Chapter 3 - THE TOUCH OF TRUST
Before Elena could pull herself up from the floor, Mia squirmed in her mother’s arms. The ten-month-old child was completely oblivious to the lethal tension filling the room or the shadow of Chicago’s criminal underworld hanging over her head.
Mia wriggled her small arms free from Elena’s grip, placing her tiny palm against Alessandro’s dark suit trouser leg near his ankle. With a soft, enthusiastic babble, she used his leg as leverage, slowly pulling her chubby legs under her and hauling herself upright into a wobbly standing position.
"Mia, no!" Elena gasped, reaching out frantically.
The little girl stood wobbly on her tiny pink shoes, her small knees shaking as she tried to balance against Alessandro’s towering frame. She let go of his trousers with one hand, reaching upward toward his face, but lost her balance and began to tumble backward toward the hard marble floor.
Before Elena could even react, Alessandro’s lethal instincts kicked in.
His large, calloused hand shot out with blinding speed, gently catching Mia around her tiny waist before her head could hit the marble floor. With a fluid, instinctive lift, he scooped the ten-month-old infant up into his broad arms, bringing her up against his broad chest.
Elena gasped, holding her breath, expecting her daughter to burst into terrified screams at being held by a towering stranger in a dark suit.
Instead, Mia did something that shattered the heavy tension in the office entirely.
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She didn't cry. She didn't flinch. She leaned her soft, warm head directly against the lapel of Alessandro’s black suit jacket, clutching a handful of his open-collar white shirt in her tiny fingers, and let out a soft, contented sigh.
Alessandro stood motionless as a statue. His broad shoulders remained tense, his large hands awkwardly supporting the tiny girl against his chest. For a man who had commanded hardened criminals and ordered cold executions, he was completely paralyzed by the effortless, innocent affection of a ten-month-old baby.
