CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - CAMILLO

Getting all of us in the truck and to the tarmac took much longer than I would’ve liked. There was still the obstacle of properly storing Ana’s car seat as baggage, as well as trying to figure out a way to sit all of us in the seats of my truck. Cassie had already left the house, heading for the airport so she wouldn’t miss her flight to New York and part of me sighed with relief at the notion.

It was one less person I had to worry about and watch over on the island I was taking us to.

Ana was fussy the entire time we were waiting on my jet. She was wiggling around and trying to get out from my grasp. She wanted to run around and take everything in but I didn’t want to put her down. I bounced her in my arms while the boys sunk themselves into their portable gaming systems. All the while, Rose was mindlessly staring out her window.

We still had to refuel and maintenance had to double check a couple of things before we could head to Italy, which meant we had to wait another two hours before the jet could finally take off safely. Rose made the suggestion of flying out of an airport on a commercial flight so we could get into the air earlier but I discarded her suggestion. If I was going to have them on the run for their holiday season because of my misplaced feelings of safety, then they were at least going to be comfortable while it happened.

But Ana’s crying wouldn’t stop and I could tell it was worrying Rose.

“Let me see her,” she said.

“I’ve got this. You just sit back.”

“Camillo, let me—”

“Daddy,” Ana said.

My ears perked up the moment the word fell from Ana’s lips. Rose whipped her head over with wide eyes and even the boys looked up from their gaming systems to take in what had just happened.

“What was that, princess?” I asked.

“Daddy, look at the clouds.”

Ana was pointing out the window while her small little hands clung to me. Rose’s eyes were filling with tears while the boys had massive smiles on their faces. My heart soared with joy at the word that had just come from my daughter’s beautiful lips. I opened my window shade to show her everything outside while Rose kept her eyes trained on us.

But just as soon as the beautiful moment happened, it faded away as Ana’s sniffling and crying began once again.

“She’s tired,” Rose said.

“Then I’ve got the perfect remedy for that.”

I stood up and made my way to the back of the jet. I opened the door leading into the bedroom. Rose craned her neck back, taking in the sheer size of everything as I lay down on the bed. Ana wiggled underneath the covers and quickly moved toward me, her small body sinking into the crook of my arm while her head rested on my bicep.

Suddenly, I felt a presence at my back. I felt a warm pair of lips press a kiss to my neck before the figure rounded the bed and slid in. Rose’s eyes glistened with tears as she slid in next to our daughter, her arm wrapping around the small girl’s frame while Ana slipped off into her beautiful little slumber.

I lay there, my eyes studying how tired Rose looked, and held them both while they slowly drifted off to sleep.

I watched them, taking in the beauty of it all as their light snores slowly filled the room. Ana turned and gravitated toward her mother while my fingertips ran through Rose’s soft curls. I watched my beautiful songbird wrap her entire body around her daughter, protecting her even in sleep, and pride welled in my chest.

Not only was the mother of my child beautiful, innocent, and sweet; she was also devoted, protective, and fierce.

Suddenly, a sound pulled me from my reverie. There was a loud thump and the boys called out. Then, I heard the rush of footsteps falling quickly in the main part of the airplane. I jumped up and strode out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind me and closing off the bedroom in order to save Rose and Ana in their vulnerable states.

But the moment my eyes landed on Cassie, with her arms around both the boys, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, but knowing my family’s in danger, I can’t just go to New York,” she said.

I saw Cassie through a different set of eyes in that moment and I nodded my head while the boys continued to hug her tightly.

“Very well,” I said. “Does Crystal know?”

“She’ll figure it out.”

“Make yourself comfortable,” I said. “Rose and Ana are sleeping, and we should be taking off any second.”

“Any chance I can know where we’re heading?” she asked.

“In time,” I said.

“You’re a pretty cryptic dude,” she said.

“I try my best.”

“What’ll happen when we land?” she asked as she sat down.

“There’s a helicopter that’ll take us to our final destination,” I said.

“Any chance there’ll be wine at this final destination?”

“As much as you want,” I said, grinning.

