Page 10 of A Mafia Christmas

“Don’t be nice to her. She betrayed me in the worst way possible,” Alastair said.

Beth took one more look at him, turned, and left. The guard closed the office door and followed her outside.

“You’re not going to grab a bag?”

“No.” She tried to laugh. “He said nothing here was mine.”

She looked at him. “Thank you. I don’t want to get you in trouble. Stay here.”

She got down to the bottom of the driveway and turned toward Aria and the girl’s house. It was several miles, but she could make it. She had several hours left in the day. She started to walk away. Each step away from Alastair made her agony grow.

She hadn’t gone two blocks before a car pulled up to her.

“Get in,” Tony, the head of security, said.

“I can’t. You’ll get in trouble.”

“Beth, now, you are not walking away from here on your own and with nothing. Let me take you somewhere. He’ll never have to know.”

Beth looked back at the way she came before slipping into the car.

“Do you have a place to go?” Tony asked.

She nodded. “Yes. Can you take me to the Mortelli’s home?”

“Good. They’ll take care of you.”

They were silent for a moment.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Tony asked.

“I told him I was pregnant,” Beth said.

Tony looked surprised and happy about it, but then his smile fell. “He’s mad at you for that?”

“No. For not getting an abortion.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tony said.

Beth shook her head, looked out her window, and blinked, trying to get the tears to go away.

Tony reached out and squeezed her arm. “He’ll come around. Give him some time.”

Beth sniffed, faced him, and spoke. “No. You didn’t see him. He thinks I’m picking the baby over him.” She sighed. “Maybe I am because I will not abort this baby, even if it means I have to lose him.”

She pressed her face into her hands and sobbed. “How am I going to live without him?”

Tony grunted. “I can’t see him giving you up, Beth.”

“Oh, yes, he did. He never wants me back because he thinks I betrayed him. You know what he’s like. Loyalty is everything to him.”

Tony pressed the bridge of his nose before they pulled up to the Mortelli home.

She grasped his arm when he went to get out. “No. The fewer people that see you, the better.”

“I think that might be too much…”

“He told the guard that took me out of the office he’d put a bullet in his head if he didn’t move to get me out. Both the guard and I believed him. Please be careful. Thank you so much. I appreciate the ride more than you know. Take care of him for me.”

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