Page 36 of Knocked up by the Mafia

“A soda, please,” I say with a smile. An even younger dark red-haired guy steps forward.

“I’m Jarryd, the youngest. It’s lovely to meet you.” He shakes my hand, and I nod. “Thank you, Jarryd. It’s lovely to meet you too.”

“You guys must be tired.” A busty waitress comes in from the back. “Cooks got a stew almost ready. Why don’t you all take a seat, and I’ll bring you some stew, bread, and potatoes.”

I smile and follow Daniel to a booth. I sit down and shimmy over, and he sits next to me. Jarryd and Robbie sit opposite us. Robbie pulls something leathery out of his pocket to show Jarryd, and I notice it’s an ear.

“Do you always randomly pull people's ears out of your pocket?” I grin.

“My brother is a bit deranged,” Daniel says. His hand rests high on my thigh under the table. “He collects ears when we do a hit.”

“Who did you do a hit on?” I ask curiously.

“Don Gianno,” Robbie blurts out. Clearly, he doesn’t think before he speaks and misses Daniel’s glare.

I look at Daniel. “He was in New York?”

He doesn’t look at me, and before he can say anything, Jarryd speaks out, “Three of them are. Daniel’s going to kill them all.”

I look to Jarryd as he speaks, then I snap back to Daniel, “What about the other two….”

“We have them sorted,” Ronan says as he sets drinks down on the table. “You don’t have to worry about anything, lass. We’ll set this right.”

I stare at Daniel until he has to look at me. “I want to help.”

“You’re pregnant, Nat. You need to protect our baby above everything else.” He looks away, but I squeeze his arm so he looks back at me.

“I don’t even have to get close. Maybe I can snipe him. We’ve already established that I’m better at sniping than you are. Let me help. This is my life on the line, and therefore our baby’s. I could at least provide cover.”

Daniel shakes his head, but Ronan pulls a chair up at the end of the table and sits down. “She’s clearly not the type to take no for an answer. I would let her.”

Daniel looks at him incredulously, but Ronan holds a hand up. “She’s grown up in this, same as us. She knows how to handle herself. You don’t need to protect her. You both need to sort out your affairs so we can focus on keeping you together.”

Daniel glances at me, and I raise an eyebrow. He sighs, “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“You realize they’re after me because I infiltrated a meeting on my own and killed the Russo kid and his guards. By myself with no backup. Then I traveled across Europe, outrunning every bounty hunter and hit man looking for me, only to sneak into New York undetected and stay here for three years without anyone knowing.” I sip my soda. “Thus far, I’ve been backing off taking care of myself because I was worried about the baby. But I think I need to resume taking care of myself, and we need to take care of each other so that we can survive this.”

They all stare at me until Daniel starts to laugh. Ronan follows along with the other two. I look between them.

“I would not fuck with you,” Robbie says finally. “You are like the most psycho pregnant chick I’ve ever known.”

I smile and nod. “Good. So I’ll give Daniel cover when he goes to get Don Valentino, and then we go after Russo with gusto.”

Ronan raises his glass. “To family and the willingness to die for them.”

“To family,” we all toast, including me with my soda, and then the door opens. A few men come in, joking and laughing. I look around wearily, but Daniel squeezes my leg.

“They’re our men,” he explains. “Cousins, people who have grown up with us and other family types. We eat lunch together here to keep up-to-date with what’s happening. Some remain on the street for protection and will join us for dinner.”

I smile. “Big family.”

“Like yours isn’t?” Daniel jokes as the waitress comes out, followed by two young girls. They’re carrying trays of stew and first serve us and then the others. They disappear and return with fresh out-the-oven bread, steaming where it’s been sliced. The room fills with a delicious homely feeling.

Ronan stands up, and I notice everyone bow their heads, even Daniel, so I bow mine, too. Ronan prays for the food, and after he says amen, there’s the loud clinking of cutlery as everyone digs into their food.

Daniel passes the bread to Ronan first, who holds his hand up. “We have a guest. Today she can take the first.”

Daniel smiles and holds it out to me. I don’t know their traditions, but this seems to be an honor. Everyone is watching, so I take two slices and set them on the side plate next to my bowl. Then the bread gets passed to Ronan.

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