5

Kalani's POV

While I was still processing what was going on, Eawa snapped me out of it.

"Mom, what's happening?" She whispered, her voice low, and when I looked at her, I could see fear written all over her face.

When I looked at the others too, they all looked confused and scared.

"What's going on mom?" Charlie stood up, coming towards me. I ignored him and hurriedly went to Montero.

"Wait," I stopped him, "you can't just leave." He stopped and turned back at me.

"You can't," I repeated. "It's dangerous and I can't have you get hurt. We all can't." I looked back at my children who were all nodding their heads.

"Where is daddy going momma? And why is everyone looking sad?" Dakota asked, her eyes filling up with tears.

"It's ok honey, daddy isn't going anywhere." I comforted her, my own eyes filling up with tears. "Right?" I turned to him. "Tell her you not going out there, please." I pleaded with my eyes, tears now falling.

Montero walked back to me, and when he was near, he took my hand and pulled me close. He then took one hand and placed it on my cheek, gently lifted it so I took him in the eyes, then he slowly wiped my falling tear and he sympathetically smiled.

"Please say you not leaving," I repeated, still whispering.

"I need to go check it out." He explained. "Those people didn't just happen to be here by mistake, I wanna know why they are here and I want to know who is targeting us. I've left the mafia world the day I saw those kids and I have never bothered anyone since. They came for a reason, a reason I intend to find out." He calmly continued, still caressing my cheek.

"But-"

"If they just come here as they please, I'm afraid we will never be safe. This world that we have created for our kids will never be safe. I need to protect y'all. It's my job. A job I'm good at. But I need you to allow me to leave." His eyes looking into mine as if searching for an answer.

"But if I consent, then you get hurt, I'll blame myself for it." I sniffed, wiping out my other tears that were falling on the other side.

"I promise, whatever happens, I'll take full responsibility for it. But I need your consent mi amore. For this family remember?" He smiled. That was our family motto. Whatever happened, we would sacrifice whatever we had to protect this family. It was our wedding vows.

And whenever we fought with each other, we would remember why we got married, why we fell in love. It was for this family. And no matter what, we vowed to protect it.

That was our code, our omerta.

So I nodding in agreement. "For this family." More tears coming out.

"I love you mi amore." He whispered, pulling me in an unexpected hug. I held on to him tightly as if it was the only thing I could ever have, the only thing that could give me life. And maybe I was right. Montero was my life, my kids were my life, and without them, I was nothing. I ceased to be.

"I love you too..." I suddenly pulled away and looked at him in the eyes and continued. "If you come back hurt, I'll murder you, you understand?" I blinked away my tears, trying to sound threatening.

"Yes ma'am." He kissed my forehead.

While still holding on to me, he took out one of his earpieces and placed one into my ear and he smiled, rubbing my cheeks.

"Sorry to disturb you but, what's happening guys?" Enzo I interrupted.

"I have to go amore. Wait for Seven, he will be here in a minute. Go to my gym, lock the doors, it's bulletproof. No matter what you see on the camera, do not go out." He warned.

"What about you?" I asked, taking my hand and placing it on his cheeks.

"I promise you, I'll be ok." He assured me again. "Kids, follow your mom," He instructed them while looking at me. "By no means are you to get out, do y'all understand me?"

I could hear murmuring and disagreement.

"Why?" Eawa asked.

"What's going on," Placido chimed in, "Where you going, daddy?" Rumi asked.

"Do y'all understand?" He spoke a little louder. The murmuring continued but in lower voices.

"I asked, do you understand?" He commanded them in a loud and authoritative voice.

" Yes sir." They all answered in unison in small inaudible voices.

"I can't hear y'all!" He demanded.

"Yes sir." They shouted. All of them standing up now. Rumi, Eawa, and Dakota are in tears, and the boys trying to put up a front.

"Good," he nodded. "Boys, take care of the girls. And if things get to a point that this house is bridged, I give y'all full authorization to use the guns." I gasped, my eyes opening wide open.

"Do y'all understand?" He asked.

"Yes sir." They replied.

"Now go, and be safe." He said all these things looking at me, and when he was done, he kissed me on my forehead and he turned to leave.

I just stood there and looked at the door as it closed, hoping to the heavens that he was going to be safe.

"Mom let's go." Charlie pulled me. Enzo carried Rumi, and Placido carried Dakota. We hurriedly rushed to the gym and when I got there I halted.

Never have I ever seen such a weaponized room in my life. There were all types of guns, knives, and even grenades. And not just one, tons and tons of them.

The others just entered like it was a daily thing that they saw, that life was all normal. We walked further in and there was like a small office or a restroom.

But I could tell it was more of an office when Montero was angry. He could just come here and just try to breathe I guess.

The semi office had cameras for every part of the house. Even in bathrooms. Montero had no filter whatsoever. The kids knew this, and they just sat down as if nothing had happened.

When everyone was sitting, I saw seven coming into the house with his mom. A few seconds later, they knocked and I quickly opened it for them.

"Are you ok?" That was the first thing he asked when I opened it. I just nodded because I didn't know how to respond. They quickly came in and the door locked itself.

Before anything, Seven took a small gun, checked if it had bullets and when he saw it did, he cocked it up and placed it on his chest holster, he took another, did the same thing, and place the second on his right thigh and the other on his left thigh holster.

He then turned to me and said, "Let's get you settled."

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