Page 130 of Mafia and Gold Digger

The next day, with the kids all at school, the table is quiet as Saint and I sit there and drink coffee. My hand unconsciously slips into my pocket and fingers the chessboard keychain Saint gave me.

It’d been hard getting Milena out of bed this morning—she was out late at her friend’s house last night again as she said they had a paper they needed to study for—but now the kids are all where they need to be, I’m taking twenty minutes to relax.

Saint’s fingers drift up and down my arm, and I try my best not to look nervous. Not to look like I’m hiding things. His touch comes with an onslaught of emotions and feelings. It still makes my skin tingle and light up, but it also comes with something else.

“Emerald?”

“Hmm?”

My heart races. Has he found out? Am I that bad at hiding it? I’d vanished yesterday to see a doctor to confirm that I was, in fact, pregnant. And yup, it was definitely real. Even the shot has a small failure rate.

I know I have to tell him today.

But I’m struggling to find the words.

I take a deep breath. “Saint…”

But before I can say any more, he drops his phone in front of my face, and I blink. “I…”

I say no more as I stare at the conversation on the screen.

“What is that?” I manage to get out finally.

“It’s a conversation about one of the gun-runners we have,” Saint says. “He said he couldn’t make the run, so he got someone to fill in for him.Milena.”

“The hell he has!” I snap.

Saint shakes his head. He’s just as shocked as I am. “It’s happening right now. It’s too late to stop it. For fuck’s sake.”

“She’s supposed to be at school.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.She’s skipping school to be a runner? Of all the dumb stunts to pull. I feel like crying.

Saint gets an urgent call and has to leave for the casino, saying as he leaves that we need to talk about Milena, but it’ll have to wait until later. I’m left sitting in shock in the kitchen. How has everything gotten so completely messed up?

* * *

Later, when she finally gets home, I storm through the house and meet her on the stairs. “Milena.”

“Emerald. I can’t talk. I’m going out with friends.”

“No, you’re not.”

“No?”

“You heard me, no.”

She laughs. “Funny.”

“I’m serious,” I say, trying to keep calm.

“What? Why?”

“I heard some real interesting news.” My hand is on my hip. “Someone seems to be under the impression that you’re running for the Imperiosi.”

“So, what’s the big deal?” She shrugs, not even denying it.

“The big deal?” I scoff. “It’s illegal. And you’re skipping class. And I checked with your dance coach, and she says you’ve missed dance practice every day this week. Is that a big enough deal for you?”

“You’re checking up on me now? Jesus. You’re making this a lot bigger than it needs to be. It’s fine.”

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