Page 66 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Prince
I physically recoil from the venom in his voice. Even though I braced for it, it still knocks the wind out of me.
“Please, calm down,” I say, pushing to my feet. I pace across the oversized master bedroom like the motion might carry me out of this mess. “It was a one-night thing. Months ago. I didn’t know who he was at the time.”
“Lovely,” he snaps, judgment dripping from his voice like acid.
“Don’t judge me,” I retort, my patience starting to fray. “There’s nothing wrong with picking up a hot guy in a bar.”
“There is when he’s the fuckingenemy.”
“You don’t evenknowhim!”
“I don’tneedto know him,” he shoots back. “I know where he came from. He’s an Andretti. They’re criminals. Cold-blooded killers. They gunned down our dad in his car and set it on fire. And now...”
He chokes on the words. When he finally gets them out, they come coated in disgust.
“...now you’re carrying his twins. Two more Andrettis to carry on the family legacy of ruining lives.”
That last sentence lands like a slap. I stare at the floor, heart pounding so loud I can barely hear anything else.
“Don’t you talk about my children that way,” I finally snap. I want to throw something, but I ball my hand into a fist instead and try to breathe. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Dario is?—”
“He’s an Andretti,” he cuts me off. “I can’t believe you’re dating him. You’ve completely betrayed our family, Paige. I never thought you’d do something like this.”
“I didn’t mean to betray anyone,” I say, desperation softening my voice. “But Dario... he’s not a bad guy.”
“All Andrettis are involved in the mafia. It’s a whole mobbed-up family, and I can’t understand why you’d want to be a part of it.”
“I don’t,” I admit. “I just want my kids to have a father.”
And I’m falling hard for Dario.
But I don’t say that. He’d never understand. Just like me, he’s vilified everyone with that last name. I’ve come around to see that’s wrong, but I don’t see that happening with Gabriel.
“What you need to do is protect those kids. That’s what a parent does, P.”
His tone shifts in a way that makes the hair on my arms stand up. He’s not angry anymore, but something worse. He’s calculating.
“I’d do anything for my babies.” Dario would too. I believe that with my whole heart, but I’m not going to waste time trying to convince Gabriel. “That’s part of the reason I agreed to move here. Dario can keep them safe.”
“Dario is a threat, Paige. Can’t you see that? Having him as a father is going to screw your kids up. You need to do something.”
I sink back onto the bed and stare out through the sliding glass doors that lead to the back patio. There’s another exit in the living room, but I love that I can step directly into the sunshine from my bedroom each morning.
Dario has already given me and the babies so much by purchasing this house and arranging protection for us. Gabriel has no fucking clue what he’s talking about.
“I think you should call the FBI,” Gabriel says, and my eyes dart around the room even though I know Dario isn’t here. Even if he was, he couldn’t hear Gabriel’s side of the conversation.
Still, a primal fear skitters down my spine. What my brother is suggesting is enough to get someone killed. I don’t believe Dario would ever hurt me, but my brother?
Yeah, he would. It’s tough to admit that to myself and even tougher to realize that I could probably forgive him for it. Dario is fiercely loyal to his family, and anyone who threatens them becomes an immediate target. I’ve seen how it drives him crazy that he hasn’t tracked down the men who shot at us yet. When someone threatens his family, he’s determined to make them pay—whatever it takes.
“Think about it,” Gabriel continues when I don’t immediately agree. I’m so stunned by the suggestion that my brain has temporarily short-circuited. “You’ve turned your back on us and disgraced our dad’s memory. The least you can do is turn a negative into a positive. You’re in the inner circle if you’re dating the “mafia prince,” so I’m sure you could get your hands on some damning information.”
“Are you out of your mind?” I ask, my voice rising to a pitch that could shatter glass. “Are you trying to get me killed?”
“You’d be fine. The FBI would protect you and your babies.”
“You don’t know that. I’d never betray Dario anyway, but the fact that you think getting vengeance is worth risking my life breaks my fucking heart.”
