Page 21 of Taken By the Mob Boss

“It’s a man’s world,” I respond blankly.

She nods. “Yeah. He still taught me plenty of things though. I can handle a gun pretty well, and know some self-defense.”

My folded arms tighten and the muscles bulge.

“But this still isn’t a hit,” she laughs nervously. “Believe me, the last thing I want to do is makeyoudisappear.”

My heart falters at the last part. It’s like I’m some puppy getting attention. I can hear the frustration in her voice though. The confusion. But I quieten it, I need to be an alpha here.

“I just—” she sighs deeply. “I don’t want that life. But in the mafia, that’s not possible.”

I stare at her. I stare at her until my mind goes blank and I don’t know what to think. I wonder what would my father do with this information? The Russo’s have a dud next in line. They have a girl that doesn’t want what lies before her. I could smash their entire family and empire, taking their whole business … I have her right here in my hands. I could use this as bait. I could pin the old Don with one phone call as soon as we hit land …

But that isn’t whatIthink.It isn’t what I’d do. I too know what it’s like to be in the shadow of a powerful man. The pressure that comes with it. I pity her. I open my mouth to say something, but my jaw snaps shut.

A fishing boat has come around one of the islands, and is headed right for us.

“Our ride has arrived,” I say, standing from the log.

The small boat makes its way towards us and a man waves. I wave back. Sophie looks frightened and unsure. She looks at the boat and the men. Then at me. “Are you sure?” she asks.

“Just because it isn’t the Russo way doesn't mean it isn’t our way,” I say. “These men wouldn’t be here without the GPS.”

She nods, but she’s still unsure. “But are they Colombino men?”

My blood boils and my teeth grind. “Because I’m giving you mercy to keep breathing, do not take that as a mercy to question my decisions,” I hiss. “This is our boat. But if you want to stay down here,stay.”

The men are standing out in the back of the flat hulled boat. There’s two of them. They have a small cabin on the deck and a big net crane at the back. I begin wading out towards them. When I’m waist deep I hear Sophie catching up and following me in.

The closer I get to the boat the less sure I am of them though. It doesn’t look like the markings of a boat we’d use, but I can only trust that someone has sent them.

No one else knows we’re here.

I can assume they’re our men.

Chapter 9

Sophie

We’vebeentravelingforhalf an hour now. The sun has set and we’re bobbing along in the darkness with a small headlight at the front. The two men don’t talk much. I say men, but really one is a boy. A teenager. Luca has spoken a little bit to them, both in English and Spanish, but even he hasn’t got much from them. They seem nervous.

I tried saying something to Luca but he shook his head fiercely.Looks like he doesn’t want me talking.

The waves of the sea bump gently at the boat as we trawl along. There’s a few fish that dart out of the spotlight of our boat as we head forward, but other than that, we can’t see the lights of Key West at all. I didn’t realize how far we’d traveled from there.

Luca tries talking with the captain, they’re in the front half of the cabin. There’s a wall and reinforced window between us. The door is swinging freely and soon Luca turns and closes it on me.

Now I’m just trapped with the boy. He stares at me openly, just as nervous as when we hopped on. He swallows and then looks away. He wipes his brow and then goes to rise out of the seat he’s been relaxing in, then doesn’t. He’s really nervous.

The whole thing feels off.

This feels like a trap. As if Luca had been right about something being off.

A few more minutes pass and the dread in my stomach only increases. I can’t believe what is happening. Who has this system set up? Do all the families? Do we? I make a mental note to ask some of my father's men about the seas when I get back.

If I get back at all, that is.

The thought flashes across my mind quicker than I can realize. It scares me. “I’m getting some air,” I tell the boy.

---