Page 9 of Pregnant By the Mafia Boss

He cocks his head. “He was good at what he did. Coldhearted, never showed any mercy to anyone. That’s probably why Christian killed him.”

He looks at me, his eyes glinting in the darkness. “From what I could work out, he’d promised Christian the position when he retired. Only he went back on his promise when he found you.”

“Any ideas why?”

“My guess is either he always wanted you to take over or because Christian is crazier than Gabriel.”

“Who’s Gabriel?”

“The man who tried to kill my brother and your best friend. Bastard son of Bruno Leone, our former worst enemy. Before Antonio broke his neck.

“Gabriel was certifiably insane, but Christian is off the scale.” There’s a slight tremor in his voice like he’s remembering something bad.

“What did Christian do to you?”

“He tried to persuade me to bring you over to Rome.”

“Persuadeyou? That's all I get?”

“You don’t want the details, trust me.”

We fall into silence for a moment. I kick my shoes and socks off before slipping under the covers. “Are you going to bed at any point?”

“I need to watch out in case anyone comes for us.”

“Don’t you need sleep?”

“I can sleep once you’re safe.”

“If you’re sleep deprived, your reaction time will suffer.”

His tone is brusque. “I’ve lasted days without sleep before.”

I’m unnerved by the thought of Salvatore sitting beside me as I sleep. I want him to switch off, so I know he’s human.

“Look, no one’s following us,” I say. “It’s the middle of the night. No one knows which way we went. You should get some rest. If you want,I’llstay up and keep watch.”

“No, go to sleep.”

His voice is icy cold and powerful. I don’t want an argument with a man that cold. How many people did he kill today? Five?

I settle down, closing my eyes. “What did my father say about me?”

“Not much. He thought you could come to Rome and take over from him when he died. Made the mistake of telling Christian that.”

He shifts in his seat, making it creak loudly in the quiet of the room. “I know you want to believe he gave a shit about you, but he only cared about what you represented. An heir for the throne. Head of the high council.”

He sighs. “If you ask me, your father was as crazy as Christian.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re a civilian. You don’t know a thing about our world. How were you supposed to handle disputes between some of the most dangerous families on the planet? You’d have been a weak leader, and they’d have walked all over you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I’m not here to make you feel better. I’m here to keep you alive.”

“And, apparently, to marry me.”

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