Page 19 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Heir

“I told that girl going to that spiffy school would catch up to her. She was supposed to lie low until we figured stuff out,” Donna says.

“No. You weren’t supposed to keep getting into debt,” I snap. Their audacity enrages me. As much as I hate them, I have to find a way to help Rosa.

“If you can’t do it yourselves, at least meet me halfway,” I plead. “She’s a good person. She deserves a life outside of this shit.”

Ralph and Donna’s silence is all the answers I need. They are useless.

The only thing I can do is return home. But I know I can’t do it sober. I have to rely on the vices that got me through my 20s. Rosa obviously isn’t thrilled. The look on her face kills me. So, I drank more. I’m still drinking. I can’t face her. The beers are starting to burn my throat and I can’t keep any food down. I look disgusting but I can’t stop. I won’t stop until someone pries the bottles from my hands.

Thank God for Nick. Like always, he's my savior.

I don’t know how he knows where to find me. Most of the bars I’ve frequented have been new so I can go unnoticed. While it’s not a good thing to be a functional alcoholic, I have mastered the art of being invisible when I’m about to spiral into being blackout drunk. Right before I chug my eighth beer, Nick is standing in front of me.

“What the hell are you doing?” he bellows.

“I can’t save her, man,” I say as a parade of hiccups leaves me. “I don’t know why I thought I could.”

Nick plops across from me, pushing the empty bottles out of the way. “You went through all this trouble to save her and now you’re giving up because you see how slim the odds are?”

I glare at Nick. “Her own parents can’t even be bothered to save her.”

Nick chuckles as his face takes on a bitter look. “Yeah, I could've told you that.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, leaning closer. Nick always has his own ways of knowing people’s backgrounds. It was how he managed to weasel himself through so many affluent doors. I wait for Nick to spill some kind of unknown backstory on the Newtons, but he just hangs his head.

“Just haven’t heard the best things about them,” he mutters.

“I guess it’s the reason my dad wants to get rid of him,” I continue. “He’s a piece of shit.”

Nick sighs. “They used to be close, Vinny. Like, nearly family.” I can’t believe my ears. There is no way my dad was close to Ralph Newton — of all people.

“They grew up in the same neighborhood. But the rules changed as they got older, and Ralph got greedy,” Nick tells me. “That’s all I know.”

“So, he should’ve been killed a long time ago,” I conclude. I wish I could take Ralph out myself. In fact, it doesn’t make sense why my dad didn’t just go after him. He’s not hard to track.

Nick seems to read my mind. “No one knows why your dad is taking this route with Rosa, okay? Even Larry felt it was drawn out.” My skin gets hot. If Larry thinks this plan is too much, maybe he can convince my dad to halt it.

“We need to speak to Larry,” I say as I get out of the booth. Nick grabs me and pulls me back down.

“Come on, Don! Use your head! It’s too late for that. Ralph has to be hurt first, then taken out. Even if we think it’s pointless, your dad’s plan is going through, regardless,” Nick yells. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He then swipes the screen to show a text from my dad:

“Final plans carried out Wednesday night. Have the body dumped behind Newton’s store.”

A chill rushes down my legs. My dad has no plans to spare Rosa and I have failed her.

“No, I can’t. I can’t do that,” I mutter.

Nick slides his phone back into his pocket. “Unless you have a getaway car, you need to find something out quickly before Wednesday. If not… we’ll have to carry it out, Vinny. Rosa deserves to live.” Nick’s not the sentimental type, so if he’s urging me to, then I probably should.

“Why would she want someone like me?” I ask with my eyes averted. “I’m a shitty person.”

Nick shrugs. “She’s been raised by shitty people. Maybe she can spot the ones who are halfway decent.”

The bar is starting to pick up. Reality sets in that Rosa and my time together is more limited by the day. I can’t let it hold me back from seeing her anymore. The blank stare in her parents’ eyes when I told them Rosa would be killed is stuck in my head. I grab my keys and rise from the booth.

“Get me home,” I say, tossing the keys to Nick.

Nick couldn’t drive fast enough. I burst through the door and pound on Rosa’s door. My hands are aching and my heart is racing in my chest. I have to have her. I screwed up, I smell like beer, and I should sleep on it. Yet, I know if I go to sleep without at least telling her how I feel, I’ll regret it.

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