Page 81 of Nanny's Baby for the Italian Mafia Boss

“Sophie?”

I have to be imagining that.

“Hey, Sophie. Are you okay?” his haunting voice sounds far away, but as I turn around and survey the people passing me, I don’t see Michael.

I feel him though, like a chill or a ghost slithering down my spine.

He’s here.

Somewhere.

I begin walking again. Everyone is a blur. My eyes can’t focus. I run into someone, hitting their shoulder.

“Fucking watch it, whore.”

“Sorry,” I slur, wishing I had the ability to be sassy back, but apologizing was hard enough.

“Sophie?” A hand grabs my wrist and tugs me against him. “I’m about sick and fucking tired of you ignoring me.” The chill turns to a frost, my limbs frozen in place. “Playing hard to get was always what you were good at. I miss the challenge, Soph. Who would have thought ‘easy’ would get boring?” he shoves me, and I stumble, my hands scraping against the sidewalk. “I’ll show you what happens when you deny me.”

He waves something in the air, something small and black, pressing a button before he slips it back into his pocket.

The car on the other side of the street explodes, flames licking the air, and screams blend in with the roar of the blaze. The heat teases my skin and I’m taken back to the fire that took my parents’ life.

He squats. “I won’t stop until you’re in the corner. I want you.” Then, he falls back, screaming at the top of his lungs, pointing at me. “It was her! I saw her mess with the car! Officers, it was her!” he continues to shout, putting on an award-winning show.

I’m pushed onto my stomach and my arms are pulled behind my back. “You have the right to remain silent—”

“I didn’t do it! He is lying to you!” I slur my defense but it doesn’t make my case very strong.

“Save it for the judge, lady.”

I’m yanked to my feet, wondering how the hell I got into this mess and how the hell I’m going to get out of it.

Chapter Twenty

Matias

Dovnic’s son is in bad shape. When we finally find him, he’s tied to a chair, rope burns along his wrists from fighting, and lashes across his entire body from a whip they used to torture him. He has red welts everywhere that are open, blood dripping out. His eyes are black and blue, swollen shut, and his nose looks broken.

But damn, the young man is still alive. He’s fighting for his life, and I respect him for holding onto the will to live. It can’t be easy, feeling this amount of pain and not giving in to it.

Dovnic runs to his son, leaving the last few of the men who were guarding Dominick for me to finish off. Normally, this would piss me off, but these guys are imbeciles. It’s light work.

I use the last bullet in my semi-automatic for the biggest guy, who is charging at me, almost double my size. He slumps to the ground, tripping the man following him, and I walk over, throwing my knife into his neck. I don’t see the man who comes up from behind me, grabbing my shoulders, but I quickly elbow him in the stomach, stabbing into him and shoving the blade up to his heart. He gurgles, blood dripping from his lips.

“You’ll be okay, Dom. You’ll be fine. Look at me. Look at me, son.” Dovnic grabs his son’s face, his eyes hooding with exhaustion. Dovnic smiles in relief when he hears a groan, a sign of life. “Thank God,” he hangs his head. “You did good. You did good.” He holds Dominick, letting his son rest his head on his shoulder. “We’ll get you home. Doc will look at you. They are all dead, you hear me? They are dead.” Dovnic cuts the ties binding Dominick, and the kid falls forward.

Dovnic catches him, then swings him up in his arms. His eyes meet mine, anger and tears filling them, but the tears don’t fall. He has better control of himself. It’s almost funny seeing a big man like Dovnic carrying his grown man of a child, but it shows it doesn’t matter how old our children are.

We will always carry them.

Through fire, blood, glass, and bullets, we will use every bit of strength we have if it means our children walk free and we are left behind.

“Thank you,” he rasps to me just as I wipe off my knife.

“Don’t mention it.”

“I know these men you killed had business with you—”

---