I moved toward her, Carmen protesting and threatening my life with every step that I took. Wonderful to know that I had a growing list of people who’d be happy to see me dead if I stepped out of line. Mia bumped into the door of her kitchen as she took a step away from me and her arms tightened around her stomach, accentuating the hard curve that it possessed. It was small but definitely there. The sight of it made my head pulse with so many questions, each of which I was uncertain whether I wanted to know the answers to. This put a complicated spanner into my otherwise seamless plan.
Standing in front of her, on closer inspection, I noticed that Mia did not look the same as I’d originally thought. She looked tired and the flicker of fear remained in her eyes. When had I become someone that she feared? Our relationship had been based on sweet treats, laughter and a mutual understanding that, despite the fact Luc could be a colossal asshole, we loved him.
“You know me better than that,” I said to her quietly, wanting to keep it between us, though I doubted that gave her much comfort. She supposedly knew Luc and vice versa but they had both surprised each other with their actions. “I’ve risked my life to come and talk to you. Just hear me out, boss.” I used the nickname that I had once bestowed on her. The first time I’d ever called Mia boss she’d laughed and warned me that Luc wouldn’t be happy, but we all knew Mia would have a hand in running things. Luc would seek her approval in all he did for the rest of his days, because she was all that mattered.
Her dark eyes settled on my face and the silence felt heavy between us before she gave a curt nod. With her blessing, I knew I’d only have one shot at this and so I needed to play it right.
Chapter Five
Mia
If there was one certainty in life, it was that if God existed, he had one strong vendetta against me. Disbelief in my supposed creator would equate to my demise. I had spent the better part of half a year hidden away with only a very select few knowing about my existence, and on the eve of my new life, Dante had burst into my apartment with the grace and class that he was renowned for.
After agreeing with Carmen to let Gio stay with us, Dante and I were left alone. I still wasn’t entirely sure whether I could trust him or if he was trying to lull me into a false sense of security. A small part of me expected Luc to show up through the busted door that no longer shut properly and make good on his word.
“Is he really necessary, Mia?” Dante muttered, gesturing over to Gio. The hulking security guard and I may have barely exchanged more than a handful of words, but I was grateful that he was in the room with us.
“You tell me.”
Dante inhaled deeply before he took a seat without invitation. The tension between us was palpable. It felt as if I’d forgotten how to behave and interact with a person who had once made himself a part of my life with ease. “Whatever makes you happy, boss,” Dante said, propping his feet up on the coffee table in an irritating display of comfort. I wanted him to join me in the awkwardness, wanted to not be the only one struggling with this reunion. My heart gave a weird tug inside my chest. “Since we seem to be cutting right down to the bone, is that why you left?” This time he gestured at my bump with a nod of his head and I rested my hands on it, trying to ineffectively shield it from his view.
It had been Carmen who’d suggested that I may be pregnant when the nausea wouldn’t stop. A trip to the hospital and a battery of tests confirmed my condition. The pregnancy had been an unwelcome surprise that saw sleepless nights and a waterfall of tears. The previous negative tests had played vividly on loop but that was a mistake. I must have been pregnant the entire time. To this day, I felt uncertain about my decision to keep the baby, to raise it alone, but the nagging voice in the back of my head refused to be silenced the moment I thought of giving it up. It reminded me of Dad and how he’d coped as a single parent. He’d never once thought of me as a burden or that I’d be better off without him.
“I thought you loved him, Mia. How could you do that to him?” he continued when I didn’t reply, taking his feet off the table. His tone was clipped, not like the Dante I was used to. This must have been the Dante that donned a suit and carried out unspeakable things alongside Luc.
“I’m sorry. What?”
Dante’s face started to flood with embarrassment, skin becoming rosy pink along his cheeks and down his neck and I realized the assumption he’d made.
“Get out,” I said, pointing to the door, offended at his thought process.
“Mia,” he started, leaning forward, realizing his mistake.
“Get out!”
Gio took a step away from the wall and Dante gave him a quick glance. “Mia be reasonable. You left us, and when I find you, you’re pregnant. What am I meant to think?”
“Not that!” I exclaimed. “For your information, this is Luc’s child. I had no clue I was pregnant until after I’d left. We’d done tests but they were negative.” The memory of Luc and I standing in the bathroom waiting for the test results fluttered to the forefront of my mind yet again. He’d seemed so disappointed by the fact they were negative. He’d whispered promises of starting a brood the moment we were wed. Not for the first time, I wondered what he would think now.
“You thought you were pregnant?” Dante seemed surprised by the revelation.
“Luc didn’t tell you?” I was just as surprised.
“A lot happened between then and now.” In that time, my Dad had been murdered and I’d lost a small hold on my sanity. Luc and I had been preoccupied with more than a pregnancy scare. Dante rubbed his face in his hands and I quietly took a seat in the chair opposite him, the coffee table separating us. “You have to tell him,” he said, head snapping up and looking me directly in the eyes.
“Are you insane? He wants me dead.” Every time I said it out loud the world swayed. It felt like a joke, but I knew reality lay behind the threat. To men like Luc, threats were never empty, words were never just said in anger.
“That’s his child you’re carrying. I…” Dante looked like he was struggling over what to say. “He’s angry,” he finished lamely.
“When I get angry, I don’t put out a hit on people.”
“Different worlds, sweetheart, and you know it.”
I bit my tongue. In my mind, I hadn’t really factored in how Luc would feel when I left. All of my actions had been selfish and impulsive, but when I’d heard that Luc had ordered for people to find me so he could put an end to my life, it felt like everything I believed had been pulled out from underneath me.
“Why did you leave?”
I shook my head. “I can’t tell you.”
