Page 49 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Heir

I sit up, staring into Vinny’s eyes. “Are you serious right now? Where is he?”

Vinny exhales sharply, trying to bring me back to his chest, but I can barely sit still. “He’s a lot closer than you think. After Nick got you out and took out his security, my dad fled. Obviously with the boys, but I think he’s been wanting us to findhim. A part of me wonders if he’s looking for a way out of all this mess. Larry went back to jail to cover my dad’s crime, he now has got nobody.” Vinny moves around, standing up and leaning against the balcony.

“He has no more allies. All of his men have been taken out, and the rest of my family is fending for themselves. We’re bringing him back here.” Vinny looks over his shoulder at me, a serious look in his eyes. I know that there’s no way to stop him. If it means that I’ll get my boys back, then fine.

“What do I need to do?”

He reaches out to me, bringing me into a hug. “I need you to just stay back and let Nick and me finish this once and for all.”

I wake up to a loud bang in the room down the hall. I’m drenched in sweat as I jump out of bed and leave the door open, running towards the noise.

“Hello?” I cry as I turn around the corner and come face-to-face with a bloodied older man. Nick is standing over him as Vinny paces back and forth. They both lock eyes with me.

“Where are my babies?” I yell frantically searching around the room for any sign of them. The old man on the floor who is obviously Toni, is panting heavily.

A cold hand touches my shoulder and I jump, turning around to see Jodie. “Let them finish up in here,” she says as she takes my hand and leads me down the hallway. I fight her as I try to get back to the room to question where my kids are until I hear a familiar cry. Jodie opens the door — two bassinets are in the room with my baby boys. I nearly trip over myself as I race over to them. I hold them against my chest and cry hysterically.

Jodie closes the door behind me. “Is this a dream? Am I really holding them right now?” I whimper.

She sits on the bed beside me. “Getting the babies is just the start. The last stop is to put out your family. Only then will you, Nick and Vinny be able to live your lives.” I completely forgot about my own parents.

I try to hide my frustration, replying, “I don’t care about my parents. They are gone, remember?”

Jodie shakes her head. “They’re still working,” she reminds me. “They may not be in New York, but they’re out there, and it’s best if we find them.”

Logic seems to leave my head as I look down at my babies. They are a lot chunkier than I remember. Despite being kidnapped, and being a part of a drug lord family, they seem happier than ever.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jodie,” I whisper as I kiss both of their heads. I feel her shift beside me. The silence is heavy, similar to when Nick told me he was my brother. I get the sense that there’s even more information I don’t know about my own life.

“What is it that you’re not telling me?” I ask.

“Your father and Vinny’s father are in business, Rosa. Even if Vinny’s father tries to take out yours, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still have active deals going on in the city. When the last Montoya is killed, there will be your side to pick up the pieces. Everyone will follow him.”

I set the babies back in the bassinets as I try to grapple with the information.

“It’s never-ending,” I whisper. “How are we supposed to live our lives if there’s always something waiting around the corner?”

Jodie winces, leaning over one of the bassinets as Luis grabs onto her hand. “It’s a shock to me too, Rosa. All this timeI thought Vinny’s dad was the only problem. Turns out your families are one of a kind.”

It suddenly makes sense as to why Nick’s plan had to be so meticulous. He’s waited his entire youth just to get close enough to strike.

“It’s not going to end without someone losing their life,” I add. Jodie places her hand protectively on mine.

“But it’s not gonna be your family, Rosa. Even if the drug lords have lots of money, you have a community behind you. You have options and places where you can be safe. Don’t lose hope. You have your babies back, right?” Their happy faces take me out of my grief, temporarily.

“Jodie, I want them to be normal. I want them to grow up and have dreams and go to college and not worry about their parents’ past. I also wanna be happy and in love with my husband. Vinny and I haven’t been able to celebrate being married very long.”

Jodie is quiet. I imagine a woman like her hasn’t had much time to think about romance. She turns towards me and squeezes my hand tighter.

“The plan right now is to find your parents and do this in the best way that we can. Then, maybe you can go back to Mexico.”

When I think about all of the trauma my parents have caused me, it makes me angry. I’ll never understand it.

“That’s fine but I want you to know that I’m coming with you this time. I wanna be able to look both of my parents in the eyes as we get rid of them once and for all,” I say firmly. Jodie and I spend the rest of the time in the room until the screams in the front room go silent. It’s a sound I have unfortunately gotten really used to.

Vinny comes into the room late at night. His footsteps are heavy and he collapses on the bed. I smell fresh soap on him, and when I touch his hand, it feels raw. He’s been scrubbing for hours.

“What happened?” I ask even though I already know the answer. He sucks in his breath then lets out a deep sigh.

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