Page 29 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

That wasn’t a question. I wouldn’t tie myself to this place for longer than necessary.

“Regardless of that situation,” Matteo said, gesturing to the van full of weapons. “We need more weapons to give to my men. We’re good on the agreed price?” he asked.

She gave a brief nod.

“We still stand behind you, Costello. Those of us left,” she said. “There just aren’t many.”

Matteo’s men began unloading the weapons and transferring them into the second van. He handed a briefcase to Jay, and Jay peeked inside before nodding his approval. I waited beside Matteo, shifting my weight back and forth. I wasn’t expecting this, and I couldn’t gather my thoughts.

Hell, I didn’t know what to think.

Would tying myself to this place be the only way to get justice?

Jay and the other two backed out of the alleyway and drove away, leaving me, Matteo, and his two guards.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked as soon as they were out of earshot. “Did you want me to hear that the Geneveses need me to reconvene?”

Matteo tilted his head. “Do you think that’s why I brought you?”

The cryptic answer had rage bubbling in my chest. “You know I can’t stay here after I get justice for Silas, Matteo. I can’t tie myself to organized crime, even if you want me to stay. It’s not an option.”

He nodded, not looking at all surprised.

“I will provide all of my forces to kill Vlad and his daughter. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, but you need to know the whole truth. I’m not going to hide the truth from you, even if you don’t want to hear it.”

I exhaled deeply. “What are the odds we can do it without their help?” I asked.

“I’ll do everything I can.”

It was a non-answer, and we both knew it. The odds weren’t in our favor.

While Matteo had forces equal in size to Vlad’s, Vlad had a plan that had been in the works for years.

The anger faded slightly, but the situation was still infuriating. It wasn’t fair that these were my options. I could avenge my family and become tied to this place. Alternatively, I could leave and let the people who killed my family walk free.

“I don’t know the best option,” I admitted. “But my number one goal is keeping Callum safe.”

“No matter what choice you make, I’ll make sure that you and your son are always safe from the people who mean you harm. You never have to worry about that.” I didn’t have a chance to react as Matteo reached into the holster at his hip and withdrew a pistol, turned, and fired it into the leg of one of his guards. He hardly glanced away from me to do it, and I found myself questioning if I’d just seen what I thought I’d seen as he met my eyes again. “This is why I brought you here tonight. Hearing the truth was important, but you deserved to be here when I confronted the man responsible for the attack at the penthouse.”

I glanced past him and toward the man now on the ground, holding his leg and shouting in pain.

“How do you know it was him?” I asked.

“My tech guy has been tracking Vlad’s men to find him. He didn’t find Vlad,” Matteo turned his attention to the man on the ground behind him, “But he did find you.”

Matteo approached the man as I gaped.

“I—I didn’t do it!” he shouted, shaking his head.

The second guard looked between all of us and stepped back. “I had nothing to do with this shit.”

“Wait in the van,” Matteo said to the innocent guard, and the man strode away, not daring to look back. “You, on the other hand, have been feeding our secrets and whereabouts to the Petrovs.”

“I haven’t—”

Matteo fired a second bullet into his shin, and he screamed.

“I don’t take betrayal lightly, nor do I take lying lightly.”

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