50
What is mine but only you can have?
Answer: My heart
Saint
I stalk into the living room, making sure to keep myself between her and the guys. Right now, I don’t trust any other male around her—definitely, not that bastard Antonio. Is it the fact that she is pregnant? Pregnant. My heart begins to thud. Shit, what am I going to do about that? How will it feel to have a child…a fragile life dependent on me? Will I be able to do justice in my role as their father?
Am I good enough for this? Will I be able to fulfill my responsibilities? What if I can’t? What if I fail?
Just as I had all that time ago?
When he’d asked me the riddles.
And I hadn’t known the answers.
And he’d hurt me. I hadn’t been able to defend myself.
Will I be able to protect my family? My palms begin to sweat. The soles of my feet burn. I stumble and someone grasps my elbow. Warm fingers entangle with mine. I glance down to find Gigi holding my hand.
"You okay?" she whispers.
I glance into those green eyes, "Now, I am."
Her lips curve in a slight smile.
"I love you," I keep my voice low enough that the others can’t hear me.
She blinks, as if surprised, then her cheeks flush, and she glances away. A hot sensation stabs my chest. Does she have any feelings for me? Will she forgive me for what I did—that I hadn’t been able to accept the fact that she was having my child? My flesh and blood. Mine. I tighten my grasp on her hand, then step forward. I urge her to sink into an armchair and stand next to her.
Antonio looks up from the settee across the room. Weston is seated in a chair on his left. Sinclair leans a hip against the wall, his gun trained on Antonio.
"Have you explained our plan to him?" I ask.
Weston nods.
I turn to Antonio. "You agree then?"
He lowers his chin, "You mean turn against my people, and lead you to the person responsible for what happened to the Seven of you?" He glances up, "What do I get in return?"
"You get to walk away from this alive."
"And if I don’t?"
I lean forward on the balls of my feet, "We’ll hand you over to the authorities, and trust me, you’ll never get to be a free man again."
He sits up straight, his massive frame taking up a big portion of the settee, "I’m not exactly a free man now."
"You’ll have a chance to rescue Nina—"
His jaw hardens.
Ah! Interesting. This is his weak spot. Clearly, the man isn’t as smart as I’d given him credit for. If he were, he would never have revealed it to me.
"You’ll have the means to leave the Mafia, start a new life with her, if that's what you want..."
The skin around his lips whitens. He squeezes his fingers together, and the skin of his knuckles stretches white.
This is a calculated move, of course. Dangling everything he wants in front of his eyes, only to rip it all away. Unless he cooperates, of course.
I prod him, "What do you say?"
Antonio glances at Gigi.
"Don’t look at her, you asshole," I growl, then clamp my lips shut. Apparently, Antonio isn’t the only one unable to control himself. This woman has come to mean more than anything in the world to me.
He tilts his head, "You love her?"
I frown, "What’s that got to do with anything?"
He levels an intense stare, daring me to answer him.
"Of course, I do, you piece of shit."
"You’ll take care of Victoria?" he asks.
I take a step forward and Gigi grabs my hand. I glance down and she shakes her head. Shit, I’m letting him provoke me. Again.
"Better than myself," I reply.
"You’re aware there’s nothing remotely romantic between us, right?" he uncurls his fists.
"The hell are you trying to say?" I growl.
"Nina was my ward, so to speak. I was responsible for her wellbeing. Human relations... They can be complicated, you know?" He drums his fingers on his thigh, "At some point, my feelings for her got more intense. I got personally involved. She’d never forgive me if something were to happen to her friend."
I drag my fingers through my hair, "So why did you shoot at Victoria?"
"It was a flesh wound. It got your attention, made you realize how much you need her in your life."
"You kidnapped her," I thrust out my chest.
"And sent you to her," he tilts his head, “because you still allowed her to walk away, after almost losing her once.
He’s right.
"And here you are confronting us again, instead of escaping?" I frown. "Why didn't you ask Victoria about the bug when you took her?"
His jaw hardens, all expression wiped off from his face.
"Well?" I lean forward on the balls of my feet, "What's your play?"
Antonio glances around the room, then turns his gaze back on me. "There's no play."
I straighten, "You're lying."
"I discovered the bug, after you rescued her." He grits his teeth.
"You believe this asshole?" Weston mutters.
"Nah, do you?" I tilt my head.
Antonio's lips quirk, "The one time in my life I do something unselfish..." He shakes his head.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
He sighs, "You had your head so far up your ass, you couldn’t see how important she was to you. I wanted to push you along, make you come to your senses and own up to your feelings." He cups his chin in his hand. "It's what Nina would have wanted."
"That doesn’t explain why you came storming into the hotel," I retort.
His features stay impassive.
"Well?" I growl. "Now is your chance to come clean, you bastard."
"When I discovered the bug, I got pissed off. By putting me at risk, you put Nina in danger and that sent me off the deep end." He draws in a breath. "I wasn't thinking clearly... I charged back to challenge Victoria on it," he says. "By the time I came to my
