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His chuckle is deep and hearty. “Baby, I thought you were about to sock me,” he says through his laughter. “You wanted to, didn’t you?”
I purse my lips. “Yes, and you’re lucky I restrained myself.”
He chuckles again. “You’re itty-bitty,” he teases me. “So fucking sexy, but tiny.”
I’m not tiny. I’m five-foot-nine and weigh around one hundred and thirty-five pounds. There’s nothing itty-bitty about me. “You’re an ass.”
He gives me that sexy as sin grin of his, the one that makes my knees go weak and my heart race. “They’re here,” he tells me, but before I’m able to reply, he presses his lips against mine and kisses me. It’s hard, brief, and filled with promise for what’s going to happen later.
I’m left panting and wanting more when he releases me and moves toward the door. Damn that man and the way he can reduce me to mush.
The second Dario opens the door, Teagan barrels past him and runs toward me. She crashes into me and wraps her hands around me and holds me tight. “God, Portia, I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I assure her. “How are you?”
We still talk almost every day when I’m not on the streets, and we’re still closer than ever. I just didn’t want her to worry about me when she found out I’m working this case.
She waves me away. “I’m fine. Honest to God, Portia, I’m fine, but I’m so worried about you. What the hell? You’re working for Kelvin to find out who’s stealing the women and he put you on the street?” she fumes. “God, what on earth was he thinking?”
“That’s what I would like to know,” Jade says as she walks over to me, also pulling me into a hug.
Over the past few months, she’s checked in on me, making sure I’m okay. Since Teagan and Elio’s wedding in Bora Bora, everything just seemed to be better. I was so angry and upset when I found out everything that happened to Teagan and how the Gallo’s were at fault. I also understand that there was a lot of miscommunication, but now Teagan and Elio are happy, and my girl has forgiven all of them, so it’s time for me to do the same.
“When I get my hands on Kelvin—” she hisses. “God, what the hell was he thinking?”
“That Jamie and I have the experience of living on the streets, so we’d be able to get closer to those on the streets and get information,” I say, my voice clear and concise. “No one owes anyone an explanation. He did what he thought was best and it was something we all agreed on.”
Jade doesn’t look happy. She crosses her arms over her chest and purses her lips. “Is there any word on where Jamie is or who took her?”
I glance at Dario, who’s now standing beside me. He runs his hand along my waist and holds me close to him. “Marco Scaffidi is one of the biggest players in the trafficking ring,” Dario tells everyone.
“What the fuck?” Rocco snarls. “How the fuck did that bastard get those connections?”
“Someone want to explain who that is?” Teagan asks, her brows furrowing as she stares at me.
“Marco Scaffidi is the boss of the Outfit,” Elio begins. “He’s a bastard, and his son was even worse. That bastard Scaffidi allowed his son to do whatever the fuck he wanted, including raping young girls.”
Teagan’s eyes are brimming with tears. She knows my story. She knows the man who killed my father is the man stealing the women and running the trafficking ring.
“Our father sent his best enforcer to take out Marco’s kid. Davide Leone was one of the best men the Famiglia had to offer,” Rocco tells her.
Pride fills my chest. The way that Rocco and Dario speak about my father is filled with respect. Since the very beginning, Dario has always shown my father respect. Whenever he talks about him, he does so with pride and warmth.
“Marco wanted revenge,” Rocco continues. “He went to Davide’s house and killed him. That night was the last night anyone saw his wife and child again. Since then, nothing. No one knows what happened to them."
Teagan swipes her tongue along her bottom lip. “What were their names?” she asks, and I’m surprised by her question. She knows it’s me.
“Their names were Marianna and Portia,” Elio says.
The air in the room goes static as Jade and Rocco’s eyes come to me. “Fuck,” Rocco growls. “How the fuck did we not know?”
“I’ve done a great job of hiding who I am,” I tell him honestly. I learned to never speak about my past and always made sure that if anyone got close to uncovering who I was, I swiftly made them double guess what they were thinking, and then they’d forget about it. Until Dario. That man is like a dog with a bone, and he knew instantly. I guess it makes sense as he was around me a lot when I was younger.
“She has her father’s eyes,” Dario says with a smirk.
“Just how fucking long have you known?” Rocco asks, a dark tone to his voice.
“Since the moment I saw her,” Dario replies with a grin. He’s standing there looking like the cat that got the cream. I’m not sure what the hell is wrong with him. Does he just love to annoy people?
