Page 35 of Heartless Mafia Prince 2: Rocco & Ryah

Genn ran to the nearby table and retrieved his laptop.

“Is this the guy?” Genn shoved the screen in his face.

Jessie’s head wobbled like a bobble head as he peeked at the screen. “Yes, that’s him. He does everything for the queen.” His body violently shivered.

“I’d like to know what she’s holding over your head after all?” I asked.

“My little girl lives in Minnesota with her mom. She threatened to sell her into sex trafficking if I didn’t cooperate.”

“Just like I told Luther you should have come to us. We could’ve stopped this before things escalated. We have two military men working for us. They’re skilled in tactical training. Genn’s Navy Seals Black Ops for crying out loud. He could have scooped your daughter up right under their noses.”

“At the time, my main focus was protecting my five-year-old daughter,” he cried.

I understood he was freaked out, but he still should’ve spoken to us. The questioning and torture continued into the wee hours of the morning.

***P***

Her laughter filled my ears as I sauntered toward her bedroom. Melanie said it was ok if I slept in the guestroom down the hall. Luciano was still handling business in the streets. That was where I was supposed to be, but I broke away to see my woman. I peeked inside the bland space. It wasn’t full of life like her other bedrooms. There were bare wooden walls where there should’ve been pictures. Leaning on her elbows, she stared at the TV and burst into laughter again.

The day after we tortured Jessie, Dad and the other bosses had a grueling meeting. The information they gathered was shared with their trusted men.

The queen and her team worked out of a small storefront in a quaint town outside of Philly.

Our trained military men were given the green light to set up shop in the building across the street. They utilized their skills and worked our war like it was a secret mission. They ran tight surveillance. Genn and Art didn’t bother tagging our enemies vehicles with trackers. They used drones to track their every move. The intel they gathered was priceless. We were waiting to make our move. We needed to turn over every stone before we revealed our hand.

En route to pick up a shipment of guns, I made a detour. Of course, visiting my girlfriend during a war was dangerous. But I took all the necessary precautions to ensure I wasn’t followed. I traveled an hour away and changed vehicles three times before reaching the Conti’s safe house. As much as I hated flying when I left here, I’d jump on a helicopter and lie low in a town nearby. I’d travel back to Philly in a couple of days.

Our fathers kept our supposed deaths hush, hush. No one was allowed to talk about the plane crash until after the war was over. Whenever I fought side-by-side with our men, I was in disguise. I wore a wig, beard, mustache, and sunglasses.

Glancing down at the phone, my fingers skated over the screen.

Me: Hey, baby, I was just thinking about you. I need to see you.

Her phone vibrated across the bed. Ryah’s face lit up as she stared at the screen. She fell back on the pillows and began typing. Then sadness struck Ryah’s beautiful features, and she bit the corner of her lip.

Ryah: I miss you, too, Rocco. Not seeing you is killing me.

She tossed her phone aside, then slammed her face into a pillow, releasing a shrill.

A huge smile crept across my lips. My baby was going out of her mind. Same here, Princess.

Me: I’m here.

She looked at her phone, then her eyes shot to the door.

“Rocco!” she shrieked, as she jumped off the bed and climbed my tall muscled frame like I was a mountain. She locked her legs around my waist and her fingers caressed the nape of my neck.

I hugged her like I’d never see her again. “It’s so good to see you, Ryah. To feel you.”

Pain pulsated in my back and legs. She was worth suffering through all types of pain.

My nose nuzzled her curly mane. I realized I’d taken for granted how good her hair smelled. Most of the time, her hair smelled like roses. I couldn’t place the new generic scent of whatever shampoo she used. At least her hair smelled clean.

“I’ve been on the streets for days. I need a shower asap.”

Her lips crushed mine. “I don’t care, Rocco.”

Ryah stared into my eyes. “I’m just happy to see you. When do you have to leave?”

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