Page 12 of Ti Amo

“No. Not with Eve in the car.”

“Are you crazy? Those men want to kill you.” he said trying to shift the car into reverse.

“No! It’s not Angelo’s men. Look. It’s him. Giovanni.”

Kei’s gaze switched back to the men who now stepped into the street glaring at them.

“We can’t run from him now that he knows I’m alive. I won’t get in a car chase with Eve in the backseat. Just pull into the drive.”

Kei stared at her for a long moment. “Mira?”

“Please, Kei. Trust me. We talked about this. If he was to ever find out I’m alive you’d let me handle him.”

Kei sucked in a breath. They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity until Eve started to whine for attention. He glanced back at the baby and shook his head. “We can’t take this risk with Eve. You go in there and it gets bad, what then? I don’t even have my gun. Shit. Shit. Shit!” he pounded his fist on the steering wheel. “I let my guard down. This is my fault sweetheart.”

“It won’t go bad. I never ran from him because I was afraid of him. I was afraid of his lifestyle. I can talk to him. I have to now, Kei.”

He glanced at her with shock on his face. “Did you know he was coming? Did you contact him?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then why are you sitting there so calm?”

Mira struggled to hide the truth. Part of her knew he would, some day. She was a fucking hypocrite.

“Fuck it!” Kei put the car in drive. Mira touched his hand. She leaned over and kissed the side of his mouth. “Don’t talk to him, okay?” she whispered in his ear. “Let me do the explaining. Whatever I decide you agree to it. Do you understand me?”

“Whatever you decide? Are you saying you’re going to tell him about Eve?”

“I can’t keep it a secret now can I? I don’t know what is going to happen. Just please don’t intervene. He won’t like it. Trust me, okay?”

Kei released a tight breath that almost sounded like a whistle. He drove slowly down the street, wheeled the car past the parked ones in front of their cottage. Mira reached for the door handle, grabbing her arm he stopped her. “I’m with you. Right beside you.”

“Okay.” Mira said, summoning courage she exited the car and went for Eve. Her daughter was bundled up in a pink jumper with a hood. She sucked harder on her pacifier blinking at her mother. Mira knew Eve was excited to get out of her car seat. Eve’s arms immediately went around her mother’s neck when Mira lifted her out of the back of the car. Mira held her close. Kei stood near his open car door glaring at the men watching them. One of them she recognized. She believed his name was Carlo. He smoked a cigarillo, flicked it into the snow before opening his trench and showing the gun to the front of his pants. He winked at Kei exhaling a thick plume of smoke from his flared nostrils.

“Let’s go,” Mira said.

Kei continued to glare at Carlo. She saw his jaw twitch and his eyes narrow dangerously. Was he seriously going to challenge a man with a gun?

“Let’s go!” Mira said again with bass in her voice.

Eve careened her neck to see the men her surrogate father was glaring at. She waved at them both. Carlo smiled and Carmine waved back.

Mira put Eve down and took her hand. She helped her step through the snow and up the steps to the door. She paused a moment to discover it had been forced open. The shoe print stamped at the center of the door made it apparent how.

“The bastards forced their way in.” Kei grimaced.

Mira chewed on her bottom lip nervously, unable to move. Finally she looked over at Kei. “Don’t speak unless he speaks to you. Let me do the talking,” she warned.

Kei frowned. “I’m not scared of him.”

“Eve. Think of Eve. Please,” she pleaded.

“I’ll follow your lead, Mira. Like we agreed.” Kei relented. “But sweetheart, you kept the man’s child from him. Don’t go in there thinking you can talk your way out of this. If it gets bad we do it my way.”

Mira had no idea what ‘my way’ meant. There were times when she considered Kei’s willingness to go up against these gangsters a sign of bravery. Now she suspected something she couldn’t quite name. Eve looked up at them both curious, and Mira smiled down at her baby reassuringly before she pushed the door open. She didn’t see Giovanni. Her heart raced so fast and strong she could barely take a breath. Entering her home she glanced to the left. He was seated near the fireplace watching her silently. At his side stood Lorenzo. Dominic was over near the window. He must have told Giovanni they had arrived.

Mira couldn’t fathom the change in him. Physically he was still a magnificent specimen of a man. The beard was new, and the hard coldness in his icy blue stare hardened features she once found charming. A swath of wavy dark hair fell casually over his brow out of the groomed dark wave of hair that dusted his collar. His well-groomed appearance, dark olive tanned skin and the cynical twist thinning his lips made his presence overpowering with self-confidence. Even Kei stood in silence staring at him. Mira had forgotten how powerfully seductive his eyes were. She lowered her gaze to break the hold he had over her. She needed to keep her emotions in check and show no weakness.

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