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I was a pawn in a game, one that I didn’t know the rules to.
But it was different now.Everythingwas different thanks to Luca Beretta leaving this earth. Maybe I should have been sad that my father was gone, and in some capacity I probably was, but it didn’t mean there wasn’t part of me that was relieved. We’d all been held hostage by the man who had come over from Italy to start a new life.
Luca Beretta was a mean man, one who knew what he wanted and stopped at nothing to get it.
He was my father—that garnered some respect—but it didn’t mean I had to like him.
But now he was gone. And it was time for me to make a mark; time for me to build something of my own. Which was another reason why I’d left and set up on the other side of the state. I was far enough away to make my own section of things here, but still close enough just in case anything happened and I needed to get away quickly.
“Got it! Remy shouted, punching the air with his fist.
I grinned, not moving a muscle as I stared at the co-ordinates on his screen. For six months we’d been tracking down shipments coming in and out of this part of town. We’d already taken over supply of half the place, now all we needed was to gain complete control. That was my goal before I would consider going back home, and now we were so close we could practically taste it.
“Put the call out,” I told Remy, standing slowly. “We’ll hit it, take the supply, then drown the streets in it.”
“You got it, boss.” I winced at his name for me. So many times I’d told him not to call me that, but he kept doing it. I supposed to him, I was that, but to me, the boss would always be my father or Lorenzo.
I stood there for several seconds, wondering what to do now that we knew where the shipment was. I didn’t want to go back to my empty apartment, not when I was feeling like this. I needed to keep a clear head, and if I went back there, I knew I’d get the whisky out. And I couldn’t afford for my head to be fuzzy.
So instead, I walked back to my desk in our makeshift command center to make a plan, one that would cause all of this to be over sooner than I’d imagined.
It was time to get to work and then take my rightful place back at my brother’s side.
CHAPTER 2
NAVY
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Zara asked through my open car window. We’d been in the parking lot at school since the last bell had rung. Everyone else had left over an hour ago, leaving just the teachers behind in the building. But still, neither of us moved.
Today was the day—today everything would change, I just wasn’t sure whether it would be for better or worse.
Most probably worse.
But it didn’t matter. Ihadto do it.
“I have to,” I spoke my thoughts, turning to face her to look directly into her eyes. She was nervous for me, shuffling on the spot. “Even if nothing comes from it, at least…” I paused, biting down on my bottom lip as I felt movement in my stomach. I placed my hand there. “At least I know I’ve tried, then.”
She nodded. “Okay.” Zara blew out a breath, causing her dark brown hair to fan over her face. “But you shouldn’t go alone.” She pushed her shoulders back, a determined look flashing over her features. “I’m coming with you.”
I was already shaking my head before I blurted out, “No.” My eyes widened a fraction. “I mean.” I cleared my throat, trying to act easy, but the truth was, I was more nervous than I’d admit or show her. I was putting on a brave face, while inside all I wanted was to go home and curl up in bed. “I’ll be fine.” I smiled, trying to place an easygoing look on my face when I was anything but that. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
“The worst?” She lunged forward, grabbing on to the edge of my car door. “These aren’t people you mess with, Navy. These are bad bad bad people.”
I laughed. “Three bads huh?”
“It’s not funny,” she fumed. “I mean it. I’m coming with you.”
I rolled my neck, trying to ease the tension in my body. I was tired, so damn tired. This baby was taking everything out of me, and I had a feeling the last couple of months of this pregnancy would only get worse. “I’ll be fine, Zara.” I turned the engine on, effectively ending the conversation. “I’ll go there, tell him about this”—I pointed to my stomach—“and then I can get out of there. No biggie.”
“Navy,” she warned, backing away from my car as I put it in reverse. “Do you even know where they live?”
“Yep.” I lifted my hand, waving at her as I reversed out, leaving her standing there staring at me like I had three heads. There was no point in me explaining to her how it had taken me several weeks to find out where they lived. You’d think with a name as notorious as theirs that it would be easy.
But no, it had taken way too long. I may have also napped a few times when I was supposed to be researching, but that was the woes of being seven months pregnant.
I’d managed to make it this long without telling anyone but Zara, but there was no way I could hide it much longer. I’d also made it another month without my dad finding out, mostly due to the fact that he was gone ninety percent of the time. He’d find out soon enough, but first, I had to tell the man whose DNA helped make the baby inside me.
Maybe I should turn around and not go there. I could pretend that I didn’t find the address and just go on with my life never telling him.
