Page 17 of Skating Towards Danger

“How did it go,” I ask with a sigh and lean back, enjoying the comfiness of the cushions.

Fuck, Mama has good taste in furniture, unlike our sister Bianca who’s currently studying aboard.

She wanted to buy this hard as fuck white couch.

Roman sighs and I look his way to see him slouched with a glass of scotch in his hand. Roman, Rhett, Mama, Dad, Morgan, and the kids all went to Rocco’s house to meet Paige, the girl I’ve got to keep an eye on for the next god knows how long until Roman can either set the record straight with the Cartel and they go on their merry way or go to war with them, something they won’t want, not when we have the Greeks, the Irish, the Spanish, and the Russian Mafia on our side that we didn’t have when they attacked Peter.

They’ll fucking lose… Paige may not know who we are, but her dad was important, he was family, meaning she’s family and has our protection.

“She’s… she’s not what you’d expect, I guess,” he says, and I raise a brow. He sits forward and sighs, “She’s definitely headstrong, no doubt about it, and she was quick to throw Rhett under the bus – something about a puck bunny sticking his hockey stick up his ass because it got her off.”

My mouth drops open, and honestly, a little bile comes up making me gag. So much for him refusing to fuck the crazies anymore.

Roman nods, “Yeah, I know. Apparently, Paige walked in on it yesterday. Anyway, she was quick to use that as a way to try and keep the attention off her.”

I cut in, “But it didn’t work.”

He nods again and replies, “Right. We were there to meet and assess her but were never really introduced to her. She knows my name and Morgan’s. I introduced us, but all she did was nod and pay attention to the kids, and she refused to make eye contact with Dad.”

I tilt my head and remind him, “He was in the hospital room when she woke up.”

“I know, and I think Dad took it to heart a little, he looked sad the whole time we were there, you know, Peter was his best friend,” he answers, and I nod because he was, they grew up together, initiated into the Mafia together and went to each other’s weddings.

They were as close as brothers can be, like Roman and I.

Roman continues, “She spent her whole time after being welcomed by Rocco and Tyra – like parents welcome their children into their home, by the way – with Emma and after a little while Damian, though she was more reluctant with Damian, I just don’t know why. She didn’t ignore him, but she was, I want to say something delicate to him. He sat on her lap and she looked frightened that she was going to hurt him.”

I furrow my brows and ask, “But she was fine with Emma?”

He nods, “She was. She gave Emma a figure skater doll that, according to Rocco after Emma found it, Paige’s mom gave her when she was young and used to carry it around everywhere, including to school. He warned us to be aware she may lose it seeing Emma playing with it, but instead, she was mesmerizedthat it was being played with and willingly allowed my daughter to continue her game, shocking everyone.”

I furrow my brows in confusion, and Roman sits back in the chair, allowing me to think momentarily.

She’s hardheaded and struggles with kids, but only males, and she gave away some memorabilia from her childhood without hesitating despite Rocco believing she’d lose it.

The woman isn’t making sense.

“Did she speak at all during the meal?” I ask, and Roman snorts.

“Did she fuck as like,” he scoffs, “she paid more attention to the kids than the adults, and as soon as she helped Tyra clean up, she excused herself to her room. Rocco explained she stays the night when she has dinner with them to keep Tyra happy. She didn’t appear once, not even when we were leaving, only sending a message to Rocco that Emma can keep the whole ice rink and doll collection, something Morgan and I were extremely shocked about.”

We’re missing something. It’s obvious she doesn’t know of our world that’s apparent otherwise she would have respected Roman a little more and given him a conversation at least, but there’s something she’s hiding, I can just feel it.

I nod and then state, “Right, so basically there’s more to the story Rocco, Tyra, and Dad are keeping from us. I don’t know how I know, but my gut is telling me something else is troubling this girl than just her parents dying in a car crash she survived. I mean, she was small, meaning she had more chance of surviving than them.”

Roman sighs but nods and agrees, “Yeah, and even though I’m now Don, I don’t know if I can demand to know what it is because it seems personal for her more than anything but not something that will get in the way of you watching out for her.”

I tilt my head and stare at the fire, already regretting this. I should have just walked away, but then my dad may have tried to get me to retire by going through my coaches.

I know all I have to do is keep her alive until the Cartel comes knocking, but technically, they shouldn’t if they don’t want a war.

They’re stupid, but they’re not that fucking stupid. We and our alliances have all stayed away from what they have been doing as long as it’s not in our territories, but they fuck us off; we’ll destroy them, and they know this, so this should be easy as piss and besides it’s mainly Houlis that’s the fucking problem. His son Jose wants nothing to do with him or the organization and Rafael, their cousin can’t stand that they deal in flesh.

“All I need to do is ensure she’s safe, and by the sounds of things, she’s not how she was back in high school, so it should be easy,” I summarize.

Roman hums, “Yeah,” then admits, “To be honest, she didn’t look like someone who spent her high school years doing drugs, partying, or fucking around, she seems quiet and honestly innocent, and she won my wife over after giving Emma her precious toys.”

I nod nonchalantly as I stare at the fire, then admit, “I’ll do as Rocco asked, but I’m telling you now, I’m not retiring, Roman. You made sure you could skate for another year when you were at the height of your career. I haven’t even reached my height yet, and I don’t plan on leaving the league anytime soon,” I look at my big brother, “I’ll do as I’m asked. I’ll even take on some of David's work, but I’m not leaving my team, and if you try and make me, then you can find another second.”

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