December 25th

On Christmas morning I woke up bright and early. Leo and I had spent the night in a spare room whilst Cato slept in ours so when he started screaming at 6 am I had to step out into the cold hallway.

"Sssh, Cato," I hushed. "Daddy is still asleep."

I spent the next fifteen minutes feeding him before he fell back to sleep and I lay him back in his crib.

Afterwards, I still hadn't heard a sound from Leo, who, since Cato had been born and the sleepless nights begun, no longer naturally woke at stupid O'clock in the morning. I made my way downstairs with the plan to make him breakfast and a caffeinated coffee to bring up to him in bed.

"You smell...fresh..." I heard a voice say as I walked into the kitchen.

"Jesus shit!" I cursed as the life vacated my body.

I turned to face the uninvited intruder. Luciano.

"That's right. Happy birthday Jesus Christ," he said with a plastic smile, "God bless and shit."

I was still catching my breath and had no chance to reply before he just kept talking.

"The aroma of Leonardo on you is remarkably strong. Let me guess...you had-"

"Why are you here, Luciano?" I interjected.

"To wish you both a Merry Christmas. Duh," he said standing up. "Cup of tea?"

Despite the fact that I was occupying a very small area in the grand scheme of the kitchen, Luciano felt the need to walk incredibly close to me- as if he was being deliberately intimidating.

"Leonardo really ought to get into the habit of locking your back door by the way. Anyone could get in..."

I looked over to the back door. My boots lay sprawled on the step still damp with snow and beside them, the once glorious fire had died into a pile of smouldering ash.

"Where is Leonardo anyway?" Luciano asked from where he stood filling the kettle.

"Upstairs."

"Is he asleep?"

I opened my mouth but Luciano interrupted me before I had the chance to say anything.

"Yes, otherwise he would have been down here the second he heard my voice," he said answering his own question. "So be a lamb and go and get him for me."

I scowled at him.

"Or would you prefer some more quality bonding time with your second cousin?"

At that point, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Like waking the dead this morning, Leonardo. Exciting night?" Luciano asked as an exhausted, messy-haired, shirtless Leo staggered into the kitchen.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Luciano?" Leo groaned gesturing for me to move closer to him. "On Christmas day?"

I shuffled towards Leo and he resting his arm on my shoulder.

"And a very merry Christmas to you too," Luciano replied with a smug look as he watched me intensely.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Leo groaned.

"I thought I'd come and make you your morning tea," he said, "To spread the festive cheer."

"You've never spread cheer in your life," Leo hissed, "Why the fuck aren't you in the Southern territory with Connor Jones?"

"That's the thing... Connor Jones isn't in the Southern territory either."

"You let him escape?" Leo growled.

"To cut a long story short."

Leo clenched his jaw before mumbling 'for fuck's sake' under his breath.

"Search the territory," he ordered, "If he isn't on it, then let him go. I was going to exile him tomorrow anyway and we already have the names."

"You are going to make us search the entire territory on Christmas day?"

Leo shot Luciano a glare.

"Maybe you should have considered that before you let him escape," he said, "Stop wasting time, leave me and my Luna alone and get it done."

"Chill, Leonardo," Luciano said as he reached for the mug cupboard, "He's probably already half frozen to death in the snow anyway. He'll be dead soon."

"All the more reason to get looking for him."

Luciano let out a short laugh before looking up to Leo inquisitively, "But wouldn't it just be so handy if he were to die on his own accord?"

His eyes then cast down to me, where he smiled in pure sadistic amusement.

"We all know how much you want him dead. The only thing stopping you is her never forgiving you. So if it wasn't strictly your fault well...how convenient."

With that, Leo had had enough.

"Fuck off Luciano before I end up punching you for invading my house...again," he growled.

"Just call me Santa Claus," Luciano replied before promptly leaving out of the back door.

"Motherfucker," Leo cursed once the door was shut.

I watched as Leo locked the back door securely.

"So remind me why you're friends with him again?" I implored, "I see no redeeming quality."

"He's efficient and he gets shit done," Leo replied, "And that is literally it. But he's been like a brother to me. Every time I was arrested as a teenager, he was there. Every time I was suspended from high school, he was involved. Every time I took something I probably shouldn't have taken, he did too. Every time I need something down away from the public eye, he will do it."

"He sounds like nothing but trouble to me," I said.

"Hmm," Leo hummed, "And that's why I want him as far from you and Cato as possible.copy right hot novel pub