Page 81 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

At least I now knew where they were.

They may not have been laid to rest underground, but they were still laid to rest, nonetheless. They’d always loved the beach. The ocean. I could imagine Silas smiling at the thought of being laid there. At least they weren’t in unmarked graves.

Though I knew it wasn’t her intention to bring me peace, I smiled. “Good.”

She lunged forward, this time slamming her closed fist into my cheekbone as she seethed down at me. “I begged to keep you alive. My father wanted to kill you outright and take your family’s assets, but I convinced him to take you alive so you could answer for what you did. So you can suffer. You have no idea what I gave up to have this moment.”

“Do whatever you want to me, Aelita. You’re the one who fucked up, and you know it. They won’t kill you quickly when they find us. I’ll make sure of it.”

They. I was careful not to give any names, hoping she’d let something slip. Instead, she reached forward and grabbed me by the throat, allowing her nails to dig in tightly. “They’ll never find you alive.”

I didn’t allow myself to react, even as I felt my face going red. I didn’t think Aelita could keep her head on straight long enough to torture me. She’d kill me first. But once I had my restraints loose enough, I could fight back. I just had to get them off first…

The door behind her swung open, and she released me. My chair flew back, and my head slammed into the floor. Stars danced in my vision, and I couldn’t stop the groan that escaped me.

Aelita began speaking in Russian. When my vision refocused, I found Vlad standing there, too. He stared at me as he spoke to her in hushed tones, as if I could possibly understand them.

When they went silent, Aelita looked back at me. Vlad’s eyes pierced into mine, and the coldness of them brought the first genuine fear into my heart. This was the mob boss. He was someone who shouldn’t be reckoned with, and I could see that in his expression.

With heavily accented Russian, he finally addressed me for the first time. “My daughter insisted on keeping you alive, even though it caused great risk for us.”

I glanced between them. She looked pleased with her father’s words, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t dare to.

He pulled out a phone and began scrolling through it. “I’ll have you know that I had no intention of being hostile with Costello. But your being alive leaves too much risk for Italian rebellion. With the bloodline still intact, you have too much power over your father’s men. Without you, they would have disbanded. I can contend with Costello, but not with all of your men combined. I should have ignored my daughter’s frivolous wishes and had you killed with the rest of them, but it’s too late for that now.”

Aelita looked offended. “Daddy, she is the reason Jeremy died!”

He said something in Russian that sounded like a scold, and she cowered away from him.

He put his phone on speaker, and it rang as he called somebody. “We’ll take care of the situation with Costello today, too.”

An all too familiar voice filled the line. “Where is she?”

I could recognize Matteo’s voice anywhere.

Relief settled deep within me as I realized for the first time that he was alive. If Matteo had survived, that meant Callum was okay, too. They were both safe.

I exhaled a sobbing sound of relief.

Vlad recited an address, and I realized what he was doing too late. “Come and get her. If you’re not fast enough, I don’t know how much of her my daughter will leave to be saved.”

I opened my mouth. “Matteo, it’s a trap!” I shouted, but the line went dead, and I wondered how much he had heard.

“Your Don isn’t stupid. He knows it’s a trap, but he’ll do it anyway to save you.” Vlad crouched beside me and assessed my face. “You would have made quite the bride for my son. Maybe we wouldn’t be in this position if you had followed through.”

“If you don’t want to make an enemy of Matteo, don’t. It’s not too late.”

Vlad scoffed and patted my cheek before standing over me. His expensive leather shoes were all I could see from where I lay. He stood too close for me to crane my neck upward, but I could see Aelita behind him. She looked excited.

“I cannot let you live without great risk to my business, and I cannot kill you without making enemies of Costello. It’s the lesser of two evils, dear.”

He walked toward the door.

I stopped him with my words. “You’re making a mistake. Matteo will not take this lightly. You said it yourself. He’s not stupid. Think this through, Vlad.”

I could finally see his face again as he turned toward his daughter, ignoring me entirely. “If they find this place, kill her. If all goes to plan, you can have your fun.”

Cruel satisfaction filled her face, and I knew that if I couldn’t get myself free, there wouldn’t be enough of me left for Matteo to save.

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