“That’s one unavoidable outcome, yes,” I say dryly.
I’m still pissed at Candi for trapping me into being the one thing I swore I’d never be: a father. I don’t know how to raise a child. A man like me should never have children.
“Uh, congratulations?” Dante says tentatively.
“Not really.”
Marco chuckles. “It’s a surprise baby, then?”
“Big fucking surprise,” I grumble. “She tricked me into it.”
Frankie whips her head toward me, glaring daggers. “Excuse me?”
Ah, fuck. I didn’t realize this would turn into a huge conversation. “What? She never said she wasn’t on contraception, so—”
“Did youaskif she was?” Frankie hisses, rising from her chair. “Did you even have a single adult conversation about it before you started sticking your dick—”
“Enough,” Dante interrupts, gently tugging her back to sitting.
Her frown deepens as her gaze jumps between me and Dante. “Enoughwhat? I’m not shutting up. This is bullshit. Discussing contraception is something that adults do, Armani. Apparently you never thought about it because you figured it was the woman’s job to handle it. So, guess what? This is what happens. Sounds like you’ve just learned a very valuable lesson.”
“This wasn’t an accident,” I insist.
“You’re wrong,” Frankie snaps.
“Please. If we can just stay on topic here,” Dante says.
But Frankie’s not having it. “Besides, I teased her about being pregnant the other day and her eyes practically bugged out of her head. She laughed at me for even mentioning it.”
This catches my attention. “What made you mention it?”
My sister-in-law is clearly annoyed with me. Her voice is tinged with disapproval. “She wasn’t feeling well, and I noticed. Dizzy, nauseous, spacy. All things I’ve personally experienced during my early pregnancy. All things I assume you never bothered to notice.”
I’m pretty sure she finishes her rant by calling me a “dick” under her breath. My God, how she’s changed. When Frankie first married Dante and moved in here, she was timid. Shy. Sweet. But at some point over the last year or so, she’s turned into a goddamn tiger. I’m not sure if becoming a mother is what made her so fierce, or if it started even before that due to Dante’s influence, but one thing is certain: Francesca Bellanti is not a woman to be trifled with.
Mulling over her words, a sliver of a doubt starts to wedge itself into my brain.
Is it possible that Candididn’tget pregnant on purpose?
“I’ve had a lot on my mind lately,” I say, and although it’s a weak defense, it’s true.
“All of ushave. It’s no excuse,” Frankie says. “And honestly, she seemed pretty freaked out at my suggestion. Not exactly the reaction of a woman who was planning to get pregnant all along. You know, Armani, it sounds to me like maybe you need to start paying more attention to your wife. Unless your head’s too far up your own ass to—”
“I have other news,” I interrupt, knowing that Frankie could go on like this all day.
Marco and Dante try to hide their smiles, but not well enough to keep me from seeing.
“Ding dong, the Russian is dead?” Marco throws out.
I hate to disappoint him.
“That’s still unconfirmed. The building collapsed and was a total loss, not to mention the site is now crawling with law enforcement, the fire department, and a cleanup crew. It’s going to take some time to comb through the debris and determine the identities of anyone inside. Three of Bruno’s men were identified immediately afterward, but they died outside the building.”
A low murmur of disappointment goes around the room.
“If Orloff survived, they’re doing a great job of hiding him so far,” Clayton says. “Meanwhile, the woman you asked me about is MIA. If she survived, it’s going to be—”
Putting up a hand to stop him, I pull out the crumpled photo of myself and my siblings and hand it to Dante. His eyes go wide.
