Page 88 of Dangerous Deception

“Fucking Pascal,” I pant tiredly. “Caterina, we’ll get you to a hospital.”

“I’m fine,” she says. Our eyes meet and she bursts into weak, tired laughter, then she sobers. “I–I’m sorry, Boss. I tried to stop them. I tried to save her.”

Pushing myself up into a sitting position, I grip my wounded thigh and nod. “I know. I know. I will get you help, I promise.”

“There’s something you should know.” Caterina weakly grips my arm. “I–I should have told you, but it wasn’t my secret.”

“What?”

“Adelina is pregnant. I found her test. She told me it was negative, so I knew she wanted it to be a secret, but you have to know. You have to be careful.”

Pregnant.

Adelina is carrying my baby?

Pascal callsme three hours later.

My leg is patched up, Vito is prescribing me several shots of Vodka for the pain, and Caterina is admitted to the hospital where hopefully, they will save her life.

I’m exhausted. That explosion took a lot out of me, but it doesn’t dampen my feral determination to find my wife.

If anything, I’m ready to kill every single person I find whoisn’ther just to narrow down the search.

Because she’s pregnant.

I can’t fathom why she didn’t tell me something so insanely important, but it makes this situation so much more dire. Not only do I need to save my wife, but I also need to save my unborn baby. Never have I felt so on edge.

One wrong move and Pascal will wipe out my entire family.

I tell myself this as I answer his call, but as soon as I hear his treacherous voice, the venom inside me surges forth. “You weaselly, rat-faced motherfucker,” I snarl. “When I get my hands on you, what I’ve done to other people will look like fucking child’s play, do you understand? I’m going to have you begging for death and I won’t grant it until I’ve made you pay!”

“No wonder my daughter’s started swearing after being around a man like you,” Pascal replies bitterly. “I’m sorry to hear the bomb didn’t work.”

“Unsurprising, given the shoddy nature of your plans.” I raise my glass and drain it in one gulp.

“Really? No one knew about my work with the Irish. I’d say my plans are decent.”

“And yet a nobody like Carlos was able to unravel your schemes all because you killed his sister.”

“An unfortunate event,” Pascal replies. “But it will be over soon. As soon as you are taken care of, the lid goes back on all of this, and you, Raffaele, are going to walk into your very own funeral.”

“And why is that?”

“Because if you don’t, I’ll make you listen to the sounds Adelina makes when she’s being tortured, that’s why.”

My heart drops like a stone, and a cold sickness settles in my gut. “You talk that way about your own daughter?”

“You have no idea the lengths I’ll go to,” Pascal growls. “So I’m going to send you an address and you’re going to crawl in the door like a good little dog, understand?”

I lock eyes with Vito, who is positively simmering with barely restrained rage.

“Fine. I will. Because that’s the difference between you and I, Pascal.”

“What is?”

“I actually care for your daughter.”

As soon as I hang up the phone, Vito explodes. “What the hell are you thinking? You can’t just walk in and hand yourself over! There has to be another way. Your going suicidal does nothing to save Adelina!”

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