Page 51 of Mafia Baby

It sounded like The Cobra had a beef with Gianna’s family as well. Telling them might lead to even more trouble.

I bite my lip. The only option I have that makes any sense is to call in my adoptive father. I look up at the sky, wishing that I was a religious person. I could really use some divine protection right now.

Sighing, I start walking toward my car and pull my phone out of my pocket.

“Vince?” I say as soon as the phone stops ringing.

“Yeah?” he asks me. He sounds distracted.

“I need your help.”

“You brought her with you, didn’t you?” he says to me and I wince. Apparently, the story I told Vince wasn’t very convincing. Still, the fact that he knows that Gianna is why I’m calling saves us some time.

“I did.”

Vince curses extensively in Italian. Then he says, “What happened?”

“The Cobra has her,” I say. “Well, at least that’s what I suspect.”

“What have I told you about mixing pussy and work?” he says to me angrily.

“I know, I know,” I say as I unlock my car and get inside. “Look, I have no idea what he will do to her. He has to know who she is and he probably knows that she’s here with me if he kidnapped her. I need your help.”

“I thought you worked alone,” he throws back at me and I close my eyes for a moment. I had told him many times over the past few years that it was time for him to let me work exclusively on my own.

In many cases, it was much easier to track down a hit when you didn’t have anyone else along for the ride. Gianna’s kidnapping was a prime example of just how important it was to keep business and pleasure separate.

None of that mattered now, however. I would swallow my pride over and over again to help the woman that I loved.

“Vince, please,” I say to him. “I love her. She’s everything to me. And The Cobra is a very dangerous man.”

“I did tell you to go to Atlantic City to take care of my job and nothing else.”

I start the car and buckle my seatbelt. “You did.”

Vince sighs loudly. I can practically hear him turning over his options in his mind. He doesn’t like to do any work in person these days, but the fact remains that he’s one of the best in the business. Vince has been at the head of a successful mafia family for more years that I’ve been alive.

There is no one better to help me get Gianna back.

“I’ll come to help you on one condition,” Vince finally says to me.

“Name it. I’ll do anything,” I say. I mean it. Gianna is more important to me than myself. I’ll polish Vince’s boots and work as his pool boy if that’s what’s required to get her to safety.

“You need to agree to become the head of the Romano family. I don’t have any other children. You’re like my only son. I’ve raised you and taught you well. I don’t want all of this to be for nothing, and you know that the Romano legacy will outlive me.”

I drive away from the casino, scanning the streets for signs of the black SUV that Gianna was in. I honestly don’t want to find it, though.

The only way I’m going to catch up to them is if Gi has crashed the car somehow. The thought of her being injured or killed makes me feel like vomiting.

I turn over what Vince has asked of me, feeling anguished. The last thing I want to do is run a huge crime family. The thought of having to be responsible for so many people’s lives makes me almost as scared as Gianna being in the hands of The Cobra.

However, as far as prices to pay for getting Vince’s help in my moment of need, it’s not that steep. And I can’t help Gianna by myself.

“Okay,” I say, turning a corner and then giving up. I need to head back to the beach house and regroup.

Vince’s voice is full of satisfaction as he replies, “Excellent. I’ll gather up the boys and be there as soon as possible.”

“Hurry,” I say to him, then hang up the phone.

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