Page 40 of Secret Baby for the Mafia Don
The gravity in his voice makes my stomach twist. "I was careful."
"There is no careful with the FBI. You think you understand our world because I've let you peek behind the curtain. But there are depths to this life you haven't seen."
I swallow hard, the fear I've been fighting finally taking root.
Not fear of Marco, but of what I might have set in motion.
"La Corona doesn't kill women," I say.
His laugh is short and bitter. "Is that what you're counting on? A code of honor?"
"They didn't kill Isabella," I counter, grasping for reassurance. "She talked to the Feds too, and they just?—"
"They married her off to Roman, but that was no guarantee she’d be spared." He leans forward. "Do you know why she was given the option for marriage? Because La Corona understood she was seeking the truth about her mother's death. We hadsympathy for her. But I’d be lying if there weren’t moments we all considered…”
He doesn’t finish the sentence, but he doesn’t have to.
I know what he means and I’m horrified.
“Lucky for her, Roman Ginetti, the most dangerous man in our world, chose to protect her."
I feel the blood drain from my face. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying Isabella had sympathy on her side. She had Roman's unexpected protection. You?" He gestures toward me, his hand trembling slightly. "You'll be seen as deliberately undermining La Corona. As a liability."
"But I'm your daughter," I whisper.
"And that's the only reason you're still breathing. My position has protected you, but even I have limits to my influence. Especially now."
The implication in his words makes my stomach drop.
La Corona would consider killing me.
"Dad…" My voice breaks.
"Do you think I want to have this conversation?" His eyes glisten. "I've given you freedoms no other Don would allow his daughter. I've been proud of your spirit, your intelligence. But you've crossed a line, Gabriella. You've put yourself in the crosshairs."
I sink into the chair opposite his, my legs suddenly unable to support me.
The panic flooding through me is unlike anything I've felt before.
This isn't the righteous anger that's fueled me for months.
This is pure, primal fear.
"I was trying to protect you," I say again, even knowing it doesn’t matter.
"And I'm trying to protect you." His voice softens. "But you need to understand, if you continue down this path, there may come a point where even I can't save you."
I've miscalculated everything. "What do you want me to do?"
“For one, stay away from the Feds. You have to stop what you’re doing."
I nod slowly, the fight draining out of me. "I'll be more careful," I promise, the words difficult to utter.
Submission has never come easily to me, but I know when to retreat and regroup.
“It may not be enough. Maybe you should think about going to stay with Luca. At least for a little while.”
