Page 85 of Pregnant By the Italian Mafia Enemy

Bria.

Little, trembling Bria stood in front of the enemies, held tightly to one of their legs. She looked unharmed, but the terror in her eyes had every muscle in my body stiffening.

“I thought she was in Italy,” Sienna shouted, pulling the trigger of her gun and taking out one of the further targets.

The man holding her lifted her as a makeshift shield, and I clenched my teeth, unwilling to take a shot that could get her killed.

She should have been in Italy with Gabriel. She’d been left there days ago and hadn’t returned with us. What did that mean for Gabriel? Did Valentino manage to gain a foothold there?

Was he alive?

Thoughts roared through my mind as the fear of Bria’s situation felt like a blow to my chest. Sienna continued shooting, dropping the people around Bria quickly and efficiently as I tried to line up a shot. But what if I hit her? I was a damn good shot, but withall the thoughts roaring through my mind, I needed to besure.I couldn’t risk hitting her.

“Stand down,” Sienna demanded, rounding the car as the soldier holding Bria backed into the building and almost out of sight.

I didn’t hesitate before chasing after him.

Nothing mattered more than her safety, even as Sienna rounded the building, most likely hoping to find another entrance.

“Let her go,” I shouted, taking a single step inside.

He held his gun to her head, and Bria screamed so loud that my ears rang. She was terrified. I allowed my eyes to flicker around the room blasted with gunshots. If I fired my gun in here, I could blow one of her eardrums.

“We’re here to fucking kill you, not cater to you, Guerra,” the man said, snarling as if I was the one holding hisfamilyhostage.

“If you hurt her,” I said, ensuring my tone held all the menace I could muster, “I won’t let anyone kill you. I’ll bring you back to be tortured, and then I’ll drag your entire family in front of you before slitting their throats.”

I would.

It didn’t matter how inhumane it would be. I’d kill every person he loved if he took Bria from me.

Gunfire exploded behind him, and he stiffened as blood dripped from his head before Bria dropped to the ground. She righted herself quickly and ran into my arms as Sienna rushed through aback room and pointed at the door. “We have to go. There could be more.”

I didn’t hesitate before scooping Bria into my arms and running toward our car. We could figure everything else out later. Mr. Frazier was dead, and now, I had Bria to consider. I couldn’t allow us to be caught in more gunfire with her in tow. Tucked into my chest, we ran to the car, and Sienna watched our backs.

I couldn’t stop my first question as I threw her in the backseat. “Where is Uncle Gabriel?” I asked.

She shrugged and stuttered, “H-he didn't know. They wa-wanted Sienna back. They said they would give me back after they got her.”

“Leverage,” Sienna said, sliding into the backseat with Bria. “When Valentino must’ve thought you were holding me captive.”

I didn’t allow myself to settle on the implications of that as I stormed to the driver’s seat and took off down the road. Valentino thought Sienna had been held hostage? I supposed it made the most sense to assume that when she hadn’t returned. But to take a child in place of her…it made me sick.

It shouldn’t have surprised me that he’d planned on using Bria as bait. Valentino made a habit of doing sketchy shit, and he’d pay for that just like the rest of it.

“He was okay last time you saw him?”

Bria nodded profusely as I grabbed my phone, preparing to call Gabriel. How the hell had Valentino gotten away with her in thechaos? The phone rang twice, and Gabriel answered at the start of the third ring. “Hey, man,” he said. “Did you—"

“How the fuck did you let Bria out of your sight long enough for her to get captured?”

Silence reigned on the other end of the line just long enough for me to check my rearview. A blue sedan and a motorcycle trailed behind at enough of a distance that I didn’t bother swerving to lose them. Not yet.

“What the fuck do you mean?” he asked in a menacing tone I’d rarely heard.

“I mean that Valentino’s guys had her at gunpoint.”

The blue sedan came closer, and I made a quick right turn, hoping to lose them.

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