Page 76 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Prince
Maybe I would have agreed with Agent Boggs a few months ago, but my perspective has shifted. I might still hold a grudge against Dario’s family, and maybe I always will, but I’ve started to see the mafia in a different light.
It’s not just a bunch of bad people doing bad things. It’s a way of life. Not one that most people choose, but that doesn’t mean that everything they do is evil. Dario has a kind side, and the Andrettis aren’t just thugs running the streets and committing acts of violence every day. They have legitimate businesses as well, and they even contribute to the community.
“I don’t need you to worry about my children, Agent Boggs,” I say, putting a protective hand over my belly. “Your suspicions about Dario and his family have nothing to do with me.”
“Do you know what obstruction of justice means, Miss Dawes?”
I can tell that he’s trying to intimidate me, but the anger I already feel toward Gabriel shifts toward the FBI agent. I glareat him with all the fury of a woman with pregnancy hormones coursing through her veins.
“You seem to think that I’m a criminal as well,” I say. “But I’ve committed no crime.”
“If you’re covering for someone else, hiding information about crimes committed by Dario Andretti or his associates, that could be a problem for you, Miss Dawes.” His tone turns wheedling. “Or you could cooperate with us, and the government will take care of you. Set you and your baby up somewhere safe with a new identity, somewhere that the Andrettis will never find you.”
“That sounds lovely,” I lie, my smile as fake as a three-dollar bill. “But I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
“Can’torwon’t?”
I offer him a wider smile, all teeth. “I’m afraid that I don’t know anything. Dario is a good man who works for his family’s hospitality company. They own one of the best hotels in the city, you know.”
“Good way to launder money, having successful legitimate businesses.” He says it like he’s caught me in a trap.
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know anything about that.” I widen my eyes in innocence.
“Miss Dawes...please take my card,” he says, pulling out a white business card with his name and phone number embossed in black, stark like a warning. “I want you to really think about your future and what’s important to you. Think about what’s best for your baby. When you decide you’re ready to give up information that will put bad people behind bars, I want you to call me.”
I sigh as I take the card, simply because I recognize the determined look in the man’s eyes. He’s not giving up easily, and I want him gone. I’m still starving and Luca will be here any minute.
“Don’t wait around for my call,” I tell him as he stands up. “I don’t know anything about this.”
He just smirks and walks away, annoyingly cocky, like a man who thinks he already has his quarry trapped.
The guy thinks he’s going to get his way. He believes I’ll betray Dario and probably give him a big arrest, the kind that makes FBI agents famous, gets their names in the papers, maybe even a promotion.
But he’s wrong.
I shove the card into my purse, planning to throw it away later. Picking up my menu again, I’ve just decided that I want lamb biryani when the seat across from me is occupied again. I look up to find that it’s Luca this time. Despite the emotional distance I’ve kept from him, I’m relieved to see a familiar face.
I offer a tentative smile, but his eyes are cold, glacial, and he doesn’t react. I don’t know what to make of that, so I hold the menu out to him. “Would you like some lunch?”
“No,” he says, relaxing back in his seat and folding his arms across his chest. “I need to stay alert. Dario wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
There’s something off in his tone, a sharp edge I can’t quite identify. But I don’t get a chance to question him about it because the waitress chooses that moment to approach the table. I place my lunch order, and when I look back at Luca, he’styping away on his phone while occasionally glancing around the restaurant. There’s a darkness hovering over him, a storm cloud I can see but not understand. I don’t know him well enough to comment on it or ask what’s going on.
He probably wouldn’t tell me anyway.
I decide not to let his mood get to me. Instead, I turn my attention to my own phone. The distance between me and Rosa has been tough, so we’ve made up for it in the last couple weeks by taking turns choosing romance books to read and talking about them together.
I prefer to download the digital version of whatever book we’re reading onto my phone so that I can lose myself in the story anywhere, anytime. So, while I eat lunch, I escape into a tale about a human woman discovering she’s the mate of a wolf shifter. Rosa chose this one, and I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but I get wrapped up in the story as we sit there for an hour, me consuming my weight in biryani and Luca radiating silent menace across the table.
When we return to the house, I expect Luca to drop me off and leave, but he pulls into the driveway and turns off the car.
“Are you coming in?” I ask, unable to keep the surprise from my voice.
He nods. “Dario will be home soon. I’m going to wait for him.”
He doesn’t look at me as he speaks, and I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong.
“Is there a problem?” I ask.
