Page 2 of Nanny's Baby for the Italian Mafia Boss

Who am I kidding? I did know. My instincts told me to run, and I didn’t listen.

I march down the sidewalk, not knowing where to go but needing to get away from here.

“Sophie! Sophie, wait!”

I ignore Michael calling for me, rolling my eyes.

“Sophie!” he growls, gripping my arm. He tugs hard, spinning me around, and holds my biceps until it hurts. “Stop and fucking listen to me.”

I shove him away. “You have major issues and I want nothing to do with them. Stay away from me.”

His nostrils flare and coffee drips from the wet ends of his hair. “This isn’t over,” he says. “You’re mine, Sophie. I’ve put in months waiting for you.”

I rear back, shocked by his statement. “You’re a disgusting human being. I am not yours. I’ll never be yours and you will never have me.” I hurry away before he can grab me again, then cross the street just in time for a car to drive by, blocking him from following me.

This is a new beginning. Away from Michael. Away from friends I thought I could trust.

It’s the start of me listening to my instincts. They haven’t proven me wrong yet.

I have an interview tomorrow for an amazing job, which could turn out to be the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s a position to become a nanny for a little girl and to maintain the house, with an amazing salary and benefits. I also get to live in the home, so I’ll save on rent.

I can’t wait.

I need this job.

If I don’t get it, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I’ve been on my own before and I can do it again, but bouncing around from place to place is exhausting compared to finding roots.

I want to settle.

This could be my chance to do it.

Chapter One

Matias

Having to take over for my twin brother Ari after only a few years of him being in charge is daunting. I never wanted to be in charge. When my oldest brother, Carmine, asked me years ago if it was something I was interested in, I said ‘no’ without hesitation. It isn’t because I’m not capable. I am. I am more serious than Ari, quietly planning out a way of strategy, while Ari is very charismatic, funny, and lighthearted; it was those characteristics that made him a leader difficult to dislike. Everyone wanted to make Ari happy. He was just that kind of man. Everyone wanted to be on his side. Anyone stupid enough to be on his bad side ended up dead, and that’s how he made his name.

Granted, being on the mafia’s good side only leaves the other option to be death, but it was more than that with Ari. People wanted to be his friend.

Me?

I don’t care about friendship. I only care about the job.

Everything is different now. The compound has changed since Ari and his wife left. They are in a new territory since we are expanding so much, and we decided it is best if this compound remained headquarters. Carmine has currently settled in Boston, making new frenemies with the local Irish mob. As much as I am proud of us, there is a part of me that mourns how it used to be. I’ve always lived with my family. Ari and I have always been at each other’s sides. I can’t count on him to be there when I turn my back now.

It’s a circumstance I’m going to have to get used to soon.

“Your eleven o’clock is waiting, Matias,” Gianni announces as he enters the office.

At least I have him. He’s been a constant in our lives as well, and when Ari gave him the opportunity to live with him, Gianni decided to stay with me.

He’s a father figure to me, and maybe he knew he would be needed more here than with Ari. I’m not sure. I am grateful that he decided to stay, though.

“Daddy?” Fiorella, my daughter, rushes into the office with her arms wide.

I grin, picking her up and swinging her around. She giggles, and it’s music to my ears. “Ella Bella, what chaos do you bring me this morning?” I call her by the nickname I gave her the moment I adopted her last year, when she was five years old.

I have always wanted a family, but since I wasn’t in charge of the mafia, I didn’t have the pressure of having to find a wife. I saw Carmine and Ari with their families, and I knew I wanted one of my own. I knew I didn’t need a wife to have a family, so when it came to having a child, it was simple.

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