Page 6 of Heartless Mafia Prince 2: Rocco & Ryah

A heavy knock sounded on the wooden door before it creaked open.

“Ryah, how are you feeling?”

My eyes widened. “Art, what are you doing here?”

He ran a hand over his short, dark hair. “Ercole reached out to your father. He said you were fine.” The sound of his heavy footsteps bounced off the walls as he walked deeper into the room.

“Ryah, Luciano ordered me to bring you home-”

I cut him off as my fingers coiled around the Glock stuffed in my bag. This was what it had come to? I was ready to threaten my bodyguard? “You can’t make me leave, Rocco,” I bit out.

The dark stubble on his brown face was clear under the moonlight.

He sighed. “If you would’ve let me finish, I would’ve told you I’m accompanying you both home. Oh, and the package.” He flashed his bright white teeth.

Art was smiling? I’d barely seen his teeth since he’d been my bodyguard.

I nodded. “Tell my dad I said thank you.”

He stretched out his phone toward me. “You can tell him.”

I took the phone from his hand.

“You’re lucky to be alive.” Art sat at the opposite end of the couch.

“I should have been on that plane with you. It’s my job to protect you.” His large hands palmed his face.

He felt guilty because I’d almost died.

“Your parents almost lost you because of your puppy love,” he growled.

I stuck my chin in the air. “What Rocco and I have isn’t puppy love. We’re a team.”

“Don’t I know it. That shit you pulled last year with your teammate was dangerous.”

Lips tight and eyes narrowed, I didn’t play my hand. “Art, you can’t still be upset that I fell down the stairs.”

He waved his finger at me. “Good girl, you keep sticking to your lie. Because the minute your story changes, is the moment I tell your father you were pulling a heist with your boyfriend.”

I tore my gaze from his and stared at the moon. Who told? Smitty. Shit.

Art rose. I peeked up at him.

“Call your father. I’ll be outside the door.”

“This time, Ryah, you won’t leave my sight.”

It was good that our fathers hired ex-military men to be our bodyguards, but it was bad for me if I wanted to sneak off and do something I wasn’t supposed to.

The door closed behind him. I took a deep breath before I called dad on Facetime.

“Hello.”

“Ryah.” Dad smiled from ear-to-ear. His tousled brown hair was all over his head. He’d been through some tough shit today. Dad pulled mom into the frame.

“We’re so happy you all survived. We thought we lost you, Ryah,” Mom sniffled, clawing at Dad’s dress shirt.

“Me, too. Thanks to Genn we’re alive. I love you both.”

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