Page 46 of Naughty Santa Daddy

My gaze bounces around the faces of everyone gathered, and a fierce, overwhelming ache tugs at my heart. This family is a mismatched group of individuals who come from different backgrounds and vary in experience, but we’re all united together because of the love that I share with Braxton and my unborn child. We’re from two different worlds. It shouldn’t work. But it does.

That’s because the mafia and the MC aren’t that different. Loyalty, brotherhood, and honor are qualities they both cherish. I ran from this life only to find it again in ways I never expected.

This is who I am.

The sense of belonging floors me. I ran to escape my family because of the tragedy in my youth. I blamed my father and his connections for placing me in danger and killing innocents. I believed I had to forge my own way instead of accepting the path already carefully carved for me.

You can’t run from fate.

Evil exists in the world, and it finds a way to hunt, no matter what blood runs in your veins or what name you’re given at birth. Family is the only barrier against it. And it’s not just a matter of bloodline. The bond I share and the family I’ve come to welcome is more than my mamá, papá, and cousins. It’s the men in the motorcycle club my man loves so much. It’s Braxton, my rock. His Granny.

They are all my shield against the world and the evil that lurks within it.

There’s only one thing to do.

I have to fight.

I know this. The urge is coiling in my gut, and it will strike soon.

Enzo sees it. He’s at my left, and I watch his lips twitch with humor. My cousin senses my emotions, much as he has since we were kids, and he knows action is only a minute or two away.

Enzo briefly dips his chin as our eyes lock.I’m with you.The unspoken confirmation that he’s got my back and supports my decision is more than a relief; it’s acknowledgment and respect, akin to bending the knee. I’m the heir to the Allegrini empire. Enzo understands. More than that, he’s swearing his fealty—an unbreakable bond.

I wasn’t ready to accept it before now, but it feels right.It’s time.

I’ve never been idle. It’s not been my luxury to live a life without purpose. I can’t andwon’tsit back and do nothing while everyone I love is threatened. It’s not my way. Thanks to my father’s rigorous and, at times, brutal teachings, I’ve become the woman this family needs me to be. A princess who doesn’t need a knight to save her, only a force of reckoning at her side. My Braxton.

I have to leave.The thought is punching through my mind, and hot on its heels is the next one.I’m not a pigeon.

Papá loves his analogies. Speaking in code is as natural to him as his beloved Italian. When I was a girl, I asked him once why the eagle was so proud. He replied that eagles are strong, honorable, courageous, fearless, and able to fly independently. A powerful image. The pigeon? Prey.

I’m notprey. I might have been taken from my bed and kidnapped, but I’m not weak.I’m an eagle.

Papá stares at me as I rise. His expression, for once, is unguarded. There’s nothing holding back what I see as he nods, his dark eyes conveying a single emotion: pride.

I’ve waited for what feels like a lifetime to see that look directed at me. It’s almost too much. Emotion churns inside me, but I use it to ground myself. I focus on the task that matters most. “We need to confront Carlo.”

I know he’s figured out by now that Dante and Enzo have taken a side with me and my father. He’s lost his sons, and that will make him desperate. Desperation does wicked things to men in power. I’ve seen it.

Uncle Carlo trained me. I know how he handles situations like this. He won’t back down. He’ll never give up.

My father nods. He’s come to the same conclusion.Carlo has to die.Tonight.

We’ve put it off long enough.

I turn to Enzo. “Call him.”

My cousin purses his lips like he wants to argue or delay, but, in the end, he knows it’s the only course of action left. Men like Uncle Carlo and Lorenzo Allegrini are incapable of surrender. They live by a code and die by it. The truth of that statement hits me hard.Braxton is the same.

We’re perfectly matched.

He can’t expect me to stay here and do nothing. It’s not in my nature. Somehow, I know he’ll understand.

I’m not risking our baby. I’m ensuring his survival and future.

Enzo shifts from one foot to the other before he stiffens. His voice loses the warmth that’s characteristic of my cousin’s pleasant baritone when his father answers the call. There’s a heated discussion entirely in Italian before Enzo loses his temper. A string of profanity leaves his lips, and I can tell he’s more than upset. He’s livid.

There’s nothing but silence in the room as he hangs up. Mamá and Granny are holding hands as I glance in their direction. I expect fear or hesitation, but I only see resolve. The women in this family might be stronger than the men. When everything comes crashing down and the men shoulder the burdens, it’s the women whose soft touch, gentle words, and unflinching support carry the family through to another day.

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