Page 25 of Pregnant By the Mafia Boss

“Don’t say hotter because you’re wrong.”

I manage a smile. “I was going to say more violent.”

“He’s a good man, Keira. They all are. They were dealt a shitty hand early in life, and they’ve overcome it. Made something of themselves.”

She glances over at her husband. He looks back at her, and a warm smile crosses his lips. All I get from Salvatore is a scowl.

“He’s stressed,” Zoey says. “That’s all.”

“How can you tell?”

“I’ve been part of this family longer than you. It’s not easy keeping you safe. It’s taking it out of him.”

“I didn’t ask him to look after me.”

“You’d rather be dead? From what I hear, this Christian Garibaldi is a real piece of shit. All five families are on edge.

“You stick with Salvatore, and you’ll be fine. And when all this blows over, you’ll get to choose whether you want to stick with the marriage or end it.”

“He said that?”

“Exactly that.”

“He might have mentioned that part to me. But what about our child? I can’t just walk away, can I? He’ll have rights. The kid will want to know where their father is.”

“One problem at a time.” She gets to her feet. “Got to put this one to bed. It’s getting late. Oh, by the way, I spoke to Caroline. Told her you had a family thing and would be in touch soon.

“She’s taking over most of your shifts, sharing the rest with the others. She got excited, thought you’d found your parents.”

“I did. They’re both dead.”

She hoists Phoebe up to her chest, using her free hand to give me a hug as best she can. “I’m sorry. When did you find out?”

“Salvatore told me.”

“I’m sorry. I knew—Salvatore told Antonio. I wanted to be the one to break the news, but Salvatore had already got to you, and you weren’t answering your phone.”

“I left it behind when he kidnapped me.”

She wags a finger at me. “Savedyou.”

“Whatever.”

“Antonio said your dad forced your mum to have you. Coerced her into it because he needed an heir, and she was too scared to say no. But look on the bright side.”

I sigh. “And what’s that?”

“She thought you deserved a clean slate, brought you over here. If she hadn’t, we’d never have met.” She kisses my cheek. “We’ll talk in the morning. Deal?”

“Sure. I’m not going anywhere, apparently.”

As Zoey walks away, Dante comes over.

“Your husband has got some work to do,” he says. “He wanted me to let you know.”

“He just left without saying anything, didn’t he? And you decided to soften the blow by pretending he got you to pass on a message.”

He nods, the smile fading from his face. “You’re a smart cookie. I can see why he likes you. Don’t be sad. You’re part of our family now. Nowhere safer to be.”

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