Chapter 8 - The Long Drive Home
Lorenzo carried Giulia down the stairs himself, cradling her against his broad chest inside his heavy cashmere coat. She was wrapped securely, safe from the winter chill, sleeping peacefully against the steady beat of his heart.
In the driveway, Marco had already secured the premises and called in two fresh transport teams of trusted family soldiers.
"Is she...?" Marco started, his voice choked with emotion as he saw the tiny bundle in his boss's arms.
Lorenzo looked at his oldest friend and nodded once. "She's Elena’s daughter, Marco. She’s my blood."
Marco wiped a hand across his eyes, letting out a breathless laugh. "Thank God. Sweet mother of God."
"Bring the nurse," Lorenzo instructed calmly as he climbed into the reinforced backseat. "She cared for Giulia when no one else was there. She will be compensated, and she will remain under our protection until this war is finished."
The convoy departed Pinehurst under the cover of the predawn mist, speeding south toward New York.
Giulia woke up halfway through the journey, hungry and fussing. Lorenzo, who had orchestrated multimillion-dollar operations and commanded armies of men, found himself completely at a loss, sweating through his shirt as the nurse instructed him on how to hold the warm bottle of milk at the correct angle.
When Giulia latch onto the bottle, her candlelight eyes staring intently up into his, Lorenzo couldn't look away. Every cut, every bruise, every ounce of grief that had rotted his soul over the past eight months seemed to fade into dust. He had something to fight for again. He had a reason to live.
"Don Lorenzo," Marco spoke quietly from the front seat as they entered the outskirts of Westchester. "Victor is waiting in the cellar. The Capos from all five families are gathering at the estate. Word has leaked that you locked down the mansion and mobilized the strike teams. They want answers."
Lorenzo adjusted the blanket over Giulia’s shoulders, his expression hardening into stone.
May you like
"They will have their answers," Lorenzo said. "And they will witness what happens to anyone who dares to lay a hand on the House of DeLuca."
***
