Page 28 of Diary of a Mafia Princess

But I shook my head, glaring at Roarke when he stepped in front of the door. “Don’t think my busted knuckles will stop me from laying you out if you don’t move out of my way,” I said quietly.

There was a darkness in my tone. One I hadn’t even known I was capable of a few months ago.

But losing Nyah had brought it out.

And I knew that as much as I loved Roarke, if he stood between me and Nyah, he was going to end up on the ground.

He realized it and stepped aside, but his words trailed after me. “If she’s Carlos Guerra’s fiancée, you aren’t going to get within a hundred feet of her. She’ll be under lock and key.”

I stopped, because he was right. I turned to my mom.

She shook her head. “Dax, I can’t get you in there! I’ll lose my job!”

I didn’t want to jeopardize her income, but I also couldn’t just leave Nyah in that house alone either. If she was back in town, in that house, I had to see her. There was no way she had willingly chosen Carlos Guerra over me. I refused to believe that.

Mom must have seen the look in my eyes, because she did a double take. Her hand fluttered to her mouth. “Oh, Dax.”

I knew she could see it all. Every sleepless night. Every waking moment of loss and need. Every ounce of agony that her leaving had put me through.

I’d known something was wrong when she’d left. I let myself believe she was really just going back to the city to take care of her sick mother, and that being around me was too painful after losing the baby.

But I’d never truly believed she hadn’t felt the same way I did.

For the shortest time, we’d been everything to each other. I was old enough to know that feeling didn’t happen twice.

She was it.

And now she was marrying someone else.

Over my dead fucking body.

I shook my head at my mother miserably. “I have to get in there, one way or another. If they don’t let me in the gates, I’ll climb them.”

Panic filled her expression. “They’ll shoot you! They’re the Guerras! When their signs say trespassers will be shot, they really mean it!”

She wasn’t being dramatic. I knew that. I’d heard the rumors. That they had bodies buried all across Saint View and Providence, but nobody could ever pin anything on them. Probably because they had the cops well and truly in their pockets.

But I also didn’t care.

My mom caught my hand before I could get out the door. “Eleven-ten-nine-three. That’s the gate code. It’ll get you in. The house probably won’t be locked, but you’ll need to have a reason to get past security…” She nodded, the plan clearly coming together in her mind. “Stop at my house. Get the tiramisu out of the refrigerator and take it over there. When they ask why you’re there, you can tell them I asked you to deliver it.” She frowned at me. “That will get you in the house, but after that I cannot help you. She’ll be up in one of the bedrooms, which are at the top of the stairs that start in the foyer, but there is no reason for you to be up there. So you’ll have to work it out from there.”

I bent and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

“This is a very bad idea.’

“I know.”

But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except making sure Nyah was okay.

And then getting her back.

9

NYAH

Dear Diary,

Today my ex showed up with tiramisu and almost got us all killed. Zero stars. Would not recommend.