Page 318 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

I wiggle my toes, not that it stops her. It’s cute, albeit a little gross. I give up when it only seems to egg her on. It’s hard not to smile at her bouncing on the opposite end of the couch like a happy puppy who’s finally found her place. A quick look at Chella confirms that she’s thinking the same thing. The sadness in her expression makes my throat tight. “Hey,” I murmur, tilting her chin toward me. “I was thinking. Why don’t we just keep her for a little longer? A few more days? We can still bring her back, but I, ah, I think you need this right now. And…I don’t know. Maybe I do, too.”

Chella’s brow furrows. “But think of her real family and what she’s missing.”

“You don’t know the circumstances,” I say. “Look at her. She’s happy.” Something deep inside of me is connected to this dog. I can’t explain it since I’ve never even had one before, but when she came and tried to comfort me when I had that fucking meltdown, I just knew she was supposed to be here for that.

She has to stay.

I need to hang on to this feeling of being whole for as long as I can because my next moves are definitely going to blow my world to bits, leaving me empty and shattered beyond repair.

Sure, I’ll still have my work, but over the past couple of days, I’ve come to realize that it’s not enough. Respect and loyaltyiswhat I want…but I want it from the one person who is currently under me.

Literally.

I desperately want what I can’t have.

So I’m trying to hang onto it for as long as I can.

“I’d be so sad if she was my dog?—”

“Chell,” I say. “In a couple of days, we’ll take her to the police station. I promise. I just…I think she needs to stay with us right now.”

“That doesn’t sound like something a badass mafia thug would say.”

I shrug. “You keep telling me I’m not that guy.”

“You aren’t,” she says. “Are you finally accepting it?”

I flash a small smile. It doesn’t really matter whether or not I accept it.

What matters is that I can never embrace it.

Chella bites down on her lower lip. “Okay, a few more days.” Her expression darkens. “It might be over by then, anyway…”

Yeah. If Matteo has anything to say, it definitely will.

Fuck!

“I’m going to take care of everything,” I croak. “I promise I’ll figure this out and make sure Frankie stays out of danger.”

“Is that what you were talking to your brother about?”

“Yes,” I lie. “I told him I have Frankie getting our drugs back and he was good with that.”

A hopeful smile lifts her lips and she hugs me tighter, making me feel like a bigger piece of shit than I already know I am for lying to her.

There’s that goddamn conflict again, tugging so hard around my neck I can barely breathe.

“Thank you,” she says, her lips nuzzling my ear. “I know he’ll take care of it for you. He’d never do anything to hurt me.”

My gut twists at that.

If only she knew the truth.

“Hey, did Dante say where he was going?” If I’m going to fix this my way instead of Matteo’s way, I’m going to need help.

“He said something about going for a run.” Chella grins. “We should probably take this behind closed doors, just in case he comes back early.”

I force a smile, rolling off the couch and pulling on my shorts. “Oh hey, we need to find you a dress for that event tonight.”

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