Page 21 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Prince
“We’ll do what any good, moral citizens should do when they come face-to-face with this kind of corruption. Turn it over to the proper authorities.”
“Really?” I can’t remember a time in my entire life that my father has trusted the police with anything. Even the cops on our payroll don’t have his full trust.
“You’ve got to know how to play the game, son. Anyone can be a pawn, including the cops. So, you’re going to do this.”
“Me?”
“You did the hard work, found the information. Might as well be you. I’ll send you a text with the information of a detective in the white collar crimes division. That’s who you’ll want to talk to. I want you to handle this in person to make sure the evidence ends up in the right hands.”
I smile. “Kozlov is going to be pissed.”
“Good.” Dad stands, going to his wet bar in the corner of the room and pouring himself a scotch. He holds the bottle up with a question in his eyes, and I shake my head. It’s a little early for me to hit the sauce. “Kozlov is getting too bold. The fucker knows that he’ll probably lose in a direct fight with us. He doesn’t have the resources or the numbers we do. So, he’s trying to gaininfluence and territory by building a casino, going around the rules of the street and getting what he wants under the guise of a legitimate business.”
Dad sips his drink and shakes his head, his lips pursed in annoyance. “It’s not a bad plan,” he continues. “He might’ve even gotten away with it if I didn’t have contacts in the city planning department to tell me what he planned.”
“Do you think he’ll come after us more directly when we kill his project?”
He shrugs. “I would.”
To anyone else, my dad might seem unconcerned at the idea, but I know the man better than most people. The way he brushes his hair back—so similar to Luca’s black locks, except dad’s is streaked with grey—and the subtle shifting of his weight from one foot to the other tells me that he’s worried. No one ever wants a fight, even one they know they’ll win.
We are more powerful than the Bratva in Vegas, but that doesn’t mean we won’t suffer casualties if there’s a war. It’ll also draw unwanted attention from the feds, who are always sniffing around, looking for a way to bring us in.
But we can’t let this disrespect stand. The Andrettis run most of Vegas. We allow the Bratva to have a little slice for themselves, with the understanding that they stay in their own territory. It’s no surprise that they are desperately trying to grab more power, but that doesn’t make it acceptable.
“You understand that they might target you specifically, right? They’ll know you’re the one responsible for exposing them. I’m positive that the casino project will be completely shut down, and Kozlov will want retribution.”
I know this is a test. I’ll be the Don someday, and I need to show him that I can step up when I need to. That I won’t flinch, won’t hesitate, won’t back down. That my spine is made of steel.
“They can try to come for me, but it won’t end well for them.”
Dad nods, a smile curving his lips. “Good. Paolo will coordinate with you on a protective detail for your woman.”
I look at him in surprise, and this time he laughs.
“You thought I didn’t know about that? I’m the Don, and you’re my son. It’s my job to know what’s going on.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Luca tell you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
That’s a yes.
“I didn’t realize my brother spreads gossip like a little bitch.”
“So, she’s pregnant?” Dad asks.
I called Luca from the plane last night while Paige was sleeping, filling him in on what was going on because I needed to talk to someone about it. I went to Arizona for a flash drive and brought back a whole heap of responsibility.
Luca had no helpful advice, but I still felt better after talking to him. It’s the reason that I tried to chat with her in the car. I’m not one for small talk, but it seemed important to make an effort with the woman that might be carrying my child.
It was going well until she told me that she had no intention of telling me about the pregnancy. How dare she consider keeping it a secret?
I know the answer to that, of course. She thinks my child would be better off without me because she views my family as nothing more than violent killers.
I don’t care what happened to her dad. She had no right to consider keeping me from my child.
“You’re sure it’s yours?” Dad asks, and it strikes me that I’m thinking of the baby as if it’s mine when I don’t know for sure it is.
