Page 38 of Texting My Mafia Savior

“But that’s just a short-term solution. When they come back, then what?”

He sighs, shaking his head. “You might have to become the person you were, Nico.”

“You want me to become the Nightmare again?” I snarl. “You want me to sacrifice my practice, my pro bono work, bloody my hands again, and even then, it might not work? Even then, I might end up dead. Lucy will be in his hands, and maybe Dominic’s rage will get worse and worse. He’ll hate your daughter just becauseI…”

“No more of that,” Rocco growls. “Never again. I know what you’re hinting at it. I can see how much you care just by looking at you. But I mean it. It’s over. You need a plan. You need to make him back off. Even if it means agreeing to work for him again.”

“Why don’tyouwork for him again?” I snap. “She’s your daughter, and you’re acting like you don’t give a damn.”

“How dare you,” he whispers.

“You shouldrun, Rocco. But you want to hang around so you can keep your job.”

“I want toavoid suspicion. Ultimately, that’s how we keep them safe. If we panic, we die. Can you be sure the Carusos won’t send somebody after Sandy and Arria?”

“So far, they’re not tailing your daughter. If they leave soon, they’ll be able to slip out of the city unnoticed. But they may visit you and get you to tell them where they’ve gone, even.”

“They’ll get nothing,” Rocco snaps.

“They could torture you.”

“They’ll. Get. Nothing. I’ll play the game, play my role—a hard-working father with nothing to hide. You play your role, too, Nico. A loving husband. A man who wouldn’t look twice at your niece, at a woman half your?—”

“I know,” I snarl when he looks like he’s about to get going again. “It’s wrong. It’s twisted. I get it. All right?Fuck.”

I stand up, my hands trembling.

“I’m going to wait outside until they leave, then follow them to the city’s edge to make sure nobody’s following them. Tell them to hurry.”

I stalk outside to wait in my car.

“What do we do?” Lucy says, pacing up and down under the stark lights of the kitchen at three am.

I check my phone. Arria has just texted me.

Arriana:We’re still on the road. Everything is going well so far. Dad called, and he said there have been no visitors. Maybe it’ll all be okay.

Me:Let’s hope so, Arriana.

Arriana:So we’re back to Arriana, huh?

She adds a heartbroken emoji.

I don’t text her back. I need to remember my promise. I need to remember that I told her dad I would have the discipline to leave his daughter the hell alone.

“If we run,” Lucy says when I don’t reply, “it’ll be obvious we’re hiding something. God, can’t he just let go? It’s been years. He never loved me. How could he? He never evenknewme. It’s absolutely ridiculous for him to even stillcareabout this.”

I grind my teeth, nodding. “The lie detector stunt was a failure. I didn’t expect that. Now he’ll know we’re waiting for him to make his next move. He said he’s going to prove that our relationship isn’t legitimate. You need to be careful with Giancarlo—maybe even cut things off for the time being…”

“And you need to do the same with Arria.” Lucy throws her hands up. “Don’t give me that look. You care about that girl—my niece. I know you do. I’d be happy you could finally find somebody if it didn’t mean…”

“That Caruso and his goons might string us all up and bleed us the fuck out.”

“Exactly,” she says, shivering.

“Let’s say you’re right. Let’s say something is going on between me and Arria.”

Lucy rolls her eyes. “Sure,let’s say…”

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