Page 61 of The Mob Boss' Pet

“What’s happened?” I ask, moving toward the closet.

Hangers rustle.

I keep my stance, waiting for him to come back out of the closet. When’s the last time anyone asked this man how he was holding up? He’s lost his cousin; his brother was shot. He has the entire family bearing down on his shoulders. How can he hold them all up without breaking just a little?

He comes out of the closet, stopping when he notices me. His jaw sets.

“I told you to get in bed.” He wags a finger at me.

“Yeah. You did,” I say, stepping closer to him. He reeks of booze. “Tell me.” I touch his jaw.

His eyes meet mine, softening when our gazes lock. His jaw relaxes.

“Anton did it.” The words tumble between us. “He killed Sergio,” he continues before I can catch up.

“Anton?” I ask.

“He hired some punk ass kid to do it, too. That’s how Roberto and Jimmy got shot. He didn’t even hire a seasoned hitman, just grabbed some thug off the street.” He wraps his hand around my wrist, pressing my palm into his cheek. “He killed our cousin because Sergio was sticking his dick in Maria.”

“Maria? You mean Anton’s wife?”

He huffs. “Yeah. That cold bitch.” He frowns. “She’s gotten my cousin killed and now... now I have to deal with Anton.”

He releases my wrist and moves to the bed. He’s exchanged his suit for a pair of pajama pants.

“Deal with him how?” My stomach dips. This isn’t a situation I should be questioning.

He yanks the covers back on the bed and turns to me. “He didn’t get authorization for the hit. You can’t do that.” He points a finger at me, like he’s instructing me for the future.

“Okay...” I turn the closet light off and shut the door. “So, what happens now?”

“I have to deal with him,” he says like that explains everything.

“Like... deal with him, deal with him?” I ask, shaking my hands at my sides. This is far from a conversation I want to be having. If he tells me he’s going to kill his brother, doesn’t that make me party to it?

He sinks onto the edge of the bed, his hands hanging loose in his lap. The pain of losing his cousin, the betrayal of his brother weighs him down. When he lifts his gaze to meet mine, a sharp ache stabs my chest. Tears shine in his eyes.

“There has to be another way,” I say softly, going to him and dropping to my knees. I scoot between his thighs and wrap my arms around his middle, hugging him tightly. “There has to be something else you can do.”

Giving the order to kill his own brother—even a man like Vincenzo Manetto has a breaking point.

He touches my shoulders but doesn’t push me away. Taking this as a sign, I hug tighter.

“We’ll think of something,” I promise him. “We’ll think of something.”

He gently pries me away from him, cupping my chin in his palm. “We’ll think of something?”

“Yes,” I answer quietly. “You don’t have to deal with this alone, Vincenzo.” He’s borne the responsibility for so long, I’m not sure he can let go.

“And what else canwedo?” He probably can’t believe that anyone wants to help him carry this load.

“I... I don’t know what’s allowed,” I say. It’s one thing to want to help, it’s quite another to have the ability.

He chuckles. “Allowed. Since when do you care if something is allowed or not?” He shoves me away with a soft push.

“I do care, Vincenzo,” I say, moving up to my feet. “I do.” I climb onto the bed, over him to my size and sit on my knees looking down at him as he adjusts the blankets over him.

“Really? You want to obey me and submit to me?” He rolls his eyes. “You’re only here because you have to be. You’re only here because I won’t let you leave.”

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