Page 70 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

“Get in the car, Lilianna,” he said. “Go home. We can talk about this when I have more time to think.”

“You’ve had days to think,” I reminded him, shaking my head in disappointment. “And you haven’t come up with anything to say. I don’t need you to forgive me, but…I didn’t expect you to admit to hating me.”

I didn’t give him time to reply as I opened the door and jumped into the car, closing the door behind me. The driver rolled down his window, and I briefly heard Matteo tell him to bring me home. The driver put the car in drive and pulled away from the library. My teary gaze fixed on his stiff back through the rear-view mirror, but he didn’t glance back. Not even once.

He was too hurt.

He would never forgive me.

All of this heartache and death had me missing the safest place I’d ever been. I missed home. I missed Italy more than anything. I missed my cousins and distant relatives. I missed the food and the carefree atmosphere. It was easy to forget about it when I’d had Matteo at my side, giving me everything that I needed, but that wasn’t the case anymore.

I was here because I needed to avenge my family. I needed to be here for Matteo as he processed everything.

But he hated me.

He had no desire to include me in his plans

Russians had infiltrated his house once, and they could do it again. Yet knowing that, he hadn’t been home in days. He’d left me and Callum alone. Sure, there were guards. But there had been guards when we’d been attacked the first time, too.

He couldn’t protect Callum when we couldn’t stand to be in the same room as one another.

Was there really any reason to stay in New York?

I’d done what was needed to do to get revenge, and while I wanted to be here, I didn’t think Matteo would include me. I’d united my people and put all the gears in motion. Matteo was the one they trusted anyway. He didn’t want to be near me, so I couldn’t trust him to keep us safe.

Matteo could handle the rest. He’d kill Vlad and Aelita before long.

I wouldn’t stay where I wasn’t wanted.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Matteo Costello

“Walking here from the coke drop off was fucking stupid,” Anthony exploded, pointing a finger at my chest. Only he could get away with talking to me like this. “You had a transport set up from your penthouse. Clearly, the Russians aren’t above using snipers, and you wouldn’t have escaped it a second time.”

The ball of fire in my chest seemed as if it would explode at any moment. I’d hoped that walking from the library in Brooklyn would ease that ache, but it had done nothing. Everything she had said—everything she had kept from me…

“Don’t question me, Anthony,” I snarled.

Anthony gave me a look that was worth a million words, but I didn’t bother deciphering it. He wasn’t pleased, and I didn’t fucking care. All I could think about right now was Lilianna and Callum. I had a son. I had an heir to my entire empire, and I hadn’t even realized. It had been the only thing on my mind for days, and every time I thought my anger couldn’t possibly become more potent, it did.

“Last night, we finally found the hotel where the Russians have been congregating,” Anthony said as a clear means of distraction. “The front desk lady took a bribe, and there were nearly three dozen of them busted.”

This was good news. We knew there were a ton of them in the territory, and we knew they had headquarters nearby. It had been a lucky break to find the hotel, but it was a step in the right direction.

“How many were caught?” I asked.

“Five of them are in the basement. Twenty-six were taken down by our soldiers. Two escaped.” His tone dropped on the final words.

“How the fuck did two of them get away?” I demanded.

“Marcus checked the cameras in the hotel to count numbers, and two were missing. They were probably out patrolling last night when the rest were sleeping. We have guys looking for them, but they probably went back into their territory when they caught wind of what happened.”

I released a long, drawn-out breath. “Do any of the five have anything valuable to say?” I pushed.

“Diego has left them alone for the last three hours. He said they were ready to break. Seeing you will have them pissing themselves, boss. They’re primed.”

“The mess is taken care of?” I verified.

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