Page 42 of Nanny for the Don

Jack’s composure shatters. He squeals, thrashing against his restraints, yelling.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” over and over, desperation lacing his voice.

I pause, my finger hovering over the trigger. “Who killed my father?” I ask, my voice deadly serious.

He’s trembling, his voice shaking as he finally cracks. “I’ve heard a couple of names,” he stammers..”

“Good,” I say, pulling the saw back slightly. “What names?”

“Antonio and Marco Rossi,” Jack says.

I know the names. They’re low-level guys in the Rossi crime family, the kind of bottom feeders who handle small-time jobs, not something as big as taking out my father and his associates. This smells like bullshit.

“That’s all I know,”.” Jack insists, desperation creeping into his voice.

I narrow my eyes at him, considering my next move.. “Was the hit on my father and his men ordered by the Rossis?”

Jack clams up, refusing to answer, his eyes darting away. Without hesitation, I calmly punch him in the mouth, the force snapping his head back. He groans in pain, blood trickling from his split lip as he struggles to refocus.

When he finally does, I ask again, “What’s your relationship to the Rossis?”

Jack spits out some blood, grimacing. “I’m a numbers guy.”

“You mean a money launderer,” I correct, my tone icy..”

“Yeah, whatever,” Jack mutters, clearly realizing there’s no point in lying..”

I lean in close, grinning as I let the next question roll off my tongue.“Tell me, Jack, is that a job you can do without your fingers?”

Jack’s eyes widen with terror, and he screams, the sound echoing in the cold, sterile room.

Chapter 21

Willow

I’m sitting in the living room with Lucia and Giulia, both of them huddled together on the edge of the couch. They’re holding each other’s hands, Giulia whispering, “You’re gonna be okay, Lucia,” over and over, like she’s trying to will it into reality.

Lucia’s still sniffling as Ms. M gently dabs the cut on her head with a damp washcloth, trying to be careful. The wound looks red and swollen, and though it’s not gushing blood anymore, it doesn’t look pretty either. I hand her the antiseptic and she gingerly dabs it on the cut while Lucia squirms and hisses at the burning. sensation.

Ms. M inspects it closely, pursing her lips. “Now that it’s all cleaned out, I think it might actually need a couple stitches,” she says finally, her voice steady..”

I nod, feeling a little more relieved that Ms. M is taking charge. She always seems to know what to do. The girls look at us with wide, anxious eyes, and I do my best to smile.

“Don’t worry, Lu. We’ve got you.”

Ms. M gently guides me to the other side of the room, away from the girls. Lucia’s still sniffling, but Giulia’s doing her best to comfort her.

“There’s a clinic a couple blocks down,” Ms. M says quietly. , her tone is all business. “We can take Lucia there, have them check if she needs stitches.”

I nod, feeling a bit better about the plan. “Yeah, good idea. We’ll just tell Mr. Conti, then head out.”

As soon as I mention Nico, the color seems to drain from Ms. M’s face. It’s quick, and she’s a pro at pulling herself together, but I notice.

“No, no,” she says, almost too quickly. “We’ll tell him later.”

I blink, confused. “Won’t he want to know what happened? I mean, she’s his daughter.”

Ms. M’s expression tightens, and she lowers her voice even more. “We’ll tell him after. He’s never to be disturbed when he brings his work home. He’s made this point very clear. And I have authorization to take the girls in for any medical needs.”

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