Chapter 182: You Called
Saying 911
Nonnina sat in the living room, her hands folded tightly in her lap, her gaze fixed on nothing in particular. The clock ticked loudly on the wall, each second stretching longer than the last, her thoughts circling endlessly.
She didn’t like this feeling.
The front door burst open with a sharp echo, breaking the silence.
"Nonni!" Luca’s voice rang through the house, urgent, already edged with tension. "Nonni?" He stepped inside. His eyes scanned the room.
Nonnina rose slowly, eting him halfway.
"I’m here," she said.
Luca reached her in seconds, his gaze sharp as it moved over her, checking for injuries, for signs of distress, for anything out of place. "What’s going on?" he demanded.
"Be calm." Nonnina said it the way she always did—softly, firmly. She reached for Luca’s jacket.
"Nonni? You called
saying 911. That’s not exactly be calm energy."
His eyes were already scanning the room again, instincts firing on all cylinders. Windows. Doors. Shadows. Angles. Exit points. Threats.
Nonnina turned to face him slowly. "I have worked for your family for over thirty years now, Luciano," she began, folding his jacket neatly over her arm. "One of the perks of working for the mafia..." She paused, her lips curving faintly. "Is knowing when sothing is wrong. It sharpens your instincts."
"Okay..." he said slowly, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Are you quitting?"
That earned him a soft chuckle.
Nonnina shook her head, stepping closer, reaching up to adjust his collar. "I better die in your arms, Diavolino," she said, "or I swear, I will haunt you for the rest of your life."
"So what is this?" he asked.
"I am being watched."
The restless edge disappeared.
A certain stillness took over him. This was where he functioned best. Where everything slowed down just enough for him to think clearly... and act decisively.
"When did you first notice?" he asked.
"A few days ago," Nonnina replied. "At the market. At the store. Small places. Ordinary places." She clasped her hands together lightly. "It’s subtle. But you notice when soone looks at you too long. When they linger just a second more than they should."
Luca nodded once, processing. "Sa person?" he asked.
"I believe so," she said. "Or at least... the sa kind of presence."
Luca stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly—more tightly than usual.
"I’ll take care of it," he murmured against her hair.
Nonnina smiled softly, her eyes closing for just a second as she leaned into him. "I know you will," she said.
She pulled back slightly, cupping his face in her hands. "Now you can go back to Vee," she added.
"I think I’ll stay with you tonight instead," Luca said, loosening his cuffs as he moved further into the house. "I need to look into this anyway... and Veronica is very distracting."
"Be gentle with her," Nonnina said after a mont. "She isn’t totally healed yet."
Luca huffed under his breath as he walked toward the bar, pouring himself a drink. "Yeah, I try," he muttered, lifting the glass slightly before taking a slow sip. "But she is relentless."
"Luciano..."
He paused, glass halfway to his lips. "Yeah?"
"Will she...?" she started, then stopped herself, shaking her head. "Never mind."
Luca turned fully this ti, leaning back against the bar. "Co on, Nonni. What?"
She sighed softly. "Will she carry your child?"
"Aren’t you tired of babysitting?" he deflected lightly.
Nonnina wasn’t amused. "I just thought..." she said quietly. "Before I die, you know... I’d like to see what another Diavolino would look like."
"If it happens, it happens," Luca replied, taking another sip of his drink. "I’m not forcing anything."
He couldn’t tell her the truth. That Veronica didn’t want that. Didn’t want his child. Didn’t want to be tied to this world any more than she already was. And for once... he wasn’t sure he wanted to force her into it.
Nonnina nodded slowly. "Then I have the perfect blends to give her," she said, almost to herself. "To speed up the process. I have it in my recipe book sowhere..."
"Nonni—no—" Luca started, already shaking his head. Too late.
She was already walking away, muttering under her breath.
Luca stared after her, then let out a dry laugh, dragging a hand down his face.
"Great," he muttered. "Just great."
*****
By the ti Luca arrived at Veronica’s house, night had fully settled in.
He followed the sound of her voice into the kitchen, where he found her standing between two maids, leaning lightly against the counter.
Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders, her expression bright in a way he hadn’t seen in days. She was saying sothing, her hands moving animatedly as the won laughed along with her.
Luca leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching her in silence. "Should I be jealous?" he finally said.
Veronica turned instantly, but her face didn’t light up as it usually did whenever he showed up. Well, that’s new.
This had beco his routine.
Every day after work, Luca would find himself drawn to Veronica’s house first. Then, later, he would return to Nonnina’s, to sit at her table, eat her food, and make sure she was still safe, still untouched by whatever shadow had dared creep too close.
He had assigned a watch to Nonnina imdiately. Her driver now shadowed her every move, alert, ard, and instructed to report even the slightest irregularity. Luca had gone further. A tracking necklace was already being crafted.
In all her years as his nanny, her life had never been threatened.
She had seen blood. Cleaned it. Endured it. But it had never been hers.
Luca sat at the table slowly. His eyes tracked the maids as Veronica dismissed them with a flick of her hand.
That was when he noticed it.
The walking assist was gone.
"I’m sitting here wondering," he began, "what I could have possibly done. Make it easy for
and tell ."
Veronica moved around the kitchen.
"Let
guess," he added after a mont, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I breathed wrong."
(400 power stones!!! Y’all are amazing! Thank you soooo much. We have ti to get to 600? Dont we?)
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