Page 10 of Stealing His Christmas Present

“You do realize it doesn’t make sense that she falls for you because you’re pretending to be someone you’re not? And girls like SF movies too. Just go over there and be yourself.”

“Should I tell her Dad’s a mafia boss?” He lowered his voice as he shot me a glare.

“No, obviously. That’s not something you tell someone when you first meet them.”

“See? Then I can’t be myself.”

“You’ve been hanging out too much with the guys. Just talking to someone who’s not in the mafia, or family, will be good for you.”

Tomasso was very much into training and learning about business from Dad and Lorenzo, and he rarely did anything else, except for playing video games and watching SF movies from time to time.

“Why aren’t you following your own advice?” he asked. “Stella said some guy—”

“Shush!” I raised my finger. “I don’t like that guy.”

“Have you even seen him? Talked to him?”

“Um, maaaaybe.”

He gave me a deadpan look.

“This isn’t about me. You go talk to that girl.” I caught his arm and all but pushed him in her direction.

He reluctantly headed toward her. On his way, he grabbed a glass of champagne from the tray that a server was carrying.

“He’s twenty, and he acts like he’s twelve.” Lorenzo shook his head.

“Only when it comes to girls.”

“I failed him. Should’ve taken him out more.”

“It’s not your fault. He had different interests, and we can’t exactly hang out with random people. I mean, we can, but...”

My voice trailed off because I remembered him again.

Fuck off, Pablo.

Leave me alone! I don’t want you in my mind.

“They turn out to be gang members?” A smile tugged at Lorenzo’s lips.

“That’s not funny at all.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“What? We all survived.”

I lowered my gaze. Not all of us.

Well, my family had.

The guards who were with Stella and me, not so much. Sure, it had been their job. But if I hadn’t met Pablo, maybe we would’ve stayed safe and alive.

He must’ve immediately told his boss where we were, and I didn’t know if he’d followed us, but an assassin, who’d used the name Blue Lightning, had found us in a small house where we’d been trying to hide until my dad could arrange everything for our safe return home.

If it hadn’t been for Stella, she and I would be dead too.

And all because of me.

All because of Pablo.

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