Chapter 16
“She isn’t bothering me.” Zo looked at Mia. He did not coddle her. He spoke in the same direct, practical tone he used with his capos. “It’s 9.” Mia carefully wrote the answer. “Thank you.” “Don’t ask me for answers.” She looked up. “Figure out the math. If you just take the answer, you learn nothing, and people will cheat you when you’re older.” Zo lifted his glass. “Use your fingers if you have to.” Mia blinked. Then she held up both hands and quietly began counting backward for the next problem. Tessa watched. Something tight and unfamiliar moved inside her chest. She had spent the previous week waiting for a trap. She expected Zo eventually to demand repayment. To reveal the hidden cost behind his generosity. He had not. Mostly, he left her alone and allowed her to work. He demanded only that she eat. And that Mia remain somewhere he could see her.
The study door opened. Gabe entered. He stopped when he noticed the child doing homework. Then he looked at Zo. His expression tightened. “Boss.” The tone signaled business. “We have a problem at the South Side warehouse.” The temperature in the room seemed to drop immediately. “The Moretti crew is pushing the boundary line. They clipped 1 of our drivers.” The fragile domestic peace vanished. Zo placed his glass on the desk. His eyes went cold. The calculating killer had returned. He stood and adjusted his jacket. “How bad?” “Hospital,” Gabe answered. “He’ll live. But the message is clear. They’re testing us.” Tessa stopped dusting. Without speaking, she crossed to the oak table and placed a protective hand on Mia’s shoulder. She knew what this was. She had grown up in Chicago. She had heard the stories about the Rossi family. The violence was no longer abstract. It was standing in the room. Zo saw the movement from the corner of his eye. Tessa pulling Mia closer. Fear returning to her face. He stopped halfway to the door. For a long second, his dark eyes held hers. He did not offer reassurance. He could not promise that his world was not ugly.
