Page 111 of Demanding Mob Boss

My phone rings and I glance down. It's Elliott. He must be worried too.

Pushing aside my initial reticence at talking to strangers, I answer. "Hello. This is Anna."

"Anna. This is…" He hesitates. "This is Elliott, Connor's friend."

I scurry into Cian's room where I can speak without being overheard. Since I’m so good at listening in, I'm very aware of how easy it is to do.

I shut the door to the bedroom. "You're Connor's baby-daddy."

Elliott makes a choking sound. "He told you?"

"Yes."

"He must trust you."

"He wouldn't have given me your number otherwise." Connor cares about this man and their baby.

Warmth unfurls inside me at the knowledge that Connor really does trust me. Not just as a confidante, but as a friend. I need to call Ini and check in with her after I get off the phone with Elliott.

Friends do that for each other.

"No, I suppose not. He gave me yours too. He said I should call if I needed something and I couldn't get ahold of him."

"Do you need something?" Can I help Elliott without leaving Cian's apartment? Am I obligated to stay here if a friend needs me?

Anything Elliott asks for is a byproduct of my friendship with Connor.

"It shouldn't be a big deal." He sounds nervous.

"What is it?"

"I've been staying at a hotel in Rockford with Dot." He stops talking. "I don't know if Connor told you anything about my family?"

"No, he didn't."

"They're not thrilled about my transition and that's putting it mildly, but I thought…" He breaks off. "I thought they still loved me, that we were still family."

"I'm sorry." I know what it feels like when your family doesn't accept who you are. My aunt and uncle spent eight years trying to make me into someone different. Someonenormal.

"My dad was going on and on about how I can't raise Dot on my own. I got so sick of it, I finally told him about Connor. When he realized Connor accepts me as I am and wants to be with me and raise Dot together, my dad went ballistic."

Ballistic could mean a lot of things, but none of them are good. "Does he know where you are?"

"Yes, and he's on his way here to try to take Dot."

"Did he threaten you?"

"Yes, and I know it's not just hot air. I told my sister where I am because she was worried when we couldn't get together for dinner like we usually do tonight. I missed last week too."

"And she told your father?"

"Yes. She says she's Switzerland. Calling to tell me that Dad is on his way here is her way of being neutral. He doesn't know what hotel I'm staying in, but I didn't use an assumed name when I checked in."

"Why would you? You and Connor thought the danger was in Chicago. As long as no one knows about you, you shouldn't have to hide."

"Which is why I wanted to stay in the city, but he insisted."

Knowing what's going to happen tonight, I understand why Connor did. The mob will try to avoid collateral damage, but the gang they are fighting might not be that conscientious.

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