I picked up her suitcase and tossed it into the overhead compartment as she buckled herself in. The pilot came aboard and talked to me for a few seconds, letting me know the jet was ready for takeoff. I gave the go ahead and got the boys buckled in before I went into the room to keep an eye on Rose and Ana.

The ascent would jostle them quite a bit and I wanted to make sure they stayed asleep.

Once we reached cruising altitude, the stewardess came in and distributed a menu. Cassie was excited about the prospect of enjoying champagne on this plane ride, but I could tell the boys were confused by the menu. Almost everything was in Italian, so I knelt down and translated everything for them. They crinkled their noses at most of the food descriptions I was giving.

“I’ll have a glass of champagne and the linguini with clam sauce,” Cassie said.

“Wonderful choice. I’ll get it cooking. For you, Mr. Moretti?”

“Just some water and a small helping of carbonara, please,” I said. “Boys, how do you feel about cheese, crackers, grapes, and juice?”

“Is there apple juice?” Kevin asked.

“Yes, there is,” the stewardess said, smiling.

“Then that sounds awesome!” Kevin exclaimed.

“Junior?” I asked.

“Orange juice?” he asked.

“We’ve got that, too,” the stewardess said. “I’ll get to work on everything.”

I sat back in my seat, my eyes looking back toward the bedroom. If we were lucky, Ana would sleep most of the trip. By the time we landed in Italy, it would be around midday, which meant Ana would have to be up for another few hours before she went to bed. Plus, I knew Rose needed the sleep. As long as Ana didn’t budge, she wouldn’t either.

“Can we go snorkeling?” Kevin asked.

“And skydiving?” Junior asked.

“Oh, what about racecar driving?” Kevin asked.

“And horseback riding,” Junior said, smiling.

“Well, I’m not sure about the racecar driving and the skydiving,” I said, chuckling. “But there is a reef not too far off the island’s coast. We can definitely go swimming and snorkeling.”

“An island!” Kevin said. “Cool. I’ve never been on an island.”

“Me neither,” Junior said. “At least, not that I can remember. Wanna play Marco Polo?”

“We can’t play that game underwater,” Kevin said. “We’ll drown.”

“I mean, when we get to the beach,” Junior said.

“Only if Camillo plays,” Kevin said.

“Oh, I’ll definitely play,” I said, smiling.

“Good, because Rose and I are going to suntan while Ana plays in the sand,” Cassie said.

“Good,” I said. “I hope you can help her relax. I get the feeling she’s never taken a vacation.”

“Not since our parents died,” Kevin said.

I could see the shocked look roll over Cassie’s face. My eyes descended onto Kevin’s and I could see the way Junior was studying him. He’d found a kindred spirit. A kid close to his age who understood the pain of losing their family.

“My parents died, too,” Junior said.

Cassie panned her gaze over to me with a quizzical look.

“What happened to your family?” Kevin asked.

I felt my heart racing as Cassie turned her gaze back to the boys.

“I don’t really know. There was just… this guy who came in one night. My dad told me to go hide in the closet and not come out until my uncle came to get me. There was just a lot of screaming. That’s all I remember.”

I felt Cassie’s eyes slowly bore a hole into my temple as I held my breath.

“Mine died in a car accident,” Kevin said. “A drunk driver hit them.”

“I’m sorry,” Junior said.

“Me, too. For your parents.”

The boys scooted a little closer before they lost themselves in their games again. In that moment, I had more respect for the bond growing between the two of them. The hurt they’d experienced was something no child should ever have to know and, as I digested what Kevin had said and what Junior had openly admitted to, I felt my chest swell with anger and sorrow.

And that’s when I felt Cassie’s hand reach over and grasp my arm.

“I’m holding you personally responsible for their protection,” she said.

“They’ll be safe with me. I promise. Now you lay back and enjoy the glass of champagne coming for you. I’ve got the kids.”

The stewardess handed me my water before she handed the champagne to Cassie. I watched her drink it down, her lips never once leaving the glass, her eyes filled with worry. The stewardess took her glass from her to refill it while I sipped on my water, listening for my two girls in the bedroom while my jet soared us through the clouds.

They would be safe with me on the island I was taking them to.

They would be safe from the wrath I was about to rain down upon the Del Vecchio family.