Page 40 of Surprise Baby for the Don

David steps forward, relishing every second of my shock.

“Poor Mateo,” he mocks, moving to stand behind Rocco and pat him on the shoulder. “You really thought you had any kind of control in this world. You can’t even keep men on your payroll loyal to you.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, each one twisting the knife of betrayal deeper. My mind races, trying to comprehendthe depth of this treachery. Rocco wasn’t just some guy on my payroll, he’s been like family to me since I was a kid. He was as good as a brother to my father, and a father figure to me. None of this makes any sense. I feel like the ground has been ripped out from under me, like everything I thought I knew was a lie.

“You know that money your daddy paid us for years?” David laughs, his mouth turned up in a satisfied sneer. “Rocco was on that take.”

I feel like I’ll be sick.

Carlo chuckles, reclining in his chair and propping his feet up on his desk like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“All that money’s been going right into Rocco’s bank account. It was payment for getting you here. Alone.”

I look over at Rocco, but he won’t meet my eye. He seems solely focused on the gun in his hand, waiting for his puppet masters to tell him what to do next. And there’s nothing I can do to stop this.

Ginny stares blankly ahead, her eyes unfocused. She isn’t crying or making a sound, like she’s hoping she can somehow make herself invisible. I wish that was the case. There’s nothing I can do to save her. If Rocco decides to pull that trigger, she’s dead, and there’s no way for me to stop it.

I feel a sick, hollow ache in my chest, my fists clenching at my sides. This man, the one I trusted most in this world, has sold me out, has been working against me, for them. I want to tackle him, to wrestle that gun out of his hand and beat him to death with it. But I can’t afford to lose control.

“You betrayed me,” I manage, my voice raw, barely more than a whisper. “Rocco, after everything we’ve been through, you can’t just give it all up for these assholes.”

Rocco tilts his head, his expression as cold as ice. “It’s nothing personal, Mateo. Just business.”

Nothing personal.The words echo in my mind, hollow and empty, a mockery of the bond we once had. Ginny trembles under his grasp, her façade starting to break. She’s terrified and it’s my fault. No matter what Carlo said about her being collateral for her father’s crimes, it’s my fault that she’s here now.

I thought Rocco would protect her, not be the one pointing a gun at her. My heart pounds in my chest so rapidly it’s hard for me to breathe. I want to reassure her, to tell her that everything is going to be okay and we’ll get out of here alive, but I can’t lie to her. She must see the agony on my face, because a single tear falls down her cheek.

Rocco must clock this silent interaction between us, because he glances over at Carlo, his voice calm, detached. “What do you want done with the girl?”

Carlo waves a dismissive hand, barely sparing me a glance. “Kill her,” he says flippantly. “She’s served her purpose.”

The words break the dam of rage inside of me. I’m ready to lunge at him, to wrap my hands around his fat neck and hold tight until the light leaves his eyes. But before I can take a step toward Carlo, David interjects, a sick grin spreading across his face.

“Wait,” he tells Rocco. “Don’t kill her just yet, I’ve got a few ideas of things I’d like to do before she’s done kicking,” he sneers, his eyes gleaming with sick anticipation.

The full force of my anger turns on David, the idea of him touching her enough to make me see red. I try to step between him and Ginny, but Carlo is on his feet, holding me back as if he can read my thoughts.

“Over my dead body,” I growl, my voice low and deadly, each word laced with a promise of violence.

David laughs, his grip tightening on the gun in his hand as he takes a step forward. He raises it, pointing it directly at my chest. I should be scared, but my all-consuming anger drowns out any other emotion.

“Gladly.” David smirks, his finger on the trigger. “It’s the first thing we’ve ever agreed on.”

I stomp down on Carlo’s foot, forcing him to let go of me, and lunge forward toward David. I’m on him in two steps, my hand grabbing for his weapon, wrestling it from his grip. He struggles, his body twisting, but I hold on, fueled by my anger, by my determination to protect Ginny.

We fight for dominance, each trying to land punches on the other, each barely missing the other. David’s a hell of a fighter, I’ll give him that. But I’m blinded by my rage, letting it fuel me and spur me to action. I manage to knock the gun out of his hand and pin him down, my fist connecting with his jaw with a satisfying crunch. He manages to quickly maneuver out of my grasp, though, rolling away from and grabbing the gun faster than I can stop him. He points the gun at my head.

And then, suddenly, there’s a deafening bang, the sound reverberating through the room, filling the air with a sharp, metallic tang. The world goes silent, time slowing to a crawl as the impact brings me to my knees.

27

Ginny

My ears ring from the sound of the gunshot firing in the small space. I collapse to the floor, every limb feeling numb, and for a moment I think I’m the one who’s been shot. I slam my eyes shut, waiting for death to come, but a hand hooks under my arm, dragging me back up.

I open my eyes to see David on the floor, a pool of blood gushing from his neck. My stomach turns, but I’m too stunned to fully feel the sickness wash over me. I realize that Rocco is the one who pulled me up, and his gun is still smoking from the round he fired.

Rocco shot David.

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