Page 9 of Triplets for the Mafia Prince

“I’m your only hope for survival, Bambina. Don’t think of running if you want to live.”

I want to tell him that I’m not a baby, but right now, it seems more prudent to keep my mouth shut.

Niccolo opens the trunk, and after more grunting and swearing, he reappears, tossing my suitcase into the back seat. “Get in. We need to move.”

I move to the driver’s seat, noting the blood. I don’t want to sit where a man was just killed.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s blood?—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He takes off his coat and hands it to me. “Wipe it with this.” That’s when I notice blood on him. Not just his temple, but oozing from the left side of his chest. “Now!” he barks again, snapping me back to the moment.

I take his coat and cover the seat then climb in. I turn the key to restart the engine. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here," he growls as he climbs back into the passenger side. "Just drive. Take the brake off."

I guess he used the gear shift and parking brake to stop the car. I put the car in gear and release the parking brake. We bounce over the uneven field we stopped in and head back to the road.

“Which way?” Do we go back the way we came or keep heading west?”

“Fastest way out of here.”

I grip the steering wheel as I navigate the unfamiliar streets. Adrenaline continues to course through my veins as the events of the past minutes replay in my mind like a horrific movie I can't shut off.

"We need to find somewhere safe," Nic says, his voice tight with what I realize must be pain.

“What about my dad?—”

“No.”

I look over at him. “But?—”

“For all I know, your dad is a part of this.”

That makes no sense. My dad is an A-one jerk, but he wouldn’t try to kill me. Would he? “He wanted this deal. Why would he?—”

“He was pissed my father didn’t come. He sees it as disrespect.”

“So he’d kill us?” I’m clearly missing something here.

“He’d kill me to let my father know he’s not happy. You…” He glances at me. “If you ended up dead too, you’d just be collateral damage.”

His words send a chill so deep I’m not sure it will ever thaw. I realize the truth of his words. Me and my sisters are nothing but assets in my father’s eyes.

“I can call my sister. The D’Amatos will?—”

“Not them either.”

“Why? They’ll help?—”

“They work with your father,” he snaps. “Just fucking drive, Bella.”

I look over and see he doesn’t have his seat belt on. I have a fantasy of slamming on the brakes and sending him through the windshield.

“Fuck… I’m sorry,” he says a moment later. “I don’t know what’s going on here, and until I do, it’s just the two of us.”

I nod, trying not to let my panic or tears show.

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