LUCIEN VITTORI
Throughout dinner, I could feel the sneaky glances that were given to us. I thought I might've been having a mental breakdown or become paranoid. But when I saw Tommaso and Giovanni staring at us then away, I knew something was up.
"And a toast, to Lucien and Danny. May they have a long and beautiful relationship." Dad said as we all held up our glasses.
"Salute!" Everyone cheered and sipped on their glasses. Danny didn't drink alcohol so he sipped on orange juice and I made sure to only drink a small amount.
"Tomorrow is my dad's birthday." I told Danny.
"Do I get him a present?" He asked.
"If you want to. Personally, my dad's gift from me is not to get into another bar fight for the next few months." I said. Danny went into thinking mode.
"I've got nothing." He said. I hugged his side.
"It's fine." I told him. I leaned down and kissed him on the head. "Let's go outside." I said. I had noticed people began to go outside and get some fresh air.
"Hey, Danny. Come with me." Aria came by and took Danny by the arm away from me. I wanted to smash her face into the wall for taking my Danny away but calmed myself down.
"I'll be back, Lucien." He said. I watched as the two began to walk towards a side garden, out of view from us.
"We need to talk, Lucien." I turned and saw my mom standing behind me. Her tone indicated it was something serious. I followed her and she took us in the opposite direction of where Danny and Aria went.
When I turned the corner, I saw dad, Tommaso, nonna, and two other guys. One of them I immediately remembered as Lorenzo, one of dad's associates who specializes in secret operations.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Something serious has come to our attention." Dad said. I thought they were going to be upset about the fact that I had sex with Danny earlier near the olive trees.
"It's about Danny." Mom said.
Now they really had my attention and full panic.
"He's doing good. What's with all the worry?" I asked. Lorenzo stepped forward.
He cleared his throat. "One of our lackey's was on the west side and overheard a conversation. According to him, the main topic was Daniel Harper and his connection to us." He said.
"What did their conversation say?" I asked.
"Something about keeping a watch on him. They called it Operation AH. We don't know what AH stands for. But we do know that Daniel may be in danger." Lorenzo said.
"It's the Lombardi's, right?" I asked.
"It was in their territory. I would assume so." Lorenzo said.
"Is this what you guys were talking about earlier when we walked in?" I asked. They all nodded.
"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.
After we did our night routine, we were able to go to bed. It was a pain to stop Danny from attempting to put on a night time face mask.
"Goodnight, Lucien." He said.
"Goodnight, Danny Boy." I replied. I hugged him from behind and kissed his temple. Then, sleep fell over us.
The sound of a door opening quickly scared both of us and I jumped and pulled out a knife I'd hidden under the bed. In walked my dad holding a cupcake with a lit candle and a birthday hat on.
"Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday dear me-ee. Happy Birthday to me!" Dad sang. Both Danny and I looked at each other and gave a 'Seriously?' look.
"Shouldn't we be singing you that?" I asked.
"It's more fun when I do it!" Dad said. He blew out his candles and tossed a handful of confetti at us. "Get changed! We're going into Rome later!" Dad cheered. He set the cupcake down and skipped out the room.
"What the fuck just happened?" Danny asked. I went over towards him and tried to kiss him but he pushed me away. "No! I need to brush my teeth first!" He said.
"We'll do it together!" I held out my hand. We brushed our teeth together and made silly faces in the mirror while doing so.
After changing, we met the family downstairs. Everyone was ready and waiting for us.
"Going on the Vespa again?" Mom asked me.
"Yeppers." I replied. She sighed.
"No distractions this time. Got it." She leaned in. "Who knows if the Lombardis have eyes in Rome right now." She whispered.
"Understood." I said. "Oh, Danny!" I called out to him. He turned and saw me standing next to the aqua blue Vespa we'd ridden on earlier.
"No skinny-dipping this time, right?" He asked.
"Just going to get gelato. That's it!" I said. He seemed hesitant but ended up hopping on the Vespa. Everyone had already left in their cars. It was just me and Danny.
The ignition turned on. I stared out into the road and got ready to drive.
"Hold on tight!" I said. Danny hugged me close.
I started driving for us and led us from the countryside into the urban center of Rome. The salty air from the sea opened my nostrils. I was able to take in the amazing scent of Italy.
"Is this gelato place good?" Danny asked.
"The best! Trust me, you'll like it!" I said. I slowed down the Vespa and slowly entered the parking lot of a gelato shop. Everyone's cars were already here and inside. "I'm paying. Remember." I told him. I parked the Vespa near one of the black cars and we both hopped off. We began walking towards the entrance.
"But, I converted some of my money into Euros." He protested. I stopped him and pinned him against the wall. He grunted when his back hit the wall hard.
"Listen to me, Danny." I lowered myself to his ear. "When you're with me, I'll provide for everything. I don't want you worrying about anything. Not when you're with me. Got it?" I asked.
He whimpered. "Yes, sir."
"Good boy. We're on the same page then." I said. I let go of him and grabbed his hand. "Let's go. I'm hungry." I said.
I turned and saw Danny flustered. His face was red and he was breathing hard.
Inside the shop it was cold. I looked around and saw my family sitting near a window, all eating their gelato.
"I'm ordering for us." I said. Danny didn't protest and just told me what he wanted.
So far, a good start to my dad's birthday.
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<3 luv u all <3