found his address. They're interrogating him right now but if it gets out, this could start some conflicts with the Lombardis." Lorenzo said.

"Find out everything you can." I said. "Try to give him an offer for his cooperation. Then tell him to get out of town." I added.

"Got it, Mr. Vittori. I'll call them right now." Lorenzo stepped away and quickly got on his phone.

"Don't worry, Lucy, Danny's gonna be safe." Dad said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"The one thing I didn't want to happen. Danny being used as a bargaining chip." I muttered.

"He has the whole gang behind his back. No one's laying a finger on his soft, messy hair." Dad told me.

"I sure hope not. Only I'm allowed to grab his hair any way I can." I said while tightening my fist.

"You should go to bed." Dad told me. "I'll finish up here."

"'Kay. Buonanotte." I said.

"You too." Dad replied. I yawned and began walking towards the doors. At the same time, Danny turned a corner and spotted me.

He wore a daisy chain crown on his head, something Aria is very fond of making. His face brightened up when he saw me. A blush came on his face when he noticed me observing me.

It's such a great feeling knowing that you can make a person smile the biggest.

"Lucien." Danny walked over to me and gave me a tight hug. "Where'd you go?" He asked.

"Something dad needed to talk about." I said.

"Was it about them talking in secret? Did you figure it out?" He asked. I can't tell him the truth. It'll scare him too much.

"Yeah. Don't tell them I told you, but they plan on taking us to get gelato tomorrow." I whispered to him.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear it then." Danny pretended to zip his mouth closed. We both giggled in secret.

Who could ever hurt such a precious creature?

"Hey, you two! It's getting late! Get inside!" Aria yelled. I crouched down in front of Danny and signaled for him to jump on my back. He jumped on and I stood up and began walking us to our room.

As I laid him on my bed, he extended his arm for me and grabbed my wrist.

"Don't go." He said.

"We need to brush our teeth first." I told him.