Page 59 of Mafia Baby

Gianna

“He’s the father of my baby!” I cry out, panting with emotion.

I see my brother’s head snap back a little as if he’s taken a blow. He stares at me in shock. It’s like he’s forgotten he’s holding a knife to Dom’s throat.

“Oh my God,” William says, loathing dripping from his voice. He glares down at Dom and presses the knife against his throat more firmly. I gasp as I see a trickle of blood run down Dom’s neck.

“You bastard,” William hisses at Dom. “You not only sullied my sister, you’ve made her useless to me. I can’t marry her to anyone with power now that she’s carrying your illegitimate baby. No one on earth in our line of work wants to share a house with your spawn. For all they know, it will kill everyone while they sleep.”

Something about his word strikes Dom as funny, and he starts laughing loudly despite the knife pressed to his throat.

I cringe as more blood pours down onto his shirt, worried that he’s losing his mind.

“This from the man who is willing to sell helpless people into prostitution and laced drugs to innocent victims. That’s rich, Will,” Dom laughs. He closes his eyes and shakes his head a little.

“What are you going to do now, Will?” I make myself ask. I need to know what his game is so that I can try to think of a way to stop him.

“First of all,” Will says nastily. “This.” He whips the knife up to Dom’s cheek and slices it. Blood wells to the surface of his skin as Dom hisses in pain.

Will grabs Dom’s thick hair and pulls hard, tipping him out of the chair and sending him sprawling onto the ground. I shout with surprise, and struggle to get up.

“And then,” Will goes on, stalking over to me, “I’m going to do this,” he spits. I know Will so well that I can see the thought cross his face before he takes action. With a scream, I wrap my slender arms around my belly moments before he kicks me with all of the force that he can muster.

The kick takes me in the ribs, and I hear a loud crack. Pain shoots throughout my side, and I feel paralyzed. I manage to grip my belly as he kicks me hard three more times. I hear another loud snap as my forearm breaks and I scream with pain.

“Gianna!” Dom bellows, rushing toward me.

“Stay down, you fucking piece of trash,” Will says aggressively. He pulls his gun out of its holster and crashes it down over Dom’s head. Dom drops like a stone to the ground beside me.

“Dom! Dom!” I shout, terrified that Will has killed him.

“Both of you disgust me,” William says to me, leaning over to spit in our direction. “I need some time to think about what I want to do next. Do me a favor, and don’t die without my permission.”

I watch Will grab the bottle of whiskey off the table and slam the door, and then I wriggle over to Dom, wincing at the sharp pains wracking my body. I don’t think that my brother hurt the baby, but my body has been through a lot.

I know that the shock of my injuries alone could cause me to miscarry. I sob quietly as I stare at Dom.

He’s lying as still as a statue on the ground, his handsome face lovely in repose. I don’t even know if he’s alive. I look down at his chest, willing it to rise and fall, and nearly faint with relief when I see that he is, in fact, breathing.

My brother hit him so hard, though. What if he doesn’t wake up?

“Oh my God,” I breathe out. “Oh, what are we going to do?”

I close my eyes and reach inside myself, looking for calm that I don’t feel. Suddenly, Diva’s face comes to mind. I think of her quiet affection and support of me, and I feel a little less terrified. I might never see her again, but there are good people in this world. Surely, Dom told someone that he was coming here to try and rescue me.

Maybe things aren’t hopeless after all.

“Dom,” I say to the man I love. “Dom, I love you. You have to wake up. Please wake up.”

I hear footsteps outside the door and cringe back a little. Oh, please don’t be my brother already, I think. I don’t care if I have to plead to God, all the angels in heaven, or my dead grandmother for help.

I just need enough time without William in the room for Dom to wake up. We need to make a plan.

As if some benevolent force has heard my prayers, Dom stirs and groans. I see his eyes moving behind his eyelids, and I push myself closer to him. I kiss his lips, thinking of Cinderella.

If only kisses were really made of magic and could heal our wounds. It would be even better if a kiss would open a portal and whisk us out of here.

“Ugh,” Dom mutters, his eyes fluttering open. “How long was I out?”

---