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"We think he was brought out by the sighting of your father, Boss," he says. "He's in an abandoned underground speakeasy bar. We've got eyes on the entrance, but we can't wait to make a move because he'll go back into hiding quickly. You know he'll just disappear if we don't go fast."
I rub my temple, ignoring the slight soreness of my face where the Gatto smashed it into the street. "Send me the location. I'll be right there."
I hang up right as Sybil looks over at me. Her beautiful eyes are filled with accusation, concern, anger, and a dozen other things that only make my heart twinge more. But it doesn't matter. This has to be done. If there's any chance at peace for either of the families, it will come from me earning my place asPadrino.Only then will I be able to give her what she wants—protection and peace, a life in which our child will be safe.
So, I compose my face and nod at the elevator with my chin. "I'll leave this building heavily guarded. Percy and Ace will be here, and Giovanni will stay on the street with two others to keep watch until I get back. You should rest on your own floor. We'll finish this later."
Her mouth drops open. "Are you kidding me? No. We just talked about this. You're voiding the contract anyway, so I can just go home and get my family out of here. I'm not staying here another minute."
Fucking stubborn woman. If I'm going to have any hope of cornering Lorenze Gatto, I don't have time to leave after patching things up. So instead of replying, I scoop up Sybil, who gasps in outrage as I walk her to the elevator.
"Let go! Put me down, damn it!"
She punches at my shoulders as we descend, which doesn't do much. If she truly wanted to hurt me at all, she'd aim for my bruised face. That is some indication that she doesn't hate me, at least.
We reach her floor, and I finally let her down, heart pounding at the fiery look she gives me as she shoves away from me. An angel face with hell's wrath. It hurts how pretty she is.
I need to work all of this out with Sybil. I fucking need her and the baby in my life, and I want to prove to her that I'm not my father. That I can give her everything she wants and more, and things won't go on the way they have been. I just can't do it right now because if I don't end things this way, the twoPadrinoswill be at each other's throats until more people die in the crossfire.
She's glaring up at me, and I can't make myself step back even though I know I should. Instead, I lean down and grasp her chin, kissing her fiercely because fuck, I can't stand not being with her.
The moment I pull away, Sybil's stinging slap snaps across my face, right where the bruise is already forming. I grit my teeth and scowl down at her as I step away.
I deserved that for kissing her without her permission, but that doesn't mean I regret it. And she can tell. She's furious and fighting tears, and I know it's because I'm locking her up the same way I did when I found her again weeks ago. She's mad as hell, and I don't have time to explain.
"I'll be right back. I promise."
"Don't bother," she snaps just before the elevator closes again.
Chapter 23
Sybil
I flip off the elevator after he leaves and simmer in my anger for all of twenty seconds before I feel the first tear roll down my cheek.
God. This is so stupid.
I'm mad at him. Of course, I am. He can't just lock me away in his apartment building surrounded by his personal flying monkeys and not tell me where the hell he's going or why. And he's so damn stubborn—was he even listening to me? Did he hear a word I said?
I rub moisture off my face and finally drop onto the white leather couch in the middle of my floor's living room, scowling at the wall as more tears quickly form.
I hate that I'm crying. But mostly, I hate that I picked another fight when I'm already a lost cause.
I meant most of what I said to Nico. Really, I did. His life is too dangerous to raise a typical family in, and he shouldn't expect me to just be okay with that. And I do want to get rid of the stupid, transactional contract.
"But he was right, you overemotional pregnant idiot," I mutter, sniffling and pushing my hair off my face. "You're trying to run because you're a coward."
There's no way I can run. Not really. And it's not because I don't think my family and I can get away from the Gattos or the Attolinis. I'm sure we could set up shop somewhere in the wilderness of Mongolia and survive just fine out of their reach if we absolutely had to.
The real reason I can't run. It's too late for my heart.
I can't just run away from Nico again. I've felt safer with him over the last weeks than I have over the previous four years. Even before that, I was on edge because of losing my father and Angela's nonstop shenanigans. And yet, here I am now, feeling safest with The Undertaker himself.
Even after the gunshot sounded and glass rained down, I could hold onto him. Nico just anchors me and throws me into chaos all at once, and I can't get enough of it. I want a safe future, and I know the mafia isn't safe—but with him? I can breathe easy. Even when it comes to his violent, dark side, I can't find in myself the ability to be really scared of him. Because I know he'd never hurt me. He's just so fucking magnetic to me, I'm consumed by his pull.
God, he's right. I am broken.
And I have to get control of myself before he comes back. I need to know what I'm going to do about this. I meant every word about protecting our baby so that it can have a safe future. But how can I ever feel like we're really safe without the mafioso who captured my heart forever ago?
