Page 102 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

Heaven gasps. “Are you sure?”

I nod, rubbing the back of my neck. “He came to find me outside of the church. Now I need to readjust my approach.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if it were just Conor in his sights, I’d maybe let it happen, let Dominguez kill him. But Dominguez is gearing up for something massive, and my protection might not be enough.” I look at her. “I’m going to send you to Italy so I can take care of this.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not a child,” she snaps, clenching her fists.

I give her a cold, hard look. “Then don’t act like it.”

“I’m an underboss, how will it look?”

“I don’t give a fuck how it looks. I’d prefer you alive over dead.”

She pushes up and sticks her face near mine. I grab her by the shoulders, the car lurching on the street as Gio pulls up at a light. “You don’t think I can look after myself?”

“I can’t worry about you and deal with this. It isn’t a game. He’s bad news and you know it.”

And it’s true. That shocks me, shaking me down to my bones.

“You—”

“Heaven, I don’t give a fuck what you think. You’re going. I’ll deal with this and send for you after.”

I won’t. She’ll be staying there. But I’ll protect her.

“So…what do we do now?”

“We go to the damn reception, we live it up, and we put on the best act of our lives,” I say. “I’m going to wait a week, because if I make a move now, Dominguez will be watching.”

“And perceive you as weak.”

“Yes. Instead, we act like you’re staying?—”

“I am.”

I ignore her. “And then, when the time is right, I’ll send you to safety. He wants you, Heaven. And believe me, you’ll wish you were dead if that happened. If he got you, well, you know what he does.”

“I’ve heard the stories.”

“They aren’t stories.” I pin her down with a hard look because dear fucking God, I’m suddenly, totally scared for her. “Not one word.”

She’s silent a long time. Then, she says, “So we go and pretend everything is fine and then what? You sneak me away?”

“Something like that,” I say. “Remember what you told me about your cousin?”

Her eyes narrow.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but the words that come surprise me. “I had one, too. A cousin. But unlike you, Joey’s deathwasmy fault. I fucked around instead of doing my job and keeping him safe. You, I’m keeping safe.”

“Don’t make things up, Matteo.”

I settle down and shrug, trying to appear unruffled. “Believe what you want. You aren’t going to be killed because of me. Play the game, Heaven. Or I’ll make you.”

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