Chapter 12 - THE FAMILY WE CHOOSE
The drive back to the Gold Coast estate was a blur of roaring engines and screaming sirens.
Alessandro drove his armored SUV like a man possessed, weaving through traffic with ruthless precision. I sat in the passenger seat, my knuckles white as I gripped the door handle.
"They can't just take him," I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "You have custody."
"I have unofficial custody," Alessandro gritted out, his eyes locked on the road. "Leo's parents died in a fire. I kept him off the grid to protect him from my enemies. On paper, to the state of Illinois, he's a missing ward of the state."
Volkov had found the ultimate loophole. By tipping off Child Protective Services, he was using the law to pull Leo out of the impregnable Romano fortress.
When we skidded to a halt in the circular driveway of the mansion, the scene was chaotic.
Red and blue police lights washed over the pristine stone walls of the estate. Two dozen uniformed officers stood by their cars, while a stern-looking woman in a grey pantsuit stood on the front steps, holding a clipboard.
Rossi and ten of Alessandro's heavily armed security guards stood in a line, blocking the heavy oak doors of the mansion.
"Stand down, Rossi," Alessandro ordered as he stepped out of the SUV, adjusting his suit jacket.
The guards lowered their weapons, parting to let Alessandro and me through.
The woman with the clipboard stepped forward. "Mr. Romano. I'm Agent Davis with DCFS. We have a court order to remove the child known as Leo Romano from these premises immediately."
"On what grounds?" Alessandro asked, his voice calm, projecting total authority.
"Endangerment," Davis said coldly. "We received an anonymous tip that a child was being harbored in a criminal environment. Given your... reputation, Mr. Romano, a judge signed the emergency order twenty minutes ago."
"My nephew is perfectly safe," Alessandro said.
"He is an undocumented orphan," Davis countered, signaling to two police officers. "Bring the boy out, or we will arrest you for kidnapping."
My heart hammered against my ribs. If they took Leo, Volkov would intercept the transport van. The little boy in the blue coat would disappear forever.
I looked at Alessandro. He was calculating the odds, a dangerous fire burning behind his eyes. I knew what he was thinking. He was about to order Rossi to draw his weapons and fight the Chicago Police Department.
He would go to war. He would burn his legitimate life to the ground to keep Leo.
"Wait!"
A voice rang out over the sirens.
Everyone turned.
A silver sedan had just pulled past the police blockade. The door opened, and a woman stepped out.
She was in her late fifties, wearing a simple cardigan and holding a leather briefcase. Her hair was perfectly styled, and despite the cheap clothes, she walked with the posture of a queen.
"Mom?" I gasped.
Mary Dawson—Sofia Romano—walked right past the armed police officers, stopping between Alessandro and Agent Davis.
Alessandro stared at her, his breath catching. "Mother?"
Sofia smiled softly at her son, then turned her fierce, terrifying gaze on the CPS agent.
"You are not taking my grandson anywhere," Sofia said, her voice echoing with the old power of the Romano name.
Agent Davis frowned. "Who are you? The boy has no living grandparents on record."
Sofia opened her briefcase and pulled out a thick stack of legal documents with heavy wax seals. She handed them to the agent.
"My name is Sofia Romano," she said clearly. "I am the boy's biological grandmother. And those are the original, state-certified guardianship papers, signed by Leo's parents before they died, naming me as his sole legal guardian."
The agent scanned the papers, her eyes widening. "These... these appear to be legitimate."
"They are," Sofia said. "I have full legal custody of the boy. Not Alessandro. Me. Which means your anonymous tip about him harboring an undocumented orphan is factually incorrect."
Davis looked at the police captain, who shrugged helplessly. The paperwork was ironclad.
"Fine," Davis snapped, handing the papers back. "But DCFS will be conducting a home visit."
"We welcome it," Sofia smiled, a dangerously polite smile.
Within five minutes, the police cruisers pulled out of the driveway. The flashing lights disappeared, leaving the estate quiet once more.
Sofia turned around. She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears, and then at Alessandro.
Alessandro closed the distance in two strides, wrapping his massive arms around his mother, burying his face in her shoulder. She held him tightly, stroking his dark hair just like she used to do for me.
"I'm sorry I left you, my sweet boy," she whispered, crying freely. "I'm so sorry."
"You came back," Alessandro choked out.
She pulled away, wiping his tears, and then turned to me. She opened her arms, and I ran into them, the three of us standing together in the driveway.
Suddenly, the heavy front doors opened.
Leo ran out, wearing his little sneakers, clutching his stuffed bear.
"Uncle Sandro!" Leo cheered, running down the steps.
He stopped when he saw Sofia. He looked at her curiously.
Sofia knelt down on the cobblestone, her eyes shining as she looked at her grandson for the first time.
"Hello, Leo," she whispered.
"Hi," Leo said shyly. "Are you a new maid, like Claire?"
Alessandro laughed, wiping his eyes, and put a heavy, warm hand on my shoulder.
May you like
"No, piccolo," Alessandro smiled, looking at me, then at his mother. "She's family."
I leaned my head against my brother's shoulder, watching my mother hug the little boy who had brought us all back together. The shadows of the past were finally gone. We were a family again. And this time, nothing was going to break us.
