Page 80 of The Boss

“I know,” I sigh. “Juliet, everything that’s happened…none of us were expecting it. We all thought Mateo would be gone in a week and be back. But he’s not. The negotiations stalled, and even if Anthony isn’t involved, he’s an accomplice at this point because he knows something.”

“Gino, this isn’t what I signed up for.” She backs away from me.

I don’t think she’ll walk away from all of this, but I do know how much she values her morals. Shit, it took her ten years to be with someone with my family history because she didn’t want to be involved in the mafia world.

“I know it’s not what you signed up for; none of us signed up for this,” I tell her.

“Gino, I'm not going to just agree to this right away. I need to think about it. I’m going to help if I know this will work on finding Mateo.”

I swallow.

She starts to move away from me, and I grab her arm, holding her in place.

“I understand your anger and frustration about this, but I could use your help if you’re willing.”

I place a soft kiss on her forehead, remove my hands, and let her walk out of the room. I watch as she climbs the stairs, and for the first time in months, she closes her bedroom door.

JULIET

I’m not oblivious to what Gino has done in his life when it comes to the deals and questioning others. But him asking me to invade someone’s privacy like this is something I’m not ready for.

I’ve looked over the financials of the Russos, but everything I’ve seen either they willingly gave to us, or we found through public records.

Lying on my bed, I know I need advice from someone who has no association with this world. Grabbing my phone, I call my mom. She knew Antonio and knows all of the guys. But she’s only met them all a handful of times over the years.

“Hi sweetie,” my mother says over the phone as she answers.

“Hey mom,” I reply.

I must say it in a way that tells her something’s up because she asks, “What’s wrong?”

I thought I could take a minute before asking for her advice.

Taking a deep breath, I start. “Umm, I know I told you about Mateo getting kidnapped…”

“Did you find him?” she asks, sounding hopeful.

“No, but Gino had Drew hack into the Russos’ servers and hack everything. And⁠—”

She interrupts me. “You don’t know if you can help.”

“Mom, I didn't sign up for this. I know we need to find Mateo because no one else will help, but I didn’t think they would resort to this,” I say.

She sighs. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do to protect the ones we love. I know how much you love Gino, and I want you to remember that this doesn’t define his character. He’s doing this because nothing else has worked. His best friend is missing, and his sister is having to be a single parent because of the results of his decision.

Juliet, I know we taught you to have an opinion and not allow others to influence your decisions, but this is a different scenario, and we both know that. Sometimes we need to adjust our morals when it comes to the people we care about, especially when they need our help.”

“You sound like you have experience in that?”

“That’s a conversation for another day, but yes, there’ve been times when I’ve needed to do things I didn’t want to,” she says.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie, and when this is all over, bring Gino to LA for a proper introduction to this family. He’s been your friend for years, but I’ve only seen him a few times over the years. I would like to know the man my daughter is head over heels in love with.”

“Mom,” I reply and groan.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are; you are still my baby girl, and it’s a part of my job to protect you.”