Page 90 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Prince
But I can’t deny there’s something desperate in my father’s voice, a quaver that speaks of real fear.
“What is it?” I ask. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get into it over the phone. The line might not be secure. I need you to meet me.”
“I can’t.” The words come automatically. Dario would lose his mind.
But then I hesitate.
This is myfather. A man I thought I’d never see again. A ghost returned.
“Maybe…maybe you could come here?” I offer, knowing even that would be a stretch.
Dario wouldn’t be thrilled, but at least here, we have the alarm system, the neighbors, the muscle on call. Safety. Control.
“It’s still not safe for me to be near the Andrettis,” he says. “I didn’t disappear just to get gunned down because you’re dating one of those fuckers.”
I flinch at his accusatory tone, the venom in his voice when he refers to Dario. It feels like a slap across the face, a reminder of the chasm between my past and my present.
“Dad, I...”
“There’s no time,” he snaps. “Some very bad people know where you live. And they know Dario’s out of town. You have to get out. Now.”
My gut twists.
Something is wrong.
“Don’t you trust me?” he adds, his voice softening again. That old coaxing tone I remember from when I was small and scared. “I’m worried about you, princess.”
And that name—princess—slips through my defenses like a knife through silk.
Logic and caution are drowned out by the siren song of family, of closure, of answers to questions I’ve been asking for half my life.
“Where do you want me to go?”
“My place. It’s right outside the city.”
My car’s in the garage. I haven’t driven myself much lately, but I can do it. I’ll be fine.
“Send me the address,” I say. “I’ll come now.”
“No!”he barks, so loud I yank the phone away from my ear. “Don’t hang up.”
“Why not?”
“I just need to hear your voice. To know you’re okay. Please don’t hang up.”
An alarm goes off in my head, loud and insistent.
Something about this feels wrong.
But I can’t shake the fear that if I hang up…he’ll vanish again. Like a mirage I blinked too hard at.
“Okay,” I whisper, disabling the alarm and stepping into the garage.
I tell myself I’ll call Dario the moment I get there. I’ll explain everything.
It’ll be fine.
