Page 30 of Twins for the Mafia Heir

The wind claws at the edges of my coat, flapping the fabric against my legs as I plunge deeper into the twisting maze. Then abruptly, the wind dies down, and in the sudden quiet, I hear it- a burst of bawdy laughter, low and mocking, drifting from somewhere deeper in the hedges.

A chill slides down my spine. The laughter echoes through the maze’s narrow paths, bouncing between the tall, manicured hedges. I pause, straining to catch the words carried on the breeze.

“- have a good time last night-”

The wind picks up again, snatching the rest of the conversation away, but I’ve heard all I need to. My heart pounds as I snap to full alertness.

For a brief moment I stand still, listening. Then, without hesitation, I’m racing through the maze, rounding corners at top speed, my pulse roaring in my ears. Sidony knows the way to the center- the little pond where the ducks swim. I know it too. And I’m only halfway there when I spot exactly what I’ve been dreading.

On the far end of a long, narrow path, two of Fantasia’s men- Varley and MacDonald- stand in front of and behind Raleigh and my daughter, bracketing them in with an unmistakable intent. They may have held their tongues at the wedding banquet last night, but they were certainly cheering along in every nasty taunt. The way they stand now, angled slightly inward, makes my blood run cold. They haven’t noticed me yet, but the sight is enough to make murder pulse in my veins.

MacDonald, his back hunched slightly, leans down toward Raleigh, blocking her path with his bulk. His voice carries just enough for me to catch what vile shit he’s spewing.

“Listen, little girl,” he sneers at Sidony, voice oily and low. “Off you go, look at the ducks for a bit, yeah? Uncle Mac just needs a word with the lady here.”

“Sidony-” Raleigh’s tone is sharp, protective, but she’s cut off immediately.

“Aye,” Varley cuts in, sidling closer. “She, er, showed your dad something last night. Just thought she might give us a little look as well–”

MacDonald’s head snaps up, his eyes widening as he finally clocks me. Varley, seeing his mate’s reaction, swings around, stumbling back in surprise. He nearly topples over Raleigh and Sidony in his haste, but Raleigh’s quick. She yanks Sidony into her arms, pulling her close, her stance protective as she shields her with her body. The fierceness in her eyes is a mirror of my own as she looks up, clutching Sidony tightly.

I surge forward, storming past them both, seeing nothing but the men in front of me bathed in red. Raleigh and Sidony slip to safety behind me as I close in, my mind blank except for the ironclad vow that these sods won’t lay a hand on my family.

“You’ll get one warning and one warning only,” I snarl, forcing them back until they’re pinned to the end of the path. “If you ever speak to my wife and daughter again-if you ever say so much as a goddamn word- I’ll put bullets in every one of your bones before I kill you. D’you understand me?”

My knife is already in my hand, my handgun in the other. I don’t remember reaching for them but I could kill both these men with them and probably not remember that either.

Varley and MacDonald both nod, their backs up against the prickly hedge wall, their jaws tight. I don’t have to dismiss them with words, only a jerk of my head. They scurry off, opposite the way we came, but I don’t feel my shoulders relax until their footsteps completely fade away into the wind.

Sidony suddenly clamps onto my leg and presses her face into the fabric of my pants. She doesn’t scream or cry or even say my name in relief. She’s totally silent, and might remain that way for the rest of the day. Varley and MacDonald could die for that alone, and I would call it justice.

Raleigh hovers nearby. Her jaw is tense, her cheeks pale. But she doesn’t look afraid. She looks angry as hell.

“Are you hurt?” I ask her, knowing Sidony won’t answer anytime soon.

“They didn’t touch us,” Raleigh says tightly.

I finally release the pent up air in my lungs in a sigh. Thank god. I’ll have to talk to Fantasia about putting leashes on her dogs.

“Let’s go see the ducks, and then we’ll go to Covent Garden for brunch,” I say. Raleigh gives her own sigh of relief, but it’s Sidony’s reaction I’m really worried about. Will she want to retreat to her room now? Or will she stay with me, and with Raleigh who she likes so much?

After a moment of silence, Sidony nods against my pant leg. She loosens her grip just enough so I can walk again, and the three of us complete the hedge maze together. Looking out over the cherub fountain and the few ducks braving the wind today, Sidony suddenly declares,

“I like our old house better.”

I put my hand on her head, gently shushing her.

It might not ruin our entire operation for Raleigh to learn that my daughter and I are transplants into the Warwick family, but it would cause her to ask more questions than I want to answer.

That being said, I wholeheartedly agree with her.

Chapter 16

Emma

Ifeel like I can breathe easier as soon as we leave the estate behind. The streets of London are packed for another weekend of holiday shopping, and I long to join them. Not to spend money, but to vanish into the churning sea of their bodies.

Our limo drops us off outside a shopping district swarming with people. Covent Garden, I have to assume. As soon as we step out of the car, Achilles is a magnet for every gaze on the street.

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