Page 322 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

CHAPTER19

ROMAN

Istand there, holding her as she weeps like her heart is breaking.

And here I am, getting ready to break it all over again.

“I lost my mother, too,” I murmur, stroking the back of her head. “I know it hurts, and I’m sorry.”

Her tears soak through the thin fabric of my t-shirt, grief quaking her whole body. We stand there, silent save for her soft sobs. I can’t fix this for her, much as I want to take away her pain and sadness.

I can only make it worse.

That’s what I’m good for.

When she finally pulls away, I sweep my finger under her eyes, wiping away her tears. “Chella, I know you feel like you’re isolated and alone right now. But don’t miss a chance to fix things with your father. If you’ve never listened to his side, maybe you should hear him out. He lost a lot, too, you know?”

She raises her tear-filled eyes up at me. They’re greener now, because she’s upset. It’s a realization that makes my chest tighten, and one I can’t really do much about since telling her the truth will open up a can of worms that needs to stay sealed for the time being. I can’t tell her how I know the truth. I can only urge her to find it out for herself.

“Why do you even care? I mean, he hurt your family way back when. And it’s because of him that Frankie screwed you over.” She sniffles.

I capture her chin in my hand. “I care because of you. Your father made mistakes, yeah. But it’s hard for me to hold a grudge when my family has been so successful. He definitely deserves to be punished for his scumbag ways, but trust me, he is. Rikers is a fucking hellhole, Chella. He’s paying big time.”

Jesus, if my brothers and father heard me talking like this, they’d go crazy. Me, being all forgiving and shit. Me, being so affected by a woman. Me, being…I don’t know…human, I guess.

She furrows her brow. “Are you saying all this so that I make amends before he loses something else?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m telling you this as a friend. Don’t waste any more time. Fix things while you have the chance.”

She backs away, wiping her eyes. “Is this because of what you’re going to do to Frankie if he doesn’t come through? If he fails you? You want me to let my father know he still has at least one kid left?”

I grasp her wrist and pull her back toward me. “Stop being so suspicious,” I say. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Frankie. This is about you and your pop. Period.”

Chella nods slowly. “It’s just weird that Frankie hasn’t called back and you’re here telling me to make amends with my dad.”

“Don’t read into it, Chella. I told you, I’m gonna take care of things.”

“Okay,” she whispers. “And I’ll think about the other stuff.” Bella yaps, winding her leash around our ankles as we walk up the five flights of stairs. I’m out of breath once we get upstairs, again. I really need to get some more cardio in.

I can think of a very carnal set of exercises to add into my day, too.

I open the door and grab my phone out of my pocket when it vibrates against my leg. A text from Bobby flashes on the screen.

I’ve got him.

I take a deep breath. “Chella, I need you to hang out here for a little while, okay? I have something to handle for work before the event tonight.”

She flashes a small smile. “So you trust me enough not to bolt once you’re gone?”

I wrap my arms around her and gather her close. “I’m pretty confident that you’ll stay put, especially if you know what’s gonna happen after the event tonight.”

“Are you going to leave me in suspense?”

“Let’s just say dessert won’t be served to you at the event. It’ll be served to you right here. By me.”

“Sounds delicious,” she murmurs.

I give her ass a squeeze and she lets out a tiny squeal. Of course, Bella joins in, jumping in between us for her turn to play. She nips at my ankles and Chella giggles. “You sure you have to go? Your girls want to play.”

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