Page 61 of Mafia Baby

“I hate this,” I say. “I hate my brother.”

“I do, too,” he agrees.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dominic

Gianna is sleeping nestled against me. Her arm is already turning all kinds of shades of black and green, and she’s worryingly pale.

I have thought about what I’m going to do over and over again for the past hour. I’m grateful that Will is still pouting. The longer he leaves us alone, the closer Vince will get to Atlantic City.

I look at her soft belly, finally seeing the smallest bump. I can’t help but contemplate the tiny life growing inside of her.

We made a person. There’s a little tiny Dom and Gianna combination growing inside of her. I wonder what our child will look like. Will it be brunette and green-eyed like Gi, or olive-skinned and dark-haired like me? Will it have blue eyes like mine?

I suddenly feel swamped with so many different kinds of emotions. I want to tell Vince about our baby. I want to have a baby shower. I want to be there for my child’s birth. I want to marry Gianna.

I feel moisture on my face and reach up with surprise to find tears streaming down my face. I didn’t even realize I was crying. I feel strangely numb, like a ghost watching myself from a great distance.

Everything about my existence is different now that Gianna is in my life. I have a reason to live. I feel alive.

I can’t remember the last time I felt alive. I smile at the delicate woman cradled in my arms. She’s so strong and brave. She’s been amazingly helpful as we tracked down The Cobra and so much more daring than I ever thought she would be.

Her family should be ashamed of how they have neglected her over the years. Maybe they meant to keep her safe, but I also think that they intended to use her to help build their empire.

All the grooming to teach her to be socially appropriate, to be a good mother, to host lovely parties—they were always planning on her marrying for influence.

I thought about what she had hinted at when she complained about Guy. It seemed like her brother had sent Guy to spy on her in the UK. The thought was as distasteful as every other thought I now had about William.

How could he be The Cobra? The thought still didn’t make sense, and yet it made perfect sense.

So much of the mystery of The Cobra added up when you realized that Will knew everyone in the underworld, had grown up around the business, and had his father’s money to help launch his personal venture.

Would he sell Gianna into sex slavery? The thought made my blood run cold. No. I wouldn’t let that happen. Vince wouldn’t let that happen, surely. Even once I was gone, Vince would try to find Gianna. He would know that I wanted her to be safe, and he would try to make sure that she was.

The sound of the door creaking open startled me out of my gloomy thoughts. I looked up and squinted at the bright light flooding into the room.

Will stood in the doorway, his green mask back in place. The mask should have been laughable, but somehow it was intimidating. It was so strange-looking that it made you take a moment to consider what kind of man would be willing to do business with that kind of gear on his face.

It was very disconcerting not to be able to see his eyes. I gather my thoughts and sit up straighter.

Gianna moans a little in pain as she wakes up, trying to keep her broken arm still. Will and I stare at one another, the silence stretching out.

Six other men wearing party-style masks step into the room and flank him. I hear Gianna swallow hard next to me, but she remains silent.

“Are you going to plead for her life?” Will finally says. His voice is cold, devoid of feeling. His fake accent is back.

“No,” I say in a level voice.

Will snorts. “Typical. Use them, then throw them away, is that it?”

“Not that, either,” I say. I indicate to Gianna that I’m going to stand up, and she shifts to the side so she can lean against the wall. She looks like she feels sick, and I hope that she’s going to be able to hang on just a little longer.

“I have a proposition to offer you that you won’t be able to refuse,” I say.

“I doubt that very much,” Will says to me.

My mouth twists in a parody of a smile. “Let me finish,” I tell him chidingly.

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