Page 86 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

A moment passed and then… “Fuck!”

He roared, slamming his hands on the countertop. He turned and stormed out of the kitchen. Mam instantly stood and followed him, as she always did. “Maddox, watch your sisters.”

I glanced over my shoulder and saw them both disappear into his office.

“Connor, watch the twins.”

“That’s not fair!” he said when I stood up from the chair. I covered his mouth with my hand.

“You want to be my second? This is your job. Protect them. I’ll be back in a minute. Got it?”

His eyes narrowed, but he nodded. I stalked down the corridor and stood outside Da’s office. I pressed my ear against the door.

“We’re on our own,” Da gritted through clenched teeth.

“What do you mean? I thought the alliance with the Buccinis still stood even after Salvatore passed away.”

“So did I, but apparently his nephew doesn’t want to keep it.”

“But–”

“They aren’t coming, Cara. The Italians won’t fight our war. No more men. No more weapons. Sean’s blocked us in on all sides. We’ve nowhere to turn.”

A heavy silence fell. “What about the children?” Mam said, her voice trembling. “They’re his main target, Cillian. Especially Maddox.”

“I know,” Da sighed. “I killed his heir. He wants to kill mine. But he won’t stop with Maddox. He wants to kill them all.”

I swallowed, eyes widening.

“The only compensation Giovanni has offered is to put them up in a safe house until this is over.”

“You mean sending them to Italy?”

“It may be our only option until I can kill Sean.”

“Maddox!” Connor yelled from the kitchen. I raced back down the corridor and found him kneeling by Riley, who had been sick all over herself and the kitchen floor. “She said she didn’t feel well and started throwin’ up.”

“I feel sick too–” Roisin vomited over the kitchen table. Connor rubbed ‌his stomach and glanced at me.

“Mam!” I shouted urgently. Both she and Da came running back into the kitchen.

“Oh my. What have you all eaten today?” Mam asked, scooping Roisin off the chair.

My stomach twisted. The pain shot through me, making me clutch my side. All the colour had drained from Connor’s face as he stumbled towards Da.

“Da?” The fear in his voice made mine rise. The twins started crying. I ran to the bathroom just in time to reach the toilet.

Time blended. I stayed on the bathroom floor while my parents focused on helping the others. Then Da carried me upstairs; he’d put us all in their bed.

Mam was on her knees in the ensuite, throwing up in the toilet. Dad looked white and sweaty as he barked orders to his men, coming in and out of the room to check on us.

“Da, what’s happenin’?” I asked some time later. We’d all been drifting in and out of sleep. The stomach cramps were intense, waking us constantly. My sisters wouldn’t stop crying. I tried to cuddle Riley, but I didn’t want to be sick on her.

“Just try to rest,” he muttered, placing a damp cloth on my head. But at some point his shouting grew louder. There was a lot of noise. A roar shook the house, waking me. I crawled out of bed. The room swayed around me. I reached the top of the stairs and saw men. Lots of men. But they weren’t Moriarty soldiers. They had guns. There was screaming. Blood on the walls and floor. A body by the door.

Da suddenly fell back against the wall at the bottom of the stairs as a man struck him in the face. Da knocked him out a second later.

“Da!” I shouted from the top of the stairs. He looked as bad as I felt. His skin was clammy and pale, and his top was covered in blood.