Page 39 of The Mobster's Nanny

Did I make the right choice by leaving her that morning? I don’t know anymore.

On the way to daycare, Romeo frowns and grunts even harder, and when we arrive he goes to the nannies without a second glance my way. Well, I guess I deserve it. I give Mrs. Falcon a tight smile and get back into the car. The sooner I deal with my work for today, the sooner I’ll be able to pick him up.

No matter how nice the summer camp is, I don’t like leaving Romeo there, and I’d be glad to stay at home with him. But, besides my mind being a complete mess these days, my work doesn’t allow me to look after him. I used to let him stay at home during summer, but with every passing year he gets even naughtier, increasing his own chances of getting into trouble when I’m not around.

Liss was the only one who could keep him engaged and under her charms, but...yeah, I should stop thinking about it. Accepting her back is not an option anymore, not after what she’s done.

I get back home, met by Dolce’s wagging tail and the complete silence of the house. It’s hard to imagine just how fast I got used to Liss always being around. It’s been what, a month, two months since she showed up on our doorstep? And now, everything feels empty without her.

I linger in the hallway and rub my eyes, trying to clear my mind, when Dolce jumps at me, and I automatically push him away with a rather harsh tone. “No, get away!”

Dolce immediately steps away to give me some space, looking at me with the same bright eyes and wagging tail, and god, what an asshole I am.

“I’m sorry, buddy.” I sigh and crouch in front of him, allowing him to get his nose into my cheek and press his whole body against me. There’s something about Dolce’s warmth and affection that makes my chest tight, and I shut my eyes, bury my face into his fur, and let out a shaky breath.

“God, I miss her.”

There’s no point in lying to myself—I’ve been feeling like shit ever since I left Liss’s apartment that morning, and I’m not doing a very good job at keeping it to myself. I have told my family everything—I didn’t want to risk the lives of my clan members just to keep Liss’s name clean—and at this point everyone has told me, in one way or another, that I’ve been kinda off lately.

But what can I say?

The only girl that truly matters to me just broke my heart into pieces. How am I supposed to act normally? Whatever that actually means. I chuckle to myself, shake my head, and get up from the floor, giving Dolce one last pat before going up to my office.

Work doesn’t really help me clear my mind, but I do get distracted enough to direct my thoughts away from her. I keep the connection with Georgiy shut—I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone right now—but the stream of notifications keeps me busy for some time. There are a few cars that need repairs, so I check with our mechanics while guiding a team of our men to Liss’s apartment building.

After I told Riccardo about her betrayal, he decided to use all the information I had on her and figure out how exactly she was getting in touch with the Escarra family. He ordered me to organize a spying team to keep an eye on Liss at all times and track all of her movements. So far, Liss has been going out of her apartment only to get to the nearest grocery store and has stopped by her favorite bakery once.

I've even received some photos from them, and I couldn't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes and the lost, pale look on her face. It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel anything. Oh, it would be such a lie.

I almost wish I could be mad at her,truly mad, you know? I wish I could turn all that sadness and longing in my heart into a rage and tell everyone how much I hate her. But I can’t even do that because…because no matter what, I can understand her pain and her deep, consuming loneliness.

I felt the same when I lost Sienna—but I had Romeo to take care of, and I had my family to support me. Liss was left completely on her own. If I were her, wouldn’t I do the same thing? Wouldn’t I want to seek revenge for the murder of any of my brothers?

I’d rather turn the world upside down than let the killer get away with it, and if Liss really thought that I’d killed Hank, well, she did everything in her power to get me. No other spy has ever gotten that deep into the Messina family without getting caught. I have to admit that her courage, wit, and determination deserve respect and almost admiration—because if I didn’t find that dagger, how long would she have kept it away from me?

Would she actually kill me?

Sometimes, I can’t help but think about it, staring into the darkness of the night and remembering each of our dates. Liss said she couldn’t do it because she fell in love with me—but can I trust her? I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose. The thought is wreaking havoc in my mind, my heart squeezing tighter with every question rising in my head.

Was Liss genuine when she was kissing me, holding me, moaning my name into the sheets? Was she truly in love with me, or was it nothing but a play? I want to blame her. I want to find a single lie in her behavior—but the more I think about it, the more I feel like she’s been genuine in her affection all this time. Liss just couldn’t tell me the truth, and…god, why am I trying so hard to find a reason to forgive her?

I shouldn’t even think about going back to someone who couldliterallykill me, but—

The sound of notifications interrupts the endless circle of musing, and I force myself to sit up and focus back on reality. Right now, I have people relying on me, and I can’t let them down. I check the screen of my laptop—and an invisible hand pinches my chest when I see that it’s from the team taking care of Liss. I guess it’s just another update about her being at home, but I can’t shake off an anxious feeling until I open it.

The target just received a message.

What? I frown, tensing up despite myself. She doesn’t have close friends or family members. After going through the information we got from her mobile operator, I saw that over the last two months, Liss has only talked to me or the unknown number—her contact person on the Mexican side.

Shit. Is she going back to them? What is she doing?

While I’m frantically going over all possible scenarios in my head, I receive another message and, a few seconds later, another one.

The target is pacing around the apartment.

She is about to leave the building.

Has she lost her goddamn mind? Everything inside of me freezes as I stare at the dots on the map showing the location of the team. It’s too dangerous, it’s too fucking dangerous. The Mexicans probably know about her failure now, what does she want from them?

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