Page 95 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

She’s so fragile, and I want to keep her by my side at all times.

If Lorenzo were to ever find out about this baby…

I force the thought from my mind. I’ve already lost so much, the thought of losing Lila too has my heart cracking open.

I have to ensure that this knowledge is kept quiet for as long as possible, no matter the cost.

I lie awake for hours, thoughts of Lorenzo finding Lila running through my mind on repeat until my skin is covered in sweat, and my heartbeat is pounding in my ears.

Lila remains asleep, but she tightens her arms around my waist, snuggling further against me as if she can sense my distress.

I press a soft kiss to her head and wait for the sun to rise.

She’ll be confused when she wakes to find I’m gone, but I don’t want to wake her when she looks so peaceful.

I slowly pull myself free from Lila’s arms and move to gather my clothes, deciding to leave her a note for when she wakes, explaining that I wanted to leave without being seen. It’s only a precaution, but I hope she’ll understand.

As I button my shirt, I walk over to the refrigerator and run my finger over the sonogram picture, praying that this isn’t too good to be true.

Being the child of a mafia don ultimately means a target on your back, but I will do whatever it takes to ensure my family is safe, and that family includes Lila and this baby.

I press one last kiss to Lila’s hair as I tuck my note beside her pillow before I leave. My Mercedes is parked outside, and I decide to head back to Westchester to check on Rosa as Marco is at the penthouse.

The streets are fairly quiet as I head across the city toward the freeway. The sky is clear, and I feel some of the cloud starting to lift around my mood as I think of Lila sleeping peacefully in her bed.

I know I will see her in a few hours at the office, but I already feel the ache from being apart.

I’ve spent the past five years avoiding such a feeling. After losing Valentina, I never thought I could be whole again, and I never wanted to replace her. But Lila has changed that, and for once, I’m not running from the life she could offer me.

I glance in my rearview mirror before signaling at the lights, frowning at the blacked-out Range Rover behind me.

The guy behind the wheel has a shaved head and is wearing dark sunglasses despite it not even being five a.m..

An uneasy feeling swirls in my gut, so I quickly change my turn signal and pull off at the next set of lights.

The Range Rover does the same.

I make a last second left turn down a small side street, barely wide enough to fit my Mercedes, let alone a huge Range Rover and yet?—

“Fuck.”

Everything around me seems to slow as I try to process what to do.

I reach over and open my glove box, sighing as I find a loaded handgun. I reach beneath my seat and find another.

I take a sharp right turn, pressing buttons on the central screen as I try to shake off whoever it is that is following me.

“Come on, pick up the fucking phone,” I mutter, hastily making a right turn.

Marco hisses, “What the fuck, Andre?—”

“Marco, I need you to do something for me.” I keep my voice calm as the Range Rover gains a few feet on me.

“At five a.m.?” my brother groans.

“Yes, at five a.m.. It’s urgent.”

“You suck, I hope you know that.”

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