Page 40 of Secret Baby for the Mafia Prince

Mother yells and I have no idea how fast my legs have gotten as I race to join them. My heart’s beating fast. Too fast. I can hear the sound resonating through my ears.

“Where is he? Where’s my brother?”

Cyrus stares at me with sorrow in his eyes. He has a wound on his right shoulder. His blue shirt is ruined by the stain of blood. “At the hospital. He has lost a lot of blood.”

My God.

“Who did this?” Father growls.

Cyrus stays mute for a second, slightly perplexed. “I have no idea. But his arm had a mark drawn on it. One I could never mistake.”

“Who is it?” Father’s voice is menacing and deep.

“The De Santis.”

My heartbeat stops for a moment. I shake my head repeatedly, refusing to believe his words. “No, it can’t be.”

It just can’t be them. They’ve been gone for three years with no sign of either of them being alive.

“I’m afraid it is them.”

“Are you sure it’s not some copycat? The De Santis are long gone,” Father replies.

“I was just as surprised as you are when I saw the crest mark. I’m afraid Luca might be back in the city.”

Oh, no.

Hearing his name makes me sick. The thought of him alive, here in New York, stirs my gut in disgust. “You can’t be serious. Luca is gone.”

Cyrus gives me an unsettling look that makes me doubt myself even more.

I’m trying so hard to convince myself that Luca is gone. He has been gone and I need him to stay gone. Dead, like I’ve believed him to be. It’s all I’ve planned to tell Sophie when she gets older.

“I want whoever did this to be dead. No one hurts my son and stays alive.” Father retreats to the hallway and disappears to his room.

“Take me to see my son; I need to see him now.”

Cyrus nods and turns to leave.

Mother follows behind. “Dorothy! Get me my purse!” she yells before stepping out the front door.

Heavy footsteps race through the hallway as Dorothy goes to grab her purse.

I’m stuck with the thought of the possibility of Luca being back. It is unnerving. My blood boils at just the thought of it. Luca has caused me so much pain. Nothing but pain and hatred have thrived in me since he left. I walk back to my room, dismissing the thoughts.

I’m worried about Giovanni, whispering a prayer silently as I fall onto my bed.

***

I wake up to the cries of Sophie in the next room. She is always this loud when she’s hungry.

Half-awake, I drag myself up from my bed to her room. She is by the edge of the bed, almost tipped over.

Oh my God.

“Sophie,” I shriek, as I run to stop her from falling.

She holds onto my arms tight as I grab her. Her wails stop almost immediately as I pull her closer to my chest. She could have been hurt if I had come any later.

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