Page 46 of The Mobster's Nanny

“I thought Elena would be here.”

“She’s tired after struggling to feed Mia all day.”

“Oh, Luna has her third tooth now.”

The conversation flows naturally, so I don’t even feel the need to join and only watch them from a few feet away. The similarity between all of them is striking, and something in the way they talk to each other, exchanging chuckles and shaking hands, makes it obvious just how close they are. They’re a family, and I understand now what Matteo was talking about when he said he was never alone in his struggles.

Only two people in the crowd are clearly not a part of the Messina family, but it seems they all feel comfortable around each other. One of them is Sasha and the other is a man I don’t recognize. He looks more like Sasha with his light brown hair and bright eyes, so I assume that he is Russian as well.

It seems that the Messinas are so close with the Pushkov family that they’re even willing to bring their members into the official meeting. Well, they know what they’re doing, I guess. I’m not the one to judge their decisions.

“You must be Liss.”

Suddenly, a male voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I blink and automatically look in the man’s direction. One of the Messina men steps closer to me, and even though I’ve never seen him in person, it takes me one glance to recognize Riccardo, the don of the Messina Clan. He has an air of power and confidence around him, and when I meet his gaze for a moment, I feel my guts tighten with nervousness and instinctively look away.

“Yes,” I say, absentmindedly noticing how everyone else goes quiet. Everyone except for Romeo who bounces on his feet and runs back to me to wrap his hands around my wrist and look up at Riccardo with a grin.

“Miss Liss is my nanny.”

“That much I know,” Riccardo says with a hint of a smile, and I hear Louis chuckle behind him. “Well, let’s see what your nanny has to tell us.”

Matteo finally sends Romeo to his room, not without a pouty face from the latter, and all seven of us gather together in the living room with Louis and the Russian guy—Sergei, if I heard correctly—not shying away from taking seats on the carpet. Even in the small talk that they exchange, I can feel the weight of their attention on me, and finally, when the conversation goes quiet, Matteo clears his throat and puts his hand on my forearm.

“You can tell them everything from the start.”

“From the start?” I look at Matteo, unsure if I’m understanding him correctly. For me, everything started with Hank’s murder and my oath to get back at the Messinas, the very people that now sit in front of me. Does he really think they want to know all that?

“Yes.” He turns to the rest of them, squeezing my arm ever so slightly. “I want you to know the whole story.”

Louis and Paolo exchange a glance with a hint of a smile on their lips while Riccardo eyes me for a second and nods. “Alright. Just keep it straight.”

And so I do. I tell them about my brother, receiving a nod of understanding from Paolo, and his murder that turned my life upside down and left me on my own with my grief and desire for revenge. I tell them about my ex-boyfriend who introduced me to the world of the Mafia, the encounters with the Mexicans, and how they were the first ones to bring some clarity to Hank’s death with their promise to help me find justice. This part doesn’t seem to impress them, and only Sergei chuckles and shakes his head, murmuring something in Russian.

Finally, I tell them about Giovanni and how he helped me get into Matteo’s house, how I used it to spy on the Messinas, and how I was supposed to kill Matteo. Thankfully, they don’t ask why I didn’t do it, but I guess my fingers entwined with his speak for themselves. Then I move on to tell them about the events of today, how I met with Giovanni and almost killed him, how Matteo got me out of there, and in the end I show the latest messages from Giovanni.

“These rats are getting bolder day by day,” Louis says with an unimpressed huff, handing the phone to Sasha, but Riccardo doesn’t seem as nonchalant as his cousin. He says nothing for a moment, staring into the distance and thinking over my story, before looking up at me.

“This Giovanni. Can you describe him?”

“Sure. He, um, he has very dark hair, almost black, and it’s usually tied in a bun, so it must be quite long. He has tan skin, dark eyes, and he’s quite tall and broad, but I guess that’s common in your profession.” I chuckle, looking between them, but none of them bats an eye, so I clear my throat and look away again. “Uh, what else? He has this nose that’s kind of bent down a little, but I don’t know…I guess that’s it.”

A moment of silence follows my words, all seven of them sharing the same solemn look, before Riccardo turns to Sergei. “Do you know any of the Escarra men who match her words?”

“No,” Sergei says calmly, raising his voice for the first time this evening. “They’re all Mexicans, and it sounds more like…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence and only glances around, but it’s clear what he’s trying to say. The description fits an Italian man more than anyone of Hispanic origin—but at the same time, it doesn’t make sense. Trust me, I had the same thoughts!

“Could it be someone from your relatives in Italy?” Sasha asks, studying the men in front of her with a squint. “Maybe you hurt their feelings by staying away or something like that.”

“Only our grandparents are staying in Italy now,” Paolo says, shaking his head, and Louis nods a few times.

“Besides, a Messina would never turn against his own.”

“Well, maybe it’s just someone who has nothing to do with you.” Sasha shrugs, leaning back in the armchair, but I know it can’t be.

“I’m sure he holds something against your family,” I say, looking between them until my gaze lingers on Matteo, and I squeeze his hand in my grip. “When we talked a few weeks ago, when…when he gave me the dagger to kill you, I was hesitant to take it. But Giovanni talked me into it, and it sounded as if he wanted to do it himself. It was…I don’t know, like he had his own personal reason to hate the Messinas. Like he had this urgency to harm your whole family, and it was even stronger than my desire for revenge.”

Everyone goes quiet for a moment, contemplating my words, until Louis chuckles and leans back on his arms. “Well, this sounds fun. Another psycho is willing to take down the Messinas. No wonder he sided with the Escarras—those guys are fucked up.”

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