Page 53 of Surprise Pregnancy for Villain

The damn report.If he knows that I’ve hired an informer off the books, he certainly wouldn’t be pleased. Family business is never to be discussed outside the family, that’s one of the rules.

“Well?” he looks at me, tapping his fingers on the table in a slow repetitive motion meant to aggravate me. The waiter comes back with the whiskey, and I swig mine in one gulp. The alcohol burns the back of my throat for a second before leaving a cool trail down to my stomach.

“The Borellis aren’t happy,” I repeat to my father what Gus told me. “I’ve been doing my surveillance, and I’m positive that they have not involved the police nor the press. I've been interrogating some of her friends, but they’re useless.”

“And the girl?” my father asks.

“She’s still missing,” another lie.

Stefano scoffs, “How hard can it be to find that little bitch?”

My fists curl under the table. Don’t lose your cool, Ezio.

“The more I dig into this, the more I’m confident that one of the minor families has taken her,” I say another lie. “I’ve been hearing rumblings of war, so this must be their way of declaring it.”

“And which of the families do you think are stupid enough to go against us?” asks Stefano.

“The Carusos were always a worthless bunch,” Alessandro pipes in.

My father glares at him but lets the intrusion pass.

“Yes.” My stomach turns as I agree with my brother. “And they’re greedy enough too. There’s a ransom already out for her return.”

“They’re probably holding her until that ransom figure increases, greedy bastards,” Alessandro mumbles.

“How much?” my father asks.

“A million dollars for information. Double the amount if she’s alive,” I reply.

Stefano laughs. It’s a cruel and gruesome laugh. He’s enjoying the Borellis’ turmoil, and he’ll even enjoy it more when he finally has his hands on Nicoletta Borelli.

I won’t let you have her.

Alessandro chimes in. “We can strike the Carusos while the Borellis are distracted. They’ll never know what hit them.”

“Hm… That could work, but I have another plan in mind,” he says. “Call it a side quest if you will. Ezio, this is for you.”

With a pent-up breath, I stare at him calmly, waiting for his instructions.

“I’ve got a man who owes me some money,” says Stefano. “I want you to take Alessandro with you and straighten him out.”

My chest deflates as I release the breath I’ve been holding. Handling additional assignments is bad enough, but doing them with my backstabbing brother? I glare at Alessandro as he takes a pathetic sip of his whiskey. He’s always been weak, and I despise his gloating. We may be of the same blood, but he sees me as nothing more than an obstacle to his true ambitions, and he’s nothing more than the enemy to me.

I’m watching my back around this one. He’ll never get another chance to stab me again.

“Fine,” I accept the task.

***

I glare at Alessandro from the corner of my eye as he takes his place on the passenger seat. I feel incredibly pissed. For one thing, this dumb assignment feels demeaning to my skills and talent and having my brother along feels like I’m babysitting him. I just want to get it done and over with.

The man who owes my father money is named Karl. He’s the proud owner of a strip club just beyond the borders of the city. As per my father’s instructions, my brother and I are to straighten him out, which also means beating him until he begs for his life and pays the money. Apparently, Karl borrowed money from the Rossis to start his club, and we never heard from him again. This is typical in our line of business.When will these stupidos ever learn?

We reach the strip club. It’s a depressing lone building with tacky neon lights and blacked out windows. The parking lot is already full, considering that it’s still early in the evening. From the looks of it, it seems like a popular place, so there’s no excuse for Karl not to pay.

Alessandro and I enter the establishment after flashing our holstered guns at the bouncer—the only entry fee we’ve ever known. The interior is bigger than I expected. A large platform is situated in the center with several metal poles. Three girls are stripping as a hoard of thirsty men gather at the platform’s feet and throw singles at them. The rest of the audience watch from afar, seated at their tables while girls in skimpy server outfits roam around the floor with beers.

I scan the area for Karl but he’s nowhere to be seen. Just then, I spot a customer and another girl sneak into a hallway with a sign that says, ‘PRIVATE.’ I nudge Alessandro with my elbow and gesture for him to follow me down the hall. We pass by several rooms that smell heavily of sweat, cum, and used condoms. Moans erupt from each closed door.Looks like Karl’s running a little sex ring.

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