Page 43 of Surprise Baby for the Don

What a coward. Of course he doesn’t have the courage to threaten me to my face. Like the sewer rat he is, he thought he could get away with shooting me in the back.

Time slows. I see his finger tighten on the trigger, see the determination in his gaze, the last-ditch effort of a man with nothing left to lose.

I don’t think. I don’t hesitate. I raise my gun, the shot ringing out, loud and final, echoing through the tunnels. Carlo’s gun clatters to the ground as his body completely collapses to the ground, his eyes glazed, lifeless.

I stand there for a moment, my gun still raised, my breath even and controlled though my heart is hammering in my chest. I don’t take pleasure in hurting people, not the way the Savinis seemed to. Sometimes violence is the only means to an end. Taking a man’s life—that’s something that’s hard to recover from. He put me in an impossible position. Kill or be killed. Now he’s gone, and with him, the last remnant of this twisted vendetta.

I lower my gun, slipping it back into my holster as I turn and make my way back through the tunnel, each step heavy, the weight of everything settling over me like a shroud. It takes mea moment to gain my bearings, to remember where I came in. After stumbling around for a while in the dark, I finally find a ladder and look up to find just the faintest sliver of light where the hatch didn’t completely close.

I climb the ladder, pushing the hatch open and pulling myself up into the office. The feeling of death is heavy in the air.

As I step outside, the cool night air hits me. I take a deep breath, letting it clear my mind, ground me. My eyes adjust to the darkness of the night, nothing but a dim, flickering streetlight shining overhead. I finally Ginny and Rocco standing a few yards away, leaning against each other for support. Ginny’s face is pale, her expression tense, but she’s fussing over him, making sure he’s okay.

Before I can reach them, a shout rings out, drawing my attention to the side. Bats is in pursuit of one of Carlo’s men who managed to get away, his barbed wire-wrapped bat swinging wildly as he chases the guy around the corner, his laughter echoing through the night. At least someone’s happy.

Red, meanwhile, is hunched over in one of Carlo’s cars, fiddling with the wires as he works on it. The car sputters to life, and he grins, looking up just in time to see me approaching.

“Boss!” he calls, his grin widening. “Got us a ride.”

I nod, glancing back at Ginny and Rocco, relief flooding through me as I realize we’re all here, all alive.

We pile into the car, Bats sliding into the driver’s seat as Red takes shotgun, leaving me in the back with Ginny and Rocco. I glance over at Ginny, her hand resting on Rocco’s shoulder as she murmurs something to him. She sounds concerned, but her tone is gentle.

I reach out, my hand covering hers, a silent promise that I’m here, that I’ll keep her safe, that nothing will ever come between us again.

I look over at Ginny, her gaze meeting mine with warmth, I feel a sense of peace I haven’t felt in years.

29

Ginny

The moment we get back to the house, all I can think about is taking a hot shower. I feel disgusting, covered in a mixture of sweat, blood, concrete and potentially vomit. My mouth feels fuzzy and gross from throwing up earlier. But as desperate as I am for a refresh, it takes all I have just to get to the bathroom.

My legs feel shaky, and when I finally manage to stumble into Mateo’s bathroom, my trembling hands grip the edge of the sink as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. There’s blood on my cheek, smeared across my jaw, grime caked on my skin. I feel the weight of everything that just happened settling over me, sinking into my bones. The adrenaline is fading, leaving me raw and exhausted.

Then my eyes trail down to my abdomen. Despite everything that’s just happened, I feel a strange energy humming through me. It feels like a warm, beautiful light, spreading through my whole body. Even without the extra confirmation, I know I’m pregnant. Mateo’s child is growing in me, and he or she is giving me the strength I need to go on. I suddenly feel the electric thrillof new life.

I strip out of my clothes and step into the shower, twisting the handle until the warm water splashes down, filling the room with steam. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as my muscles slowly begin to unclench and relax after that nightmarish experience. I step under the spray, the warmth enveloping me, washing away the cold, the fear, the memories.

But as the water cascades over me, I feel the weight of it all press down again. My hands shake as I reach for the soap, barely able to hold it steady. I close my eyes, trying to focus on the warmth, on the sensation of being safe, but it’s hard to shake the images from my mind. I see my beat up father, David’s face as he fell, the blood on the ground, the sound of gunfire echoing around us. There are dozens of bodies on the ground, all dead, and I feel my stomach clench again in fear. My tears blend in with the shower stream.

Suddenly I feel the air shift, and I open my eyes to see Mateo stepping into the shower with me, his expression soft, tender in a way that makes my heart ache. He reaches for the soap, his hands steady, gentle, as he lathers it between his palms before sliding them over my shoulders, down my arms, across my back. His touch is careful, soothing, as if he’s trying to erase every trace of what I just went through.

“Let me take care of you,” he murmurs, his voice low, filled with a warmth that settles over me, calming the last remnants of fear.

I nod, unable to find the words, leaning in to his touch as he continues to wash me, his hands moving over my skin with a tenderness that brings tears to my eyes. He’s quiet, focused, as if he knows exactly what I need, as if he’s making a silent promise with each gentle touch.

His hands slide down my arms, over my hands, and he lifts them to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to each knuckle, his eyes capture mine.

“Nothing will ever happen to you again,” he whispers, his voice fierce. “I swear to you.”

I feel the weight of his words, the sincerity in his gaze, and I believe him. I know he means it. But I also know that this world we live in, the life we lead, is filled with risks, with dangers I can’t control. I lean into him, pressing my forehead against his chest, letting his warmth, his strength, surround me. His arms wrap around my shoulders and he holds me in a loose embrace.

“It can’t happen again,” I murmur against his chest, my voice barely audible over the sound of the water. “It can’t, Mateo. I have too much to lose now.”

He tilts my chin up, his gaze searching, questioning, and I know I have to tell him. My heart races, my stomach twists, but there’s a strange sense of peace settling over me. I meet his gaze as I let the words fall from my lips. With the intensity of the night over, it was best to rip the bandage off now. Maybe, just maybe, it could be the light at the end of the tunnel that was today.

“I’m pregnant,” I tell him confidently, buoyed by the little life inside of me.

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