Page 35 of Bad Business

“Correct. Once we make the trade, you and I will leave. Dallas will meet us down the street from the location, and my brother and his men will take care of the feccia.”

“Feccia?” I mumble. “I suppose that’s Italian for a not-nice word.”

“Yes… it means scum.” Lorenzo explains. “Let’s go. We have twenty minutes to get into position.”

Dallas speaks quietly with his brothers before meeting us at the door. He pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss on my head.

“Be careful, Willow. I need you both to come home to me.”

I know what he’s saying without saying it. Deep down he knows if it’s a choice, I’ll protect Juniper’s life over mine.

“I will.” I make the promise, even though I worry I won’t keep it. “You be careful too. You’re just a club owner—not a crime lord like Lorenzo or Sofia. Don’t play hero, okay?”

“I would die for you and Juniper. That’s how hard I’ve fallen, Princess. But I will do everything to make sure I come home to you as well.”

I watch as the men file into their vehicles and head out. The plan is for them to get there slightly sooner and take up positions to keep me safe. As I walk to the car, my body fills with trepidation. A feeling in the pit of my gut says something is off, but I push it down. Sofia climbs into the driver's seat and starts the engine.

“You ready for this?” She turns to spear me with a look that says she’s ready for battle. “You need to prepare yourself for things to go sideways. Men like this are slimy, which means we need to expect the worst.”

“Why are you helping me?”

Sofia blows out a breath, the sound almost foreboding.

“I hate men like the ones we are about to meet. The kind who stoop so low, they take an innocent child—or worse, women. My family is into some pretty shady shit, make no mistake, but we have morals, and that means we don’t use sex, women, or children to make our money. Especially children.”

“I don’t know what that means, but thank you. Three months ago, I would have never believed to be involved in something out of a book, but here I am. And honestly, I don’t care. I just want my niece back.”

“Your daughter. Make no mistake, Willow. Juniper is your daughter now.”

She’s right, but the thought of erasing my sister like that makes my heart squeeze. Juniper is almost three, and in a few years, the memory of her mother will be just that, and she deserves to live as normal a life as I can give her. Even if that means assuming the role of mom.

“I know… I just hate thinking my sister should be that person.”

“She’s dead.” Sofia doesn’t cut through the bullshit. “And you are going to be the only thing she knows as Mommy. So own it, Willow. Wear the title and badge with honor because you will bear it well.”

Nodding at her words, I turn to watch the sleeping world outside pass by. It’s the wee hours of the morning, and the sun’s not due up for another hour or so, making this trek feel even more dangerous than need be.

When we pull onto a dirt road, my insides twist with fear. This looks like some kind of scene out of The Godfather, and I am doing everything I can not to have a panic attack. We finally pull up to what appears to be a set of warehouses, albeit vacant. Sofia parks the SUV and kills the engine.

“Alright… the others should be getting into position.” She pushes open her door and slides out. “Let’s go see about making the trade.”

I follow her to the front door of what seems to be a vacant metal building. It’s much smaller than the rest, which makes me wonder why they chose this place. Sofia taps her knuckles across the metal frame and waits. The waiting is pure torture, and I want to push open the door. Just as I start to go for the handle, the door eases open.

“Come in. We’ve been waiting for you.” The tall, slender man makes it a point to show the weapon holstered to his side. “Did you bring what we asked for?”

“Yes,” I whisper, fear nearly smothering my words. “Where is my niece?”

He grunts, “You’ll see her in due time.”

When we step into a small room, an empty one at that, I freeze. “Where is everyone?”

The mother fucker laughs, “Did you think I’d just waltz you and Miss Bianchi in here?” Sofia bristles beside me, making the man cut his eyes to the movement. “Yeah… we know who you are, Sofia Bianchi, second to the Bianchi Family empire. As soon as we realized who your friend was, we took some precautions.”

“Please… we don’t want any trouble. I just want Juniper back. You can have the damn diamonds, and I’ll pay you. Just let us go, please.”

“Money? Lady, do I look like I was born yesterday?” He grabs Sofia’s arm and slams her body down onto a chair.

She makes a move to grab the knife I know she’s carrying, but he snatches out his gun and presses it to her head. “Nah ah. You do that, and the little bitch will die.”

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